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Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro signed Monday a pledge committing the electoral coalition he leads, the Great Patriotic Pole, to recognize the results of the upcoming parliamentary elections on December 6.
Before affixing his signature to the page, Maduro gave a brief speech about the commitment of those now governing to peace.
“My signature here isn’t my own, it is on behalf of millions of men and women who want peace,” said President Maduro.
Meanwhile, opposition parties in Venezuela have refused to sign the pledge, leading to concern that the opposition may refuse to recognize the results should they fail to obtain their desired results.
RELATED: Peace at Stake in Venezuela's Upcoming Assembly Elections
The Bolivarian Revolution, led by the late President Hugo Chavez, arrived to power in 1999 after Chavez's overwhelming victory in elections.
Maduro said before the Bolivarian Revolution, the country was ruled by two parties who alternated power as the result of an agreement known as the Punto Fijo pact, which was designed to deliberately exclude non-traditional parties. But Chavez convinced his supporters and advisers that “revolutionary changes must be peaceful.”
Political and economic elites conspired against Chavez, including a failed 2002 coup attempt that briefly ousted the late leader from power. Maduro said at that moment some were also demanding that supporters of the revolution use violent means to restore Chavez to the presidency.
Instead people took the streets and Chavez was returned to office “without firing a single shot,” said Maduro.
The Venezuelan president said that his party's pledge to honor the results of the vote, no matter the outcome was in keeping with this peaceful tradition.
“We have to come to ratify our commitment to continue down the path of peace,” said Maduro.
President Maduro also praised the work of the head of the electoral authority, Tibisay Lucena, who has been the subject of repeated attacks by the opposition.
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