(Bloomberg) — The United Nations said it will deploy a team of four experts to monitor elections in Venezuela, days after the opposition refused to sign an agreement to recognize the presidential election results.
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The UN team will independently prepare a confidential report for the Secretary General that will include recommendations for future elections in Venezuela, the group said in a statement on Tuesday. The UN will join a limited team from the Carter Center as credible international observers of Venezuela’s electoral process.
President Nicolás Maduro is seeking a third consecutive term in the July 28 elections after the government banned his biggest rival. Maria Corina Machado, from running. The government said in late May it would ban EU observers after the group refused to lift all sanctions on government officials.
Last week, Venezuela’s opposition refused to finalize a pact proposed by Maduro to force candidates to recognize the outcome of the vote, increasing tensions between the parties ahead of the vote. Machado’s replacement, Edmundo González, indicated he would not sign the deal because the government had already violated an electoral agreement by withdrawing the EU’s invitation to attend the vote as an observer.
The government has stepped up its repression of political dissent in the days leading up to the official start of the campaign on July 4, arresting five opposition activists and journalists while expelling mayors in provincial towns where González and Machado have held rallies .
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