International

Chavez brother renounces governorship in vote dispute

AFP

The older brother of late Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez on Tuesday renounced the governorship of western Barinas state, a stronghold of the family, after losing reelection to an opposition candidate who was subsequently disqualified.

Argenis Chavez, 63, had lost the November 21 vote to Freddy Superlano, receiving 37.21 percent of ballots cast compared to his rival’s 37.6 percent according to projections of the CNE election body.

But on Monday, Venezuela’s highest court annulled the victory of Superlano, an ally of opposition leader Juan Guaido who is recognized by the United States and some 50 other governments as Venezuela’s true president over incumbent Nicolas Maduro, whose 2018 re-election is disputed.

Maduro’s United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) won 19 gubernatorial races in the November 21 vote — the first in which the opposition participated since 2017.

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Barinas was alone among Venezuela’s 23 states not to have its election outcome confirmed by election authorities.

The court, accused of government bias by the opposition, ruled Monday in favor of the country’s public finances watchdog which had sought a declaration of Superlano’s “ineligibility” as an election candidate.

It said he should be disqualified due to “administrative and criminal investigations” into accusations of corruption.

The court ordered new elections to be held on January 9, without Superlano, in the state governed by the Chavez family and the PSUV since 1998.

The ex-president’s father, Hugo de los Reyes Chavez was governor from 1998 to 2008 followed by Hugo Chavez’s brother Adan — now Venezuela’s ambassador to Cuba — and then Argenis from 2017.

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Announcing his resignation Tuesday, Chavez did not specify whether he will contest the January 9 election.

On Sunday, Maduro lashed out at EU observers, whom he called “enemies” and “spies”, for saying the November 21 election for governors and mayors had been marred by irregularities.

The EU mission had noted a “lack of adherence to the rule of law” and expressed doubts over the “equality of conditions, the balance and the transparency of the elections.”

International

Former South Korean President Yoon sentenced to five years in prison

Former South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol was sentenced on Friday to five years in prison for obstruction of justice and other charges, concluding the first in a series of trials stemming from his failed attempt to impose martial law in December 2024.

The sentence is shorter than the 10-year prison term sought by prosecutors against the 65-year-old conservative former leader, whose move against Parliament triggered a major political crisis that ultimately led to his removal from office.

Yoon, a former prosecutor, is still facing seven additional trials. One of them, on charges of insurrection, could potentially result in the death penalty.

On Friday, the Seoul Central District Court ruled on one of the multiple secondary cases linked to the affair, which plunged the country into months of mass protests and political instability.

International

U.S. deportation flight returns venezuelans to Caracas after Maduro’s ouster

A new flight carrying 231 Venezuelans deported from the United States arrived on Friday at the airport serving Caracas, marking the first such arrival since the military operation that ousted and captured President Nicolás Maduro.

On January 3, U.S. forces bombed the Venezuelan capital during an incursion in which Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured. Both are now facing narcotrafficking charges in New York.

This was the first U.S.-flagged aircraft transporting migrants to land in Venezuela since the military action ordered by President Donald Trump, who has stated that he is now in charge of the country.

The aircraft departed from Phoenix, Arizona, and landed at Maiquetía International Airport, which serves the Venezuelan capital, at around 10:30 a.m. local time (14:30 GMT), according to AFP reporters on the ground.

The deportees arrived in Venezuela under a repatriation program that remained in place even during the height of the crisis between the two countries, when Maduro was still in power. U.S. planes carrying undocumented Venezuelan migrants continued to arrive throughout last year, despite the military deployment ordered by Trump.

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International

Sheinbaum highlights anti-drug gains after U.S. says challenges remain

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Friday highlighted her government’s achievements in the fight against drug trafficking, after the United States said challenges remain in combating organized crime.

On Thursday, Mexican Foreign Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente held talks with his U.S. counterpart, Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Following the meeting, the U.S. State Department said in a statement that “despite progress, challenges still exist” in addressing organized crime.

“There are very strong results from joint cooperation and from the work Mexico is doing: first, a 50% reduction in fentanyl seizures at the U.S. border,” Sheinbaum said during her regular morning press conference.

The president also said that authorities have seized nearly 320 tons of drugs and that there has been a “40% decrease in intentional homicides in Mexico” since the start of her administration on October 1, 2024.

Sheinbaum added that the United States should implement campaigns to reduce drug consumption within its territory and curb the flow of weapons into Mexico.

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“There are many results and there will be more, but there must be mutual respect and shared responsibility, as well as respect for our sovereignties,” she said.

On Monday, Sheinbaum held a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump to discuss security issues. She said she once again ruled out the presence of U.S. troops in Mexico to fight drug cartels.

Security has been a recurring issue used by Trump to threaten tariffs on Mexico and to pressure negotiations over the USMCA (T-MEC) free trade agreement, which are scheduled for 2026.

The agreement is crucial for Mexico’s economy, as about 80% of the country’s exports are destined for the United States.