International

Venezuelan TSJ suspends the entire primary event process

Photo: VTV

October 31 |

The Electoral Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) of Venezuela suspended this Monday all effects of the process of the primary event of a sector of the opposition and demanded the delivery of several documents related to the vote.

“All the effects of the different phases of the electoral process conducted by the national primary commission are suspended,” said the ruling on a writ of amparo against the primary process introduced last week.

In a joint report, it admitted the contentious electoral appeal with precautionary protection filed by the aspiring candidate, José Brito, and ordered to suspend the effects of the phases of the primary process carried out by a sector of the opposition on October 22.

The injunction is against the unconstitutional and illegal acts of the National Primary Commission, which carried out the process to elect the unitary presidential candidate for the presidential elections of 2024.

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CEL

The instance also requested the minutes of the event held on October 22, 2023, including: the minutes of the constitution of the electoral tables, the voting notebooks, the voting ballots, and the minutes of the scrutiny.

Likewise, the minutes of regional totalization, the minutes of final totalization, the minutes of adjudication and the minutes of proclamation.

“It must also send a report on the aspects of fact and law, indicating the mechanism used for the safekeeping of the electoral material and the place destined to such effect; all of this related to the claim”, reads the communiqué.

Denunciation of fraud
Subsequently, Brito reiterated to the media that he has pointed out several irregularities occurred in the primary event, in which the registration of disqualified persons was allowed.

“I have pointed out that in the accumulation of irregularities, the registration of disqualified persons was allowed there. For example, they made a tailor-made suit for Mrs. María Corina Machado; well, she is disqualified, but Venezuela is not disqualified. I want to make that very clear”, he stated.

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He also emphasized that there can be no confrontation or train wreck, and to prevent this from happening, “I have denounced what in my opinion is a fraud, a swindle and a continuous crime that has been committed (…) There are many intricacies that will come out in the next few days that occurred” in the event.

International

Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has deported “more than half a million” migrants due to pressure from former President Donald Trump.

During a cabinet meeting highlighting the “achievements” of Trump’s administration in its first 100 days, Noem asserted that under the Republican leader’s influence, “Mexico has finally come to the table” to negotiate on migration and fentanyl trafficking.

“The president of Mexico told me she has returned just over half a million people before they reached our border,” Noem stated, criticizing media reports that suggest the Biden administration deported more migrants than Trump’s.

“I wish those deportations were counted,” Noem added, “because those people never made it to our border—she sent them back because you made her.” She went on to thank Trump: “They never made it here because they got the message—because you were so aggressive.”

Noem has made controversial claims about Sheinbaum in the past, prompting the Mexican leader to refute them.

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On April 1, Sheinbaum responded to one such statement by declaring, “The president answers to only one authority, and that is the people of Mexico,” after Noem said on Fox News that she gave Sheinbaum “a list of things Trump would like to see” and that Mexico’s actions would determine whether Trump granted tariff relief.

International

Vatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition

he Vatican’s post offices and select collector shops began selling special edition stamps this week to mark the period between the death of Pope Francis and the election of his successor.

Known as “Sede Vacante” stamps, they feature an image used on official Vatican documents during the interregnum between popes — two crossed keys without the papal tiara. These stamps went on sale Monday and will remain valid for postal use only until the new pontiff appears at the window overlooking St. Peter’s Square.

Until then, they can be used to send letters, postcards, and parcels. “Once the new pope is elected, the stamps lose their postal validity, but their collectible value rises,” said Francesco Santarossa, who runs a collectors’ shop across from St. Peter’s Square.

The Vatican has issued the stamps in four denominations: €1.25, €1.30, €2.45, and €3.20. Each is inscribed with “Città del Vaticano” and “Sede Vacante MMXXV” — Latin for “Vacant See 2025.”

International

Conclave to choose pope Francis’ successor could begin in early may

The conclave, which in the coming weeks must choose the successor to Pope Francis, will strictly follow a precise protocol refined over centuries.

The 135 cardinal electors, all under the age of 80, will cast their votes four times a day — except on the first day — until one candidate secures a two-thirds majority. The result will be announced to the world through the burning of the ballots with a chemical that produces the eagerly awaited white smoke, accompanied by the traditional cry of “Habemus Papam.”

The start date for the conclave could be announced today, as the cardinals are set to hold their fifth meeting since the pope’s passing. Luxembourg Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich suggested it could begin on May 5 or 6, following the traditional nine days of mourning. According to German Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the conclave could last only “a few days.”

Although the late Argentine pontiff appointed the majority of the cardinal electors, this does not necessarily ensure the selection of a like-minded successor. Francis’ leadership style differed significantly from that of his predecessor, Benedict XVI, a German theologian who was less fond of large public gatherings. It also marked a contrast with the popular Polish pope, John Paul II.

The Argentine Jesuit’s reformist papacy drew strong criticism from more conservative sectors of the Church, who are hoping for a doctrinally focused shift. His tenure was marked by efforts to combat clerical sexual abuse, elevate the role of women and laypeople, and advocate for the poor and migrants, among other causes.