International
López Obrador describes the elections in Mexico as “historic” after the review of the electoral body

The president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, pointed out that the election day of last June 2, in which the ruling party Claudia Sheinbaum prevailed, was “historic” due to the participation and the election of a woman to the Presidency of the country.
“It was a very important participation, it was a historic choice in several ways: because of the number of votes cast in general, never; because of the number of votes with which a candidate wins, in this case a candidate, I obtained like 31 million we are talking about 5 million more,” the president said during his morning press conference.
The Mexican ruler also described as historical the fact that in 200 years a woman had not ruled, he said.
López Obrador thus referred to the stage of review and certification of the results of the elections in Mexico that concluded on Sunday and opened the period of challenges and qualification by the Electoral Tribunal of the Judiciary of the Federation (TEPJF).
He also boasted that after the district calculations revealed over the weekend by the National Electoral Institute (INE) in which Sheinbaum obtained 35.9 million votes, which meant 59.76% of the total votes, in addition to the fact that his party, National Regeneration Movement (Morena) won seven governorships.
In addition, López Obrador also detailed that the coalition of Morena and the Green Ecologist of Mexico (PVEM) and Labor (PT) parties obtained a total of 373 deputies, which would give him a qualified majority.
While in the Mexican Senate, he said, the alliance reached 83 seats, very close to the qualified majority.
Regarding the overrepresentation in the Congress of the Union, he indicated that the electoral authorities are the ones who will decide, although he stressed that the Constitution is quite clear on the issue.
“There is a debate that if the representation of plurinominals is well resolved, so that there is no overrepresentation, that will also be decided by the authority and the Constitution is quite clear in that, but that also in the Electoral Tribunal,” he said.
“Congratulations to the people of Mexico, that this is something very important. The forecasts that were made in a pessimistic way, fortunately, were not fulfilled. Hopefully, and we have already talked about that, there is self-criticism, which is not turning the page around and ‘we will continue to do the same,’” he emphasized.
The elections of June 2 were the largest in the history of Mexico because more than 98 million people were called to the polls to renew more than 20,000 positions, including the Presidency, the 500 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and the 128 in the Senate.
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.
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.
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