International
Leaders of the Latin American left warn Maduro on the eve of the elections
The president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, has received on the eve of this Sunday’s elections a series of warnings from prominent Latin American left-wing rulers, such as the Brazilian Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the Colombian Gustavo Petro and the Chilean Gabriel Boric, in addition to the Honduran Xiomara Castro, while the Bolivian Luis Arce has been more lukewarm, and the Cuban Miguel Díaz-Canel and the Nicaraguan Daniel Ortega have shown their full support.
Maduro, for his part, described these elections as a decisive moment for Venezuela, in which the choice will be between “war or peace, democracy or fascism.” During his campaign, he emphasized that the future of the country for the next 50 years depends on these elections.
“On July 28, if they do not want Venezuela to fall into a bloodbath, in a fratricidal civil war produced by the fascists, let’s guarantee the greatest success, the greatest victory in the electoral history of our people,” the Chavista leader proclaimed on July 17 during an electoral event in Caracas.
However, the Venezuelan president received criticism from various sectors of the Latin American left that reflect a shared concern about the direction and policies implemented by his Government.
The president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, expressed his concern about the statements of the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, about the possibility of violence if he loses the presidential elections of July 28, 2024.
Lula considered these statements as dangerous and unacceptable, stressing that “democratic processes require those who lose the elections to accept the results peacefully” and insisted on the need for international observers to guarantee the transparency of the electoral process.
“I was frightened by Maduro’s statements that if he loses the elections there will be a bloodbath,” he said; “who loses the elections takes a bath of votes, not blood,” said Lula, who added that “Maduro has to learn: when you win, you stay; when you lose, you leave.”
This position represents a change in Lula’s attitude towards Maduro, since historically he was more cautious in his criticisms.
Meanwhile, the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, criticized the disqualification of María Corina Machado as a candidate for the presidency of Venezuela, a measure he described as an “anti-democratic coup.”
Petro expressed his concern about the affectation of political rights, making a parallel with his own experience of disqualification when he was mayor of Bogotá, and warned that administrative sanctions, such as the one applied to Machado, are a violation of political rights and emphasized the importance of protecting these rights in all their fullness, both in Venezuela and in Colombia.
“The right to choose is not only individual. It is from society and today this discussion is very well evident in the events of Venezuela to Mrs. María Corina (Machado) and others previously: they were disqualified from participating in electoral campaigns by administrative authorities,” he said.
The president of Chile, Gabriel Boric, supported Lula’s statements: “You can’t threaten from any point of view with blood baths. What the leaders and the candidates receive are baths of votes and those baths of votes represent popular sovereignty, which must be respected,” he emphasized.
The Boric Administration also expressed concerns about the conditions for free and fair elections in Venezuela. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Chile, Alberto van Klaveren, said that the conditions for a free election are currently not met, highlighting the importance of democratic principles and human rights in electoral processes.
In the midst of the international scrutiny of the electoral process and concerns about the deprivation of the right to vote, especially among Venezuelans abroad, Van Klaveren emphasized the need for the international community to facilitate democratic conditions in Venezuela.
For her part, the president of Honduras, Xiomara Castro, expressed her support for the presidential elections in Venezuela by sending a mission of observers to ensure that the process is “free, fair, independent and transparent.”
In this same line of moderation regarding the situation in Venezuela, the president of Bolivia, Luis Arce, also showed his support for Nicolás Maduro and the Venezuelan electoral process, underlining the importance of the self-determination of Latin American peoples and rejecting foreign intervention.
“We support the right of the Venezuelan people to decide their future without external interference. The elections of July 28 are an opportunity to reaffirm their sovereignty and move towards stability.” In addition, he emphasized the need for the elections to take place in an atmosphere of peace and respect.
For his part, Miguel Díaz-Canel, president of Cuba, expressed his full support for Nicolás Maduro and the Bolivarian Revolution, underlining the historic friendship and joint struggle between Cuba and Venezuela.
“We feel… that this is also a special occasion to express the full support and invariable solidarity of our people, State and Government to the Bolivarian and Chavista Revolution, the civic-military union of its people and the leadership of President Nicolás Maduro,” he proclaimed.
In the same vein, the president of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, gave his support to Nicolás Maduro and criticized foreign interference in Venezuela’s internal affairs, qualifying them as attempts at destabilization.
“Maduro has shown exemplary courage and resistance in the face of external aggressions. The elections of July 28 are a crucial step for Venezuela’s sovereignty and must be respected by the international community.”
International
Trump signs order to end federal funding for NPR and PBS
U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday to halt federal funding for two public media outlets, PBS television and NPR radio, accusing them of being biased.
NPR and PBS are partially funded by American taxpayers but rely heavily on private donations.
Trump has long maintained a hostile relationship with most media outlets, which he has referred to as the “enemy of the people.”
An exception is the conservative Fox News channel, some of whose hosts have played important roles in the administration of the Republican magnate.
“National Public Radio (NPR) and Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) receive taxpayer funding through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB),” Trump said.
“Therefore, I direct the CPB board and all executive departments and agencies to cease federal funding for NPR and PBS,” he added.
The Republican leader argued that “neither of these entities provides a fair, accurate, or impartial portrayal of current events to the taxpayer citizens.”
At the end of March, Donald Trump called on Congress to end public funding for these two “horrible and completely biased networks.”
International
Man arrested after deliberately driving into seven children in Osaka
Japanese police arrested a man on Thursday after he rammed his car into a group of seven schoolchildren in an apparent deliberate attack in the city of Osaka.
The children, who were on their way home from school, sustained injuries and were taken to the hospital. All seven remained conscious, according to local authorities.
An Osaka police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the suspect is a 28-year-old man from Tokyo. The officer shared statements the man made after his arrest: “I was fed up with everything, so I decided to kill people by driving into several elementary school children,” the suspect reportedly said.
The man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
The injured children, aged between seven and eight, included a seven-year-old girl who suffered a fractured jaw. The six other children—all boys—suffered minor injuries such as bruises and scratches and were undergoing medical evaluation.
Witnesses described the car as “zigzagging” before hitting the children. One witness told Nippon TV that a girl was “covered in blood” and the others appeared to have scratches.
Another witness said the driver, who was wearing a face mask, looked to be in shock when school staff pulled him from the vehicle.
Violent crimes are rare in Japan, though serious incidents do occur from time to time. In 2008, Tomohiro Kato drove a two-ton truck into pedestrians in Tokyo’s Akihabara district, then fatally stabbed several victims. Seven people were killed in that attack.
Internacionales
Clashes erupt during may day protests across France amid calls for better wages
May Day protests in France were marked by a heavy police presence and clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement in several cities.
In Paris, Lyon, and Nantes, thousands took to the streets to demand better wages, fairer working conditions, and to voice their dissatisfaction with President Emmanuel Macron’s government.
While the majority of the demonstrations remained peaceful, isolated confrontations broke out in some areas. Protesters threw objects at the police, prompting the use of tear gas and resulting in several arrests.
Videos showing police crackdowns circulated widely on social media, drawing criticism from labor unions and human rights advocates, who denounced the authorities’ response to the protests.
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