International
Romanian electoral authorities reject presidential candidacy of pro-Russian Georgescu
The Central Electoral Office of Romania rejected this Sunday the candidacy of the pro-Russian ultranationalist Călin Georgescu for the presidential elections of May 4 and in which he started as the favorite.
After this decision, a period of 24 hours is opened to file appeals with the Constitutional Court, which has an additional 48 hours to issue a ruling. This means that the final decision could be known on Wednesday night.
Georgescu won against all odds the first round of the Romanian presidential elections on November 24, subsequently annulled by the Constitutional Court for indications of illegal financing and Russian interference.
Georgescu’s supporters gathered in front of the Central Electoral Office and reacted violently, breaking the fences installed by the Police to cordon off the building.
“A direct blow to the heart of world democracy!”, said Georgescu on the social network X when he learned of the decision and added: “Europe is now a dictatorship, Romania is under tyranny!”
The leader of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), George Simion, whose ultra-nationalist and Eurosceptic party is currently the main opposition force in the country, described the rejection of Georgescu’s candidacy as an undemocratic act.
“It is a continuation of the coup d’état of December 6,” he wrote on Facebook in reference to the date on which the Constitutional Court annulled the presidential elections.
Georgescu, relatively little known in Romania until a few months ago, won in the first round thanks to a campaign on social networks, especially TikTok, in which he claimed not to have invested anything.
His message against traditional parties attracted above all young voters and voters from rural areas, disenchanted with corruption and the low standard of living in the country of 19 million inhabitants bordering Ukraine.
The leader of the ultra-nationalist party POT, Anamaria Gavrilă, also denounced the decision, said that Romania is “a dictatorship” and questioned the vote of the 14 members of the Central Electoral Office.
According to sources cited by the Romanian newspaper G4Media, the candidacy was rejected for both formal and substantive reasons.
One of the determining factors was the declaration of property presented by Georgescu, which presented inconsistencies compared to the one he had delivered in the November elections.
The ultra-nationalist candidate, who has defended an approach to Russia and has questioned that Ukraine was a state, defends a reactionary ideology and in the past praised Romanian fascist leaders responsible for the Holocaust in the country during World War II.
In the latest polls, Georgescu was the favorite for the elections, monopolizing more than 35% of the vote, which guaranteed him to reach the second round.
At the end of February, the Romanian Prosecutor’s Office accused him of six crimes, including committing actions against the constitutional order and creating a fascist and anti-Semitic organization.
The Prosecutor’s Office announced the charges after interrogating him for more than four hours and in addition to the aforementioned crimes he was suspected of continued falsehood about his assets and the financing of his campaign.
International
Uruguay’s Lower House votes to legalize euthanasia amid broad public support
The Uruguayan Lower House voted Wednesday to legalize euthanasia, following the examples of Cuba, Colombia, and Ecuador, marking a significant social shift in a predominantly Catholic region.
The bill to decriminalize assisted death was approved 64-35 in the 99-seat Chamber of Representatives after an emotional night-long debate. The legislation will now move to the Senate, which is expected to pass it into law before the end of the year.
Under the new law, mentally competent adults suffering from terminal or incurable illnesses will be able to request euthanasia.
A key amendment appeared to help convince lawmakers who opposed the original 2022 proposal, requiring that a medical board review a case if the two attending doctors disagree.
Representative Luis Gallo, who opened the debate, recalled patients whose struggles inspired the bill.
“Let us not forget that the request is strictly personal: it respects the patient’s free and individual will, without interference, because it concerns their life, their suffering, and their decision not to continue living,” said Gallo of the center-left governing coalition, Frente Amplio.
Public opinion polls indicate broad support for euthanasia, from President Yamandú Orsi downward. Uruguay has also been a pioneer in legalizing same-sex marriage, abortion, and cannabis use.
International
Trump deploys National Guard as Pentagon plans quick-reaction force for civil disturbances
The Pentagon is considering creating a task force of hundreds of soldiers to be rapidly deployed anywhere in the country in the event of domestic civil unrest, according to The Washington Post, which reviewed Defense Department documents on Tuesday.
The proposed unit, tentatively named the “Rapid Civil Disturbance Response Force,” would consist of 600 soldiers on “constant alert”, capable of responding to incidents within just one hour.
According to the report, the force would be split into two equally sized units: one stationed at a military base in Alabama in the eastern U.S., and the other in Arizona in the west.
Internal documents indicate that if approved, the initiative could cost hundreds of millions of dollars, particularly if troops are kept on 24-hour readiness and transported via military aircraft.
While the National Guard already maintains a rapid response unit, this new military formation would go further, potentially moving soldiers between states whenever necessary.
The plans remain preliminary, with funding potentially starting in fiscal year 2027 at the earliest.
This report emerges just hours after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of the National Guard for the second time since returning to the White House in January. On Monday, Trump instructed this volunteer force, which supports the Army and Air Force in emergencies, to move to Washington D.C. to combat crime and remove homeless individuals from the streets—a third deployment to the capital.
International
Colombian president Gustavo Petro warns against U.S. military intervention in Venezuela
Colombian President Gustavo Petro defended his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolás Maduro after the U.S. administration labeled him as the leader of the “Cartel of the Suns” and authorized the Pentagon to use military force against drug cartels, which could lead to an intervention on Venezuelan soil to combat these criminal groups. Petro stated that any military operation without the approval of Colombia or Venezuela would represent an “aggression.”
Petro responded over the weekend following reports on Friday from U.S. media about President Donald Trump’s order to confront designated global terrorist organizations such as the Cartel of the Suns, the Sinaloa Cartel, and the Tren de Aragua, including operations on foreign soil. Furthermore, the U.S. State Department increased the reward for information leading to Maduro’s capture from $25 million to $50 million.
“I publicly convey my order given as commander of the Colombian armed forces. Colombia and Venezuela are one people, one flag, one history. Any military operation without the approval of the brother countries is an aggression against Latin America and the Caribbean. It is fundamentally contradictory to our principle of freedom. ‘Freedom or death,’ Bolívar shouted, and the people revolted,” Petro posted on his social media, clearly expressing his disagreement with potential U.S. military intervention in Venezuela.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in an interview on The World Over program on Friday that controlling these terrorist groups is decisive. He added that, for the U.S., these gangs are no longer just local street gangs but well-organized criminal enterprises spreading from Mexico, Guatemala, and Ecuador.
“We cannot continue treating these guys as local street gangs. They have weapons like terrorists, in some cases they have armies. They control territories in many cases. These cartels extend from Maduro’s regime in Venezuela, which is not a legitimate government,” Rubio told the audience.
Uruguay’s Lower House votes to legalize euthanasia amid broad public support
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