International

Putin closes the electoral campaign with the aim of perpetuating himself in the Kremlin

Russian President Vladimir Putin closed the electoral campaign today with the clear objective of perpetuating another six years in the Kremlin, something more than likely, according to all the polls, while calls for the West not to recognize the results of the presidential elections increase.

“The world must assume once and for all that Putin is not who he appears. He is actually a usurper, a tyrant, a war criminal and a murderer,” said Yulia Naválnaya, widow of the late opposition leader, Alexéi Navalni, in an article published this week in The Washington Post.

The 112 million Russians called to the polls will be able to vote for three days – Friday, Saturday and Sunday -, an option introduced during the pandemic, which the opposition considers fraudulent, as well as electronic voting, which a third of the electorate will be able to exercise.

Putin addressed the Russians on Thursday on television to come and vote in elections that he described as a “step into the future” and stressed that the soldiers who fight in Ukraine “defending the homeland with courage and heroism and participating in the elections, give an example to all of us.”

Despite the fact that more than half of Russians advocate opening peace negotiations with Ukraine and the successes on the Ukrainian battlefield come with a eye-t-eater, Putin has a voting intention of more than 80%.
The presidential administration had informed the press that it was looking for a historic victory to support the Kremlin’s militaristic course and everything indicates that it will achieve it, since Putin had never won elections by more than 77% of the votes.

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The Central Electoral Commission (CEC) only registered three candidates, none of them really opposition: the communist Nikolai Kharitonov and the candidate of the New People, Vladislav Davankov, who have a 6% voting intention, and the ultra-nationalist Leonid Slutski, who is listed as third in discord with 5%.

By reforming the clauses of the Constitution that prevented him from remaining in the Kremlin, Putin will be able to run for re-election again in 2030, by the time he will be 77 years old.

The president of the CEC, Ela Pamfílova, said today that “for the first time” the elections are held in “such a toxic international atmosphere” and accused Western countries of “an unprecedented cynical violation” of the right to vote of Russians residing abroad.

“This is not simply a president’s election, the destiny of Russia is at stake, what to do in the future. By the way, to a large extent (these elections) will determine how the world will develop. The transition from the unfair monopoly to equal relations between countries,” he proclaimed.

Pamfilova, who is accused by the opposition of manipulating the electoral results since she took office in 2016, said that these days the popular republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, and the Zaporiya and Kherson regions, will also vote, in reference to the four Ukrainian territories annexed by Russia.

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Up to 4.5 million residents in the areas occupied by the Russian Army will be able to exercise their right to vote, even if they lack Russian citizenship, many of them have already voted in advance.

The highest moment of the campaign was the death of Navalni in prison – and for which the family and the West hold Putin responsible – but the Kremlin hopes that this factor will not stain his victory.

“I think they killed him. It was a premeditated decision. I think they did it with poison,” Guennadi Gudkov, a former Russian deputy exiled in Bulgaria, told EFE.

Gudkov, who worked in the Federal Security Service (FSB), believes that the authorities decided to take revenge on the opponent for “all the humiliations” to which he subjected them over the years with his allegations of corruption.

“The organizer was Putin,” said Gudkov, who recalled that the initial plan was for Navalni to never leave prison, but they changed their minds after admitting as a “great mistake” the pardon granted to the tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky in 2013.

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For all these reasons, Navalnaya, the imprisoned opposition Vladimir Kara-Murzá and Gudkov address Western leaders, parliaments and societies with a single demand: that they do not recognize “totally falsified” elections, whose only objective is to “retain power.”

“The West should not recognize the results. Recognizing Putin as head of state after the elections will be a sign of weakness,” he said.

He assured that “there have never been such criminal elections in Russia,” since they take place when Russian troops violate international law and commit “war crimes” in Ukraine.

“We do not ask that the embassies be closed,” he said, adding that, at least, Western countries “should not recognize the elections as legitimate.”

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Related Topics:Moscow Russian President Vladimir Putin

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International

Peruvian presidential candidate proposes death penalty amid crime surge

Peru is facing an unprecedented surge in crime ahead of its presidential election scheduled for April 12, with violence fueled by extortion networks and a wave of contract killings linked to organized crime.

Police data show that 2,200 homicides tied to organized crime were recorded in 2025, while extortion complaints increased by 19%, underscoring the growing security crisis in the South American nation.

Amid this backdrop, presidential candidate Álvarez has proposed reinstating the death penalty if elected, arguing that extreme measures are needed to curb the violence.

To implement the proposal, Álvarez said Peru would withdraw from the American Convention on Human Rights—also known as the Pact of San José—which the country signed in 1978. The agreement prevents member states that have abolished capital punishment from reinstating it.

Currently, Peruvian law only allows the death penalty in cases of treason during wartime.

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“We have to leave the Pact of San José and apply the death penalty in Peru because those miserable criminals don’t deserve to live,” Álvarez told AFP during a campaign stop at a market in Callao, the port city neighboring Lima.

“An iron fist against those criminals,” he added, proposing to declare hitmen as military targets.

During the campaign event, Álvarez walked through stalls selling vegetables, groceries, and fish, greeting vendors while musicians played cumbia music nearby.

The 62-year-old candidate, who spent more than four decades working in television as a comedian, is a newcomer to politics and is running for president under the País para Todos party.

Polls place him fifth in voter preference with nearly 4% support in a fragmented race featuring 36 candidates.

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“I am an artist who has taken a step into politics to bring peace to my country,” Álvarez told reporters while surrounded by supporters.

International

FBI: Man who attacked Michigan synagogue died from self-inflicted gunshot

The man who died during Thursday’s attack on a synagogue in the United States suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, according to the FBI.

FBI agent Jennifer Runyan told reporters that the suspect, identified as 41-year-old Lebanese citizen Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, shot himself at some point during the confrontation.

“At some point during the shooting, Ghazali suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head,” Runyan said during a press conference.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security confirmed the suspect’s identity.

Authorities said Ghazali drove a truck into the Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield, located in the state of Michigan, on Thursday.

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According to Michael Bouchard, sheriff of Oakland County, synagogue security personnel noticed the vehicle and confronted the suspect with gunfire.

Investigators said it would be premature to speculate about the motive for the attack, although reports indicate Ghazali recently lost relatives during Israeli strikes in Lebanon earlier this month.

“It would be irresponsible for me to speculate about his motive,” Runyan said.

Ghazali arrived in Detroit in 2011 on a spouse visa for U.S. citizens and obtained American citizenship in 2016, according to reporting by The New York Times.

He was the father of two teenagers, divorced from his wife in 2024, and had recently been working as a waiter.

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The newspaper also reported that Ghazali attended a memorial service in the nearby city of Dearborn for relatives killed in the recent conflict, alongside other grieving family members from the Lebanese town of Machghara.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation said the incident is being investigated as an act of violence targeting the Jewish community.

A source from Michigan’s Lebanese-American community told CBS News that several of Ghazali’s relatives had been killed roughly ten days before the attack, leaving him deeply devastated.

International

Mexican Navy Ships Deliver Third Shipment of Humanitarian Aid to Cuba

Two logistics support vessels from the Mexican Navy — the ARM Papaloapan and the ARM Huasteco — docked again on Friday in the bay of Havana carrying a third shipment of humanitarian aid for Cuba.

The vessels had previously arrived on the Caribbean island on February 28 with a second cargo that included 1,200 tons of food, sent to help alleviate the country’s ongoing crisis, which has worsened following the U.S. oil restrictions affecting fuel supplies to the island.

Cuba’s deputy foreign minister Josefina Vidal confirmed the new shipment in a social media post.

“Two ships carrying a third shipment of aid from the Government and the people of Mexico for the Cuban people are now arriving at the port of Havana. Thank you Mexico for your solidarity with Cuba,” she wrote.

Previous aid shipments

During the second shipment, the Papaloapan transported 1,078 tons of beans and powdered milk, while the Huastecocarried 92 tons of beans and 23 tons of assorted food products collected by social organizations with support from the government of Mexico City.

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In recent months, Mexico has become the largest provider of humanitarian aid to Cuba, sending around 2,000 tons of supplies, mostly staple foods and hygiene products, in the two shipments prior to Friday’s delivery.

The first shipment alone included 814 tons of food.

Cuba praises Mexico’s support

Hours before the ships arrived, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel highlighted Mexico’s support during a televised appearance, describing the country as “a friendly and brotherly nation that has shown tremendous solidarity,”particularly praising Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.

Díaz-Canel also addressed reports suggesting that Mexican donations were being resold in state-run stores, dismissing them as a “disinformation campaign” promoted by right-wing groups.