International

The controversial former General Prabowo is declared the official winner of the elections in Indonesia

The controversial former General Prabowo Subianto, accused of human rights violations during his time as a military, has been declared the winner of the presidential elections in Indonesia held on February 14 on Wednesday, according to official results.

After more than a month of counting, the Indonesian Electoral Commission indicated on its YouTube channel that Prabowo obtained 58% of the votes, compared to the 24% achieved by former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan and 16% of former Java governor Central Ganjar Pranobo, the other two candidates for the presidency.

Since the elections, there have been numerous protests to denounce an alleged electoral fraud and both Anies and Ganjar also recently affirmed their intention to legally challenge the results by denouncing that Prabowo has received unofficial support from the outgoing president, Joko Widodo.

The former general has presented himself in tandem with the Widodo’s son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, 36 years old and who will become vice president.

Both received more than 96.21 million votes, compared to 40.97 million from Anies and his electoral partner, the aspiring vice president Muhaimin Iskandar, and 27.04 million from Ganjar and Mohammad Mahfud Mahmodin.

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These elections in Indonesia, the third democracy in the world and the country with the most Muslims on the planet, have been marked by the past of Prabowo, accused of human rights violations when he was head of the elite Korpassus corps (December 1995 to March 1998) and the special forces (from March to May 1998).

However, Prabowo, a 72-year-old outgoing Minister of Defense, managed to position himself as the favorite candidate after having rehabilitated his image as an “endearing” grandfather through a campaign in which he has come to perform dances that went viral on TikTok, in a wink to the younger voters.

His alliance with Gibran Rakabuming Raka was also a revulsive to his campaign due to Widodo’s popularity.

This electoral pact provoked criticism among the followers of Anies, 54, and Ganjar, 55.

Widodo, who could not run for election again due to the legal limit of two terms, did not publicly position himself on any candidate, but the rest of the candidates allege that his implicit support was crucial for Prabowo’s victory.

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Indonesian laws allow the outgoing president to position himself on future campaigns, although they prohibit the use of state funds for them, one of the main aspects on which the complaints of the candidates against Prabowo and Gibran are based.

Of an angry and decisive nature, Prabowo has been accused of abuses against civilians in East Timor and Papua and the kidnapping of activists during his time in the Army, from which he was expelled for disobedience in 1998, and had his entry banned in the United States for several years.

International

White House says Cuba policy unchanged despite sanctioned fuel shipment

The White House said Monday that it has not changed its policy toward Cuba, despite allowing a sanctioned Russian oil tanker to deliver fuel to the island on humanitarian grounds.

U.S. officials emphasized that the decision was made as an exception and does not signal a broader shift in policy.

The administration added that similar decisions would be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, depending on humanitarian considerations.

The clarification comes amid ongoing restrictions related to U.S. sanctions policy, which continue to limit trade and financial flows involving Cuba.

International

Spain to grant citizenship to Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López

The Spanish government is expected to grant citizenship this Tuesday to Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lópezthrough an extraordinary procedure known as “carta de naturaleza.”

The decision will be approved by royal decree, an exceptional legal mechanism used in special cases that require expedited resolution due to specific circumstances.

López has been living in Madrid since 2020, after leaving Venezuela following a prolonged political and legal conflict with the government of Nicolás Maduro.

According to government sources, López currently does not have a valid Venezuelan passport and faces difficulties in having his nationality fully recognized in his home country.

As a result, he applied for Spanish citizenship via a fast-track process at the end of 2025, after previously attempting to obtain it through regular procedures.

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The Spanish government justified the move based on López’s international relevance and foreign policy considerations.

López is the leader of the Voluntad Popular party and co-founder of the World Liberty Congress, an initiative launched in 2022 alongside figures such as Garry Kasparov and Masih Alinejad.

International

ICE to remain at airports amid DHS shutdown, Homan says

The U.S. “border czar,” Tom Homan, said Sunday that agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will remain deployed at airports until operations return to “100% normal,” as the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues.

“We will maintain ICE presence until airports feel they are fully back to normal operations,” Homan said during an interview on Face the Nation on CBS.

Homan justified the deployment on security grounds, noting that the measure was ordered by President Donald Trumpamid widespread absenteeism among agents of the Transportation Security Administration, who have gone without pay for over six weeks due to the DHS shutdown.

According to acting TSA administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill, at least 460 TSA agents have resigned during the shutdown, while daily absenteeism has averaged 11%, exceeding 50% at some airports.

Homan warned that if TSA staffing levels do not recover after the shutdown, ICE agents will continue filling the gap. “ICE is there to support our TSA brothers and sisters. We will remain as long as needed to ensure airport security,” he said.

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The DHS shutdown reached 44 days on Sunday, making it the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. The impasse stems from disagreements between Democrats and Republicans over ICE funding.

A recent bipartisan Senate proposal to fund DHS without including ICE failed after being blocked by House Republicans, who insist on full funding for the agency.

Amid the deadlock, Trump signed an executive order directing Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to immediately pay TSA agents to address what he called an “emergency situation” and restore order at airports, with payments expected to begin Monday.