International

María Corina Machado warns of “maneuver” to “prevent the registration” of her candidate

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado warned of the implementation of a “maneuver” that seeks to “prevent the registration” of the presidential candidacy of July 28 of Corina Yoris, chosen by the majority anti-Chavism as its candidate in the face of the disqualification that prevents the former liberal deputy from competing.

“I alert Venezuelans and the world of the maneuver underway to prevent the registration in the CNE (National Electoral Council) of the candidate of all the democratic unity of Venezuela, Corina Yoris,” Machado wrote on the social network X.

The registration period for presidential candidates, which began on Thursday, ends next Monday, March 25, according to the electoral schedule.

Previously, the main opposition coalition, the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD), denounced that they have not allowed “access to the (electoral) system to be able to apply” to Yoris.

However, he reiterated that “nothing and no one” will “take them off the electoral route to achieve, with the force of the majority vote, political change” in the country.

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During the day, several politicians and parties that are part of this anti-chavist coalition have rejected these alleged impediments, through messages published on social networks with the label ‘Let Corina register’.

In the opinion of Vente Venezuela (VV), the formation led by Machado, Yoris “does not allow her to be registered” for “only one reason: they are afraid of him.”

For its part, the La Causa R party said, through X, that “(President Nicolás) Maduro and his accomplices want to impose on the opposition candidate.”

Yoris – with a degree in Philosophy, Letters and a doctor in History – unanimously chosen within the PUD and has “all the support” of Machado, who assured that she will maintain her fight against the disqualification that prevents her from competing in elections for public office until 2036.

According to Machado, the decision is part of an agreed mechanism to “face this obstacle,” in reference to its disqualification, ratified in January by the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ).

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Vente Venezuela clarified that Yoris will be registered as a “unitary representative” of the opposition in the presidential elections “while the irrita disqualification is resolved.”

Meanwhile, the head of state, Nicolás Maduro, confirmed that he will seek a second consecutive re-election, although it is not yet known what day he will go before the CNE to formalize his aspiration.

International

Peruvian presidential candidate Napoleón Becerra dies in campaign road accident

Presidential candidate Napoleón Becerra, representing the Partido de los Trabajadores y Emprendedores (PTE) in Peru, died in a traffic accident while traveling to a campaign event, local authorities confirmed Sunday.

Becerra, who also served as president of the centrist political party, ranked among the lowest in opinion polls in a crowded field of more than 30 candidates competing in the presidential election scheduled for April 12.

Recent surveys place Rafael López Aliaga at the top of voter preferences.

The accident occurred near the town of Ayacucho, in southern Peru, when the vehicle carrying the candidate overturned for reasons that remain under investigation.

“The candidate Becerra has died,” Balvin Huamani, mayor of the district of Pilpichaca, told RPP radio.

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According to Huamani, he personally transported the 61-year-old candidate to a local health center, where doctors confirmed his death.

The Jurado Nacional de Elecciones (JNE) expressed condolences over Becerra’s passing and wished a speedy recovery to the three people who were traveling with him and were injured in the crash.

International

Noboa intensifies anti-cartel crackdown as violence persists in Ecuador

A close ally of Washington, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa has pursued a hardline security strategy against cocaine cartels for more than two years, yet homicide, disappearance and extortion rates remain high across the country.

Between Sunday night and the morning of March 31, Ecuador’s armed forces will launch a “very strong offensive” with “advisory support” from the United States, Interior Minister John Reimberg announced Tuesday.

The government has kept details of the operation confidential and has not confirmed whether U.S. troops will be deployed on Ecuadorian soil, as has occurred at times during Noboa’s administration.

As part of the security measures, residents in the coastal provinces of Guayas, Los Ríos, Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, and El Oro will be subject to a nightly curfew from 11:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. local time for the next two weeks.

“We are in a war,” Reimberg said, urging citizens to remain indoors. “Do not take risks. Stay home and allow the security forces and our allies to do the work that must be done.”

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Although Ecuador does not produce cocaine, it has become a major departure point for drugs heading to the United States. Meanwhile, the violence associated with trafficking has increasingly affected the local population.

Bordering the world’s largest cocaine producers, Colombia and Peru, Ecuador has gone from being considered a relatively peaceful country to recording one of the highest homicide rates in Latin America—52 killings per 100,000 inhabitants—according to the **Observatory of Organized Crime.

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.