International

Thousands of Mexicans are unable to vote in the United States in front of an overflowing electoral body

Thousands of Mexicans living in the United States were left without being able to vote, despite long lines at the consulates throughout the day, due to the deficiencies of a slow electronic system and the lack of enough boxes to be able to vote, which evidenced the failures of an overflowing National Electoral Institute (INE) of Mexico.

The twenty operating consulates in the country, in which it has been possible to vote in person for the first time on the same day of the elections, have been overtalken by the thousands of citizens who wanted to exercise their right to vote in the largest elections in history, with 97 million people called to the polls.

According to the INE, 258,461 people will be able to exercise their vote from abroad in these elections, the majority residing in the United States. Outside the country, there are only three operational consulates in which it has been possible to vote today: Madrid, Paris and Montreal.

Despite the fact that it was possible to vote by mail and electronically in the previous weeks, there have been many who have preferred to approach the consulates of cities such as Los Angeles, New York or Washington, which have been completely overwhelmed, as EFE found.

In the US capital, the doors closed at 8:00 p.m. local time, 6:00 p.m. Mexican time, the same time they closed in the Latin American country, among the booing of people who demanded that voting hours be extended.

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A request that did not materialize. “By INE regulations we can’t extend ourselves any longer,” explained the president of the box, Daniel Álvarez, in front of a row of people who could not vote and who were going around the block.

The problems have been several. The main one, explained this morning to EFE the representative of the INE in the US capital, Ricardo Sánchez, the slowness and difficulty of some people to use the recently released electronic system, with tablets as the only option to vote.

With half an hour to go before the closure of this consulate, which only had five tables installed, 640 people had voted, 255 who had already registered and 385 not registered.

That has been another of the problems, which the population was encouraged to go to vote despite not being registered and the influx has been much greater than expected.

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International

Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has deported “more than half a million” migrants due to pressure from former President Donald Trump.

During a cabinet meeting highlighting the “achievements” of Trump’s administration in its first 100 days, Noem asserted that under the Republican leader’s influence, “Mexico has finally come to the table” to negotiate on migration and fentanyl trafficking.

“The president of Mexico told me she has returned just over half a million people before they reached our border,” Noem stated, criticizing media reports that suggest the Biden administration deported more migrants than Trump’s.

“I wish those deportations were counted,” Noem added, “because those people never made it to our border—she sent them back because you made her.” She went on to thank Trump: “They never made it here because they got the message—because you were so aggressive.”

Noem has made controversial claims about Sheinbaum in the past, prompting the Mexican leader to refute them.

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On April 1, Sheinbaum responded to one such statement by declaring, “The president answers to only one authority, and that is the people of Mexico,” after Noem said on Fox News that she gave Sheinbaum “a list of things Trump would like to see” and that Mexico’s actions would determine whether Trump granted tariff relief.

International

Vatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition

he Vatican’s post offices and select collector shops began selling special edition stamps this week to mark the period between the death of Pope Francis and the election of his successor.

Known as “Sede Vacante” stamps, they feature an image used on official Vatican documents during the interregnum between popes — two crossed keys without the papal tiara. These stamps went on sale Monday and will remain valid for postal use only until the new pontiff appears at the window overlooking St. Peter’s Square.

Until then, they can be used to send letters, postcards, and parcels. “Once the new pope is elected, the stamps lose their postal validity, but their collectible value rises,” said Francesco Santarossa, who runs a collectors’ shop across from St. Peter’s Square.

The Vatican has issued the stamps in four denominations: €1.25, €1.30, €2.45, and €3.20. Each is inscribed with “Città del Vaticano” and “Sede Vacante MMXXV” — Latin for “Vacant See 2025.”

International

Conclave to choose pope Francis’ successor could begin in early may

The conclave, which in the coming weeks must choose the successor to Pope Francis, will strictly follow a precise protocol refined over centuries.

The 135 cardinal electors, all under the age of 80, will cast their votes four times a day — except on the first day — until one candidate secures a two-thirds majority. The result will be announced to the world through the burning of the ballots with a chemical that produces the eagerly awaited white smoke, accompanied by the traditional cry of “Habemus Papam.”

The start date for the conclave could be announced today, as the cardinals are set to hold their fifth meeting since the pope’s passing. Luxembourg Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich suggested it could begin on May 5 or 6, following the traditional nine days of mourning. According to German Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the conclave could last only “a few days.”

Although the late Argentine pontiff appointed the majority of the cardinal electors, this does not necessarily ensure the selection of a like-minded successor. Francis’ leadership style differed significantly from that of his predecessor, Benedict XVI, a German theologian who was less fond of large public gatherings. It also marked a contrast with the popular Polish pope, John Paul II.

The Argentine Jesuit’s reformist papacy drew strong criticism from more conservative sectors of the Church, who are hoping for a doctrinally focused shift. His tenure was marked by efforts to combat clerical sexual abuse, elevate the role of women and laypeople, and advocate for the poor and migrants, among other causes.