International
Evo Morales defends the legality of the MAS congress in the face of the non-attendance of the electoral body
The former president of Bolivia Evo Morales (2006-2019) said this Sunday that the ruling congress of the Movement for Socialism (MAS) that will be held on Monday meets the convening requirements despite the fact that the electoral authority ruled out the supervision of the event.
Morales, who is the leader of the MAS, announced a few days ago that the party meeting for the renewal of the board will take place in the town of Villa Tunari, in the Tropic of Cochabamba and that it will have about 1,300 delegates and at least 20,000 attendees.
Therefore, its sector presented some legal actions to instruct the accompaniment of the electoral body to the event, as happened with the congress that the social organizations related to the Government of Luis Arce or ‘arcists’ that carried out at the beginning of May in El Alto, a neighboring city of La Paz.
At that meeting, the leader Grover García was elected as the new president of the MAS replacing Morales, but that appointment has been rejected by the ‘evista’ wing of that party that recognizes the former ruler as its leader, intends to re-elect him and proclaim him a candidate for the 2025 presidential elections.
The member of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) Tahuichi Tahuichi Quispe declared on the eve that the electoral body “will not attend” the event “because the formal requirements were not met.”
Evo Morales said in his Sunday program on the Coca-Cola station Kawsachun Coca that it was observed that the call to congress has not been “consensued” with the leaders of the social sectors close to the Government and that the former president’s sector rejects.
“They are forcing us to agree with the other leaders without bases. All the Bolivian people know (that they are leaders) based on prebends,” he added.
The former president maintained that even the TSE requested that the call be signed by the 10 members of the directive despite the fact that according to the rules of the MAS it is enough for the president of the organization to make the call.
“The plan that the Government has, like the United States – the empire – and as the right, if it is not to take away the acronym (of the MAS) is to outlaw and disable Evo,” Morales said.
The peasant leader Ponciano Santos said on the eve that the MAS congress in Villa Tunari will be held “yes or yes,” even without the accompaniment of the electoral body.
However, Santos, who accompanied Morales on his radio program this day, nuanced and said that in the absence of the electoral body at the meeting, it could become “a national congress” from which some decisions come out.
“We’re going to have to see each other on the streets face to face,” he said.
The MAS congress promoted by the ‘evista’ block will be held only on Monday at the Villa Tunari stadium in the midst of tensions with President Luis Arce’s ‘arcista’ block.
Arce and Morales have been away since 2021, and last year their differences were deepened by a national party congress in which, in the absence of the president and his loyal sectors, Evo Morales was ratified as leader of the MAS and elected “single candidate” for the 2025 presidential elections.
Arce and Vice President David Choquehuanca were not at that meeting considering that social organizations, the basis of the party, were not represented as they should be.
Tensions increased after the TSE decided to cancel the 2023 congress and instruct a new consensual one to be convened.
Last May, the sectors close to the president held a congress in El Alto, but the electoral authority rejected that meeting because it did not comply with the party’s regulations.
The electoral body stressed that both groups must agree on a new meeting, however, the Evo Morales bloc already had the date to hold the congress for July 10, but it anticipated it to June 10.
International
Looting Spreads in Venezuela’s Hardest-Hit Areas After Deadly Earthquakes
Not even the wires were left behind at a small grocery store. Before the ground had even stopped shaking, looting and theft began in the areas hardest hit by the double earthquake that struck Venezuela.
Reports of robberies have multiplied in the coastal state of La Guaira, located near Caracas and now transformed into a landscape of collapsed buildings and debris.
Videos circulating on social media show groups of people removing boxes of household appliances from a damaged store. Other images show similar boxes being carried on top of vehicles and motorcycles.
Social media platforms have also been filled with accusations against police officers and military personnel who allegedly stole from homes and even from victims who died during the disaster.
A branch of a major pharmacy chain was looted, along with supermarkets and other businesses. Some residents have described the situation as “disaster tourism,” while others say the looting reflects hunger and desperation among people who lost everything in a country already facing a prolonged economic crisis.
“Is it fair that our own people turn against our own people?” said María Esther Bernal, 71, who rented commercial spaces to Chinese merchants, all of which were looted. “They left nothing behind, not even the wallpaper. They even took the cables,” she said.
“Next door, a man died. He was Chinese. People walked over his body while they looted the place. It was a supermarket,” she added.
An AFP journalist witnessed looting in La Guaira since Thursday, following the earthquakes.
Jenifer Mayora, 34, defended some of the actions, saying that “the things people took were because the owners of the stores allowed us to take them.”
However, she criticized the limited response from authorities. “I have been waiting for a mattress so my children can sleep,” she said.
Residents have expressed anger over what they describe as a slow and insufficient response from authorities after the double earthquake, which has left around 1,450 people dead and tens of thousands missing.
Communities are demanding not only faster rescue operations in La Guaira, but also stronger security measures and urgent assistance with food, water, and medicine.
International
UN warns Venezuela earthquakes could affect up to 6.76 million people
Up to 6.76 million people could be affected by the devastating earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24, according to an assessment released by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), a United Nations agency.
The organization said the projections are based on available population data and damage assessments, and include up to two million people living in Caracas, the country’s capital.
The estimates highlight the potentially massive humanitarian impact of the disaster, the IOM warned.
Entire buildings collapsed in La Guaira, a coastal area north of Caracas, following the powerful twin earthquakes that reached magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5 on Wednesday.
The national death toll has risen to 920, while rescue teams continue searching for people trapped beneath the rubble in coastal regions and other affected areas.
UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher told AFP on Friday that more than 50,000 people were reported missing.
The IOM also revealed that it worked with Microsoft’s artificial intelligence laboratory on an initial satellite mapping analysis, which showed that 31.5% of buildings in the town of Catia La Mar had suffered damage.
Authorities and international rescue teams continue operations as Venezuela faces one of its largest humanitarian emergencies in recent years.
International
United Nations Coordinates Relief Efforts as Venezuela Death Toll Rises After Twin Quakes
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday expressed his condolences to the people of Venezuela following the two devastating earthquakes that struck the country and highlighted the ongoing coordination between UN humanitarian teams and interim President Delcy Rodríguez.
Speaking during the UN’s daily press briefing, spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said Guterres was deeply saddened by the loss of life and widespread destruction caused by the disaster.
“The Secretary-General is deeply distressed by the loss of life and the widespread devastation caused by the earthquakes that struck Venezuela yesterday. He extends his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a speedy recovery to those injured,” Dujarric stated.
Venezuela was struck on Wednesday by two powerful earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude. According to official figures, the disaster has left at least 164 people dead and 971 others injured.
Dujarric noted that preliminary reports indicate significant damage across several states, including the capital, Caracas. Numerous casualties have been reported, while other individuals remain trapped beneath collapsed structures or are still missing.
“Critical infrastructure has been damaged and essential services have been disrupted,” the spokesperson said.
The United Nations confirmed that its humanitarian team remains in close contact with interim President Delcy Rodríguez and other relevant authorities as emergency operations continue.
To support relief efforts, the UN has established a coordination center in Caracas and is assisting local authorities to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches affected communities as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Guterres also welcomed the expressions of solidarity and offers of assistance from countries around the world that responded following news of the disaster, underscoring the importance of international cooperation in addressing the humanitarian emergency.
Looting Spreads in Venezuela’s Hardest-Hit Areas After Deadly Earthquakes
UN warns Venezuela earthquakes could affect up to 6.76 million people
United Nations Coordinates Relief Efforts as Venezuela Death Toll Rises After Twin Quakes
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