International
Latin America reacts to the resignation of Joe Biden’s presidential candidacy
The resignation from Joe Biden’s presidential candidacy has generated reactions in Latin America in different political sectors, from the left with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, as well as on the right with allies of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.
“It has been the greatest honor of my life to be its president. And although my intention has been to seek re-election, I think the best thing for my party and for the country is that I retire and concentrate solely on fulfilling my duties as president for the rest of my term,” Biden, 81, said through a letter to the nation.
The president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, said on Sunday that his US counterpart, Joe Biden, “has made the most sensible and correct decision” by leaving the race for re-election in the North American country.
“He has made the most sensible and correct decision, prioritized his family, his health, and realized that, at that age and with weakened health, he could not take the reins of his country and even less a presidential candidacy. It was a responsible attitude, President Biden,” Maduro said during an event held in the state of Barinas (west).
However, in his announcement, the US president does not mention his family or his health, and as an explanation of his decision he affirms the best thing for his country is that he retire and “focus only on fulfilling” his “duties as president during the rest” of the mandate.
Maduro also said he met his American counterpart, with whose Government he has maintained a “permanent dialogue” that, he said, is still active, with “dialogue commissions,” although he did not offer more details about the talks between the two countries, without diplomatic relations since 2019.
“I’m just telling you, President Biden, be calm with your conscience, because you made a wise and correct decision, and from Venezuela I, president of the republic, wish you health and long life, President Biden,” added the Chavista leader.
The Government of Panama said on Sunday that it “respects” the decision of US President Joe Biden to renounce the race for re-election in the elections on November 5, in which he was going to face former President Donald Trump.
“It is a personal decision of President Biden thinking about his country, his people and the Democratic Party. It’s time to respect her. We, as an allied country of the United States, are prepared to work with the administration that will be elected in November. We do not have any concern about what will happen in the next (US) elections,” said Panamanian Foreign Minister Javier Martínez-Acha, after being asked by journalists at a sporting event.
After a few hard weeks with growing criticism for the suitability of his candidacy, US President Joe Biden decided to abandon the race for re-election “for the interest” of the Democratic Party and his country, and offered his support to the vice president, Kamala Harris, who confirmed her intention to “get and win” the candidacy for the November 5 elections.
A few minutes later, Harris herself accepted responsibility and stated that she intends to “get and win” the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Presidency, although in the first hours of this historic Biden decision only a few voices offered explicit support.
Some ministers of the Government of the Brazilian President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, praised on Sunday the decision of the President of the United States, Joe Biden, to give up his candidacy for the November elections.
“Politics is not personalism, but service in favor of ideas and values. Biden shows a huge demonstration of political greatness by understanding that Democrats need something new to face the extremist conservatism that threatens the world,” said the head of Planning, Simone Tebet, on her social networks.
Tebet, one of those in charge of tracing the economic strategy of the Brazilian Executive, also asked the Democrats to “have the same altruism and wisdom” as Biden when choosing his replacement “to face extremism,” that everything points to Vice President Kamala Harris.
The Minister of Agrarian Development, Paulo Teixeira, said, also on his social networks, that Biden’s resignation to continue in the presidential race is “a great decision to defeat the American extreme right,” which embodies, in his opinion, the former governor and Republican candidate Donald Trump.
For his part, the Minister of Transport, José Renan Filho, indicated that it is “a gesture of greatness” of the US president, who has been forced to withdraw from his candidacy after the strong pressure of the heavyweights of his party because of his state of health.
The Brazilian minister said that Biden has shown “no attachment” to the presidential candidacy “at a critical moment” and praised his management as U.S. president on issues such as employment, environmental protection and his country’s economic growth.
“This new fact will turn the election upside down,” he said.
Lula, for the moment, has not yet spoken publicly.
Allies of former far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro took advantage of the decision of the US president, Joe Biden, to resign from re-election, to criticize this Sunday the Brazilian head of state, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and the progressive forces.
“Biden is out! When is the ‘Brazilian Biden’ going to leave?” exclaimed, in apparent allusion to Lula, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, one of the sons of former President Jair Bolsonaro and, like his father, aligned with the Republican candidate Donald Trump.
Senator Ciro Nogueira, a next ally of Bolsonaro and who was minister of the Presidency during his term (2019-2022), interpreted the news as “a victory of those who were gagged by a narrative that Trump was the absolute evil and Biden, the indisputable good.”
“Biden’s resignation (re-election) is an alert: they can lie once, twice, three times, but no one can prevent the truth from coming to light. It is the victory of the truth over the false and manipulative narratives of the left,” he said.
He also insinuated that former President Trump is a “political persecuted” for the various criminal cases he faces in the U.S. Justice.
“Biden leaves the campaign and enters the limbo of those who abused democracy on his behalf. A big day!” he concluded.
For her part, federal deputy Carla Zambelli, a relevant figure of the Brazilian far right, pointed out that Biden’s withdrawal from re-election has caused “the American left” to enter a state of “total despair.”
Jair Bolsonaro has not yet spoken publicly, nor has the current president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, so far.
International
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Ecuador’s Armed Forces carried out an operation on Monday — including airstrikes — against illegal mining in the town of Buenos Aires, in the country’s north, Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo reported.
The mountainous, gold-rich area has been a hotspot for illegal mining since 2017, located in the Andean province of Imbabura.
In 2019, former president Lenín Moreno deployed around 2,400 soldiers to the region in an attempt to curb the illegal activity. “The operation began with mortar fire, followed by gunfire and bombing runs by Supertucano aircraft,” Loffredo said in a video released by the Defense Ministry.
He added that the operation would continue on Tuesday with patrols across the area to locate possible members of “irregular armed groups that may have crossed from the Colombian border.”
The Armed Forces stated on X that the intervention focused on the “complete elimination of multiple illegal mining tunnels” in the areas known as Mina Nueva and Mina Vieja.
The operation coincided with the deployment of a military and police convoy into Imbabura, which has been the epicenter of protests against President Daniel Noboa since September 22, following his decision to scrap the diesel subsidy.
International
Caracas shuts embassy in Oslo without explanation following Machado’s Nobel win
Venezuela has announced the closure of its embassy in Norway, just days after opposition leader María Corina Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Venezuelan diplomatic mission provided no explanation for its decision on Monday.
“It is regrettable,” a ministry spokesperson said. “Despite our differences on several issues, Norway wishes to keep the dialogue with Venezuela open and will continue to work in that direction.” The ministry also emphasized that the Nobel Committee operates entirely independently from the Norwegian government.
In its announcement, the Nobel Committee stated that Machado met the criteria established by Alfred Nobel, “embodying the hope for a different future, where the fundamental rights of Venezuelans are heard.”
International
Sheinbaum: Urgent to restore access to towns cut off by heavy rains
Thousands of military personnel and civilians in Mexico worked tirelessly on Tuesday to clear roads blocked by the torrential rains of recent days, which have left more than 300 communities cut off across central and eastern regions of the country. Authorities also launched mass fumigation efforts in several affected areas to prevent the spread of dengue fever.
The official death toll remains at 64, though dozens of people are still missing. President Claudia Sheinbaumacknowledged that the government does not yet know the full situation in many of the isolated villages, which range in population from 500 to 1,000 inhabitants.
“The reopening of roads is one of the greatest urgencies,” Sheinbaum said. “It’s essential to guarantee air bridges, food supplies, clean water, and a proper census of the isolated communities so we can determine the condition of every person living there.”
Private construction companies are also assisting the effort with heavy machinery and technical support to help reopen highways and reconnect rural areas.
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