International

Millions of Venezuelans abroad will not be able to vote for government obstacles

Venezuela currently has a population of approximately 29.4 million people, of which 21.4 million can theoretically vote in the presidential elections on July 28, both inside and outside the country.

However, due to the various requirements imposed by the Government for electoral registration abroad, only 69,211 Venezuelans abroad are authorized to pay – less than in the previous Venezuelan elections, which were 110,000 -, which represents a small fraction of the approximately eight million Venezuelans who, according to UN data, have emigrated, a figure that the Executive of Nicolás Maduro reduces to two million.

And even if there were no obstacles, not all Venezuelans who are abroad could vote because a large part of them are minors and others, fundamentally those who emigrated many years ago, lack interest in these elections.

Of the eight million Venezuelans who live outside their country, about five million are of legal age and should be able to vote in the elections, but only 69,000 are authorized to do so, explains Estefanía Parra Anselmi, international coordinator of Voluntad Popular and member of the command that groups the opponents who reside in Spain, to EFE.

About three million Venezuelans currently live in Colombia, making it the country that has welcomed the most citizens of that nationality.

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This population arrived looking for better horizons due to the political, social and economic crisis in Venezuela.

According to the Interagency Coordination Platform for Refugees and Migrants from Venezuela of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), there are 2.9 million Venezuelan refugees and migrants in Colombia, which places this country as the regional epicenter of the Venezuelan exodus.

A good part of this population expects that the elections of July 28 will generate a change in their country, although many will not be able to vote due to difficulties in registering and the high cost of obtaining documents such as the valid passport, which allows you to vote abroad.

Spain is the European country that welcomes the most Venezuelan migrants, including many opposition leaders who left Venezuela in recent years.

Among them are Dinorah Figuera, Antonio Ledezma, Diego Arria and Leopoldo López, who are part of the Spanish campaign command of María Corina Machado.

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These opponents have worked in favor of the candidacy of Edmundo González Urrutia and hope to defeat Maduro at the polls.

However, they fear that Maduro will not accept the results or manipulate them, since they consider his regime as one that resorts to cheating and fraud.

Therefore, they have asked European governments to take measures to prevent fraud.

Parliamentarians from European and Latin American countries will travel to Venezuela to be present in the presidential elections, and the opposition abroad has called for several demonstrations in support of their candidate.

Venezuelans in Brazil will face difficulties voting, since they could only register at the Embassy in Brasilia and the Consulate General of São Paulo, the only places where they will be able to vote on July 28.

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Of the seven consulates that Venezuela had in Brazil, five were closed between 2019 and 2022 during the Government of Jair Bolsonaro, and did not reopen after the normalization of relations.

About 125,000 Venezuelans covered by Operation Reception live in Brazil, and it is estimated that in the last six years another 400,000 have entered, although many have continued to other countries. There are no clear figures on how many Venezuelans remain in Brazil in a position to vote.

About 1.5 million Venezuelans live in Peru, of which about 900,000 are of voting age.

Despite this, according to figures from the National Electoral Council (CNE) only 589 are authorized to vote.

Most have not been able to register due to the obstacles imposed by the authorities, which require permanent residence, a valid passport and identity card.

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On July 28, the Venezuelan Consulate in Buenos Aires will open its doors to vote on a day that will include a migrant fair and the reception of Argentine leaders who collaborated in the search for freedom in Venezuela.

Elisa Trotta, a human rights activist, explains that the accompaniment seeks to support Venezuelan voters in Argentina.

In Argentina, 2,638 Venezuelans will vote, a small figure compared to the nearly 250,000 Venezuelan residents in the country.

Trotta affirms that this vote has a special symbolism and that the authorized will do so to express their desire for political change.

In Italy it is difficult to establish the number of resident Venezuelans because the majority have dual nationality.

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According to the Venezuelan Embassy in Italy, there are 13,548 Venezuelans in the country, but the figures of the opposition command of María Corina Machado estimate between 300,000 and 350,000 Italian-Venezuelans.

The requirements imposed by the consulates have made it difficult for many to vote.

María Claudia López, president of the Italian-Venezuelan association and the opposition campaign, denounces that the consulates have asked for requirements that are impossible to meet, preventing many from voting.

International

Iran Reports 201 Dead, 747 Injured After U.S. and Israeli Strikes

The Iranian Red Crescent Society reported Sunday night (local time) that at least 201 people were killed and 747 injured following attacks carried out by Israel and the United States against the Islamic Republic.

A spokesperson for the humanitarian organization said more than 220 rescue teams have been deployed across affected areas and that relief operations are continuing without interruption. The official highlighted the difficulty of treating the large number of wounded and the urgent need for additional resources in impacted provinces.

Out of Iran’s 31 provinces, 24 have reported damage, according to a statement carried by the Isna news agency. This marks the first overall casualty toll released by Iranian state-affiliated media since the launch of the offensive.

Among the dead are 85 schoolgirls from a school in the southern city of Minab, according to the country’s judiciary. “The number of martyrs at the Minab girls’ school has risen to 85,” the local prosecutor’s office said, as quoted by the judiciary’s website, Mizan Online.

Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian described the attack as a “savagery” that “constitutes a new black page in the record of countless crimes committed by the aggressors.”

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Meanwhile, the international community continues to monitor the situation closely amid concerns about possible further reprisals and the broader impact on Middle East stability, energy markets, and global security.

AFP noted that it was unable to independently verify the casualty figures or the circumstances surrounding the events.

International

Pope Leo XIV Urges End to ‘Spiral of Violence’ in Middle East

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday called for an end to the “spiral of violence” in the Middle East, following military strikes by the United States and Israel against Iran and subsequent retaliatory bombardments in the region.

“Faced with the possibility of a tragedy of enormous proportions, I urge the parties involved to assume their moral responsibility and stop the spiral of violence before it becomes an irreparable abyss,” the pontiff told the crowd gathered in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican.

Speaking during the Angelus prayer, the U.S.-born pope said stability and peace cannot be achieved through threats or weapons. “Stability and peace are not built with reciprocal threats or with arms that sow destruction, suffering and death, but only through reasonable, sincere and responsible dialogue,” he declared.

The leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics also called for diplomacy to “regain its role” amid escalating tensions.

In addition, the pope urged Afghanistan and Pakistan to urgently resume dialogue after several days of clashes between the two countries.

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International

Security Council to Hold Emergency Meeting on Middle East Crisis

UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Saturday condemned the “military escalation in the Middle East” following attacks by the United States and Israel against Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory strikes, just hours before an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council.

“I call for the immediate cessation of hostilities and de-escalation,” Guterres said in a statement.

The Security Council is scheduled to meet on Saturday at 21:00 GMT (4:00 p.m. in New York) to address “the situation in the Middle East,” the United Nations announced.

The meeting, during which Guterres will deliver remarks, was convened at the request of France, Bahrain, Colombia, Russia and China, according to a diplomatic source.