International
United States: “Maduro has deprived the results they announced of credibility”
The U.S. Government said on Monday that the announcement of the results of Sunday’s elections in Venezuela, which were won by President Nicolás Maduro, according to the National Electoral Council (CNE), had no credibility and called on local authorities to publish the minutes.
“By declaring a winner without the detailed minutes by district to support it, the representatives of (Nicolás) Maduro have deprived of any credibility the alleged election results they announced,” a senior US official said in a call with journalists.
“We have serious concerns that this result does not reflect the will or votes of the Venezuelan people,” he added.
The US representatives in the call did not want to address the possibility of imposing sanctions or other measures, although they said that they have “a number of options” and that it will depend on “what decisions the CNE takes in the coming days, in relation to the publication of the data.”
The White House announced earlier that it will postpone decision-making on Venezuela, including the possibility of imposing new sanctions, until all the voting minutes of the elections are published.
Joe Biden’s Administration has “serious concerns that the announced results do not reflect the will of the Venezuelan people,” White House National Security spokesman John Kirby said at a telephone press conference.
The spokesman considered that it is “absolutely essential that each vote is counted in a fair and transparent manner, that electoral officials immediately share the information with the opposition and independent observers, and that the electoral authorities publish the complete and detailed minutes of the votes.”
“We will hold on to our pronouncement until that happens. We and the rest of the international community are observing and will respond accordingly,” he said.
According to the National Electoral Council (CNE), the Chavista leader obtained 51.20% of the votes (5,150,092 votes), compared to 44.2% of the votes of the majority opposition champion, Edmundo González Urrutia (4,445,978 votes), who denounced an electoral fraud.
The governments of China, Russia and Iran have congratulated the Venezuelan leader on the electoral victory while leaders of Europe and other Western countries have asked for transparency in the count.
The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, on an official visit to Tokyo, was “seriously concerned” about the validity of the announced results and questioned that they reflect the “volunity” of the voters.
International
Chile enters runoff campaign with Kast leading and Jara seeking a last-minute comeback
Chile’s presidential runoff campaign for the December 14 election kicked off this Sunday, with far-right candidate José Antonio Kast entering the race as the clear favorite in the polls, while left-wing contender Jeannette Jara faces an uphill scenario, hoping for a comeback that some experts describe as “a miracle.”
The final polls released in Chile—published before the mandatory blackout on survey dissemination—give Kast, an ultraconservative former lawmaker running for president for the third time, a lead of between 12 and 16 points. His opponent, the communist former minister in Gabriel Boric’s current administration, is weighed down not only by the government’s low approval ratings but also by a fragmented electorate.
Although Jeannette Jara received the most votes in the first round with 26.9%, her lack of alliances beyond the left makes it difficult for her to expand her support. Kast, who secured 23.9%, has already brought key figures on board: ultralibertarian Johannes Kaiser (13.9%) and traditional right-wing leader Evelyn Matthei (12.4%), both now backing his candidacy.
Analysts note that although Kast’s support base consolidates more than 50% of the electorate, it does not guarantee an automatic transfer of votes. Populist economist Franco Parisi, who placed third with 19.7%, emerges as the major wildcard. His party, the People’s Party (PDG), is set to decide this Sunday through an internal consultation whether to endorse one of the two finalists.
International
Trump says asylum decision freeze will remain in place “for a long time”
U.S. President Donald Trump warned on Sunday that the suspension of decisions on asylum applications—implemented as part of his order to “halt” immigration from third-world countries following Wednesday’s shooting in Washington—will remain in effect “for a long time.”
The president declined to specify how long the freeze, imposed last Friday by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), would last. The suspension affects individuals waiting for an asylum ruling from that agency, though it does not apply to cases handled by U.S. immigration courts.
The delay is part of a series of measures enacted by the Trump Administration after a shooting on Wednesday in which an Afghan national allegedly opened fire on the National Guard in Washington, D.C., killing one officer and leaving another in critical condition.
Trump has ordered a permanent halt to immigration from 19 countries classified as “third-world.” He also indicated on Sunday that “possibly” more nations could be added to the list.
“These are countries with high crime rates. They are countries that do not function well… that are not known for success, and frankly, we don’t need people from those places coming into our country and telling us what to do,” Trump said, adding: “We don’t want those people.”
USCIS had already announced on Thursday a “rigorous review” of green cards held by migrants from 19 “countries of concern,” including Afghanistan, Cuba, Venezuela, and Haiti.
International
Sri Lanka and Indonesia deploy military as deadly asian floods kill over 1,000
Sri Lanka and Indonesia deployed military personnel on Monday to assist victims of the devastating floods that have killed more than a thousand people across Asia in recent days.
A series of weather events last week triggered prolonged torrential rains across Sri Lanka, parts of Indonesia’s Sumatra island, southern Thailand, and northern Malaysia. Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto said Monday in North Sumatra that “the priority now is to deliver the necessary aid as quickly as possible.”
“There are several isolated villages that, with God’s help, we will be able to reach,” he added. Subianto also stated that the government had deployed helicopters and aircraft to support relief operations.
Floods and landslides have claimed 502 lives in Indonesia, with a similar number still missing.
This marks the highest death toll from a natural disaster in Indonesia since 2018, when an earthquake and subsequent tsunami killed more than 2,000 people.
The government has sent three military ships carrying aid and two hospital vessels to the hardest-hit regions, where many roads remain impassable.
In the village of Sungai Nyalo, located about 100 kilometers from Padang, the capital of West Sumatra, floodwaters had receded by Sunday, leaving homes, vehicles, and crops coated in thick mud.
Chile enters runoff campaign with Kast leading and Jara seeking a last-minute comeback
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