International
María Corina Machado rejected the proposal for new elections and a coalition government
The leader of the Venezuelan opposition, María Corina Machado, rejected on Thursday Brazil’sproposal to hold new elections or form a coalition government, and insisted that the results that gave Nicolás Maduro the winner in the presidential elections are fraudulent.
“The elections took place and Venezuelan society expressed itself in very adverse conditions, where there was fraud and we still managed to win,” Machado responded at a virtual press conference with media in Argentina and Chile, among which was EFE.
“We must respect the voice of the people, we must respect sovereignty,” Machado emphasized and asked: “Would you accept that another election is called in your respective countries?”
“If this is a decision that is going to be made at a table, so that they did it in the first place?” he added.
Machado also stressed that “elections are defined by the votes, not by the dome agreements.”
The National Electoral Council (CNE) proclaimed Maduro the winner, but Machado insisted on Thursday on “the monumental victory” of the opponent Edmundo González Urrutia with 7.3 million votes -almost 84% of the minutes-, against the 3.3 million votes that he said Maduro obtained.
The Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, suggested on Thursday two possible solutions to the post-election crisis in Venezuela: the formation of a coalition government that integrates members of Chavismo and the opposition or the holding of new elections.
This last initiative was supported by his American peer, Joe Biden, but was rejected by the Government of Mexico, while the Colombian president, Gustavo Petro, suggested for Venezuela a “national front” like the one that existed in his country in the twentieth century, in which liberals and conservatives took turns power as a “transitional” step towards a “definitive solution” to the crisis.
“He’s going to a second election, and if he doesn’t like the results, will he go to a third, fourth, fifth, until Maduro likes the results? Would you accept that in your country?” Machado wondered.
“Unknowing” the elections of June 28 “is a lack of respect for the Venezuelans who have given everything. Popular sovereignty is respected. The elections have already happened,” he said.
Regarding the idea of a coalition government, he asked to “be very careful” because he differentiated the examples in other countries where the parties have “political differences” but “have been democratic or have not been involved in criminal cases,” from what happens in Venezuela.
Machado recalled that his group offers “incentives and safeguards” to the ruling party members who want to approach their ranks to achieve a democratic transition in the face of an assumption of González Urrutia on January 10, to whom he promises that there will be no “persecution” or “revenge.”
“We are willing,” but “the regime has so far refused” to negotiate the transition, he said.
After the elections in Venezuela, the governments of Brazil, Colombia and Mexico began contacts to find a solution to the crisis, a mediation effort that has, among others, the support of the United States.
International
Meta Says Russia Seeks to Ban WhatsApp for Defending Secure Communication
U.S. tech giant Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, said that Russia is seeking to ban the messaging app because it “challenges government attempts to violate people’s right to secure communication.”
Russian authorities have encouraged citizens to switch to state-backed applications, and in August they already blocked WhatsApp’s calling feature.
On Friday, the communications regulator Roskomnadzor claimed that the platform was being used to “organize and carry out terrorist acts in the country, recruit perpetrators, and facilitate fraud and other crimes.”
“If the messaging service does not comply with Russian law, it will be completely blocked,” the regulator warned.
WhatsApp remains one of Russia’s most widely used messaging services, alongside Telegram.
Moscow is pressuring both platforms to grant authorities access to user data upon request for investigations into fraud and activities the government labels as “terrorist.”
Human rights advocates fear the demand could be used to target critics of the Kremlin, President Vladimir Putin, or the war in Ukraine.
International
Archbishop Wenski criticizes Trump’s deportation policies, calls for stronger push for reform
The Archbishop of Miami, Thomas Wenski, has called for increased pressure on the U.S. Congress to advance comprehensive immigration reform and criticized President Donald Trump’s mass deportation policies, arguing that they “do nothing to help.”
“We need to apply more pressure on Congress so lawmakers can make the necessary changes. It is also important for the Administration to listen to our voice. We do not want to be anyone’s enemy—we are Americans,” Wenski said in an interview with EFE.
The religious leader, who heads one of the dioceses with the largest Latino and Haitian populations in the United States, issued a call to defend the rights of migrants. He also emphasized that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has maintained a strong and public stance in favor of migrants for decades.
International
Trump relaunches diplomatic push to finalize U.S.-Backed peace plan for Ukraine War
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that his diplomatic team will resume meetings with delegations from Russia and Ukraine in an effort to pressure both sides to accept the peace plan proposed by Washington to end the war in Ukraine.
As part of this new round of talks, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Meanwhile, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll will hold discussions with Ukrainian representatives to narrow differences on the remaining points of the agreement.
Trump also confirmed his intention to meet personally with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and with Putin, though he emphasized that such meetings will only take place “when the agreement is fully finalized or in its final stage.”
The president claimed that his administration has made “tremendous progress” toward resolving the conflict and reiterated that the war “never would have started” if he had been in the White House at the onset of the crisis.
The U.S.-backed peace plan consists of 28 points and has been revised following feedback from both sides. According to Trump, only “a few points of disagreement” remain under active discussion.
One of the most controversial aspects of the proposal is the suggestion that Ukraine cede parts of the Donbas region to Russia and limit the size of its armed forces. Kyiv is working closely with Washington to soften these clauses in search of an arrangement that does not compromise its sovereignty or security.
With this diplomatic push, Trump aims to solidify his role as the main mediator in the conflict and steer the war toward a political resolution after years of devastation, humanitarian crisis, and rising global geopolitical tensions.
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