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
Man arrested after deliberately driving into seven children in Osaka
Japanese police arrested a man on Thursday after he rammed his car into a group of seven schoolchildren in an apparent deliberate attack in the city of Osaka.
The children, who were on their way home from school, sustained injuries and were taken to the hospital. All seven remained conscious, according to local authorities.
An Osaka police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the suspect is a 28-year-old man from Tokyo. The officer shared statements the man made after his arrest: “I was fed up with everything, so I decided to kill people by driving into several elementary school children,” the suspect reportedly said.
The man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
The injured children, aged between seven and eight, included a seven-year-old girl who suffered a fractured jaw. The six other children—all boys—suffered minor injuries such as bruises and scratches and were undergoing medical evaluation.
Witnesses described the car as “zigzagging” before hitting the children. One witness told Nippon TV that a girl was “covered in blood” and the others appeared to have scratches.
Another witness said the driver, who was wearing a face mask, looked to be in shock when school staff pulled him from the vehicle.
Violent crimes are rare in Japan, though serious incidents do occur from time to time. In 2008, Tomohiro Kato drove a two-ton truck into pedestrians in Tokyo’s Akihabara district, then fatally stabbed several victims. Seven people were killed in that attack.
Internacionales
Clashes erupt during may day protests across France amid calls for better wages
May Day protests in France were marked by a heavy police presence and clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement in several cities.
In Paris, Lyon, and Nantes, thousands took to the streets to demand better wages, fairer working conditions, and to voice their dissatisfaction with President Emmanuel Macron’s government.
While the majority of the demonstrations remained peaceful, isolated confrontations broke out in some areas. Protesters threw objects at the police, prompting the use of tear gas and resulting in several arrests.
Videos showing police crackdowns circulated widely on social media, drawing criticism from labor unions and human rights advocates, who denounced the authorities’ response to the protests.
International
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has deported “more than half a million” migrants due to pressure from former President Donald Trump.
During a cabinet meeting highlighting the “achievements” of Trump’s administration in its first 100 days, Noem asserted that under the Republican leader’s influence, “Mexico has finally come to the table” to negotiate on migration and fentanyl trafficking.
“The president of Mexico told me she has returned just over half a million people before they reached our border,” Noem stated, criticizing media reports that suggest the Biden administration deported more migrants than Trump’s.
“I wish those deportations were counted,” Noem added, “because those people never made it to our border—she sent them back because you made her.” She went on to thank Trump: “They never made it here because they got the message—because you were so aggressive.”
Noem has made controversial claims about Sheinbaum in the past, prompting the Mexican leader to refute them.
On April 1, Sheinbaum responded to one such statement by declaring, “The president answers to only one authority, and that is the people of Mexico,” after Noem said on Fox News that she gave Sheinbaum “a list of things Trump would like to see” and that Mexico’s actions would determine whether Trump granted tariff relief.
Man arrested after deliberately driving into seven children in Osaka
Clashes erupt during may day protests across France amid calls for better wages
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
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