International
The Parliament of Thailand elects Paethongtarn Shinawatra as prime minister
The House of Representatives of Thailand elected Paethongtarn Shinawatra, daughter of the former president and influential politician Thaksin, as Prime Minister of Thailand this Friday, after the dismissal two days ago of her predecessor by a judicial decision.
Paethongtarn, known by the nickname of Ing, obtained during the vote 319 supports from the 493 deputies of the current Chamber, and has become the second woman to be Prime Minister of the country.
For its part, the plan of the opposition People’s Party, founded after the judicial dissolution of the progressive Avanzar, positioned itself against the appointment of Paethongtarn, which added 145 votes of rejection and 27 abstentions – two deputies did not attend the session.
The new head of government, candidate of the Phue Thai party that leads a coalition of 11 parties, thus replaces Srettha Thavisin, from the same political platform, who was dismissed on Wednesday by the Constitutional Court considering that she violated an ethnic code by appointing a lawyer convicted of attempted bribery as a minister in April.
Paethongtarn Shinawatr, pledged to make the country “progress”, hours after being elected in a parliamentary vote to replace Srettha Thavisin.
“I hope to do the best I can and make my country progress. It’s an honor and I feel happy. I am sure that if I make an effort every day and at every opportunity, everything will be fine,” she said visibly excited during her first appearance after the vote.
“I want to create opportunities and develop the quality of life to empower all Thais,” remarked the leader, who led the hotel company and the construction wing of the wealthy clan before starting her meteoric political career in 2021.
Paethongtarn, at 37 years old, the youngest to occupy the position, was one of the new faces of her party during the 2023 electoral campaign, in which she participated during her last stages of pregnancy, and until now she was director of the “National Committee for the Development of Soft Power” with the purpose of extending the Thai cultural influence.
The new leader, who does not hold the position of legislator, followed the vote from the Phue Thai headquarters in Bangkok, where she arrived in the early hours of the morning accompanied by her husband.
“First meal after listening to the vote,” the leader posted on the social network Instagram, where she usually uploads family images, along with a photo of a plate of rice with chicken.
The appointment of Paethongtarn, the youngest daughter of the three of Thaksin, puts a member of the influential Shinawatra clan back in charge of the country after his father, who ruled between 2001 and 2006, was dismounted by a military coup d’état and his aunt, Yingluck, was dismissed in 2014 by the Constitutional, days before another military uprising.
Thaksin, who spent 15 years in exile to avoid justice, returned to Thailand in August last year and the same day that Parliament elected Srettha as prime minister, which seemed to seal the reconciliation between the former president and the pro-military and pro-military elite.
The founder of the Shinawatra clan, who did not spend a night in prison, as he was released on parole after serving six months of sentence while being admitted to a hospital, now faces an accusation of less majesty with a court hearing scheduled for Monday.
The Phue Thai, founded before Thaksin left the country, finished second in the elections of May 2023, surpassed by the young reformist party Avanzar, dissolved eight days ago by the Constitutional for its proposals to reform the law of lesa majesty.
At first these two parties formed a coalition that, after the Senate’s veto against the reformist candidate, Phue Thai ended up breaking and leading its own alliance to govern, which includes two platforms linked to the military coup, its historical enemies.
International
Long wait at the Vatican: experts defend lengthy papal election process
The media present to cover the event expressed concern about the delay.
However, experts explained that the wait was normal and called for patience.
“I expected it to take even longer—not only because of Father or Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa (who gave the meditation after the Sistine Chapel doors were closed), who tends to preach at length—but also because the oath-taking dragged on much more than the last time,” said Kurt Martens, a professor at the School of Canon Law at the Catholic University of America, speaking to CNN.
He explained that each cardinal must walk up to the altar to cast his vote, and while there, must pronounce the oath in Latin:
“I call as my witness Christ the Lord, who will judge me, that I give my vote to the one who, before God, I think should be elected.”
Even if each cardinal took only one minute, with a record 133 voting cardinals, just casting the votes would take 133 minutes—over two hours.
“It’s not like you have twenty-somethings sprinting to the altar, so it takes time,” Martens added.
In addition, time must be taken to select scrutineers or to assist any cardinal who is ill and unable to physically be in the Sistine Chapel.
Then comes the vote counting, which also takes time. “It’s a long process,” Martens said. His advice for the next days of voting, which will include four rounds per day:
“Be patient.”
Other experts recalled past conclaves, such as the one that elected Jorge Mario Bergoglio, now Pope Francis, when a cardinal mistakenly cast two ballots (one of them blank), which forced the vote to be restarted.
As of Wednesday afternoon, there were no reports of any such issues.
If no pope is elected after the first three days, the fourth day (Sunday, as Wednesday’s vote does not count) will be a day of reflection, without voting. If the conclave continues, the cardinals may eventually vote between the top two candidates. A two-thirds majority is required to elect the new pope.
Once a winner is chosen, white smoke will rise from the chimney, the bells of St. Peter’s Basilica will ring, and shortly after, the pope’s baptismal name and chosen papal name will be announced to the world.
International
Xiomara Castro’s government vows to protect citizens amid threat reports
The government of President Xiomara Castro pledged on Tuesday to do “everything in its power” to protect the Honduran people and conduct necessary investigations following a warning from the U.S. Embassy about a possible mass shooting threat in Tegucigalpa.
“The Government of President @XiomaraCastroZ will do everything within its legal power to protect the Honduran people, maintain social peace, security, institutional stability, and the electoral process,” Foreign Minister Eduardo Enrique Reina wrote in a message posted on social media platform X. He also stated that investigations will be carried out to bring those responsible to justice.
Reina said the U.S. Embassy in Tegucigalpa, through diplomatic and security channels, shared information with the Honduran Foreign Ministry regarding potential attack threats. He emphasized that these alerts were treated “with responsibility and diligence, regardless of their credibility or likelihood.”
The information was immediately forwarded to the Ministries of Security and Defense for proper investigation, monitoring, and prevention, Reina added.
The U.S. Embassy, in a statement published on its official website, said it had received information about a possible mass shooting threat on May 6 and again on May 16 in Tegucigalpa. The potential targets mentioned include the Elliot Dover Christian School, the Government Civic Center, and an unnamed shopping mall.
The Honduran Foreign Minister expressed concern over what he described as an attempt to “sow fear and unrest among the Honduran population, especially in an election year.” He suggested the threat aligns with criminal tactics and media manipulation seen during the 2009 coup and the narco-state period under former President Juan Orlando Hernández, who was convicted of drug trafficking in the U.S. in 2024.
Honduras is set to hold its general elections on November 30, the twelfth since the country’s return to democracy following nearly two decades of military rule.
International
Prosecutor José Domingo Pérez reinstated in Fujimori corruption case
José Domingo Pérez, Peru’s top anti-corruption prosecutor who leads the case against political figure Keiko Fujimori for the alleged illegal financing of her 2011 and 2016 presidential campaigns, will resume his duties on Tuesday after successfully appealing a suspension imposed in April.
The National Control Authority of the Public Ministry (ANC) nullified the six-month suspension, according to local media reports citing the official resolution.
The decision, issued Monday by the ANC’s General Appeals Directorate, partially upheld Pérez’s appeal and ordered his reinstatement to the Special Team investigating the Lava Jato and Odebrecht corruption cases in Peru.
Pérez was suspended on April 7 for six months, during which time he was barred from carrying out his role as provincial prosecutor of the Special Lava Jato Team, due to alleged administrative misconduct.
The resolution noted that “preventive removal from prosecutorial duties is reserved for exceptional and severe circumstances that compromise the dignity of the role and damage the prosecutor’s public reputation.”
Pérez had called the suspension “unjust and abusive,” adding that Peruvian prosecutors are enduring “difficult and resistant times.”
Meanwhile, on April 3, the Peruvian judiciary upheld a decision to annul the trial against Fujimori regarding alleged irregular campaign financing, affirming a ruling by the Constitutional Court.
As a result, Pérez’s previous appeal was rejected, and the Public Ministry must now rework parts of the investigation and file new charges—a process legal experts say could take between one year and 18 months.
A judge will then determine whether to proceed to trial against Fujimori and 32 other individuals connected to her political party, Fuerza Popular, over alleged illegal contributions from companies like Brazil’s Odebrecht and several Peruvian conglomerates.
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