International

The Venezuelan Supreme Court refuses to review the sentence that validated Maduro’s re-election

The Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) of Venezuela rejected this Friday a request for constitutional review of the sentence that validated the controversial re-election of Nicolás Maduro in the elections of July 28, whose result was reported as fraudulent and many countries have not recognized it.

The Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court declared inadmissible the request, which was introduced on September 25 by former presidential candidate Enrique Márquez, in an action that had the support of about twenty dissident leaders of Chavismo and the traditional leadership of the Communist Party of Venezuela (PCV).

The decision assures that the expert opinion made by the Electoral Chamber of the TSJ to validate the re-election of Maduro – which could not be followed and verified by representatives of the majority opposition – was carried out “impeccably with due guarantees, through which the unobjectible integrity” of the bulletin announced by the National Electoral Council (CNE) was verified, according to the institution.

“All of which was verified by this Constitutional Chamber, thus reaffirming that, through the electoral process carried out on July 28, 2024, the will of the Venezuelan people was expressed,” underlines the sentence.

Ratifies Maduro’s re-election

Likewise, the new decision of the TSJ – composed almost entirely of magistrates related to Chavismo – ratifies that the re-election of the president was certified “categorically.”

In addition, it is recalled that all the electoral material consigned by the CNE “is under the protection” of the TSJ, which maintains the impossibility of accessing the voting records of each center, something that the international community has asked to review to certify or not the announced result.

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CEL

The majority opposition – grouped in the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD) – maintains that its standard bearer, Edmundo González Urrutia, is the winner of the elections based on the “83.5% of the electoral records” collected by witnesses and board members on the day of the elections, documents recognized as valid by several countries, and qualified as “false” by the ruling party.

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.

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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.

International

Vatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition

he Vatican’s post offices and select collector shops began selling special edition stamps this week to mark the period between the death of Pope Francis and the election of his successor.

Known as “Sede Vacante” stamps, they feature an image used on official Vatican documents during the interregnum between popes — two crossed keys without the papal tiara. These stamps went on sale Monday and will remain valid for postal use only until the new pontiff appears at the window overlooking St. Peter’s Square.

Until then, they can be used to send letters, postcards, and parcels. “Once the new pope is elected, the stamps lose their postal validity, but their collectible value rises,” said Francesco Santarossa, who runs a collectors’ shop across from St. Peter’s Square.

The Vatican has issued the stamps in four denominations: €1.25, €1.30, €2.45, and €3.20. Each is inscribed with “Città del Vaticano” and “Sede Vacante MMXXV” — Latin for “Vacant See 2025.”

International

Conclave to choose pope Francis’ successor could begin in early may

The conclave, which in the coming weeks must choose the successor to Pope Francis, will strictly follow a precise protocol refined over centuries.

The 135 cardinal electors, all under the age of 80, will cast their votes four times a day — except on the first day — until one candidate secures a two-thirds majority. The result will be announced to the world through the burning of the ballots with a chemical that produces the eagerly awaited white smoke, accompanied by the traditional cry of “Habemus Papam.”

The start date for the conclave could be announced today, as the cardinals are set to hold their fifth meeting since the pope’s passing. Luxembourg Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich suggested it could begin on May 5 or 6, following the traditional nine days of mourning. According to German Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the conclave could last only “a few days.”

Although the late Argentine pontiff appointed the majority of the cardinal electors, this does not necessarily ensure the selection of a like-minded successor. Francis’ leadership style differed significantly from that of his predecessor, Benedict XVI, a German theologian who was less fond of large public gatherings. It also marked a contrast with the popular Polish pope, John Paul II.

The Argentine Jesuit’s reformist papacy drew strong criticism from more conservative sectors of the Church, who are hoping for a doctrinally focused shift. His tenure was marked by efforts to combat clerical sexual abuse, elevate the role of women and laypeople, and advocate for the poor and migrants, among other causes.