International

Bolivia’s ruling party meets to choose candidates without the participation of Evo Morales

Thousands of followers of the ruling Movement to Socialism (MAS) met this Friday to define the election of the presidential binomial for the August 17 elections in Bolivia, without the former historical leader, former President Evo Morales (2006-2019), who after losing leadership will present his candidacy for the first time with another political group.

The president of the MAS, Grover García, said in his speech that this congress is to “seek the unity” of the popular bloc and establish an “organic” way to elect the departmental and national leaders of the ruling party.

García pointed out that the election of representatives and candidates will not be done “by finger” or with “imposition” as, he said, happened in the time of Evo Morales, whom he indicated to be the one who defined the MAS candidacies.

The meeting is held in the city of El Alto, neighboring La Paz, with delegations from organizations related to the Government and with the presence of President Luis Arce and Vice President David Choquehuanca.

On Thursday, Morales and his supporters announced that they will step away from the MAS and run for election with a new party, the Front for Victory (FPV), which means a distance between the “evista” bloc, as those loyal to the former president with the faction that supports Arce, known as ‘arcistas’.

20260330_renta_mh_728x90

In this regard, García said that “those who go to other parties” are the “true traitors” and that this will become clear at the conclusion of the official meeting.

Although President Arce has not confirmed that he will go to re-election, he is emerging as the main option of the MAS to the Presidency, since some sectors began to propose his name in the recent public events and delivery of public works to which the Head of State has attended.

For his part, Arce warned the crowd that attended the event that in the next elections they will face “two visions of the country”, among which the MAS promotes, oriented to deepen the Plurinational State, the plural economy and industrialization, with the opposition that seeks to return to the “old Republic”, privatization and economic dependence.

“Our political instrument has the challenge of facing these new elections with all the arsenal we have (…) and with the unity of our social organizations,” said the president.

Luis Arce has increased his travels throughout the country this year, an average of two daily since January, for the delivery of works and to offer speeches about his Administration.

20260330_renta_mh_728x90

While Morales does not leave the Tropic of Cochabamba (center), his main political and union stronghold, since October 2024, where he is surrounded by his followers who protect him against an arrest warrant.

The former governor was declared in “rebellion” for not appearing twice before a court to answer for an accusation of aggravated human trafficking, for allegedly maintaining a relationship with a minor with whom he had a child in 2016, when he was president of Bolivia.

In November, the former president ceased to be head of the MAS after the Judicial and Electoral bodies validated a congress held in May 2024 by the ‘arcista’ wing that elected leader Grover García as the new leader of the government party.

Morales insists that he is qualified to be a candidate despite a constitutional ruling that establishes that re-election in Bolivia is for “a single time” continuously or discontinuously, which would prevent him from participating, since he ruled the country for three consecutive periods (2006-2009, 2010-2014 and 2015-2019).

The division in the ruling party in Bolivia began to be noticed since the political crisis of 2019, when Morales resigned the presidency of the country alleging an alleged “coup d’état” and then took refuge in Argentina.

20260330_renta_mh_728x90

Arce and Morales have been distanced since the end of 2021 due to differences in the administration of the Executive and the election of the MAS presidential candidate.

International

White House says Cuba policy unchanged despite sanctioned fuel shipment

The White House said Monday that it has not changed its policy toward Cuba, despite allowing a sanctioned Russian oil tanker to deliver fuel to the island on humanitarian grounds.

U.S. officials emphasized that the decision was made as an exception and does not signal a broader shift in policy.

The administration added that similar decisions would be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, depending on humanitarian considerations.

The clarification comes amid ongoing restrictions related to U.S. sanctions policy, which continue to limit trade and financial flows involving Cuba.

International

Spain to grant citizenship to Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López

The Spanish government is expected to grant citizenship this Tuesday to Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lópezthrough an extraordinary procedure known as “carta de naturaleza.”

The decision will be approved by royal decree, an exceptional legal mechanism used in special cases that require expedited resolution due to specific circumstances.

López has been living in Madrid since 2020, after leaving Venezuela following a prolonged political and legal conflict with the government of Nicolás Maduro.

According to government sources, López currently does not have a valid Venezuelan passport and faces difficulties in having his nationality fully recognized in his home country.

As a result, he applied for Spanish citizenship via a fast-track process at the end of 2025, after previously attempting to obtain it through regular procedures.

20260330_renta_mh_728x90

The Spanish government justified the move based on López’s international relevance and foreign policy considerations.

López is the leader of the Voluntad Popular party and co-founder of the World Liberty Congress, an initiative launched in 2022 alongside figures such as Garry Kasparov and Masih Alinejad.

International

ICE to remain at airports amid DHS shutdown, Homan says

The U.S. “border czar,” Tom Homan, said Sunday that agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will remain deployed at airports until operations return to “100% normal,” as the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues.

“We will maintain ICE presence until airports feel they are fully back to normal operations,” Homan said during an interview on Face the Nation on CBS.

Homan justified the deployment on security grounds, noting that the measure was ordered by President Donald Trumpamid widespread absenteeism among agents of the Transportation Security Administration, who have gone without pay for over six weeks due to the DHS shutdown.

According to acting TSA administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill, at least 460 TSA agents have resigned during the shutdown, while daily absenteeism has averaged 11%, exceeding 50% at some airports.

Homan warned that if TSA staffing levels do not recover after the shutdown, ICE agents will continue filling the gap. “ICE is there to support our TSA brothers and sisters. We will remain as long as needed to ensure airport security,” he said.

20260330_renta_mh_728x90

The DHS shutdown reached 44 days on Sunday, making it the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. The impasse stems from disagreements between Democrats and Republicans over ICE funding.

A recent bipartisan Senate proposal to fund DHS without including ICE failed after being blocked by House Republicans, who insist on full funding for the agency.

Amid the deadlock, Trump signed an executive order directing Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to immediately pay TSA agents to address what he called an “emergency situation” and restore order at airports, with payments expected to begin Monday.