International

Venezuela opposition heavyweight calls for end to interim govt

AFP

One of Venezuela’s opposition heavyweights called Sunday for an end to the country’s interim government that was formed in 2019 to try to oust President Nicolas Maduro, two weeks after a crushing defeat in regional elections.

“The interim government should disappear completely,” said Julio Borges, speaking from exile in Colombia.

He offered his resignation as foreign policy chief under opposition leader Juan Guaido, who declared himself acting president in January 2019 with the support of dozens of other countries, forming a parallel administration.

Borges slammed the record of Guaido’s government, saying, “We must take steps to reform everything that has been called interim government… the interim government has been deformed.”

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His call comes just two weeks after Maduro’s forces won a landslide victory, routing the divided opposition, which had parties on the ballot for the first time since 2017.

Borges is due to present his proposals on Tuesday before a commission made up of lawmakers who were part of the National Assembly while it was controlled by the opposition from 2016-2020.

The opposition had boycotted legislative elections in 2020 as well as a presidential vote in 2018 in which Maduro was reelected, which was not recognized by part of the international community.

“We have lost legitimacy, international support, because there have been too many contradictions, there have been too many mistakes, there have been too many scandals and that has made the world put the Venezuelan case on ice,” Borges said.

He urged the opposition to “rebuild and accumulate the strength to regain legitimacy within Venezuela and outside Venezuela,” criticizing as well the opposition’s management, especially of Venezuelan assets abroad by the “party of Guaido.”

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Washington has entrusted the management of assets in the United States of the oil-rich South American country to Guaido.

“The subject of assets (outside Venezuela) is a real scandal,” Borges said, calling for “more clarity and transparency.”

Guaido did not immediately react to Borges’ statements.

International

Paraguay summons Brazilian ambassador over Itaipú espionage scandal

Paraguay summoned the Brazilian ambassador in Asunción on Tuesday to demand “explanations” and called its own representative in Brasília for consultations following Brazil’s acknowledgment of an espionage operation. The Brazilian government, led by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, attributed the operation to the previous administration.

The surveillance effort aimed to uncover Paraguay’s position in now-suspended negotiations with Brazil regarding the pricing of electricity from the binational Itaipú hydroelectric plant, according to reports in the Brazilian press.

The Brazilian government “categorically denied any involvement in the intelligence operation,” stating in a Foreign Ministry communiqué on Monday that the espionage was carried out under former President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration (2019-2023).

“The operation was authorized by the previous government in June 2022 and was annulled by the interim director of the (state intelligence agency) ABIN on March 27, 2023, as soon as the current administration became aware of it,” Brazil’s government asserted.

Paraguay’s Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez announced that Brazilian Ambassador José Antonio Marcondes de Carvalho was summoned “to provide detailed explanations” regarding the operation. Additionally, Paraguay recalled its diplomatic representative in Brasília “to report on aspects related to the intelligence activity conducted by Brazil regarding Paraguay’s government affairs.”

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International

Elon Musk to step down as government advisor, per Trump insiders

President Donald Trump has informed his inner circle that Elon Musk will be stepping down from his role as a government advisor, according to a report by Politico today.

Citing three individuals close to Trump, Politico states that the president is pleased with Musk’s leadership at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), where he has implemented significant budget cuts. However, both have agreed that it is time for Musk to return to his businesses and support Trump from a different position outside the government.

A senior administration official told Politico that Musk will likely maintain an informal advisory role and continue to be an occasional visitor to the White House. Another source warned that anyone thinking Musk will completely disappear from Trump’s circle is “deluding themselves.”

According to the sources, this transition is expected to coincide with the end of Musk’s tenure as a “special government employee,” a temporary status that exempts him from certain ethics and conflict-of-interest regulations. This 130-day period is set to expire in late May or early June.

International

Milei vows to make Argentina so strong that Falkland Islanders “choose” to join

Argentine President Javier Milei reaffirmed his country’s claim over the Falkland Islands (known as the Islas Malvinas in Argentina) and praised the role of the nation’s armed forces during a ceremony marking the “Veterans and Fallen Soldiers of the Malvinas War Day,” commemorating 43 years since the 1982 conflict with the United Kingdom.

Argentina continues to assert sovereignty over the islands, arguing that Britain unlawfully seized them in 1833.

“If sovereignty over the Malvinas is the issue, we have always made it clear that the most important vote is the one cast with one’s feet. We hope that one day, the Malvinas residents will choose to vote with their feet and join us,” Milei stated.

“That is why we aim to become a global power—so much so that they would prefer to be Argentine, making deterrence or persuasion unnecessary. This is why we have embarked on a path of liberation, working to make Argentina the freest country in the world and once again the nation with the highest GDP per capita on the planet,” he added.