Venezuela’s opposition announces presidential primaries for 2023

AFP

Venezuela’s main opposition on Monday announced primaries in 2023 to elect a single candidate to stand against incumbent Nicolas Maduro in the country’s next presidential election.

The opposition last held primaries in 2012 when candidate Henrique Capriles romped to victory before he was beaten by the late Hugo Chavez in the presidential election.

Following Chavez’s death, Capriles stood again as opposition candidate the next year against Maduro. However, the opposition boycotted the last elections in 2018.

“The presidential candidate of the democratic forces will be elected by a broad and plural primary process that will take place in 2023,” the main opposition parties said in a statement.

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The presidential election is scheduled for 2024, six years after Maduro won a second successive term in the largely boycotted 2018 vote.

Dozens of countries, led by the European Union and United States, joined the opposition in rejecting the result of the election and accusing Maduro of fraud.

That rejection led to opposition leader Juan Guaido in January 2019 using his position as assembly speaker to declare himself acting president, quickly garnering the support of almost 60 countries.

However, Maduro has crucially kept control of Venezuela’s institutions, including the influential military.

A source has said Guaido has not ruled out running in the primaries.

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“As Venezuelans, we need a presidential election,” Guaido tweeted, saying such a vote could mean “the end of the dictatorship and the return of democracy.”

“We are taking steps to demand a date and conditions for a free and fair election,” he said.

No date has yet been set for the 2024 elections by the top electoral body, which is controlled by Maduro loyalists.

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.

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.

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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.

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.

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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.