International
Venezuela shows evidence of fraud in primary event
October 27 |
The president of the National Assembly (AN) of Venezuela, Jorge Rodríguez, met in Caracas with representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited in the country and exposed details of the agreements assumed by the National Government and a sector of the opposition to contextualize the evidence of the fraudulent primary event that took place last October 22.
He referred that recently the National Government signed in the capital of Barbados with representatives of the oppositions two agreements: one related to the political and electoral conditions, with a view to the presidential election of 2024, and the other which expressed the firm intention to defend the territorial integrity of Venezuela and to defend the Venezuelan patrimony and assets that are abroad.
He pointed out that the first of them seeks that the results of that election be shared by all and that they may be fair, verifiable and supported by the goodness and strengths of the national electoral system, considered one of the most reliable, efficient and fast in the world. All this was embodied in this agreement, he emphasized.
He reminded that it is a robust and reliable automated system, and throughout it there are 18 audits (including the inspection by experts of the machines, the software, the electoral registry, the machine set to zero on the day of the elections and the voting records, among many others).
He explained that in one of its paragraphs, the agreement on the elections makes it clear that these conditions will be applied to the rest of the electoral processes to be carried out in the country.
He emphasized that political parties in Venezuela are subject to public scrutiny and to the provisions of the Constitution and electoral laws, such as the Organic Law of Electoral Processes, the Comptrollership Law and others. He made clear that these parties “are not secret brotherhoods, they are not private companies, they are not anonymous companies” and must adhere to the mandate of the law.
In addition to these standards, during the signing of the agreements it was defined that the National Electoral Council (CNE) is the only entity legally vested in the country to summon, organize and carry out elections of any kind and thus avoid any irregularity.
He added that on two occasions the NEC communicated with the organizations with political purposes which conform the so called Unitary Platform and on both occasions this sector refused to allow the NEC to organize the election.
He questioned the refusal of this sector to use the voting centers and tables, the electronic machines and all the support usually provided by the CNE. He assured that this could only be explained because a fraud of incalculable proportions had been organized.
He denounced that there were no voting centers and people did not know where to go to vote. Very few were known to exist and with very vague coordinates. On the other hand, 30 percent of the voting centers were inside private residences.
He commented that then began to appear denunciations of candidates and resignations of members of the boards of this primary event in the states, among them the vice-president of the national commission of the event, who claimed the participation of the CNE in this process.
She said that the resignations of candidates prevented the election from being participatory. How can an election be competitive if there is only one candidate left with possibilities, since two others resigned, she asked. He assured that what happened on Sunday, October 22 cannot be considered an election. It does not have any quality or verifiability.
He commented that another candidate explained that there were no voting centers, it was not known who the witnesses were and the audited electoral material had not arrived, among other irregularities. He said that weeks before the primary event, a private company called Súmate -owned by María Corina Machado- hijacked the primary event and, for example, created mega voting centers -with 6,000, 10,000 voters, for example- which prevented thousands of voters from voting.
He affirmed that 25 percent of the 5,000 voting tables were never installed. He emphasized that the objective of all this was to create agglomeration and irritation among his own followers, in addition to trying to mediatically implant an opinion matrix favorable to anxiety and to politically annihilate the parties that signed the agreements in Barbados.
There is no election if you cannot present medium or minimally reliable results, said Rodriguez.
International
Mexico City Mayor Invites U2 to Perform at Iconic Zócalo Plaza
Irish rock band U2, which spent Tuesday and Wednesday filming a new music video for its song Street of Dreams in the Historic Center of Mexico City, received an invitation to perform at the capital’s iconic Zócalo square from Mayor Clara Brugada.
Brugada shared the invitation through social media posts accompanied by photos and a video showing her meeting with the band members.
“This is an invitation for you to perform in our wonderful public square, the Zócalo. You are welcome here, and we would love to have you,” Brugada said in the video while handing a document to Bono, the band’s lead singer.
Bono responded by saying that the group would like “to begin its new tour in Mexico City.”
Referencing one of the band’s most famous songs, In the Name of Love, Brugada said she was greeting Bono along with The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr..
“Welcoming U2 to our capital means celebrating music, connection and the emotion that can be felt in every corner of this city,” Brugada wrote in one of her messages. “We are a city open to the world, vibrant and full of stories shared from the stage to the streets.”
She also described the Zócalo as “the country’s most important public square” and a cultural landmark for Latin America.
Over the years, the Zócalo has hosted massive concerts by internationally renowned artists and bands including Roger Waters, Paul McCartney, Manu Chao, Café Tacvba, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, Los Tigres del Norte, La Maldita Vecindad, Silvio Rodríguez, Joan Manuel Serrat, Rosalía and Shakira, drawing hundreds of thousands of fans.
International
Marco Rubio Urges China to Help Restrain Iran Amid Gulf Tensions
Marco Rubio said Wednesday that Washington hopes to persuade China to take a more active role in stopping Iran from escalating tensions in the Persian Gulf, arguing that the crisis directly threatens Asian commercial interests.
“It is in China’s interest to resolve this situation. We hope to convince them to play a more active role in getting Iran to stop what it is doing now and trying to do in the Persian Gulf,” Rubio said during an interview with journalist Sean Hannity on Fox News while traveling aboard Air Force One.
The top U.S. diplomat said the conflict and concerns over the possible disruption of the Strait of Hormuz have already affected China’s interests.
Rubio noted that “a Chinese cargo ship was struck over the weekend,” referring to the exchange of attacks reported last Friday between Iran and the United States.
The remarks come amid growing international concern over rising tensions in the region and the potential impact on global trade routes and energy supplies.
International
Trump floats Vance-Rubio potential Republican ticket for 2028 election
U.S. President Donald Trump suggested on Monday that Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubiocould potentially form a Republican presidential ticket for the 2028 elections.
Speaking during a dinner with law enforcement officials as part of National Police Week, Trump publicly praised both officials and said they could make “an ideal team” for the next presidential race.
“Who likes JD Vance? Who likes Marco Rubio?” Trump asked attendees before adding that the pair “sound like a good combination.”
The president highlighted his vice president’s performance in office, stating that their current partnership has been highly effective. “JD is perfect, that has been a perfect formula,” Trump told reporters later.
He further suggested that a Vance-Rubio pairing could represent a strong presidential and vice-presidential ticket, although he stopped short of offering any formal endorsement.
“I think it sounds like a presidential candidate and a vice-presidential candidate,” he said, while clarifying that his remarks should not be interpreted as an official backing of any future campaign.
So far, neither Vance nor Rubio has publicly confirmed any intention to run in the 2028 presidential election.
Rubio previously sought the Republican nomination in 2016 but withdrew after losing the primary race to Trump. Later, in a December 2025 interview with Vanity Fair, he said he would be among the first to support Vance if he decided to run for the White House.
Vance, meanwhile, has recently dismissed speculation of any political rivalry with Rubio amid growing discussion about potential future GOP leadership.
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