International
Bolivia’s Constitutional Court ratifies that Evo Morales cannot be a candidate
The Plurinational Constitutional Court of Bolivia issued a ruling that confirms that re-election in the country is for one-time continuously or discontinuously, so former president Evo Morales (2006-2019) would be prevented from being a candidate for the Presidency in 2025.
The constitutional order, signed by magistrates René Espada and Gonzalo Hurtado, establishes that the elected authorities in the Legislative, Executive and Judicial powers have “the exercise of their mandate period, only for two periods, whether these are continuous or discontinuous without the possibility of extending to a third term.”
Rules against Evo Morales in Bolivia
The ruling, which is a response to an appeal for complementation and amendment presented by some legislators, points out that the Constitution promulgated in 2009, promoted by Morales, seeks to “avoid in any way the permanence of a president, in the case of the Legislative (and) Executive) Bodies for more than ten years in total.”
This affects Morales’ intentions to be a candidate for the Presidency again, since he has already governed Bolivia on three occasions (2006-2009, 2010-2014 and 2015-2019).
Likewise, the premise of the Constitutional Court also applies to the magistrates of the Judiciary, who can be re-elected by popular vote once, while for the electoral members there is no possibility of extending their mandate.
The resolution also establishes that “no elected authority that has passed two previous candidacies, may run and even less exercise” the positions of vice president, president of the Legislature, president of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate.”
This week Senator Andrónico Rodríguez, akin to the official Morales bloc, was elected president of the Senate for the fourth consecutive time.
Opposition deputy José Carlos Gutiérrez, one of the legislators who raised the appeal, told EFE that the constitutional order is a “clarification” to the ruling issued by that same instance at the end of last year.
Constitutional impediment
The constitutional judgment of December 2023 established that in Bolivia the president and vice president can only be elected and exercise their mandate for two periods, whether continuous or discontinuous and that indefinite re-election does not exist and “is not a human right.”
“With this, what remains for Evo Morales is to leave Bolivia alone and stop trying to get power by force, facing Justice like any civilian, because he will never be able to be president ever again in his life,” Gutiérrez emphasized.
This week, in an interview with EFE in Lauca Ñ, Morales reiterated that he “is legally constitutionally, nationally, internationally qualified” and that the Government’s intention through Justice is “to make believe that Evo is disqualified.”
The ruling Movement to Socialism (MAS) is divided into two sides, some that support Morales and others supporters of the President of Bolivia, Luis Arce, due to the internal tensions in the ruling party that began at the end of 2021.
This tension has increased in recent weeks due to the blockade of roads that Morales’ followers kept for 24 days in the center of the country to demand that the investigations for rape and human trafficking be lifted, in addition to respect for the 2023 congress that proclaimed him “single candidate” for the 2025 elections.
The Arce bloc and the Morales bloc are also facing control of the MAS, whose permanence as a party depends on an upcoming meeting in which the directive that Morales presides over is renewed.
International
Marco Rubio considered for Secretary of State in Trump administration, reports say
Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio, a Cuban-American, is reportedly being considered by President-elect Donald Trump as the next U.S. Secretary of State, according to media outlets such as The New York Times and National Public Radio (NPR) last night.
However, The New York Times noted that Trump could still change his mind at the last minute, but he appeared to be leaning toward Rubio, whom he also considered as a running mate this year. Another potential candidate for Secretary of State is former U.S. Ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell.
The Secretary of State serves as the United States’ Foreign Minister and is typically seen as one of the most powerful officials in the U.S. government.
Rubio was elected to the Senate in 2010 and has established himself as a foreign policy hawk, particularly taking hardline positions on China and Iran. He has also been a strong critic of Cuba’s Castro regime, Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, and Nicaraguan dictator Daniel Ortega.
Senator Rubio has appeared quite close to Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, whom he visited in El Salvador in March 2023. Following Bukele’s re-election in February, Rubio encouraged the Salvadoran president to lay the groundwork for prosperity in El Salvador, strengthen democratic institutions, and further curb China’s influence in the country.
International
Sheinbaum pledges support for mexican migrants amid U.S. border enforcement plans
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum assured on Monday that she will “always” defend Mexican migrants in the United States, following U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s appointment of former official Tom Homan as “border czar,” responsible for overseeing “all deportations of illegal foreign nationals back to their countries of origin.”
“We will always defend Mexican men and women on the other side of the border, who are also essential to the U.S. economy,” Sheinbaum stated during a press conference at the National Palace.
When questioned by Mexican media about the appointment of former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Tom Homan to oversee U.S. borders under the new administration, Sheinbaum said she would reach out to the president-elect’s team.
“We have data, and we’ll share the information, but it’s also important to establish contact, understand their intentions, and, as much as possible, work toward coordination,” she emphasized.
Her remarks come just hours after the newly elected head of the White House announced on his Truth Social platform that Homan will be in charge of “all borders” in the country, as well as the massive deportations Trump has promised.
International
Le procureur vénézuélien dénonce une campagne visant à présenter les “criminels” comme prisonniers politiques
Le procureur général du Venezuela, Tarek William Saab, a dénoncé lundi une campagne visant à montrer des “criminels” capturés dans le contexte de manifestations post-électorales en tant que prisonniers politiques, et a réitéré que dans le pays “il n’y a pas d’enfants détenus”, comme le dénonce l’opposition majoritaire.
Le chef du ministère public (MP, bureau du procureur) a assuré que, ces derniers jours, cette campagne s’est accrue, dans le but de “mal mettre, nuire et stigmatiser la démocratie vénézuélienne et ses autorités”, ainsi que de faire voir “ceux qui ont commis ces actes, qui sont détenus, comme s’ils étaient des héros”.
“Ces personnes ne sont pas des prisonniers politiques, ce ne sont pas des prisonniers d’opinion, ce sont des criminels qui se sont prêtés à des actions terroristes, criminelles, payées par les soi-disant commandits (…) et pour déclencher une guerre civile au Venezuela”, a déclaré Saab, en référence aux groupes d’organisation politique de l’opposition majoritaire.
En ce sens, il a qualifié d’”antiéthique” que “ces cas se présentent comme s’ils avaient un caractère politique”.
D’autre part, il a assuré qu’”il n’y a pas d’enfants arrêtés”, mais “des adolescents qui, malheureusement, ont avoué” que – a-t-il dit – “ont été utilisés” pour “provoquer ces actes de violence”.
Le procureur vénézuélien défend les forces de sécurité
Selon les chiffres officiels, les manifestations contre la réélection du président Nicolás Maduro lors des élections du 28 juillet ont fait 28 morts, dont deux militaires, et environ 1 000 blessés, pour lesquels plus de 2 400 personnes ont été arrêtées.
“Beaucoup d’entre eux ont reçu des coups de feu, des coups de couteau, des coups”, a déclaré le procureur, qui a assuré que, depuis lors, l’institution n’a pas reçu “une seule plainte” liant l’un de ces décès aux forces de sécurité de l’État, que le PUD accuse de répression.
Selon l’ONG Foro Penal, il y a 1 963 “prisonniers politiques” au Venezuela, dont 1 836 arrêtés après les élections présidentielles, dans lesquelles la principale coalition d’opposition – la Plateforme unitaire démocratique (PUD) affirme que son candidat, Edmundo González Urrutia, a gagné par une large marge.
Sur le total, 69 sont des mineurs âgés de 14 à 17 ans, selon l’organisation, qui affirme enregistrer “le plus grand nombre de prisonniers à des fins politiques connues au Venezuela, au moins au XXIe siècle”.
Les dirigeants de l’opposition et les ONG demandent quotidiennement, via les réseaux sociaux, la libération “immédiate” des détenus pour des raisons “politiques”, parmi lesquels les quelque 170 militants et militants de partis qui, dénoncent-ils, sont derrière les barreaux.
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