Internacionales
Latin american leaders celebrate Yamandú Orsi’s victory in Uruguay’s historic election
Latin American leaders congratulated the elected president Yamandú Orsi on Monday for his victory in the second round of Uruguay’s elections, where he defeated the official candidate, returning power to the left after five years of absence.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, from the left-wing Workers’ Party (PT) and a close friend of former Uruguayan President José “Pepe” Mujica, was one of the first to congratulate Orsi and the people of Uruguay for the “realization of democratic and peaceful elections.”
“This is a victory for all of Latin America and the Caribbean,” Lula expressed in a message on his X account (formerly Twitter).
Orsi’s victory, representing the historic Frente Amplio, made the small South American nation the latest country to turn its back on the ruling party in this historic election year, where frustrated voters, discontented with economic hardship, punished governing parties worldwide, from the United States and the United Kingdom to South Korea and Japan.
Furthermore, it signals a new shift towards more progressive parties in Latin America after the decline of the so-called “pink tide” that saw the rise of left-wing governments in the 2000s, with Lula as a central figure and one of the last remaining leaders of that era.
Mexico’s newly elected president, Claudia Sheinbaum, also praised the victory of Orsi and Carolina Cosse, the newly elected vice president of Uruguay. “The Frente Amplio returns to govern by the will of the Uruguayan people, who once again demonstrate their democratic and progressive spirit,” she affirmed on X.
Chile’s President, left-wing Gabriel Boric, also congratulated Orsi, highlighting that he had a phone conversation with the president-elect. “We spoke about how to advance together as brotherly nations in justice and unity. From Chile, I wish Yamandú and Vice President Carolina Cosse much success on this new path,” Boric said.
With all votes counted, Uruguay’s Electoral Court confirmed on Monday that Orsi won with 49.84% of the vote, against 45.87% for Álvaro Delgado, the candidate from the ruling center-right coalition led by the National Party of outgoing President Luis Lacalle Pou.
Internacionales
At least 15 bodies found in clandestine graves in Chiapas amid rising violence
At least 15 bodies were found in clandestine graves in the Mexican state of Chiapas (southeast), which has been hit by a rise in violence linked to organized crime, according to local authorities.
Governor Eduardo Ramírez shared details on his X account about an operation to restore security in La Frailesca, an area near the border with Guatemala, known for its significant agricultural and livestock activities but which has suffered a series of blockades by criminal cells for the past three years.
“Communication routes have been cleared,” and “fifteen bodies have been located so far in clandestine graves in two properties,” the state governor stated.
He added that four people were arrested during the operation, and weapons and vehicles were seized, though it was not specified whether those captured were connected to the clandestine burials.
According to reports, criminal cells in La Frailesca are fighting for control of drug trafficking routes and other crimes such as kidnapping and extortion.
Alongside nearly two decades of violence linked to drug trafficking, Mexico has seen an increase in the discovery of irregular graves, some containing over a hundred bodies at various points across the country.
Recently, 12 bodies were found in a grave in the state of Jalisco (west).
Since December 2006, when a controversial military-led anti-drug operation was launched, Mexico has accumulated over 450,000 violent deaths and tens of thousands of disappearances, according to official figures.
Internacionales
One dead in explosive attack on new prison site in Santa Elena, Ecuador
An explosive attack at the construction site of a high-security prison on the coast of Ecuador left one dead, the presidency reported, describing the incident as a “terrorist act.”
“On the morning of December 25, 2024, a group of armed men carried out a terrorist act by violently entering the construction site of the new Santa Elena detention center, where they detonated explosive devices,” the presidency said in a statement.
It added that the attack “resulted in one person dead,” without specifying their identity. President Daniel Noboa’s government began construction of the high-security prison in June, designed to house about 800 people in the rural town of Juntas del Pacífico, in the coastal province of Santa Elena (southwest). The prison will cost 52 million dollars.
Internacionales
Sinaloa security secretary resigns amid wave of violence and cartel infighting
The Secretary of Security for the Mexican state of Sinaloa (in the northwest), which has been shaken for over three months by a wave of criminal violence that has claimed more than 600 lives, resigned from his position, Governor Rubén Rocha Moya confirmed on Saturday.
The local leader confirmed to AFP the resignation of Secretary Gerardo Mérida, and shortly after, he swore in the new head of the department, General Óscar Rentería. The newly appointed secretary has previously served as the commander of a military zone in the also troubled state of Michoacán (in the west) and led another military region in Mexico City when the current president, Claudia Sheinbaum, was mayor (2018-2023).
The wave of killings that is hitting the state is due to an internal war between two factions of the Sinaloa Cartel, the “Chapitos” and the “Mayos,” named after their leaders, the sons of drug lords Joaquín “Chapo” Guzmán and Ismael “Mayo” Zambada.
Both criminal bosses are imprisoned in the United States on drug trafficking charges, but their sons are fighting for control of the legendary cartel in Sinaloa. The cartel is identified by Washington as the largest producer of illegal fentanyl in Mexico.
Mérida’s departure comes amid ongoing clashes, which have left over 600 people dead and another 700 missing in just over 100 days, according to state prosecutor data.
The resignation also follows the murder last Wednesday in the capital of Sinaloa of Halexy Guadalupe, one of the members of the investigative team leading the government’s anti-crime strategy under Sheinbaum.
The president is scheduled to visit the state on Sunday to lead a Security Table meeting to address the ongoing violence crisis.
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