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.

20250301_vacunacion_vph-728x90

20241211_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

20231124_etesal_728x90_1

20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90

domfuturo_netview-728x90

20240604_dom_728x90

CEL

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

Cuban Supreme Court Confirms Successful Completion of Prisoner Release

The People’s Supreme Court of Cuba announced on Monday that it has successfully completed the release of 553 prisoners, a process first announced on January 14. Among those freed were political prisoners, including opposition figures José Daniel Ferrer and Félix Navarro.

The announcement came shortly after Washington, in the final days of the Biden administration, decided to remove Cuba from its list of state sponsors of terrorism.

While Havana has insisted that the releases were a unilateral and sovereign decision, the United States maintains that the measure was part of an agreement mediated by the Vatican. According to U.S. sources, many of those released were participants in the July 11, 2021, anti-government protests, the largest demonstrations Cuba has seen in decades.

Cuban authorities have not provided a list of the released prisoners or a timeline for the implementation of the measure, despite multiple requests for information from EFE.

Internacionales

Russia calls Zelensky’s Washington visit a “complete failure” after altercation with Trump

Russia stated on Saturday that Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Washington was a “complete failure” following the altercation with Donald Trump, accusing the Ukrainian leader of being “obsessed with continuing the war” with Moscow.

The visit “was a complete political and diplomatic failure of the Kiev regime,” said Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova in a statement. Zakharova accused Zelensky of being “incapable of demonstrating a sense of responsibility,” of “rejecting peace,” and of using “lies and manipulations to justify the continuation of hostilities and the reception of military and financial aid from the West.”

Zelensky’s visit to Washington on Friday turned into a verbal brawl before cameras worldwide, when his counterpart, Donald Trump, and Vice President J.D. Vance accused the Ukrainian leader of being ungrateful for U.S. aid and rejecting peace talks. Zelensky was prematurely escorted out of the White House without signing the agreement he had gone to Washington for, which involved giving up the exploitation of Ukraine’s mineral resources in exchange for security guarantees.

“With his excessively rude behavior during his visit to Washington, Zelensky confirmed that he is the most dangerous threat to the international community as an irresponsible warmonger,” Zakharova stated.

She also accused European leaders of “political weakness” and “baseness” for backing Zelensky after the “moral lesson” he received in Washington.

20250301_vacunacion_vph-728x90

20241211_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

20231124_etesal_728x90_1

20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90

domfuturo_netview-728x90

20240604_dom_728x90

CEL

Internacionales

Lula criticizes Trump-Zelensky meeting: “Grotesque and disrespectful”

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stated on Saturday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was humiliated during his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, calling the scenes broadcast live by the media “grotesque.”

“I’m not a diplomat, but since diplomacy was created, there has never been such a grotesque and disrespectful scene as the one that took place in the Oval Office of the White House,” Lula told reporters in Montevideo, where he was attending the inauguration of Uruguay’s president-elect, Yamandú Orsi.

“Honestly, I believe that part of society thrives on disrespecting others, and it is impossible to talk about democracy without respecting other human beings. I think Zelensky was humiliated, and I believe that in Trump’s mind, Zelensky deserved it,” he added.

Earlier on Saturday, Lula met with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier for a bilateral discussion. During their meeting, Lula stated that Europe would likely bear the responsibility for rebuilding Ukraine and maintaining NATO.

“It is very likely that Europe will be blamed for the disaster happening now, when in reality, it is not the fault of any specific country. It is a matter of irresponsible leaders who refuse to discuss peace and instead prefer to talk about war,” he argued.

20250301_vacunacion_vph-728x90

20241211_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

20231124_etesal_728x90_1

20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90

domfuturo_netview-728x90

20240604_dom_728x90

CEL

Lula also reiterated Brazil and China’s proposal for a negotiated peace process, which would bring Ukraine and Russia to the table with other countries acting as mediators.