Maduro "dizzies" the opposition and Washington
The heir of Hugo Chávez, beyond his maduradas, has been very intelligent when it comes to coordinating his moves in critical political matters. When we strip ourselves of all prejudice and go to the law, no one can accuse him of having breached the agreements signed with the opposition last year in Barbados, as this Reuters cable suggests, ignoring the essence of the agreements and of Venezuelan law. The legal capacity to keep María Corina Machado off the ballot exists, even if the content of the decisions is debatable. I stress this so that it is understood that the narrative through which the Comptroller General's Office decreed Machado's disqualification may be flawed, but there is a tendency to deny that the measure is within the constitutional framework. This Tuesday, on the occasion of a new anniversary of Chávez's death, the National Electoral Council announces that the general elections will be held next July 28, the date of his birth. A symbolic move, that somehow surprises all and sundry. The red team hides the ball like Messi.
Despite the collapse of the economy, Chavismo maintains a solid electoral base, which it now seeks to motivate with a program that will distribute millions of shoes and mattresses to the vulnerable population (source of the image).The agreement reached in Barbados was that the elections would take place in the second semester of this year, but anyone would have assumed that they would be in its last quarter. The reaction capacity of the opposition is key now, considering that the candidacies must be registered between the 21st and 25th of the current month. Chavismo is very smart when it places the Plataforma Unitaria before a dilemma that may crack even more its fragile consensus. For example, if the failed and anodyne Juan Guaidó bets on Machado, a more seasoned opponent such as Henrique Capriles calls to "put the country above any personal interest". María Corina has muscle, which feeds on the frustration of the economic crisis and the ravings of the ruling party, but she has no real punch to translate her electoral base into votes. Her political future, plain and simple, is in the hands of Maduro, and not in those of Washington, which has not been able to tame Caracas. An interesting question here, as we introduce the U.S. variable, is what the White House will do. It has had plenty of time to decide whether or not to reactivate the sanctions regime, but even if it were to lean toward the former, this Reuters cable suggests that for more than two years Venezuela would benefit from these months of regulatory detente.
Corruption continues to grip Peruvian politics
Prime Minister Alberto Otárola has resigned in the last few hours, following the publication of compromising audio suggesting that he fraudulently approved certain labor contracts. With his departure, the entire cabinet that accompanied him must also resign. "I understand the gravity of the political conjuncture, but I reiterate that I have not committed any illegal act," said the now-former prime minister via X. In the audio, he is heard talking to a woman who this year has obtained two contracts with the State for 14,000 dollars. She acknowledges the audios but claims that they date from when Otárola was not an official. The Public Prosecutor's Office announced that it will investigate him for the crimes of "incompatible negotiation, (in) aggravation of the State" and "illegal sponsorship". In Peru, normally, the different political forces cross accusations of corruption, and also that most of them are true.
Ariel Henry lands in PR
The Haitian premier arrived in Puerto Rico on Tuesday, on a trip with stopovers that, potentially, should end in a Haiti bathed in chaos and blood. The president came from the U.S., according to Haitian media quoted by Europa Press. It is speculated that Henry had not obtained permission to land at the international airport of Port-au-Prince, which would mean a new meaning of the category "failed state", if confirmed. Yesterday, heavy gun battles were reported there between armed gangs and the security forces. The confusion is such that the information emerging on the concrete conditions on the ground is limited, with no official reports. The Dominican Republic, where Henry is expected to head next, has closed airspace with its neighbor, and is also said to have refused to receive the flight of the neurosurgeon from the United States. Meanwhile, people are beginning to take up the gang discourse against Henry. "I hope they don't allow (him) to return so that whoever takes power can restore order," says one Haitian. There has also been no update on the search and capture of the 5,000 prisoners who escaped from two prisons in the capital after coordinated armed attacks between Saturday and Sunday, which left at least 10 dead—EFE counted 15. The population was trying to recover its daily activities, while there is talk of 15,000 people displaced by the recent escalation. Many families are going without food for up to a day, and children are out of school, with maybe half of them forced to join gangs. Below I share with you two photos obtained via Social Media of Barbecue, the man behind this new onslaught against the government.
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And this is all for our report today. I have referenced the sources dynamically in the text, and remember you can learn how and where to follow the LATAM trail news by reading my work here. Have a nice day.
