Press review of the Americas
In the news: in Venezuela, the unity of the opposition is under attack
María Corina Machado, the main opposition figure to the Venezuelan president, during a press conference in Caracas, March 26, 2024. AP - Ariana Cubillos
By: Marine Lebègue
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There will be twelve of them competing in the presidential election on July 28 in Venezuela. Among them, current President Nicolás Maduro, who is seeking a third term.
As for the opposition, “
a few minutes before the closing of applications
”, Manuel Rosales registered, reports
El Universal
. The newspaper shares the statement from his party, Un Nuevo Tiempo (UNT): “
Abstention is not an option.
» Maria Corina Machado, main opposition figure to the Venezuelan president, maintains her support for her candidate Corina Yoris, we can read in the daily. The latter was unable to register on the online platform intended to receive applications, “
because of an alleged computer problem
”, reports
El Pais
. She was nominated by the coalition of three parties opposed to Nicolás Maduro, after Maria Corina Machado was declared ineligible.
Also read https://www.rfi.fr/fr/am%C3%A9riques/20240326-pr%C3%A9sidentielle-venezuela-opposition-annonce-ne-pas-avoir-pu-inscription-sa-candidate-corina- yoris
“
Chavismo blocked the doors to any candidacy supported by Machado
,” writes
El Universal
. The newspaper questions the viability of the unity of the opposition parties and relays the concerns of Corina Yoris: “
If the unity that we have had until now around my candidacy breaks down, this will have serious consequences for the country
. »
It now remains to be seen whether the opposition will unite behind the candidacy of Manuel Rosales.
Haiti: the presidential transition council is operating slowly
The members of the presidential transitional council were to meet Monday evening to appoint their leader, recalls
Le Nouvelliste
, but the meeting ultimately did not take place. According to the newspaper, two members of the council requested the postponement of the session, citing the absence of a political agreement. They also point out the lack of clarity regarding the functioning of this council, in particular concerning the voting methods. Are these votes reserved for the seven members, or will they also be open to the two observers?, asks a presidential advisor to the daily.
This postponement would allow, Ayibo Post believes, “
better preparation for this stage considered crucial for the success of the transition
”.
Faced with these persistent uncertainties, one of the two observers, Jean-René Jumeaux, resigned, reports
Le Nouvelliste
. However, another member of the council assures him, “
the development of the framework agreement
” between the different actors is at a very advanced stage.
Brazil: Jair Bolsonaro reportedly stayed at the Hungarian embassy
The former Brazilian president reportedly stayed two nights at the Hungarian embassy. It's the
New York Times
which reveals it. The daily obtained videos from the residence's surveillance cameras. The facts date back to last February, when the Brazilian federal police confiscated his passport and arrested two of his collaborators, suspected of having fomented a coup d'état after his defeat in the 2022 presidential election.
Jair Bolsonaro
, targeted by several criminal investigations, “
cannot be arrested in a foreign embassy which welcomes him,
explains the American newspaper,
because these embassies are prohibited from access to national authorities.
»
The
New York Times
does not fail to make the connection between Jair Bolsonaro and Viktor Orban, another well-known far-right figure and head of the Hungarian government. “
The stay at the embassy suggests that the former president sought to take advantage of his friendship with Viktor Orban to try to escape the judicial system
,” the daily believes.
“
Fake news
,” replies the former president’s lawyer. He assures that Jair Bolsonaro was only there to discuss “
politics
” with the diplomats. The main person concerned, for his part, did not deny having gone to the embassy, and declared to the Brazilian media Metropoles: “
I maintain a circle of friendship with certain heads of state in the world. I talk to them about issues that interest our country. And that's all. The rest is just speculation.
»
United States: Donald Trump did not escape justice
“
On Monday, a New York appeals court brightened Donald Trump's day by saving him from financial carnage
,” underlines
the New York Times.
The judge in the New York state tax fraud case against the real estate mogul has reduced his fine from half a billion dollars to $175 million. “
A real lifesaver
”, comments the newspaper, which however speaks of an “
ephemeral victory
”. Because the former president also faced justice in the context of the Stormy Daniels affair. He is accused of paying the porn star money to keep a past sexual encounter secret.
Donald Trump
hoped to postpone the trial date, but the judge set it for April 15. A decision which “
puts the very first criminal trial of a former president back on track
”, recalls the
Washington Post
.
“
Donald Trump will most likely continue to seek to present himself as a martyr persecuted by his political adversaries ,” the
New York Times
believes
.
Also read: Donald Trump facing justice: reduced bail and confirmed trial date
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Venezuela
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