POLITICS
Brazil’s Bolsonaro declines to concede, but OKs transition
Published
2 years agoon
BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Tuesday stopped short of conceding the election to leftist rival Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, instead using his first public comments since his defeat two days ago to thank his supporters and encourage their protests, as long as they remain peaceful.
Moments after the remarks, which lasted less than two minutes, the outgoing president’s chief of staff, Ciro Nogueira, announced that Bolsonaro had authorized him to begin the process of handing over power.
The conservative leader, who before the election had repeatedly questioned the reliability of the country’s electoral system, had little room for potentially rejecting the results. U.S. President Joe Biden and other international leaders have publicly recognized da Silva’s victory, as have some of Bolsonaro’s closest allies. And Cabinet members, governors-elect and evangelical leaders who have been strident supporters of Bolsonaro are now offering overtures to the incoming leftist government.
Bolsonaro lost Sunday’s race by a thin margin, garnering 49.1% of the vote to da Silva’s 50.9%, according to the nation’s electoral authority. It was the tightest presidential race since Brazil’s return to democracy in 1985, and marks the first time Bolsonaro has lost an election in his 34-year political career.
Flanked by more than a dozen ministers and allies as he delivered his short speech at the presidential residence, the fiery leader did not mention the election results, however. Instead, he defended his tenure.
“I have always been labeled as anti-democratic and, unlike my accusers, I have always played within the four lines of the constitution,” he said.
Bolsonaro also thanked the 58 million people who voted for him and said he supports ongoing protests by truckers who have erected nationwide roadblocks, as long as they don’t become violent.
“Current popular movements are the result of indignation and a feeling of injustice regarding how the electoral process occurred,” he said.
The president’s statement amounted to a “two-fold move,” said Thomas Traumann, an independent political analyst.
“He didn’t recognize his defeat, and sustains the suspense,” Traumann said. “But as he wants to continue to dominate, to be the leader, he maintains the possibility of peaceful demonstrations.”
Much like former U.S. President Donald Trump, whom Bolsonaro openly admires, the far-right incumbent has claimed that electronic voting machines are prone to fraud. He never provided any proof, even when ordered to do so by the electoral court.
Many of his supporters also said they believed the election had been fraudulent and some called for military intervention and for Congress and the Supreme Court to be disbanded.
Earlier Tuesday, the Brazilian Supreme Court ordered the federal highway police to immediately clear the roadblocks.
A majority of the court’s justices backed the decision, which accuses the highway police of “omission and inertia.” Failure to comply will mean its director could be fined up to 100,000 reais (more than $19,000) per hour, be removed from his duties and even face arrest. Federal prosecutors in Sao Paulo and Goias states said they had opened investigations into the blockades.
Highway police said late Tuesday that they had removed 358 blockades, but more than 200 were still in place.
Earlier in Sao Paulo — Brazil’s most populous state and largest economy — traffic jams around the international airport led to dozens of flight cancellations, with videos on social media showing travelers rolling their suitcases along the highway in the dark trying to catch their flights. The highways had been cleared by Tuesday morning, but airport officials said access remained difficult as traffic was still backed up in and out of the airport.
There, Dalmir Almeida, a 38-year-old protester, told The Associated Press that after completing three days of strikes, he and others will drive their trucks to the military barracks to ask for their support. “The army will be in our favor,” he added.
At another road block in Sao Paulo state, protesters set tires on fire. Several demonstrators were wrapped in the Brazilian flag, which has been co-opted by the nation’s conservative movement for demonstrations. Huge lines of cars could be seen snaking along the highway.
Concern about escalation grew as the country’s leftist Landless Workers’ Movement, a key ally of da Silva’s that has long staged occupations of what it considers vacant or unused lands, asked its militants on Tuesday to organize demonstrations in several states to unblock roads.
Sao Paulo Gov. Rodrigo Garcia told a news conference that the time for negotiations was over, and he was not ruling out the use of force by law enforcement.
In Minas Gerais, a key battleground state in the election, a video on social media showed a protester telling a reporter from the O Tempo news outlet that the election was “fraudulent” and warned of future protests. “We want Bolsonaro in 2023 and for the years to come,” he said.
In Itaborai, a region in Rio de Janeiro state, an Associated Press reporter saw truck drivers kneeling in front of police officers and refusing to evacuate.
Users on social media, including in multiple Telegram and WhatsApp chat groups with names like “Paralysation,” shared demands that the military take the streets, or that Congress and the Supreme Court be disbanded and the president remain in office.
Following the election, the electoral authority blocked two dozen Telegram groups that defended a military coup and called on their more than 150,000 followers to organize demonstrations, according to online news site UOL.
The Supreme Court’s decision on Tuesday permits regular state police forces to reinforce federal highway police. The same was done in 2018, when an 11-day trucker strike brought Brazil to a halt.
Bolsonaro commands wide support from the police forces’ rank and file, however, and it wasn’t clear how effective their involvement would be.
The 2018 stoppage caused food prices to spike and left supermarket shelves without products as gas stations ran out of fuel. It caused billions in losses and revealed the vast power that truckers possess, particularly when they organize through social media platforms.
Bolsonaro, a lawmaker at the time and months away from winning that year’s presidential election, was an outspoken supporter of the truckers, who are now among his constituents. This year, his administration limited interstate fuel taxes to help bring down prices and launched a financial aid program for truckers just months before the election.
In his speech Tuesday, Bolsonaro was “sending a message to his hardcore supporters to keep protesting,” said Robert Muggah, co-founder of Igarapé Institute, a Rio de Janeiro-based think tank focused on security. “He’s playing with fire: There’s a real risk that prolonged unrest and police inaction could ignite simmering tensions.”
POLITICS
Erdogan election defeat would be ‘revenge’ – Syrian Kurds
Published
12 months agoon
May 23, 2023The YPG claims the Turkish president failing to win another term would be payback for Ankara’s counter-terrorism operations in Syria
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s defeat in this month’s presidential election would serve as “revenge” for Türkiye’s military operations in Syria, a top official of the People’s Defense Units (YPG) has said.
Salih Muslim, one of the leaders of the YPG — a Syrian militant group affiliated with the Turkish Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and designated by Ankara as a terrorist organization — said in an interview with Medya Haber Kurdish TV channel that his organization has grown frustrated with Türkiye’s counterterrorism operations ongoing in the northern part of Syria since 2016, Daily Sabah reported.
“Now, we have an opportunity in our hands,” Muslim said, stressing that the YPG is eager to see Erdogan unseated. “It’s the first time we have such a thing happening in elections.” He added that “If we can win at the ballot box, we will take all the revenge from [the defeat of] one person.”
Muslim’s statement comes as several members of the YPG and the PKK have openly expressed support for Erdogan’s main challenger, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, as the two head into a runoff election on May 28. In the previous round, held on May 14, both candidates failed to secure an outright majority with Erdogan gaining just over 49.4% of the vote while Kilicdaroglu received 44.96%.
Kilicdaroglu has vowed to mend Ankara’s relations with NATO and revive Türkiye’s EU membership talks, which have been effectively stalled since 2016. He has also accused Russia of spreading “conspiracies” and “deep fakes” apparently referring to footage circulating online purportedly linking him to the PKK, and told Moscow to get its “hands off the Turkish state.” Russia has rejected the accusations.
Somalis cheer on Türkiye’s Erdogan to win re-election
Erdogan has repeatedly accused his rival of “colluding with terrorists” and threatening to undo Türkiye’s achievements in its war on terror. He has also blasted Kilicdaroglu for trying to “detach” the country from Russia.
Türkiye has been waging low-intensity warfare against Kurdish militias along its Syrian and Iraqi borders for four decades, in a back-and-forth campaign that has claimed the lives of over 40,000 people.
The PKK and its affiliates have been waging an insurgency since 1984 demanding political and cultural autonomy with the final goal of establishing an independent Kurdish State, laying claim to territories in southeast Türkiye and northern parts of Iraq and Syria.
You can share this story on social media:
PLEASANT MUSIC FOR YOUR CAFE, BAR, RESTAURANT, SWEET SHOP, HOME
SUITABLE MUSIC FOR YOGA LOVERS
Li Hui visited Kiev to share Beijing’s views on a political settlement to the Ukraine crisis
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has met with China’s newly appointed special envoy for Eurasian affairs, Li Hui, who traveled to Kiev to convey Beijing’s views on a diplomatic resolution to Ukraine’s conflict with Russia.
According to a statement published on Thursday by the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Li held talks with Zelensky as well as the head of the Ukrainian President’s Office, Andrey Yermak, Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba, and representatives from several other ministries.
Beijing said both sides had agreed that the recent phone call between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Zelensky had outlined the direction for future relations between their two nations, which it stated should be built on mutual respect and sincerity.
During his trip, Li reiterated that Beijing is willing to serve as a peace broker to help reach a political resolution to the conflict with Russia, based on the principles outlined in a 12-point roadmap published by China in late February.
“There is no panacea in resolving the crisis. All parties need to start from themselves, accumulate mutual trust, and create conditions for ending the war and engaging in peace talks,” Li said, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s statement.
The special envoy’s two-day trip to Ukraine is the first leg of a wider European tour, during which he is expected to visit Poland, France, Germany, and Russia. Beijing has explained that the trip aims to promote communication toward “a political settlement of the Ukraine crisis.”
Hungary backs Chinese plan for Ukraine
China’s peace efforts have been welcomed by Russia as well as some European nations such as Hungary, and have been praised for acknowledging the national interests of both parties.
The roadmap, however, has been criticized by some in the West. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg claimed that China lacked “credibility” as it has refused to condemn Russia’s actions in Ukraine. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell insisted that “the only thing that can be called a peace plan is Zelensky’s proposal.”
The Ukrainian president has demanded that Russia must withdraw from territories that Kiev claims as its own, as well as pay war reparations and face an international tribunal. The Kremlin has dismissed the initiative, claiming it does not take into consideration “the realities on the ground,” including the new status of four former Ukrainian regions as part of Russia.
You can share this story on social media:
PLEASANT MUSIC FOR YOUR CAFE, BAR, RESTAURANT, SWEET SHOP, HOME
SUITABLE MUSIC FOR YOGA LOVERS
POLITICS
Pakistan’s top court orders release of former PM Imran Khan
Published
1 year agoon
May 12, 2023Pakistan’s Supreme Court has ordered the release of former prime minister Imran Khan, whose arrest earlier this week triggered deadly protests across the country, Geo TV news channel has reported.
The court considered an appeal by Khan’s legal team on Thursday, ruling that the arrest of the opposition figure was illegal, according to the broadcaster.
The leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party was detained on an order from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Tuesday as soon as he arrived at a lower court in connection with a graft case against him. He has been held at a police compound in the capital, Islamabad, since then.
Khan’s spokesperson told Al Jazeera that the 70-year-old was apprehended in court before he could even appear before the judges, which was “in violation of all laws.” The PTI party claimed that it was not an arrest, but “an abduction,” and called on its supporters to take the streets.
Pakistan deploys army after Imran Khan’s arrest
Pakistan has been gripped by violent protests for the last three days, with demonstrators clashing with security forces and setting government buildings on fire in major cities across the country. The government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has deployed the military in an attempt to curb the unrest.
Some 2,500 of Khan’s supporters, including some top figures in his party, have been arrested so far. Local media have reported at least 11 protesters killed and hundreds of police officers wounded.
Numerous criminal cases have been launched against Khan since his removal from office after a no-confidence vote in April 2022. The PTI leader, who remains highly popular in the country, denies all accusations against him.
The politician claimed a year ago that he had been deposed as a result of a US-led “international conspiracy” and accused his opponents of receiving money from foreign forces.
Khan has been making active attempts to return to power since then, staging massive rallies across the country. The former premier survived an assassination attempt last November, escaping with a non-life-threatening leg wound after several bullets were fired at him.
You can share this story on social media:
PLEASANT MUSIC FOR YOUR CAFE, BAR, RESTAURANT, SWEET SHOP, HOME
SUITABLE MUSIC FOR YOGA LOVERS
Global debt balloons to record highs
German military to sell tons of toilet paper
First female Saudi astronaut heads to space
Nigeria takes step to combat fuel shortages
US will default if debt deal fails – treasury secretary
Village People demand Trump stop using their music
Hollywood star pulls out of hosting awards show amid strike
Rock icon slams German authorities
Agatha Christie novels chopped by ‘sensitivity readers’ – media
Marvel star back in training after breaking over 30 bones
Turkish minister escapes fire blast (VIDEO)
Trump savages pop star’s Super Bowl performance
Alec Baldwin sued by Ukrainian family of slain cinematographer
Duran Duran stumbles, Dolly Parton rolls into Rock Hall
Sweden probes possible plot behind Russian pipeline leaks
FINANCE
Global debt balloons to record highs
It’s now $45 trillion higher than its pre-pandemic level and is expected to continue growing rapidly, a top trade body...
Nigeria takes step to combat fuel shortages
The West African country has built a giant oil refinery to cover domestic demand Nigeria will commission its new Dangote...
US will default if debt deal fails – treasury secretary
The current borrowing limit is a constraint on Washington’s ability to meet its obligations, Janet Yellen insists America’s chances of...
Facebook parent Meta fined €1.2 billion by Irish watchdog
The American tech company has been accused of violating EU data privacy rules US tech giant Meta has been hit...
UK’s business with sanctioned country booming
Trade between Britain and Iran has reached the highest level in a decade, according to official data, apparently having been...
POLITICS
Erdogan election defeat would be ‘revenge’ – Syrian Kurds
The YPG claims the Turkish president failing to win another term would be payback for Ankara’s counter-terrorism operations in Syria...
Chinese special envoy meets with Zelensky
Li Hui visited Kiev to share Beijing’s views on a political settlement to the Ukraine crisis Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky...
Pakistan’s top court orders release of former PM Imran Khan
Pakistan’s Supreme Court has ordered the release of former prime minister Imran Khan, whose arrest earlier this week triggered deadly...
Kamala Harris to run AI taskforce
The US vice president will ask AI execs to evaluate the safety and fairness of their models US Vice President...
Most Americans want to move on from Biden and Trump – poll
70% of respondents said the incumbent shouldn’t bid for office in 2024, with that figure 60% for the Republican former...
OPINION
Disgraced ex-PM Liz Truss seeks to ruin any hopes for normal UK-China ties
The former premier’s Taiwan trip is nothing but a provocation for Beijing to lash out at London, sinking any constructive...
India facing challenge to steer SCO agenda away from Western-dominated frameworks
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation is looking at ways to address the most pressing global issues without being a disruptive influence...
China isn’t the biggest threat to Italy’s prosperity
Rome is considering leaving the Belt and Road Initiative in a move which will place virtue signaling to other Western...
Meet the Czech lawyer who rallies thousands to shake up the EU establishment
In mid-April, a fledgling political party that recently formed in the Czech Republic called Pravo Respekt Odbornost (Law Respect Expertise;...
UK shows signs of good will to China, but it’s not the one calling the shots in this relationship
The British foreign secretary says antagonizing Beijing goes against London’s ‘national interests’, but Washington has other ideas British Foreign Secretary...
LIFE
conic Smiths bassist dies aged 59
The bassist with legendary English rock band The Smiths, Andy Rourke, has died at the age of 59, the group’s...
Village People demand Trump stop using their music
A viral video emerged last week of Donald Trump dancing to a Village People song at his Florida estate Village...
Hollywood star pulls out of hosting awards show amid strike
Drew Barrymore is stepping down as host of this year’s MTV Movie & Music Awards, due to be held on...
Mexico condemns US ‘interference’ in drug war
The DEA’s infiltration of the Sinaloa Cartel without state permission amounts to espionage, the Mexican president says Mexican President Andres...
Rock icon slams German authorities
Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters criticized the city of Frankfurt for canceling his concert and vowed to take legal action...
Trending
-
FINANCE12 months ago
Facebook parent Meta fined €1.2 billion by Irish watchdog
-
LIFE12 months ago
conic Smiths bassist dies aged 59
-
NEWS12 months ago
Kenya supports creation of pan-African court
-
FINANCE12 months ago
US will default if debt deal fails – treasury secretary
-
FINANCE12 months ago
Global debt balloons to record highs
-
WAR12 months ago
Ukraine won’t join NATO anytime soon – Scholz
-
NEWS12 months ago
‘Subway killer’ Daniel Penny’s actions expose a gap in US law enforcement
-
NEWS12 months ago
German military to sell tons of toilet paper