The most important political news from Latin America and the world
These were the most relevant political news of this week. Photo: TW-POTUS
LatinAmerican Post | Santiago Gómez Hernández
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Leer en español: Fin de la guerra en Afganistán, crisis política en Haití y más noticias
The United States announces the end to the war in Afghanistan
US President Joe Biden announced that his country will withdraw from the longest war in which his country has participated. The Democratic president set the deadline for the withdrawal of the troops, September 11, the day on which the twentieth anniversary of the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers and for which the invasion of this Central Asian country began.
I am now the fourth American president to preside over an American troop presence in Afghanistan.
I will not pass this responsibility to a fifth. pic.twitter.com/OpZK1Na5KP
— President Biden (@POTUS) April 14, 2021
The United States still maintains about 3,500 men in Afghanistan, who have been playing various roles, both security and advisory to members of the Afghan government. In this way, Biden would consolidate the desire that his predecessors Obama (of which Biden himself was vice president) and Trump always had, to complete a peaceful and safe withdrawal from the country.
The president also clarified that the military withdrawal does not mean a withdrawal of the diplomatic, humanitarian and advisory presence to his allies in the country.
Haiti: Prime Minister resigns
The poorest nation in the hemisphere is entering a new institutional crisis. Joseph Jouthe tendered his resignation amid a serious security crisis plaguing the island.
J’ai remis ce soir ma démission au Président de la République, SEM @moisejovenel. Ça a été un honneur de servir mon pays comme Premier ministre. Je remercie les membres de mon Gouvernement, les partenaires techniques et financiers pour leur collaboration.
Que Dieu bénisse Haïti!— Joseph Jouthe (@JoutheJoseph) April 14, 2021
In this way, President Jovenel Moïse immediately appointed the current Chancellor, Claude Joseph, as the new Head of Government, replacing Jouthe. Moïse is also experiencing a political crisis, since since 2019, he has not called for new elections and is criticized and unknown by the opposition.
Jouthe had been in office since March 2020 and made his decision known on Twitter, but without giving further explanations. The opposition has been criticizing the government measures that have not been able to stop the wave of insecurity that this nation located on the island of Hispaniola is experiencing. Just last weekend, 12 religious were kidnapped by criminal gangs in search of ransom.
Tension increases on the Colombian-Venezuelan border
After several weeks of conflict between the Venezuelan Armed Forces and illegal Colombian groups between the state of Apure in Venezuela and the department of Arauca in Colombia, Nicolás Maduro announced the dispatch of militiamen to the area.
Les ratifico la orden a la FANB y a la Milicia Bolivariana en el estado Apure, de aplicar la doctrina: Guerra de todo el Pueblo contra grupos irregulares y terroristas colombianos. Unión Cívico-Militar-Policial en defensa de la soberanía venezolana. ¡Cero Tolerancia! pic.twitter.com/UrSoHGOHqs
— Nicolás Maduro (@NicolasMaduro) April 14, 2021
According to the Venezuelan president, the sending of a thousand men is to fight the "war of the entire people in defense of sovereignty and the land against irregular, delinquent, criminal and terrorist groups that come from Colombia."
Guillermo Lasso, President-elect of Ecuador
Last Sunday, the former Ecuadorian right-wing banker, Guillermo Lasso achieved victory in the first round by beating correista Andrés Arauz. In his third attempt, Lasso managed to win the most important office in the country and thus, be elected as the first right-wing president after more than a decade.
Peru will elect its president in the second round
Last Sunday national elections were also held in Peru. IN the midst of one of the worst political crises that the Andean country has experienced, after having 3 presidents in less than a week in 2020 and several protests in between, Keiko Fujimori and Pedro Castillo achieved the first 2 votes in the middle of 18 candidates.
Also read: Biggest winners and losers after the Peruvian elections
Now, both politicians will go back to campaign in order to get the majority of the political support of Peruvians for June 6, the date on which the second round is scheduled.
