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New York Times
26-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Venezuela's Government Claims Victory in Polls Boycotted by Opposition Leader
Venezuela's electoral council, stacked with officials loyal to the autocrat Nicolás Maduro, claimed late Sunday night that his party had won an overwhelming victory in regional and legislative elections. The results, announced on state television and presented without evidence, stripped the opposition of some of the last few positions it held, including the governor's seat of Zulia, the country's most populous state, and the heart of its oil wealth. Despite near empty streets and polling places, the electoral council claimed that turnout was higher than 40 percent. There were no independent observers present to verify that assertion, and the electoral council did not post the results online, as it had done in elections before 2024. Some Venezuelans said the turnout also signaled loyalty to the country's leading opposition figure, María Corina Machado, who had called on people to abstain from voting. The announcement comes less than a year after a presidential election in which Mr. Maduro also claimed victory, despite a vote count that showed that he had lost decisively to his opponent, Edmundo González. That count was found to be accurate by the Carter Center, an independent monitoring group, which said Mr. Maduro's claim was a 'falsification.' Speaking on state television on Sunday night, the vice president of the electoral body, Carlos Quintero, said that an alliance of parties that support Mr. Maduro had won more than 80 percent of votes in an election for legislative seats. The same alliance had won governors' seats in 22 of the country's 23 states, Mr. Quintero said. Previously, four states had been held by governors not aligned with the government. Now, just one, Cojedes, in central Venezuela, will be controlled by a dissenting voice.
Wall Street Journal
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
Why Democracy Is in Retreat
Copenhagen Why do the good guys keep losing? That was the question that haunted your Global View columnist last week at the Copenhagen Democracy Summit. The annual gathering was initiated in 2018 by Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the former Danish prime minister and secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The Democracy Summit, whose American associates in past years have ranged from the Carter Center to the George W. Bush Institute, represents what people once called the vital center in Western politics.
The Star
03-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Most mainland Chinese citizens oppose use of force to unify with Taiwan: survey
More than half of mainland Chinese citizens oppose the use of force to unify with Taiwan under any circumstances, according to a survey released on Wednesday. The study, designed jointly by the Atlanta-based Carter Center and Emory University, found that 55.1 per cent of respondents agreed or somewhat agreed with the statement that 'the Taiwan problem should not be resolved using force under any circumstances', while 24.5 per cent disagreed or somewhat disagreed. A fifth of respondents were neutral. Yet on Russia respondents expressed more hawkish views: 66.1 per cent said it was in China's national interest to support Russia's actions in Ukraine, while 5.8 per cent disagreed and 28.2 per cent felt neutral. Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. On India, 79.7 per cent of respondents supported maintaining Beijing's border claims with the South Asian country even at the risk of conflict, while the rest, about a fifth, preferred a more diplomatic approach. Similarly, 81.1 per cent believed that the Philippines and Vietnam should respect China's sovereignty claims over the South China Sea and cease their objections, regardless of what international law says. The online study of 2,211 Chinese citizens aged 18 and 54 was conducted between September 1 and 25 by survey company Dynata. The sample was designed to reflect the demographic distribution of the country's internet-using population. Surveys of Chinese citizen views on foreign policy are rare, and experts have voiced concern that respondents may hold back in conveying their true beliefs for fear of government retaliation. It is 'becoming increasingly difficult to get good representative samples' in China, said Rory Truex, a political scientist at Princeton University, adding that researchers must often therefore rely on convenience samples. Exact percentages in Wednesday's survey should be interpreted cautiously, said Truex, who was not involved in the study. But he believed the results clearly indicated there may be significant public opposition to a Taiwan takeover by Beijing. And that opposition may matter to Beijing. 'Increasingly, in the China field, there's a sense that this regime does have a real responsiveness to it,' Truex said, while noting that the attention was selective and not consistent across all issues. Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary. Most countries, including the US, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, but Washington is opposed to any attempt to take the self-governed island by force and is committed to arming Taiwan. In recent years, Washington has grown increasingly anxious about a mainland takeover of Taiwan, with some officials eyeing 2027 as a possible window and warning that Chinese President Xi Jinping might use an invasion to divert attention from mounting economic troubles. Despite results showing high opposition to the use of force, Wednesday's survey also revealed that many Chinese may accept eventual military action. Only 18.1 per cent of respondents said there was 'no military action needed' when asked how long China should wait to resolve the Taiwan issue before using force. Given the option of waiting for one, five, 10, 25 or more than 25 years, the most common response – selected by 33.5 per cent – was 'within five years'. An earlier survey, conducted in two waves between late 2020 and early 2021 and later published in the Journal of Contemporary China, found that a slim majority of Chinese citizens – 55 per cent – backed a full-scale war to achieve unification with Taiwan. That result came alongside similar levels of support for military coercion short of war (58 per cent), economic sanctions (57 per cent) and maintaining the status quo (55 per cent). Respondents in the Carter Center-Emory University survey were not explicitly asked about a potential conflict with the US. But when asked what they thought of the US and its people, only 23.5 per cent said they had a favourable or somewhat favourable view. About 70 per cent, however, were found to support 'friendly and peaceful' relations between the two countries 'to continue China's prosperity and economic development'. More from South China Morning Post: For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2025.
South China Morning Post
30-04-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Most mainland Chinese citizens oppose use of force to unify with Taiwan: survey
More than half of mainland Chinese citizens oppose the use of force to unify with Taiwan under any circumstances, according to a survey released on Wednesday. Advertisement The study, designed jointly by the Atlanta-based Carter Center and Emory University, found that 55.1 per cent of respondents agreed or somewhat agreed with the statement that 'the Taiwan problem should not be resolved using force under any circumstances', while 24.5 per cent disagreed or somewhat disagreed. A fifth of respondents were neutral. Yet on Russia respondents expressed more hawkish views: 66.1 per cent said it was in China's national interest to support Russia's actions in Ukraine , while 5.8 per cent disagreed and 28.2 per cent felt neutral. On India , 79.7 per cent of respondents supported maintaining Beijing's border claims with the South Asian country even at the risk of conflict, while the rest, about a fifth, preferred a more diplomatic approach. Similarly, 81.1 per cent believed that the Philippines and Vietnam should respect China's sovereignty claims over the South China Sea and cease their objections, regardless of what international law says. The online study of 2,211 Chinese citizens aged 18 and 54 was conducted between September 1 and 25 by survey company Dynata. The sample was designed to reflect the demographic distribution of the country's internet-using population.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Venezuelan regime accused of post-election atrocities in damning human-rights report
Venezuelan regime officials and pro-government paramilitary groups have carried out a sweeping campaign of terror in the wake of the country's disputed 2024 presidential election, Human Rights Watch, the international advocacy organization, said in a scathing report released Wednesday. The 104-page report, 'Punished for Seeking Change: Killings, Enforced Disappearances, and Arbitrary Detention Following Venezuela's 2024 Election,' documents grave human rights violations committed by security forces and government-aligned paramilitary groups known as 'Colectivos' after the July 28 election, in which Nicolás Maduro was declared president amid widespread allegations of electoral fraud. The group's. investigation uncovered evidence of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions — including of children — and pervasive torture and mistreatment. Victims included protesters, opposition leaders, bystanders and foreign nationals. Following the contested vote, mass protests erupted across the country. According to the human-rights watchdog's report, 24 protesters and bystanders were killed, with both state security forces and Colectivos members implicated. While police initially employed tear gas and carried out arrests, Colectivos intensified the crackdown through intimidation and violent attacks. More than 2,000 people have been detained for participating in protests, expressing dissent or supporting the opposition. Hundreds have been charged under vague national security laws such as 'incitement to hatred' and 'terrorism,' offenses that carry sentences of up to 30 years. The human rights group also documented numerous enforced disappearances, including those of Colombian aid worker Manuel Tique and French-American tourist Lucas Hunter—both of whom remain missing, with authorities providing little to no information. The report also highlights the case of Jesús Armas, a former Caracas councilman and opposition campaign member, who was abducted by masked men in December 2024. He was allegedly held in a clandestine detention site and tortured by intelligence agents. Armas remains imprisoned without regular access to legal counsel or family visits. The human rights group's findings are based on more than 100 interviews with victims, relatives and witnesses, along with a review of 76 videos, 17 photographs and official documents such as death certificates and court records. 'The Venezuelan government has killed, tortured, detained and forcibly disappeared people seeking democratic change,' said Juanita Goebertus, Americas director at Human Rights Watch. She called on the international community to support democracy and human rights in Venezuela and hold the Maduro government accountable. Independent observers, including the United Nations Panel of Electoral Experts and the Carter Center, have also questioned the legitimacy of the 2024 election. The Carter Center noted that opposition candidate Edmundo González likely secured a decisive victory based on independent vote counts, which were disregarded by Venezuela's electoral authorities. Despite statements from the Venezuelan attorney general's sffice claiming hundreds of detainees have been released, many individuals remain under investigation. Detainees are often compelled to sign gag orders or coerced statements claiming their rights were respected. Amid the escalating crackdown, many Venezuelans have fled the country in search of protection abroad. However, they face slow-moving asylum systems across Latin America and, in the United States, a halt in resettlement proceedings under President Donald Trump's administration. Human Rights Watch criticized the Trump administration for prioritizing migration cooperation and the release of detained U.S. citizens in Venezuela over broader efforts to defend human rights and the rule of law. Given the United States' regional influence and rising anti-migrant sentiment in Latin America, the organization warned that other governments may adopt similar policies, further endangering Venezuelan refugees and emboldening the Maduro regime. The reversal of U.S. policy toward Venezuelan migrants is playing into Maduro's hands, the report states. 'Maduro is exploiting international cooperation on migration and detainees to legitimize his rule,' the group said, warning that this shift could encourage other governments to deprioritize human rights, exacerbating Venezuela's crisis and triggering further displacement. Human Rights Watch urged the international community to impose targeted sanctions on abusive officials, pursue accountability through the International Criminal Court and increase support for civil society groups and Venezuelan exiles. 'With eight million Venezuelans living abroad, the human rights crisis in Venezuela remains the most severe in the Western Hemisphere,' said Goebertus. 'Governments must use any engagement with Maduro to demand real, verifiable improvements—starting with the release of those who have been forcibly disappeared or arbitrarily detained.'
