The first round of Bolivia’s presidential election on Aug. 17 brought an end to 20 years of socialist rule. The winner of the Oct. 19 runoff will be handed the responsibility to fundamentally change the country.
Tag: president
While Russia had to negotiate with former Syrian rebels for the withdrawal of around 500 Russian soldiers trapped in Damascus, Vladimir Putin remained silent on the crushing defeat he suffered in Syria. Instead, he has threatened the West, as if to show he is not weakened by the fall of his ally Assad.
The release from exile of a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, the election of an Asian country’s first female leader and the opening of one of the highest-grossing movies of all-time.
The impacts of the impending Trump presidency, and its unscrupulous use of social media platforms, are already being felt internationally. Trump’s unprecedented comeback is becoming the playbook for how to capitalize on dissatisfaction and regain power.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol shocked and enraged the country on Tuesday by declaring martial law and suspending civil liberties. The power grab quickly unraveled following democratic outcry, with lawmakers and citizens calling for the discredited leader to resign.
Updated Oct. 24, 2024 at 12:00 p.m. Salvador Allende was elected President of Chile on this day in 1970. How was Salvador Allende elected? In the presidential election held on September 4, 1970, Salvador Allende ran as the candidate of the Unidad Popular (Popular Unity) coalition, which was a coalition of left-wing and socialist parties. […]
Updated October 22, 2024 at 11:30 a.m. U.S. President John F. Kennedy announced that American reconnaissance planes discovered Soviet nuclear weapons in Cuba, marking the beginning of the Cuban Missile Crisis on this day in 1962. What did President Kennedy reveal in his televised address? In his address, President Kennedy revealed that American reconnaissance planes […]
Joe Biden delivered his final speech to the UN General Assembly, in the form of a message from a wise old man who has seen dark times before. But while he has re-established a predictable presidency, he still appears hesitant on Ukraine and the Middle East, which tarnishes his record.
When Guinean President Mamady Doumbouya was inaugurated three years ago, her presence alongside the coup leader grabbed the public’s attention. And although she has increasingly made public appearances, little is still known about the French police officer turned first lady.
Updated July 31, 20244 at 11:20 a.m. Fidel Castro officially handed over power to his brother Raúl Castro on this day in 2006. Why did Fidel Castro decide to transfer power to his brother? Fidel Castro’s decision to transfer power to his brother Raúl Castro was prompted by his declining health. Fidel underwent intestinal surgery […]
The former U.S. president and Republican nominee Donald Trump is threatening to revive his choice policies of curbing immigration and trade, and nobody would suffer as a result quite as much as the hundreds of millions of Latin Americans who may be forced to turn toward China and the Global South.
Updated July 3, 2024 at 11:30 a.m. On this day 10 years ago, a military coup led to the overthrow of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi. The coup was orchestrated by the Egyptian military, led by General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who later became the President of Egypt. Why was there a military coup against Morsi? The […]
Through quiet diplomacy, Russia may be courting the rising star of Latin American populism, El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele. In time, he must decide between international respectability and a bear hug from Vladimir Putin.
Bolivian President Luis Arce easily survived Wednesday’s bungled coup, which may suggest the populist Left is more resilient than it used to be. But it may also be the foreshadowing of the reigniting of an internal war with fellow Socialist and former President Evo Morales as unrest spreads around the country.
Peru’s President Dina Boluarte is traveling to China to fine tune free trade with this vital, if overbearing, business partner. It will also help her flee the deep and wide popularity among Peruvians.
In spite of the Iranian regime’s inclination to conclude the matter of the president’s recent fatal helicopter crash, murmurs around a possible murder plot or a foreign strike are not going away.
In spite of the political or diplomatic headaches this could cause, there are preliminary grounds for not ruling out foul play as causing the Iranian president’s helicopter to crash days ago, reports the leading independent Persian-language news site.
Updated May 10, 2024 at 11:40 a.m. Nelson Mandela was sworn into the presidency at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, South Africa on this day in 1994. What happened during Mandela’s president? Nelson Mandela led the end of apartheid and the transition to democracy in South Africa during his time as president. Mandela had been […]
Updated May 9, 2024 at 11:40 a.m. On this day in 2016, the controversial Rodrigo Duterte was elected as the 16th President of the Philippines. What was Duterte’s presidential campaign platform? Rodrigo Duterte’s campaign platform for the presidency was centered around the fight against corruption, crime, and drugs. Most controversially, he urged citizens to shoot […]
Updated May 7, 2024 at 11:45 a.m. Emmanuel Macron was elected president of France on this day in 2017, after winning the second round of the presidential election. Who is Emmanuel Macron? Emmanuel Macron is a French politician who has served as the President of France since 2017. He is currently in his second term. […]
Updated March 4, 2024 at 12:20 p.m. Vladimir Putin was re-elected as president of Russia on this day in 2012. Why was Putin’s re-election in 2012 controversial? Putin’s re-election in 2012 was controversial due to allegations of election fraud and voter intimidation. The opposition also claimed that the government used its control over the media […]
Updated Jan. 16, 2024 at 12:00 p.m. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is sworn in as President of Liberia, making her the first African female head of state. It happened on this date in 2006. Who is Ellen Johnson Sirleaf? Ellen Johnson Sirleaf served as the 24th president of Liberia from 2006 to 2018. She was the […]
As Mexico’s president seeks to consolidate his power ahead of the 2024 general elections in the fall, will voters and institutions react to safeguard the country’s democracy or fall deeper into outgoing President López Obrador’s authoritarian impulses?
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, some 44 million voters will be choosing between 19 candidates to elect the new president. It’s a massive electoral task in a state that is largely dysfunctional. Where is the world to lend a hand?
Egypt’s presidential vote ended with a certain outcome. President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi secured another term that will keep him in power until 2030. It was a landslide victory for el-Sisi who has been in power since 2014. He received 89.6% of what officials said was the highest turnout in Egypt’s election history amid a state-sponsored campaign of mobilization for voters.
A democracy is not just the vague and dangerously malleable promise of popular rule. It is instead an institutional regime or “republic” that defines and protects the rights of the people, and of individuals.
Two days after being arrested for assassinating John F. Kennedy, Lee Harvey Oswald is shot dead at point blank range. Who was Jack Ruby? Lee Harvey Oswald was in police custody for the murder of U.S President John F. Kennedy when a man emerged from a crowd of reporters and shot him in the abdomen. […]
Argentina has elected a “paleolibertarian” outsider with little experience, and by a wide margin. What does this say about the existing structures of power around the democratic world?
The radical libertarian Javier Milei confounded the polls to decisively win the second round of Argentina’s presidential elections; now he must win over a nation that has voiced its disgust with the country’s brand of politics as usual.
Trashing politics and politicians is a classic tool of populists to seduce angry voters, and take countries into quagmires far worse than the worst years of democracy. It’s a dynamic Argentina appears particularly vulnerable to.
Updated Nov. 5, 2023 at 12:35 p.m. It was 55 years ago today. Some say this was the day the 1960s ended (or really began…)? The man who would eventually bring shame on the White House, resigning after the Watergate scandal, was already dividing opinion when he ran for President for the second time in […]
Nearly 200 people are running to be the president of Senegal in the 2024 elections. What does this say about the state of Senegalese democracy? Financial Afrik takes a closer look.
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won the presidency in Brazil on this day in 2002. Who is Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva? Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, commonly known as Lula, is a Brazilian politician who first served as the 35th President of Brazil. He served two terms, from 2003 to 2010, and he was […]
The assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat on this day in 1981 was a shocking and pivotal event in the history of Egypt and the Middle East. Who was Anwar Sadat? Anwar Sadat was the third President of Egypt, serving from 1970 until his assassination. He succeeded Gamal Abdel Nasser and pursued a different foreign […]
? Ǹdéèwō!* Welcome to Monday, where Gabon’s coup leader is sworn in as “transitional president” after President Ali Bongo was ousted last week, Russia launches an attack on one of Ukraine’s biggest grain ports and the most-used search engine celebrates its 25th birthday. Meanwhile, in Les Echos, Basile Dekonink reports from the small Balkan nation […]
Alexei Dyumin, a former bodyguard of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has been touted as a likely successor to the man he once protected. Russian independent news outlet Important Stories takes a closer look at a man who prefers to keep a low profile.
August 7 – August 13, 2023
The third indictment against Donald Trump raises the legal dispute between the United States and its former president to a new level. While Trump cries foul play, drawing shameful comparisons with Nazi persecution 1930s Germany, the consequences of the trial can’t be predicted.
A movie star, a tennis player, a tech billionaire — and now the Foreign Minister: the Chinese Party’s parallel justice system does not discriminate when it comes to hushing down figures deemed “subversive.”
The riots and looting continue after the police shooting death of a 17-year-old in the outskirts of Paris. Already embattled over labor reforms, French President Emmanuel Macron’s hopes to make peace with center-left allies are getting pushed aside by demands for law and order.