by the El Reportero news services
Rafael Correo
Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa consolidated his grip on power with a decisive victory for the “yes” vote in the referendum on the new constitution. The stage is now set for him to win fresh presidential elections and for his party Alianza País (AP) to win a majority in the new congress when elections are held, if he has his way, next February.
The only real blemish on the day for Correa was the narrow victory for the “no” vote in Guayaquil, the stronghold of his only credible political rival, Jaime Nebot, but even this could be seen as a blessing in disguise. The eastern province of Napo also emphatically rejected the constitution.
Historic month ghastly for President Calderón
September, known as el més histórico, because of the series of national commemorations that pepper it, has been ghastly for the government of President Felipe Calderón Hinojosa. The wanton terrorism at the traditional “Grito” in Morelia, Michoacán, in which two grenades, presumably thrown by gangsters, killed eight people, was compounded by a couple of gruesome massacres and a jail riot that left 21 dead. On top of this the fi nancial crisis in the US threatens to cause more economic problems for Mexico in 2009.
Chávez for turning South America into world power
Caracas, Oct 5 (Prensa Latina) South America should become a leading power in today´s multipolar world, said Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who also advised the United States “to learn to listen.”
According to Chávez, who was interviewed by a local radio station, “South America and the Caribbean must be new factors in world power”. The statesman pointed out that his statement stems from the recent creation of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) and the various integration projects on the energy, geopolitics and financial sectors already being implemented in the region.
Asked about an eventual comeback of the so-called Cold War after increasing military ties between Venezuela and Russia, the President regarded a cold war reactivation as practically impossible.
“A multipolar world is being created. A new world of relations, new codes of interrelations among world powers,” he stressed.
Referring to the upcoming navy military maneuvers with Russia, Chávez said the presence of the Russian Navy is positive: “The US IV fleet is also coming, as well as France is coming to carry out war games with us and other countries in the Caribbean waters.”
Regarding the current international situation, the Venezuelan President said a different world is being born after the disappearance of the Soviet Union and the decline of the United States.
A multipolar world is being created by Russia, China and Europe. The United States Empire is never going to recover, expressed the Venezuelan president.
Tight security on Mexico Election Day
Some 13,000 police officers have been deployed in the Mexican western state of Guerrero, where municipal authorities will be elected on Sunday.
According to Guerrero’s Public Security secretary, Juan Heriberto Salinas Altes, the police officers are deployed statewide, although most of them will be patrolling most confl ictive areas, including Tierra Caliente and Costa Grande.
He added that measures have been taken to protect polling stations and ballot boxes.
According to official sources, federal agents, as well as Navy and Army officers, are taking part in the security operation.
(Latin News and Prensa Latina contributed to this report.)
