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A6 WORLD NEWS
Friday 16 august 2024
Venezuelan opposition leader rejects Brazil’s idea of redoing

Venezuela’s presidential vote

By GABRIELA SÁ PESSOA ing, Amorim said that a
Associated Press new election would need
SAO PAULO (AP) — Ven- to be verified in a solid and
ezuelan opposition leader robust manner.
María Corina Machado on Venezuelan law allows for
Thursday rejected a pro- another vote whenever the
posal from Brazil’s president National Electoral Council
that Venezuela hold a new or judicial authorities an-
presidential election follow- nul an election found to
ing the contested results of be fraudulent or whose
last month’s vote. outcome was impossible to
Her comments came short- determine.
ly after Brazilian President The new election must
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva take place within six to 12
said that he still doesn’t months under the same
recognize Nicolás Mad- conditions as the annulled
uro as the winner of last vote and the same candi-
month’s presidential elec- dates must appear on the
tion in Venezuela, and that ballot.
his counterpart could call Logistics, laws and costs
for a new vote “if he has aside, a new election
good sense.” U.S. President would be a risky gamble
Joe Biden also expressed Opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez, right, and opposition leader Maria Corina for Maduro and his allies as
support for new elections. Machado join hands during a press conference the day after the election in Caracas, Venezuela, July’s vote and subsequent
Lula said that Maduro still Monday, July 29, 2024. Associated Press protests showed they have
owes an explanation to lost support across the
Brazilians and the rest of the many other nations that sense, he could call upon been an important media- country and can no longer
world. have either recognized the people of Venezuela, tor, including the Barbados bank on a cadre of die-
Machado said during a vir- Maduro or González as the perhaps even call for new Agreement reached in hard supporters, known as
tual press conference with winner, the governments elections, create an elec- October, when Maduro’s “Chavistas,” as well as pub-
Argentine media that redo- of Brazil, Colombia and toral committee and allow administration and politi- lic employees and others
ing the election would be Mexico have taken a more observers from around the cal opposition reached an whose businesses or em-
“an insult” to the people, neutral stance by neither world to monitor,” Lula said agreement on a new elec- ployment depend on the
and she asked if second rejecting nor accepting it in an interview with Radio T. tion that triggered relief state to comfortably beat
election were held and when Venezuela’s elec- In a joint statement, the from U.S. sanctions. opponents.
Maduro still didn’t accept toral authorities declared three countries called on Celso Amorim, Lula’s clos- Although electoral authori-
the results, “do we go for a Maduro the winner at the Venezuela’s electoral body est international adviser ties declared Maduro the
third one?” ballot box. to release tens of thousands and former foreign relations winner of the highly antici-
Brazil is by far South Amer- “Maduro still has six months of vote tally sheets, consid- minister, went to Caracas pated election, they have
ica’s largest nation and left in his term. He is the ered the ultimate proof of in July to monitor the elec- yet to produce detailed
shares one of Venezuela’s president regardless of the results. tion. Speaking to a Senate voting tallies to back up
longest land borders. Unlike election. If he has good Under Lula, the country has committee Thursday morn- their claim. q

Sweden reports 1st case of more infectious form of mpox first

identified in Congo

LONDON (AP) — Swedish health officials to be “very low.” They said, however, that
said Thursday they have identified the first occasional imported cases may continue
case of a person with the more infectious to occur.
form of mpox first seen in eastern Congo, Earlier this year, scientists reported the
a day after the World Health Organization emergence of a new form of the dead-
declared the outbreaks there and else- lier form of mpox, which can kill up to 10%
where in Africa to be a global emergency. of people, in a Congolese mining town
The Swedish public health agency said in that they feared might spread more eas-
a statement the patient recently sought ily. Mpox mostly spreads via close contact
health care in Stockholm. with infected people, including through
“In this case a person has been infected sex.
during a stay in the part of Africa where WHO said there have been more than
there is a major outbreak of (the more in- 14,000 cases and 524 deaths in more than
fectious mpox),” the agency said. a dozen countries across Africa this year,
Magnus Gisslen, a state epidemiologist which already exceed last year’s figures.
with the Swedish health agency, said the So far, more than 96% of all cases and
person had been treated and given “rules deaths are in a single country Congo.
State epidemiologist Magnus Gisslén, from left, Olivia Wigzell, of conduct.” Given the resources in Sweden and other
acting director general of the Public Health Agency and Social
minister Jakob Forssmed give a press conference to inform “The fact that a patient with mpox is treat- rich countries to stop mpox, scientists sus-
about the situation regarding mpox, in Stockholm, Sweden, ed in the country does not affect the risk to pect that if new outbreaks linked to Con-
Thursday Aug. 15, 2024. the general population,” Swedish officials go are to be identified, transmission could
Associated Press said, adding that experts estimate that risk be stopped relatively quickly.q