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WORLD NEWSSaturday 5 December 2015
Ecuador lawmakers vote to end presidential term limit
GONZALO SOLANO amendments, the measure Outside the cordoned- bloodied. faced mounting demon-
Associated Press will permit the leftist Correa off assembly, protesters Street clashes were also re- strations by a wide spec-
QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — to run for the office indefi- who had been blocking ported in other cities. trum of forces, including
The National Assembly nitely beginning in 2021. His major intersections with Popular for generous social labor unions, indigenous
passed a constitutional current term ends in 2017 burning tires grew in num- spending since first tak- groups and the traditional
amendment Thursday to and he has said he does ber. Armed with sticks and ing office in 2007, Correa conservative opposition.
lift Ecuador’s presidential not intend to run at that rocks, some battled riot po- has in recent months been Correa’s Alianza Pais party
term limits as violent street time. lice, who responded with forced to drastically cut holds a two-thirds majority
protests escalated against Analysts have called Cor- tear gas and batons. There back on spending and im- in the National Assembly
what many demonstrators rea’s decision a shrewd were no official numbers pose new taxes after world and the package of con-
deemed a power grab by political move considering on injuries, but local me- prices for the country’s oil stitutional changes won
President Rafael Correa. Ecuador’s current eco- dia reported some police plunged. easily on a 100-8 vote in
Part of a package of nomic woes. and protesters had been Since June, Correa has the 137-seat chamber.q
Baton and sash at center of presidential spat in Argentina
PETER PRENGAMAN Argentina’s President-elect Mauricio Macri walks in Sao larols shared his story with dent’s swearing in ceremo-
Associated Press Paulo, Brazil, Friday, Dec. 4, 2015. A growing spat between several news organizations. ny take place in Congress,
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina Argentina’s outgoing president and Macri over inauguration The respected craftsman but does not specify where
(AP) — A growing spat day logistics took a strange turn on Friday. has made every presiden- things like batons or sashes
between Argentina’s out- tial baton since the coun- should be handed over.
going president and presi- (AP Photo/Andre Penner) try’s return to democracy While Fernandez received
dent elect over inaugura- in 1983. He said Macri of- the baton and sash in Con-
tion day logistics took a Congress. News channels, ment. “Many of us look at ficials this week asked him gress, other new presidents
strange turn on Friday, with which covered the dis- this and think, ‘How em- not to turn the baton over have received them at the
the silversmith responsible agreement all day, briefly barrassing,’” said Martin to the current administra- Casa Rosada.
for crafting a ceremonial broke in to show Macri Bohmer, former dean of tion. But the other side also “The president is within her
baton saying an assistant meeting with Brazilian Pres- the law school at the Uni- applied pressure: Pallarols rights,” said Cabinet chief
was threatened by pos- ident Dilma Rousseff. Macri versity of Buenos Aires. “It’s said an assistant received Anibal Fernandez. “The ar-
sible police action. was asked by reporters in amazing that we are hav- a threatening call from a ticles will be in Congress. If
The brouhaha, which has Brasilia about the tiff. He ing so much trouble trans- Fernandez official, saying Macri doesn’t want to re-
many Argentines shaking responded that thankfully ferring power. The very ac- police would intervene if ceive them there, then he
their heads, deepened on Rousseff didn’t bring it up, tive social media sites in the baton wasn’t finished shouldn’t receive them.”
the same day that Presi- but otherwise didn’t com- the South American nation and turned over soon. Fernandez, a populist lead-
dent-elect Mauricio Macri went wild on Friday after “It was an unpleasant situ- er who publicly criticizes
visited neighboring Brazil, silversmith Juan Carlos Pal- ation,” said Pallarols, who her opponents, has domi-
his first head-of-state visit added that another of- nated the political land-
since being elected Nov. ficial later called him to scape the last 12 years:
22. Macri wants to receive apologize. On Twitter, a initially as first lady during
the presidential baton and clip from popular cartoon the administration of late
sash from outgoing Presi- produced by a state tele- husband Nestor Kirchner,
dent Cristina Fernandez vision channel was making and the last eight as presi-
in the government house, the rounds. In one episode, dent herself. News colum-
or Casa Rosada, during “Zamba,” the protagonist, nists and social media pun-
the Dec. 10 inauguration. is visiting the Casa Rosada. dits have speculated that
However, Fernandez ad- A guide tells him it’s “where Macri will refuse to bow to
ministration officials insist the presidential sash and Fernandez, and will simply
the transfer will happen in baton are handed over.” put on his own presidential
The constitution establishes sash or ask a top official in
that the incoming presi- his administration to do it.q
St. Kitts halts Syrians from citizenship sales
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts (AP) thy Harris announced the nica and Grenada offer a
— The country of St. Kitts suspension of nationals quick path to citizenship at
and Nevis has closed its from war-ravaged Syria a relatively low cost. The
citizenship-by-investment from his country’s citizen- whole process, including
program to Syrians until fur- ship-by-investment pro- background checks, can
ther vetting processes can gram at a Thursday recep- take as little as 90 days in
be put in place, a legal ad- tion in Washington. St. Kitts. There’s no need to
visory firm said Friday. St. Kitts closed its program ever live on the islands.
A statement from London- to Iranians several years A foreigner can qualify
based CS Global Partners ago after Iranian students for citizenship in St. Kitts
said the tiny Caribbean stormed the British Embassy with a $250,000 donation
nation made the decision in Tehran. “Investor visa” or to a fund for retired sugar
because of reports of nu- citizenship programs are workers or with a minimum
merous counterfeit Syrian offered by many nations, real estate investment of
passports in the interna- including the U.S. and Brit- $400,000. The minimum
tional black market. ain. But the Caribbean contribution in Dominica is
It said Prime Minister Timo- countries of St. Kitts, Domi- $100,000.q
