Santiago Pena wins Paraguay election, The impact of Sudan war on the world

 Research, editing : Gan Yung Chyan

News on Paraguay, Sudan, U.S., CCP, Taiwan

News (1)

Paraguay's ruling party wins the election! More than 80% of votes counted, Pena has promised to maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan

Reporter : Lu Yixuan / https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/politics/breakingnews/4286905 / Image of Santiago Pena : Santiago Pena Facebook

  

Paraguay, the Republic of China (Taiwan)'s only South American ally, held a presidential election on 30 April 2023 Eastern Time. Ruling Red Party (Colorado Party) candidate Santiago Peña and vice-presidential candidate Pedro Alliana are leading by a wide margin, according to preliminary results. The current president, Mario Abdo Benitez, who also belongs to the Red Party, has sent a message to congratulate Pena and stressed that a transparent and orderly handover will be launched to strengthen democracy. The Taiwan embassy also tweeted its congratulations on Pania's victory and expressed its continued commitment to developing a productive and prosperous partnership with Paraguay.

According to multiple media reports, Paraguay has already cast more than 85% of the votes. Pena has a stable lead with 43.5% of the votes. Efrain Alegre, the center-left opponent who advocates breaking diplomatic relations with Taiwan, has about 27.58% of the votes.

Penia, 44, has served as Paraguay's finance minister and an economist at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington. He sees himself as a new generation of the Colorado Party, more concerned with economic issues. He promised half a million jobs, free kindergartens, lower fuel and energy prices and more police presence on the streets.

In addition, the relationship between Paraguay and Taiwan has become the focus of this year's general election. Pena said at the beginning of the year that if he wins the presidential election, Paraguay's diplomatic relations with Taiwan for more than 60 years will not be affected: "I will defend the historical relationship with Taiwan."

The Republic of China (Taiwan) Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated many times before that the relationship between Taiwan and Paraguay is profound and friendly. The economic and trade relations between the two countries have grown steadily, and bilateral cooperation plans have yielded fruitful results. The Taiwan embassy maintains close contact and interaction with all political parties in the ruling and opposition parties in Paraguay. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is confident that no matter which party's candidate is elected, it will continue to work hand in hand with the new government.

The president of Paraguay has a term of five years, and the new president will take office in August 2023.

News (2)

Paraguay ruling party candidate Santiago Pena leads election with votes half tallied

Reporter : Lucinta Elliott etal / https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/paraguayans-head-polls-with-taiwan-ties-stake-2023-04-30 

Paraguay's conservative ruling party candidate Santiago Pena was leading the country's presidential election with half the votes tallied on Sunday evening, holding onto a lead of 45% versus center-left opposition rival Efrain Alegre on 28%.

Sunday's race was widely expected to be a stern electoral challenge to the Colorado Party, with debates dominated by corruption and the country's long-standing ties with Taiwan.

Polls officially shut at 4 p.m. (2000 GMT) but long queues and delays meant some polling places remained open.

"All day we've observed high levels of participation," an observer for the Organization of American States (OAS) electoral mission said. "Voting centres remain full."

In addition to the single-round winner-take-all presidential race, voters were also electing members of Congress and governors in the country of fewer than 7 million people. The first results are expected from around 7 pm (2300 GMT).

At the Mariscal Francisco Solano López school in the capital Asuncion, Ramona Oddone was one of the first in line to cast her ballot: “Look at all the young people taking part - that shows people want change,” the 79-year-old retired schoolteacher told Reuters. “They need jobs and I need a better pension.”

Eugenio Senturion, 65, said his loyalty was firmly with the continuity candidate, Pena. “Once a Colorado always a Colorado,” he said, speaking outside his local polling station in the area of Jara, Asuncion, where dry weather conditions could favour a high turnout, analysts said. “You cannot betray someone of your own (party) color,” he said.

A 34-year-old mother of three, Maria Jose Rodas, was undecided. “I’m worried about crime. All the candidates are the same for me ... nothing will change,” she said as a busload of voters arrived at the inner-city polling station.

The Colorado Party has dominated politics in the landlocked South American country since the 1950s and has ruled for all but five of the last 75 years. But its popularity has been hit by a slowing economy and graft allegations.

Ahead of casting his own ballot in the capital, Pena reiterated that the party would recognize a defeat. "No one can question our democratic credentials, not me as a candidate or the party,” he told journalists on Sunday. “We are convinced that we are the best option ... we have full confidence in electoral justice.”

The build-up to the election has been dominated by the economy, corruption allegations and the candidates' views on Taiwan. Paraguay is one of only 13 nations to maintain formal diplomatic ties with the democratically governed island that China views as its territory.

Alegre has criticized those ties, which have made it hard to sell soy and beef to China, a major global buyer, and has said the country's farm-driven economy does not get enough in return from Taipei.

Pena has said he would maintain ties with Taiwan.

Alegre on Sunday warned of reports of voter obstruction in the north of the country and said he would not "give in" to attempts to prevent citizen participation.

"Up until now all reports are positive, the process is being carried out without any difficulties," he told local media.

In final campaign events, Alegre took aim at corruption allegations that have dogged Colorado Party leader Horacio Cartes, a former president who was placed under U.S. sanctions in January. Alegre called him the "Pablo Escobar of Paraguay," referring to the notorious Colombian drug trafficker who was killed in 1993.

Cartes denies the allegations.

Pena acknowledged party divisions in his closing campaign speech and promised to be "a symbol of party unity."

Fiorella Moreno, 23, who sells ice cream, felt that none of the candidates offered hope to her generation.

"I didn't want to vote, I feel everything is in decline," she said. "But not voting makes me part of the problem."

See also: https://staygate.blogspot.com/2023/04/paraguay-presidential-proposition.html

News (3)

The civil war in Sudan affected the raw material of Coke, and the gum arabic was exhausted within 3-6 months

 

Image : The civil war in Sudan affected the local supply of gum arabic. (AFP)

Gum arabic is a key ingredient in carbonated drinks, candies and cosmetics, 70% of which come from Sudan. Due to the escalation of the local civil war, it is reported that the gum arabic trade has been suspended. Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have long been stockpiling gum arabic to avoid shortages, the sources said. However, suppliers estimate that inventories could be depleted within three to six months as the chaos heats up.

According to Reuters, about 70% of the world's supply of gum arabic comes from the Acacia tree in Africa's Sahel region, which runs through Sudan, the third largest country in Africa, where the regular army and paramilitary forces are fighting against one another.

Exporters and industry insiders said that due to concerns about tensions in Sudan, companies that rely on gum arabic, such as Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, have long-term reserves of gum arabic, and some companies hold stocks for 3 to 6 months to avoid shortages.

This time, the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, was brought to a standstill by fighting that broke out on April 15, crippling the economy and disrupting basic communications. Richard Finnegan, purchasing manager at Kerry, a gum arabic supplier to most major food and drink companies, said depending on how long the conflict lasted, it was likely to affect the household commodity.

Finnegan believes that the current inventory of gum arabic will be exhausted in five to six months, while Martijn Bergkamp, partner at Dutch supplier FOGA Gum, predicts that the inventory will be exhausted in three to six months.

Dani Haddad, marketing and development director of Agrigum, a top ten supplier in the world, said bluntly that for companies like Pepsi and Coca-Cola, if there is no gum arabic in their formula, they cannot exist.

Trade in gum arabic has stalled, according to 12 exporters, suppliers and distributors contacted by Reuters. PepsiCo declined to comment on supply chain and merchandise issues, while Coca-Cola did not respond to a request for comment.

Ref.: https://ec.ltn.com.tw/article/breakingnews/4285690

News (4)

Sudan's national public health laboratory is occupied by WHO: there may be a high risk of biological hazards

  

Image : The World Health Organization says Sudan's national public health laboratory has been seized and there is currently a "high risk of biological hazards" in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum. The picture shows the neighborhood of Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. (Reuters)

Since the outbreak of the civil war in Sudan on 15 April 2023, at least 489 people have died and 4072 people have been injured. The World Health Organization (WHO) pointed out on 25 April 2023 that the civil war has affected the Sudanese National Public Health Laboratory A laboratory housed measles, cholera, and other harmful pathogens. The WHO has warned of a "high risk of biohazards" in the Sudanese capital Khartoum.

According to a Reuters report, Nima Saeed Abid, the WHO representative in Sudan, pointed out that Sudan's national public health laboratory has been occupied by one of the two forces of the civil war, and laboratory technicians cannot enter the laboratory and cannot safely go to the laboratory. Conservation of biological materials and substances.

As for the occupation of the laboratory is the Sudanese government forces (SAF) or the armed group "Rapid Support Forces" (RSF)? Abid did not elaborate further. The WHO, which has reported 14 attacks on health facilities since the start of the civil war, is moving its staff to safety.

Abid mentioned that he transferred from Khartoum to Port Sudan with the evacuation convoy on the 24th. As for the number of casualties caused by the civil war, the World Health Organization estimated that at least 489 people died and 4,072 were injured. The number of dead and injured may be more, and he has seen at least 2 corpses on the street these days.

Ref.: https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/breakingnews/4281915

News (5)

Chinese smugglers on U.S.-Mexico border surge, Reuters: TikTok taught them

  

Reporter : Lin Yuxuan / https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/breakingnews/4286852 / Image : The number of Chinese illegal immigrants on the border between the United States and Mexico has risen rapidly, and online platforms such as "Douyin" have become the main channels for them to obtain information about their escape from China. Schematic, not relevant to this article. (Reuters)

It is difficult to obtain a visa to the United States, coupled with the economic aftershock brought about by China’s “zero-covid” policy due to Wuhan pneumonia, the number of Chinese illegal immigrants on the border between the United States and Mexico has risen rapidly, and the Chinese short video and video community program Douyin and other online platforms have become the main channels for them to obtain information about their escape from China.

Reuters reported on 28 April 2023 that single mother "Wu Lihua" (transliteration) arrived in the United States with her 5-year-old daughter by unconventional route, trek from Latin America to the United States. She said she relied on social media for detailed advice on everything from which shoes to wear to how to pay for reliable local guides.

Reuters conducted interviews in a remote area on the southern border of Texas for three weeks, witnessed hundreds of Chinese illegal immigrants entering the United States, and interviewed more than 20 of them in Chinese. All respondents said they got their ideas for taking the land route to the U.S. through social media and relied on influencers, private groups and messages to plan their itinerary.

Some interviewees who claimed to be Christians carried crosses and Chinese Bibles, saying that they could not practice religion freely in their home country. Although China's constitution guarantees freedom of religion, the Beijing authorities have imposed stricter restrictions on religion in recent years to avoid challenging the CCP's authority.

The CCP embassy in Washington said in an email that authorities oppose illegal immigration, calling it "an international issue that requires transnational cooperation." It did not respond to questions about religious freedom in CCP China.

According to the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), since October 2022, the number of Chinese citizens arrested at the US-Mexico border has exceeded 6,500 in six months, a record high and 15 times that of the same period of the previous year. Even though Chinese smugglers constitute only a small fraction of illegal immigrants on the southwestern border, they are the fastest growing group during this period.

Gloria Chavez, Border Patrol Chief of CBP’s Rio Grande Valley, tweeted in March that the increase in illegal immigration from CCP China has caused a strain on manpower due to language barriers and prolonged processing times. CBP said in a statement that it will track the increasing number of immigrants, especially for transnational criminal organizations that smuggle Chinese immigrants. The U.S. State Department has previously pointed out that social media and other online platforms increase the opportunities for smugglers to contact potential immigrants.

The U.S. State Department pointed out that in the 2021 fiscal year, the rejection rate of China’s most popular U.S. stay visa applications is as high as 80%, and it will exceed 30% in 2022, the two years with the highest rejection rates in history. Although the number of visas issued by the United States in various countries has mostly returned to pre-epidemic levels, the number of US visas issued in China last year was still only 10% of that in 2019.

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