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Mexico City mayor wants to be first woman president
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Mexican and Russian foreign ministers discuss Mexican peace plan
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Mexican companies pledge to maintain prices on staple foods
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The Brazilian Lula extends the lead over Bolsonaro in the election poll
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Venezuela is seeking arrest warrants for 23 former petrochemical executives
Sep 23 (Reuters) – The latest from Latin American politics today:
Cuba Demands ‘Yes’ Vote to New LGBT-Friendly Laws
HAVANA – The Cuban government is urging citizens to vote “yes” on Sunday to a new progressive code that would cement laws on gay marriage, same-sex couple adoption and women’s rights.
But analysts told Reuters many would vote in protest or out of loyalty to the government, which, weighed down by US sanctions and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, is struggling to provide its population with enough food, medicine, fuel and electricity take care of.
Although referenda have passed with large majorities in the past, Sunday’s vote will be the first of its kind since mobile internet was legalized in 2018, allowing dissent to spread further.
Mexico City mayor wants to be first woman president
MEXICO CITY — Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, a physicist by training who is vying to become the country’s first female president, hopes her environmental awareness and success in curbing crime will help her in the race for the top job in June 2024.
Sheinbaum, a staunch ally of left-wing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, has a slight edge over her rivals in recent polls as she gears up for the ruling National Regeneration Movement’s (MORENA) presidential candidacy.
Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard has also started to push the candidacy, which is to be settled by the end of 2023.
Mexican and Russian foreign ministers discuss Mexican peace plan
MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said on Friday he met with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov to discuss a Mexican peace plan for the Ukraine conflict, which he presented to the United Nations General Assembly this week.
Ebrard said on Twitter they had a “warm conversation” and also shared Mexico’s ideas for the future of the UN Security Council.
Earlier this month, Mexico’s president said the plan includes creating a “conciliation committee” that includes Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Pope Francis.
Mexican companies pledge to maintain prices on staple foods
MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said he has reached an agreement with companies to keep prices of basic commodities unchanged as annual inflation in Latin America’s second largest economy hit 8.76%.
Lopez Obrador said it was a unanimous decision with producers and traders of corn, chicken, eggs and beef, without confirming the final number of companies.
He said he would announce the new anti-inflation measures on Oct. 3 but ruled out unilateral price controls on food.
The Brazilian Lula slightly extends the lead over Bolsonaro in the election poll
SAO PAULO — Brazil’s presidential candidate Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has slightly extended his lead over incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro to 14 percentage points in a poll released Thursday, less than two weeks before the first-round vote on Oct. 2.
The Datafolha poll showed Lula with 47% voter support versus 33% for Bolsonaro in the first round of voting, compared to 45% and 33% respectively in the previous poll.
Venezuela is seeking arrest warrants for 23 former petrochemical executives
CARACAS — Venezuela has requested international arrest warrants for the arrest of 23 former executives at a petrochemical company in Colombia, its oil minister said on Thursday.
President Nicolas Maduro’s administration said earlier this week that his government had regained control of Venezuelan fertilizer maker Monomeros Colombo-Venezolanos following a takeover by the opposition led by Juan Guaido in 2019.
Venezuela accuses executives of improperly managing the foreign division of its state-owned petrochemical company Pequiven. (Compiled by Sarah Morland; Edited by Diane Craft)
