A meteor lit up the night last Sunday in Argentina, but the big news wasn’t the meteor, it was the courts. Mary O’Grady writes on how Kirchner Targets Argentina’s Judiciary
Congressional midterm elections are set for October and the kirchneristas are desperate to win a majority so that they can change the law to allow the president to run for a third term. To reach that goal, the government decided that more cooperation from the courts is in order.
Mrs. Kirchner’s government drafted and Congress has now approved a law that, among other things, does away with existing rules for picking members of the magistrate council, the body that chooses and can impeach federal judges. Those rules ensured that the council would be made up of a politically mixed group of individuals chosen by politicians, judges, lawyers and academics.
In their place, the reform stipulates that the council will be elected by popular vote in the same election that chooses the president—raising the likelihood that the executive will control the judiciary. If 51% of voters want judges who will strip the other 49% of their property, so be it. The reform also limits to six months any injunction against a government policy, conveniently destroying the protection that Clarin now enjoys. There will also be new appellate courts with judges appointed by the council.
Caudilla Cristina: divide the opposition, take control of all the institutions, demonize a foreign country to create a common enemy.
ARGENTINA
36 Hours in Salta, Argentina
BRAZIL
‘Problems’ as Maracana stadium reopens in Rio
CARIBBEAN
US tries new aerial tools in Caribbean drug fight (H/T DP)
COLOMBIA
Colombia’s FARC guerrillas thank US lawmakers for supporting Havana peace process
CUBA
Rosa Maria Paya, you have the Castro dictatorship’s attention
Note to AP: Mariela Castro is a Cuban Regime Official
Woman indicted in Cuba spy case is in Sweden and out of U.S. reach
ECUADOR
Government of Ecuador to sue newspaper La Hora for a third time
MEXICO
USDA/Mexico Spanish-language flyer: Get kids on food stamps without showing documents
PANAMA
Fossil of “most ancient” monkey of Americas found in Panama Canal
PUERTO RICO
Puerto Rico Teams Take Top Spots at 20th NASA Great Moonbuggy Race
St. LUCIA
‘Miracle’ survival after St Lucia fishing boat sinks
Viceroy Maduro swears fealty to his supreme overlord King Raul
General Carlos Julio Peñaloza
CUBA CONTROLÓ ELECCIONES MEDIANTE RED SECRETA, pag.14
Escuchen a Diosdado Cabello dando instrucciones contra Capriles en reunión privada en Margarita
The Cubanization of Venezuela: Cuba creates 5-million Venezuelan voters out of thin air
Chavismo: from XXI century socialism to XXI century fascism
The week’s posts and podcast:
Venezuela: Maduro has US citizen arrested
Argentina: The high cost of not doing business
Venezuela: Persecuting Capriles
Mexico: Striking teachers dig in their heels
Venezuela: You call that an audit?
Podcast:
In Silvio Canto’s podcast, talking to Jon Perdue.