Foreign Digest: China, Bolivia and Canada

China: Hong Kong protests; extradition bill withdrawal 

            Mass protests have been continuing in Hong Kong, the special territory of China, against Peking’s violations of city-state’s autonomy and freedom, which Communist China had promised to respect when Hong Kong reverted from British rule in 1997.  As I have been posting about, the demonstrations began five months ago when the Peking-dominated territorial legislature proposed a law that would allow extradition to mainland China, the Hong Kong legislature had announced that it was not considering the bill, but this week announced it has withdrawn it, thereby meeting one of the key demands of the protestors. 

Bolivia: unconstitutional fourth presidential term

The far-left President of Bolivia held onto power for a fourth term through a dubious election result this week and allegations by the opposition of irregularities, despite a constitutional provision for term limits and a rejection of a referendum to repeal the provision.  There were protests against the President for unconstitutionally holding onto power, which, in a tactic typical to authoritarians, he denounced as a coup attempt.  Chavist (inspired by late Venezuelan Socialist dictator Hugo Chavez) elected leaders in Latin America, as the Bolivian President is, typically try to extend their tenure beyond constitutional term limits as they consolidate more power while rigging elections.  Thus, elected leaders become dictators with a democratic pretense.

Canada: Liberal losses in the parliamentary elections

            The center-right Conservatives won a plurality of the votes in the Canadian parliamentary elections this week, narrowly edging the ruling center-left Liberals, who were weighed down by the Prime Minister’s ethical lapses.  The ruling party lost a significant share of the votes in coming in second, losing more than two dozen seats and falling short of a majority. 

            Although Canada has been prosperous and fiscally sound for two decades of alternating Conservative and Liberal rule, the ruling party’s unfavorable policies on fossil fuels cost them seats in western provinces that produce oil and gas and that have been suffering economically since the price of oil had dropped.  Quebec’s separatist party made gains at the expense of the Liberals.  

The Liberals, with the largest number of total seats, will attempt to form a coalition government with the main left-wing party, the third largest in votes and seats, as together the two parties would have a majority.  The ruling party and its Premier, who will likely head the next government, will, therefore, be pulled further to the left in its policies.

Canada is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and is a strong ally of the United States, although the Prime Minister upon taking office four years ago withdrew Canadian forces from Iraq that were part of the American-led coalition against the “Islamic State,” an offshoot of al-Qaeda in Iraq, Islamist terrorists that had proclaimed a caliphate and threatened the West.