Foreign Digest: Venezuela, Romania, Cuba, Poland

Venezuela: There were multiple arrests of opposition figures by the Venezuelan Socialist dictatorship ahead of and during the elections last week. The opposition boycotted the elections because the South American State’s regime does not allow free and fair elections. As I have posted, it did not accept the results of the presidential elections in July, in which the center-right opposition easily won, according to the documentary evidence the opposition secured, international observers, many Latin American States, the United States, and its allies. The boycott was successful in denying legitimacy to the dictatorship, as the rate of abstention exceeded 85%. Romania: The presidential election held a week ago was confirmed by Romania’s election authorities and the new President has been sworn in. He is moderately conservative and is pro-European and pro-Ukrainian. The defeated Russian-backed far-right anti-Ukrainian Trumpist candidate conceded, but then alleged fraud. As I have posted, the first-round vote in December was annulled because of heavy Russian interference on behalf of an unknown candidate with no party and no spending, who came in first, but was later charged with election crimes and barred from running. The Trumpist candidate defeated last week had promised to name the barred candidate prime minister. Romania has thus demonstrated how to thwart attempted Russian interference, instead of acquiescing to it, like the U.S. did in 2016 and again in 2024. Romania, a former Communist and Soviet satellite state, is a strategic U.S. ally as a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Cuba: Donald Trump removed temporary protected status from 300,000 Cuban refugees in America, in addition to Venezuelans, Afghans, and others seeking asylum from persecution. Cubans fleeing the Communist tyranny on their Caribbean island State had previously been less restricted than other refugees. Because of their experience of suffering under socialism and dictatorship, Cubans who become naturalized U.S. citizens usually are conservative, register as Republicans and vote for GOP candidates, including Trump. Thus, Trump’s nativist policies, in addition to undermining American security, the economy and the budget, deprive America of the benefit of those who especially appreciate freedom. Poland: The Polish presidential election was held today. The centrist pro-European pro-Ukrainian Mayor of Warsaw backed by the ruling center-right-led coalition was leading against the far-right party candidate whose party was put out of power last year because of its increasing authoritarianism. The far-right candidate was backed by the Trump Administration against the pro-Western candidate. Poland, a former Communist and Soviet satellite state, is a strategic U.S. ally as a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.