Tag

Political Elite

All articles tagged with #political elite

Guatemala's Presidential Election Plunged into Chaos as Top Party Faces Suspension
politics2 years ago

Guatemala's Presidential Election Plunged into Chaos as Top Party Faces Suspension

The presidential election in Guatemala is thrown into uncertainty as the country's top electoral body certifies the results of the first-round elections, sending former first lady Sandra Torres and reformist candidate Bernardo Arévalo to a runoff. However, at the same time, another court accuses Arévalo's party of fraud and bars him from participating in politics. Arévalo refuses to obey the decision, calling it politically motivated. The electoral body is unsure of the court's decision's implications, while independent watchdog groups criticize it as an act of illegality. The US expresses concerns about threats to Guatemala's electoral democracy and emphasizes the need for institutions to respect the will of voters.

The Legacy of Slavery in America's Political Elite.
politics2 years ago

The Legacy of Slavery in America's Political Elite.

A Reuters examination found that a fifth of the US political elite, including a quarter of the Senate, are direct descendants of ancestors who enslaved Black people. President Joe Biden and every living former US president, except Donald Trump, are also direct descendants of slaveholders. The Reuters research was vetted by board-certified genealogists, who reviewed each case linking a contemporary leader to a slaveholding ancestor. The new insights into the political elite’s ancestral links to slavery come at a time of renewed and intense debate about the meaning of the institution’s legacy and what, if anything, lawmakers should do about it.

The Legacy of Slavery: Over 100 U.S. Political Elites Have Family Ties.
politics2 years ago

The Legacy of Slavery: Over 100 U.S. Political Elites Have Family Ties.

A Reuters examination found that at least 100 members of the US Congress, living presidents, Supreme Court justices, and governors are direct descendants of ancestors who enslaved Black people. Among the 536 members of the last sitting Congress, Reuters determined that at least 28 senators can trace their families to at least one slaveholder. The examination reveals how intimately tied America remains to the institution of slavery, including through the “people who make the laws that govern our country,” said Henry Louis Gates Jr, a professor at Harvard University.