Sunday, November 03, 2024

SAYING THE QUIET PART OUTLOUD

Speaker Mike Johnson walks back comments that GOP would ‘probably’ try to repeal CHIPS Act

GET CAUGHT AND BACKPEDAL AS FAST AS YOU CAN

Annie Grayer and Gregory Krieg, CNN
Sat, November 2, 2024 

House Speaker Mike Johnson might have put a significant dent in the reelection hopes of one of the GOP’s most vulnerable congressional incumbents on Friday and later backtracked comments where he said he would consider repealing the CHIPS Act.

Earlier in the day at a campaign stop in Syracuse, New York, Johnson had told reporters that Republicans “probably will” try to repeal the semiconductor chip manufacturing package if they control Congress and former President Donald Trump wins the White House. The legislation is poised to bring a $100 billion microchip manufacturing center to the area where Johnson was campaigning with GOP Rep. Brandon Williams.

“As I have further explained and clarified, I fully support Micron coming to Central NY, and the CHIPS Act is not on the agenda for repeal,” Johnson lat er said in a statement. “To the contrary, there could be legislation to further streamline and improve the primary purpose of the bill—to eliminate its costly regulations and Green New Deal requirements.”

At the campaign event, Williams – who is facing a tough challenge from Democratic state Sen. John Mannion – had stepped in to say he would “remind (Johnson) night and day how important the CHIPS Act is” as Micron prepares to break ground on a plant in New York.

Williams said in a statement later Friday that he “spoke privately with the Speaker immediately after the event. He apologized profusely, saying he misheard the question.”

The CHIPS and Science Act was passed in 2022 and will invest more than $200 billion over a five-year period to help the US regain a leading position in semiconductor chip manufacturing. The new funding was intended to help companies bring chip manufacturing back to the US and, as a result, help lower costs and prevent supply chain disruptions.

Earlier Friday, Johnson was asked by a reporter from Citrus TV News, “The former president has said that he doesn’t support the CHIPS and Sciences Act. You voted against it. If you have a Republican majority in Congress and Trump in the White House, will you guys try to repeal that law?”

“I expect that we probably will, but we haven’t developed that part of the agenda yet,” Johnson said. “We’ve got to get over the election first and that’s why we’re so happy to be in New York’s 22nd. Brandon Williams is one of the most important races in the country and that’s why Democrats are spending millions and millions and millions of dollars to try to unseat him.”

After Williams defended the CHIPS Act, which he described as “hugely impactful here,” Johnson then said, “When you have an issue where consensus is necessary to be built, ‘cause different states have different perspectives on these things, you have to have somebody who is a strong advocate for that legislation. People listen to Brandon Williams. If that is an important thing for your district, you need this guy there to make that case.”

Johnson later said his objection to the CHIPS Act was related to other programs that were included in the bill. “We’re going to support chip manufacturing, we do not support the Green New Deal. When you separate those two things, that makes it a whole lot simpler,” he said.

Democrats immediately pounced on the gaffe. The “Kamala HQ” account on X posted video of the exchange, and Mannion commented, “Trump wants to dismantle, Johnson is in lock-step, Williams calls it corporate welfare.”

“In Congress, I’ll defend CHIPS and Science and keep the investments coming home to (Central New York) and the Mohawk Valley,” Mannion wrote.

Williams was not yet in Congress when the bill passed but criticized it on the campaign trail in 2022.

Harris Blasts Mike Johnson for Spilling GOP Plan to Repeal Bipartisan Jobs Bill

Althea Legaspi and Ryan Bort
Sat, November 2, 2024


Vice President Kamala Harris blasted House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Saturday following his comment that the GOP may look to repeal the CHIPS and Science Act if they maintain control of Congress.

“I want to speak to the comments that have been recently made by the speaker of the House,” Harris told reporters in Milwaukee, according to NBC News. “It is just further evidence of everything that I’ve actually been talking about for months now, about [former President Donald] Trump’s intention to implement Project 2025.”

Johnson has spent the week before the election revealing his intention to take an axe to popular legislation next year. On Friday, while attending an event in New York with Rep. Brandon Williams (R-N.Y.) whose seat is vulnerable, Johnson was asked whether Republicans will seek to repeal the CHIPS Act, a bipartisan manufacturing and jobs bill President Joe Biden signed into law in 2022.

“I expect that we probably will,” Johnson said.

This put Williams in the awkward position to disagree with Johnson while standing beside him. “The CHIPS Act is hugely impactful here,” Williams said, vowing to “remind” Johnson “night and day” about the law’s significance.

Later, Johnson walked back his comment, saying in a statement: “As I have further explained and clarified, I fully support Micron coming to Central NY, and the CHIPS Act is not on the agenda for repeal. To the contrary, there could be legislation to further streamline and improve the primary purpose of the bill — to eliminate its costly regulations and Green New Deal requirements.”

Williams said in a statement that Johnson apologized and said “he misheard the question.”

Enacted in 2022, the CHIPS and Science Act, “establishes and provides funding for the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) for America Fund to carry out activities relating to the creation of incentives to produce semiconductors in the United States,” per the summary. The Commerce Department notes that the ACT has led to $53 billion in spending on semiconductors, $30 billion in private sector investments, 16 new semiconductor plants, and added more than 100,000 new manufacturing and construction jobs to date.

Earlier this week, Johnson said he wants take down the Affordable Care Act, the Obama-era health care law Trump and Republicans have been trying to repeal for years — without any plan to replace it. “No Obamacare,” Johnson said. “The ACA is so deeply ingrained, we need massive reform to make this work, and we got a lot of ideas on how to do that.”

Trump tried to distance himself from Johnson’s comments, which the House Speaker later tried to walk back by claiming that when he said the ACA was “deeply ingrained” he meant it should stay that way.

Democrats have been hitting Johnson and Republicans for their plans to take down both popular pieces of legislation. On Saturday, Harris continued to rail on Johnson’s comment about potentially repealing the CHIPS Act, saying that he only walked-back his initial statement “because it’s not popular, and their agenda is not popular.”



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“And that’s why people are showing up by the thousands, tens of thousands, to talk about an agenda that actually is focused on lifting them up,” she added.


Harris slams Speaker Johnson’s comments about CHIPS Act

Juliann Ventura
Sat, November 2, 2024 


Vice President Harris took a swipe at Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) Friday evening, after Johnson said on the campaign trail that he would “probably” move to try to repeal the CHIPS and Science Act.

The Republican leader later backtracked on the comment, clarifying in a joint statement with Rep. Brandon Williams (R-N.Y.) that he “misheard” the question.

“Let’s be clear why he walked it back. Because it’s not popular,” Harris told reporters Friday in Milwaukee. “And their agenda is not popular.”



The Harris campaign also released a statement Friday slamming the Speaker’s comments.

Harris-Walz rapid response director Ammar Moussa also released a statement on Friday, slamming the speaker’s comments.

“His and Donald Trump’s closing argument is clear: cut billions in key investments, ship American jobs overseas, and end the Affordable Care Act,” Ammar Moussa, Harris’s rapid response director, said in the statement.

“Vice President Harris is running to bring manufacturing jobs back to America and make us competitive globally, Moussa added. “The only way to guarantee these Republicans never get a chance to repeal these laws that are creating jobs and saving Americans money is to elect her President.”

The comments come after Williams, a vulnerable member this election cycle, seemed to awkwardly contradict Johnson when asked about the legislation — signed into law by President Biden in 2022 — which seeks to strengthen domestic chip manufacturing and finance scientific research to boost U.S. competitiveness.

“No. Obviously, the CHIPS Act is hugely impactful here,” Williams said during the event. “My job is to keep lobbying on my side. That’s why I crossed the aisle and supported many things against leadership. But that’s our partnership, that’s how we’re going to get through it.”

Despite the “clarification,” Democrats have been quick to feature Johnson’s comments into their campaign messaging.

Harris, according to reporting from The Associated Press, has also criticized the Louisiana Republican for suggesting the GOP could cut semiconductor manufacturing investments.

“It is my plan and intention to continue to invest in American manufacturing,” Harris told reporters in Milwaukee, per the AP.

The Hill has contacted Johnson’s press office for comment.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


Speaker of the House ‘apologized profusely’ for saying he’d ‘probably will’ try to repeal CHIPS Act

Andrew Donovan
Fri, November 1, 2024 


SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — Congressman Brandon Williams says Speaker of the House Mike Johnson “apologized profusely” for comments threatening the landmark legislation credited with attracting Micron to Central New York.

When asked if he, President Donald Trump and a Republican majority in Congress would repeal the CHIPS and Science Act, Johnson said: “I expect that we probably will.”

Standing next to the speaker, Congressman Brandon Williams shared a different position, saying he would not vote in favor of repealing the law.

Williams said: “Obviously, the CHIPS Act is hugely impactful here and my job is to keep lobbying on my side.”

Putting his hand on Johnson’s back, Williams said, “I will remind him night and day how important the CHIPS Act is and that we break ground on Micron.”

“People listen to Brandon Williams,” said Speaker Johnson. “If that’s an important thing for your district, you need this guy there to make that case.”

Johnson’s comments were made when he took questions from reporters after speaking alongside Congressman Williams at a rally of about 200 supporters at the CNY Regional Market.

Within an hour, the Williams campaign was working to clarify the Speaker’s comments.

Congressman Brandon Williams said, “I spoke privately with the Speaker immediately after the event. He apologized profusely, saying he misheard the question. He clarified his comments on the spot and I trust local media to play his full comments on supporting repatriation of chips manufacturing to America.”

At the event, Johnson said, “It is so important for national security, and onshoring chips manufacturing here, this district being central to that — we want to do that. You’ll have 100% agreement by President Trump and all the Republicans in Congress. What we were opposed to in that bill was that it had too much crammed into it.”

In a written statement after, forwarded by the Williams Campaign, Speaker Mike Johnson said, “As I have further explained and clarified, I fully support Micron coming to Central NY, and the CHIPS Act is not on the agenda for repeal. To the contrary, there could be legislation to further streamline and improve the primary purpose of the bill-to eliminate its costly regulations and Green New Deal requirements.”

Knowing former President Donald Trump also trashed the CHIPS legislation on a podcast last week, Governor Kathy Hochul said she’d defend the project regardless of what happens on Election Day.

“Every other state wanted Micron,” said the governor, “we secured what is now the largest private sector investment in American history, going on right now and he dare say that it’s a bad program. So is he basically saying he’d rather semiconductor chips be manufactured in China?”

Hochul said: “If he becomes the president, which I do not foresee at all, that’s my prediction, do not foresee that, I will work with anyone to make sure he does not stop this critical project.”
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Biden Says 'Not A Single, Solitary Republican' Helped Him And Harris Save Workers' Pensions

Dave Jamieson
Fri, November 1, 2024

President Joe Biden reminded Pennsylvanians on Friday that he, Vice President Kamala Harris and other Democrats safeguarded more than 1 million people’s pensions without any help from the GOP.

Visiting a union hall in Philadelphia, Biden and local union leaders highlighted the American Rescue Plan of 2021 and how it funded union pension plans that were facing insolvency. The pensions of an estimated 1.2 million workers and retirees have been protected from cuts due to the legislation.

It was no accident that the event took place in Pennsylvania, perhaps the most critical of battleground states for Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, and for her opponent, former President Donald Trump. Democrats have worried about Harris’ strength with the kind of blue-collar union voters whose pensions were backstopped by the bill.

Biden made sure anyone listening knew that the pension rescue got no Republican backing when Democrats muscled it through Congress over three years ago as part of a larger, pandemic-era stimulus package. It passed on a party-line vote in the Senate, with Harris casting a tie-breaker at a critical juncture for the bill.

The president said the vote underscored the hyperpartisan nature of Congress these days.

“We used to have real differences in the Senate. But at least when the critical things, we ended up getting together. But not anymore,” Biden said. “This is a different deal we’re working with. Not a single, solitary Republican in the House or the Senate, not one, voted to help with the pensions. Not one single one.”

“It’s the way things have gotten,” he added. “It’s wrong.”



President Joe Biden speaks about his administration's support for unions in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. TING SHEN/AFP via Getty Images

He said that he and Harris “worked like hell” to include the pension rescue, known as the Butch Lewis Act, as part of the American Rescue Plan, and theorized that some Republicans would have voted for it but were afraid to cross party leaders.

“I believe a lot of those Republicans who voted no thought it was wrong. But they’re afraid to vote the right way,” Biden said.

The legislation provided an estimated $74 billion to $91 billion to shore up troubled multiemployer pension plans, which are funds that employers pay into under collective bargaining agreements. The funds can run into trouble when union membership declines over time, with more retirees drawing down benefits and fewer contributions going in on behalf of active workers.

The White House said Pennsylvania is home to an estimated 65,000 of the workers and retirees helped by the legislation. The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp., a government-run entity that insures multiemployer pension plans, said Friday it had approved an application to pump $684 million into a plan covering 29,000 workers and retirees in the service sector.

The pension rescue became something of a campaign story after the International Brotherhood of Teamsters’ executive board declined to make an endorsement in the presidential race. The Teamsters had the largest pension plan saved from cuts, and so the decision not to back Harris angered many members and labor allies

John Pishko, a retired Teamster from western Pennsylvania, spoke at the Philadelphia event about how the legislation helped save his retirement. He said he was set to lose 30% of his pension benefit, or about $1,000 a month, before Democrats stepped in with the bailout.

“That’s a pretty substantial cut to any working man,” Pishko said. “It was devastating.”

He had assumed he would “never” be able to stave off those cuts.

“It matters when you have a president and vice president who has your back,” he said.


Biden visits Philadelphia to tout American Rescue Plan funding to save service workers’ pensions

Kim Lyons
Sat, November 2, 2024 


President Joe Biden, center, gets his picture taken with supporters shortly after giving a speech at the United Steelworkers Headquarters in downtown Pittsburgh on Wednesday, April 17, 2024. (Steve Mellon/Pittsburgh Union Progress)

The Biden administration on Friday announced that looming cuts for United Food and Commercial Workers’ (UFCW) pensions across Pennsylvania have been averted, after receiving special funding from the American Rescue Plan Act.

President Joe Biden was in Philadelphia Friday to tout the $684.4 million that the UFCW Tri-State Plan, which covers more than 29,000 service industry workers, will receive from the Special Financial Assistance (SFA) program. The pension plan was projected to become insolvent in 2028, meaning reductions to the workers’ monthly pension benefits of 15%.

The SFA was enacted as part of the American Rescue Plan, a $1.9 trillion stimulus bill Biden signed in 2021. As of Nov. 1, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp (PBGC) has approved $69.5 billion in SFA funds to pension plans that cover about 1.2 million workers, retirees, and beneficiaries, according to the White House.

John Dean of King of Prussia, a member of UFCW 1776 for 36 years, said Friday in Philadelphia that as shop steward for the union at the Acme market where he works he would get questions from members about the pension plan. “After going to a few meetings and gathering information, I had the answers, and they weren’t good,” Dean said.

He learned the pension plan was headed toward insolvency and saw little hope of a fix with Republicans controlling Congress and the White House. But after Biden was elected, and passed the American Rescue Plan in 2021, “and it was life changing for our members and their families. Thanks to the Biden Harris administration, our pension, which was on the verge of being insolvent by 2026 is now secure into the 2050s,” he said.

Biden reminded the gathering at the Sprinkler Fitters Local 692 in Northeast Philadelphia on Friday that the legislation that made the pension protection possible was named for the late Teamster Butch Lewis, who fought to protect union retirees’ benefits.



“Before the Butch Lewis Act became the law of the land, union workers and retirees faced cuts of up to 70% or more of the retirement benefits through no fault of their own,” Biden said. He noted that no Congressional Republicans had voted for the American Rescue Plan. “But now [union workers] know because of what we’ve done, we see the full amount of the pensions they worked hard for, and they’ll receive it.”

Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su told the Capital-Star in an interview that many of the affected supermarket workers are part of the sandwich generation taking care of children and parents. “These are, if not our own family members they are our friends and neighbors,” she said. “These are people that we see doing the hard work, and they make sure that we have food on our tables, and making sure they have their retirement is about ensuring they get food on theirs.”

During the stop in Philadelphia, Biden called out U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) who he said had “championed” the Butch Lewis Act.

“Workers are the backbone of our Commonwealth and thanks to the American Rescue Plan, tens of thousands of families can continue relying on their pensions without worrying that their plans may be cut,” Casey said in a statement. “I fought for this fix because I know how critical pensions are to the futures of thousands of Pennsylvania families, and how scary it was for those families to face the possibility of the rug being pulled out from underneath them.”

Biden makes historic visit to metro Detroit picket line to rally with striking auto workers

Biden said he was proud to be considered the “most pro-union president in history,” something he pushed during his brief reelection bid. He was the first sitting president to walk a picket line when he joined United Auto Workers in Michigan last year during their strike against the Big Three American auto companies.

According to the White House, Pennsylvania has the second-highest number of people who had their pensions saved under Biden, at 65,000. Michigan tops the list, at 80,000, and Wisconsin is third, at 33,000.

All three are key “Blue Wall” swing states that both presidential candidates have campaigned in relentlessly, and will continue to do so up until the eve of the election. Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, will visit Allentown, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia on Monday, and former President DOnald Trump, the GOP nominee, has rallies planned in Reading and Pittsburgh the same day.
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What to know about changes to Mexico's Constitution that prohibit court challenges to amendments

MARÍA VERZA
Fri, November 1, 2024 

President Claudia Sheinbaum speaks on her inauguration day after being sworn in at Congress in Mexico City, Oct. 1, 2024. 
(AP Photo/Fernando Llano, File)

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico's federal and state legislatures, all dominated by the ruling Morena party, have passed amendments to the Constitution that prohibit courts from challenging any Constitutional reforms.

In the past, courts in Mexico had been able to rule on whether a new reform violated existing precepts in the Constitution or international treaties that Mexico has signed.

But starting Friday, the changes will grant immunity from challenge to any amendment passed by two-thirds majorities in Congress and two-thirds of state legislatures.

The ruling Morena party says courts shouldn't be able to place themselves above elected bodies, but critics say the new measures weaken checks and balances and eliminate people's recourse to argue violations of their rights in court.

Why was the reform passed?

The Morena party, founded by former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, was angered by courts blocking some of his key policies.

For example, when López Obrador tried to pass laws giving state-owned utilities a majority market share, courts ruled that violated the Constitution's requirement for free competition. López Obrador left office on Sept. 30, but fellow party member President Claudia Sheinbaum, who took office Oct. 1, has vowed to continue all of his policies.

What was the law before?

While it was always unclear whether judges could rule that parts of the Constitution violated other parts of the Constitution, it was also accepted that certain precepts like human rights or international treaties stood above all other principles. Now it is not clear whether there is any avenue — apart from going to international tribunals — to appeal.

Why are critics upset?

Endowed with two-thirds majorities in both houses of Congress, the ruling Morena party has pushed through a whirlwind of Constitutional changes, including militarizing federal law enforcement, sometimes in a matter of hours, with almost no discussion and very little time for legislators to even read the changes

Critics say that Mexico's judiciary — even though it has had problems with corruption, nepotism and inefficiency in the past — is the only branch of government that Morena doesn't control, and so the ruling party wants to weaken it.

That leaves any party that controls the presidency and legislative branch essentially able to approve any changes they want, including potentially declaring Mexico a monarchy, according to Georgina de la Fuente of the non-governmental group Latin American Observatory on Political Reforms.

What else has changed?

The ruling party has already pushed through a Constitutional reform that will make all judges, right up to the Supreme Court, stand for election.

Opponents say that will not only open the way for party-line votes on court positions, but also open the possibility that the country’s powerful drug cartels will get their own candidates elected as judges, because someone will have to pay for all those election campaigns.

Critics are also upset about the minimal requirements for candidates for judgeships, including letters of recommendation from neighbors, a 4 out of 5 minimum grade point average in law school and a few years of undefined “legal experience.” That compares to the sort of civil-service type of advancement system currently in place, where judges are appointed after serving in supporting court positions for years.

Can the reform be blocked?

Mexico's Supreme Court could hear arguments against the Constitutional reform, but it's not clear if they will have grounds to do so, and anyway, almost all the justices have said they will tender their resignations in August because of the new rules saying judges must be elected.

The new reform also has a sort of retroactive effect, so that it basically cancels legal appeals filed by court employees who feel their rights were violated by the reform to elect judges. Many of those court employees have spent decades working their way up the civil service system, in hopes of one day being judges.

How is this different from other countries?

The changes put Mexico in unknown territory. In many countries, people can file appeals alleging that specific laws or Constitutional amendments have violated their rights or their interests. While few court challenges have ever overturned Constitutional amendments, they can affect the interpretation of those amendments. And while some countries, like the United States, elect judges at the lower or local level, almost nobody has ever wiped their slate of federal judges clean and held hundreds — perhaps thousands — of elections for new judges within a short period of time.

____

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america




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A REACTIONARY TORY

Who is Kemi Badenoch, the first Black woman to lead Britain's Conservative Party?

JILL LAWLESS
Sat, November 2, 2024

Britain's Member of Parliament Kemi Badenoch, smiles as she poses for the media after being elected as the new leader of the opposition Conservative Party, in London, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)ASSOCIATED PRESS

 Conservative leadership candidate Kemi Badenoch addresses members during the Conservative Party Conference at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham, England, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)


LONDON (AP) — The first Black woman to lead a major U.K. political party, Kemi Badenoch is an upbeat and outspoken libertarian who thinks the British state is broken — and that she's the one to fix it with smaller government and radical new ideas.

The new leader of Britain’s right-of-center Conservative Party was born Olukemi Adegoke in London in 1980 to well-off Nigerian parents — a doctor and an academic — and spent much of her childhood in the West African country.

She has said that the experience of Nigeria’s economic and social upheavals shaped her political outlook.

“I grew up somewhere where the lights didn’t come on, where we ran out of fuel frequently despite being an oil-producing country,” Badenoch told the BBC last week.

“I don’t take what we have in this country for granted,” she said. “I meet a lot of people who assume that things are good here because things are good here and they always will be. They don’t realize just how much work and sacrifice was required in order to get that.”

Returning to the U.K. aged 16 during a period of turmoil in Nigeria, she worked part-time at McDonalds while completing school, then studied computer systems engineering at the University of Sussex. She later got a law degree and worked in financial services.

In 2012, she married banker Hamish Badenoch, with whom she has three children.

She was elected to the London Assembly in 2015 and to Parliament in 2017. She held a series of government posts in the 2019-22 government of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, before becoming part of a mass ministerial exodus in July 2022 over a series of ethics scandals that triggered Johnson’s downfall.

Badenoch ran unsuccessfully to succeed Johnson, boosting her profile in the process. She was appointed trade secretary in the 49-day government of Prime Minister Liz Truss, and business secretary under Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

She held onto her seat in Parliament in July's national election, which saw the Labour Party win a huge majority and the Conservatives reduced to 121 lawmakers in the 650-seat House of Commons.

Like many Conservatives, Badenoch idolizes Margaret Thatcher, the party’s first female leader, who transformed Britain with her free-market policies in the 1980s. Citing her engineering background as evidence she’s a problem-solver, she depicts herself as a disruptor, arguing for a low-tax, free-market economy and pledging to “rewire, reboot and reprogram” the British state.

A critic of multiculturalism and self-proclaimed enemy of wokeness, Badenoch is an opponent of “identity politics,” gender-neutral bathrooms and government plans to reduce U.K. carbon emissions.

Supporters think her charismatic, outspoken style is just what the Conservative Party needs to come back from its worst-ever election defeat. During her leadership campaign, her backers wore T-shirts urging: “Be more Kemi.”

Critics say Badenoch has clashed with colleagues and civil servants and has a tendency to make rash statements and provoke unnecessary fights. During the leadership campaign she drew criticism for saying that “not all cultures are equally valid,” and for suggesting that maternity pay was excessive — though she later backtracked on that claim.

“I do speak my mind,” she told the BBC. “And I tell the truth.”




Kemi Badenoch Becomes UK Conservative Party Leader, Beating Robert Jenrick In Final Vote

Caroline Frost
Sat, November 2, 2024 at 5:17 AM MDT



Kemi Badenoch has become the UK Conservative Party leader, beating her colleague Robert Jenrick in the final vote, to become the first Black leader of a British national political party.

Badenoch previously engaged in a social media war of words with Doctor Who star David Tennant. She said she “wasn’t afraid of Doctor Who” after the pair clashed on trans rights.

Badenoch won by more than 10,000 votes from a total poll of more than 130,000. Party members across the country voted in the contest, which followed the Tory party defeat in the UK general election this summer, after which defeated prime minister Rishi Sunak said he would stand down.

Conservative Party chairman Richard Fuller introduced the conference to announce the result in London 11am Saturday morning. He stressed that the party, currently in opposition, must unite in addressing the country’s needs. 1922 committee chairman Bob Blackman then announced the winner of the leadership campaign.

Early favourite James Cleverly was defeated earlier in the contest



Rise of Kemi Badenoch – from childhood in Nigeria to leader of the Conservative Party

Ethan Croft
Sat, November 2, 2024 at 6:14 AM MDT


Kemi Badenoch has been elected the new leader of the Conservative Party - David Rose for The Telegraph



Kemi Badenoch’s victory in the Conservative Party leadership contest marks a number of milestones in British political history.

She is the first black woman to lead a major political party and only the second woman to serve as permanent Leader of the Opposition after Margaret Thatcher.

Most strikingly, perhaps, Mrs Badenoch is the first major party leader to identify as a “first generation immigrant”.

Mrs Badenoch and her husband Hamish have two daughters and a son - Jenny Goodall/Shutterstock

She was born Olukemi Olufunto Adegoke in Britain in January 1980 after her Nigerian parents travelled to a specialist maternity hospital in south London to receive private healthcare.



After their daughter was born, the Adegokes returned to Nigeria where Mrs Badenoch grew up.

But because she was born in Britain before a Thatcher-era change to citizenship laws, Olukemi, known as “Kemi”, later found she was able to claim British citizenship, a discovery she has likened to finding out she possessed one of Willy Wonka’s “Golden Tickets”.

Kemi (pictured second left, with brother Fola, sister lola and mother Feyi) is the oldest of three children

Mrs Badenoch visiting McDonald’s headquarters, a company for whom she worked when she was studying A-levels in London - Jeff Gilbert/Alamy

In 1996, during one of the country’s periodic political and economic crises, she returned to Britain aged 16 to live with a family friend in Wimbledon and study A-levels while working part-time in McDonald’s.

Mrs Badenoch has described her childhood in Lagos, Nigeria’s largest city, as “middle-class” when compared to her “very poor” surroundings. Her father Femi worked in the city as a GP while her mother Feyi was a professor of physiology at the University of Lagos


“Being middle class in Nigeria still meant having no running water or electricity, sometimes taking your own chair to school,” she has said.

In her maiden speech as an MP she described “living without electricity and doing my homework by candlelight, because the state electricity board could not provide power, and fetching water in heavy, rusty buckets from a borehole a mile away, because the nationalised water company could not get water out of the taps.”

Mrs Badenoch has recalled doing manual labour as part of her high school education. “Mostly it meant getting up at 5am and cutting grass endlessly. Everyone had their own machete. Because that’s how you cut grass in Africa. There were no lawn mowers. We had to tend our own patches. I still feel as if I have got the blisters.”

She has said the blight of corruption in the Nigeria of her childhood helped form her political opinions. Mrs Badenoch also remembers being inspired by Margaret Thatcher as a girl, when she was often prohibited from participating in certain school activities because of her sex.

Mrs Badenoch and her husband Hamish with Theresa May, the former Conservative Party leader - Instagram

After taking A-levels in maths, biology and chemistry, she embarked on a computer systems engineering course at Sussex University.

She joined the Conservative Party in 2005, partly because of her irritation with the “stupid Lefty white kids” she encountered at university.

Mrs Badenoch met her husband, investment banker Hamish Badenoch, in her local south London Conservative association in 2009.

Mrs Badenoch with her husband Hamish after the party leadership result was announced on Saturday - Eddie Mulholland for The Telegraph

He was a member of the association which selected her as a parliamentary candidate in the 2010 general election. She came third in the Dulwich and West Norwood seat, losing out to Labour grandee Tessa Jowell.

The pair struck up a friendship after realising they had been born in the same Wimbledon hospital and soon became a couple. They married in 2012 at a Catholic church in Mayfair, before travelling to Lagos for a traditional Nigerian wedding ceremony. They have two daughters and a son.

Mr Badenoch was elected as a Conservative councillor in 2014 and served until 2018. Reportedly, the couple had an understanding that whichever one of them achieved national office first would take the lead with their political career, while the other would carry on in their non-political job.

She worked at Coutts Bank and The Spectator before being elected as a Conservative member of the London Assembly in 2015 and later Tory MP for Saffron Walden in 2017. Mr Badenoch continues to work in banking.

Telegraph readers on Kemi Badenoch’s victory: ‘She will give Starmer a headache’

Lorna Perry
Sat, November 2, 2024 

Kemi Badenoch delivers a speech in London after she was announced as the new Conservative Party leader - Andy Rain/Shuttershock

After 14-and-a half-weeks of intense campaigning, Kemi Badenoch has officially won the Conservative Party leadership race.

It is “time to get down to business” and “renew” the Conservatives and Britain, Mrs Badenoch said in her acceptance speech.

She told party supporters: “The task that stands before us is tough but simple. Our first responsibility as His Majesty’s Loyal Opposition is to hold this Labour Government to account.

“Our second is no less important, it is to prepare over the course of the next few years for government, to ensure that by the time of the election, we have not just a clear set of Conservative pledges that appeal to the British people, but a clear plan for how to implement them.”

Mrs Badenoch’s campaign centred on “first principles”, including family, freedom and personal responsibility, instead of policies, claiming it is too early to put forward a detailed offering.

On July 5, former prime minister Rishi Sunak announced he would be stepping down as leader of the Conservatives.

Six candidates entered the race to become the next party leader: Priti Patel, Mel Stride, Tom Tugendhat, James Cleverly, Robert Jenrick and Kemi Badenoch. on Saturday, Mrs Badenoch has been chosen as the face of the party’s future.



Mrs Badenoch now confronts the dual task of uniting a party that has been marred by in-fighting over the past three years and reviving the Tories’s electoral fortunes after they slumped to a historic defeat at the general election in July.

In light of the announcement, Telegraph readers have, in turn, been weighing in on Mrs Badenoch’s victory. From a resurgence of hope for change to concerns about her stance on immigration, here’s what you have had to say on the Tory leadership race result.
‘A little bit of Thatcher about her’

Many readers expressed enthusiasm for the result, voicing high expectations for her ability to take on Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister.

Reader Richard Schrader said: “Kemi will eviscerate Starmer. She is the right person to lead the opposition. There is no need to come up with policies until nearer the next election. The job right now is to oppose and it needs to be someone who can bring some aggression to the job.”

CP added: “She will give Starmer a headache. She is more of a realist in terms of policy and does not promise what she knows would be undeliverable.”

Chris Green was equally impressed: “Watched the speech – she hit all the right notes. Measured, balanced and to the point, with a presence that holds attention. She has a little bit of star quality, and a little bit of Thatcher about her. If she keeps this up, she’ll be a success.”

A few Reform voters shared how Mrs Badenoch’s fighting spirit could convert them back to being Conservative supporters.

John Dawkins said: “She has the fighting spirit and intelligence to tackle this enormous task. I’m a Reform voter at present, but look forward to the next couple of years in the battle to rebuild the Right.”

Jo Hunn echoed a similar sentiment: “Seems like a good choice to me – common sense, no-nonsense and she will wipe the floor with Starmer at PMQs. I voted Reform at the last election, but I will watch this with interest.”




‘Last nail in the coffin of Conservatives’

Some readers voiced deep disappointment, predicting that her leadership will push the Tories closer to extinction and affirming their loyalty to Reform.

Mike Noel argued: “Kemi is not radical enough to get the Tories back on track. The Conservatives betrayed the British people with their unConservative policies and she was party to this core group: all the more reason to vote Reform.”

Peter Marsh felt that Mrs Badenoch was “the last nail in the coffin of the Conservative party”.



He added: “A very sad day indeed. Farage must be in stitches. I bet he can’t believe his luck.”

Charles Swan congratulated Mrs Badenoch but continued: “I won’t be voting Tories next time. It is no longer the party it was.”

Jim Bale also weighed in: “I like her and she’s their best shot but the party is still dominated by people who aren’t what I would class as Conservative and I’m afraid I’ve already gone to Reform.”
‘The Tories are toast’

Mrs Badenoch’s commitment to remaining in the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) is a key reason many are choosing to stay with Reform UK.

JP Jones expressed disappointment: “Bad news for the country. Another globalist at the helm of a main party. This will not bring Reform voters back into the fold given her pro-immigration stance. This will make it harder to get rid of Starmer.”



Richard Russell agreed, saying: “Well, that’s it, folks, the Tories are toast. They’ve crowned another leader who’s all-in on mass migration and hard net zero, so why not just cut the charade and merge with Labour? Honestly, they haven’t been Right-wing for decades now. The only true Right-wing option left is Reform UK.”

Paul Jones argued: “The ‘one nation’ Tories will now be out of government for at least a decade. Already Kemi’s mentor, Gove in the Spectator, is pushing to stay in the ECHR.

“Leaving the ECHR and towing the boats back to France, minimising legal migration, scrapping ‘net zero’, protecting free speech, etc, will only come from Reform. Let us see what happens in the local elections next year.”
‘The figures themselves speak of failure’

Several Telegraph readers saw the low voter turnout as a clear sign of dwindling Conservative support.



Joe Pendlebury said: “The figures themselves speak of failure – less than ten per cent of the membership of earlier years. Conservatives have moved to Reform.”

Ivan Milatovic added: “You had 141,000 people voting two years ago. That is now down to 95,000. Mr Sunak won more votes when he lost than Mrs Badenoch did. If that is not a sign of a party in huge trouble, I don’t know what is.”

P Lamb shared a similar sentiment: “Two years ago, Truss got 81,000 votes and Sunak 60,000 votes. Now Badenoch wins with 53,000 votes. The figures suggest that the Conservatives are a declining force, possibly terminally.”

Mr Melchett didn’t think the figures were ‘exactly sparkling’. He argued: “Only a 72 per cent turnout and a far closer winning margin than you might have expected given the press. The party is potentially still divided quite heavily and appealing to both sides is her first and probably hardest job.”


UK Conservatives pick Kemi Badenoch as new leader, first Black woman to head a big British party

JILL LAWLESS
AP
Updated Sat, November 2, 2024 

Britain's Member of Parliament Kemi Badenoch speaks after being elected as the new leader of the opposition Conservative Party, in London, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)ASSOCIATED PRESS

Britain's Member of Parliament Kemi Badenoch, speaks after being elected as the new leader of the opposition Conservative Party, in London, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)ASSOCIATED PRESS

Britain's Member of Parliament Kemi Badenoch, right, poses with her husband Hamish Badenoch for the cameras after being elected as the new leader of the opposition Conservative Party, in London, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)


LONDON (AP) — Outspoken, right-leaning lawmaker Kemi Badenoch was named leader of Britain's opposition Conservatives on Saturday, as the party tries to rebound from a crushing election defeat that ended its 14 years in power.

The first Black woman to lead a major British political party, Badenoch (pronounced BADE-enock) has pledged to bring the right-of-center Tories “renewal” by pushing for a smaller state and rejecting identity politics.

Badenoch defeated rival candidate Robert Jenrick in an online and postal ballot of party members, securing 57% of the almost 100,000 votes cast, to Jenrick's 43%.


Badenoch, 44, replaces former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who in July led the Conservatives to their worst election result since 1832.

The new leader’s daunting challenge is to restore the party’s reputation after years of division, scandal and economic tumult, hammer Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s policies on key issues including the economy and immigration, and return the Conservatives to power at the next election, due by 2029.

“The task that stands before us is tough but simple,” Badenoch said in a victory speech to a roomful of Conservative lawmakers, staff and journalists in London. She said the party's job was to hold the Labour government to account, and to craft pledges and a plan for government.

Addressing the party's election drubbing, she said “we have to be honest — honest about the fact that we made mistakes, honest about the fact that we let standards slip.”



“The time has come to tell the truth, to stand up for our principles, to plan for our future, to reset our politics and our thinking, and to give our party, and our country, the new start that they deserve," Badenoch said.

A business secretary in Sunak's government, Badenoch was born in London to Nigerian parents and spent much of her childhood in the West African country.

The former software engineer depicts herself as a disruptor, arguing for a low-tax, free-market economy and pledging to “rewire, reboot and reprogram” the British state. Like her rival Jenrick, she has criticized multiculturalism and called for lower immigration, though unlike him she has not demanded that Britain leave the European Convention on Human Rights.

A self-proclaimed enemy of wokeness, Badenoch opposes identity politics, gender-neutral bathrooms and government plans to reduce U.K. carbon emissions. During the leadership campaign she drew criticism for saying that “not all cultures are equally valid,” and for suggesting that maternity pay was excessive.

Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London, said the Conservative Party was likely to “swing towards the right both in terms of its economic policies and its social policies” under Badenoch.

He predicted Badenoch would pursue "what you might call the boats, boilers and bathrooms strategy .... focusing very much on the trans issue, the immigration issue and skepticism about progress towards net zero.”

While the Conservative Party is unrepresentative of the country as a whole — its dwindling membership of 132,000 is largely made up of affluent, older white men – its upper echelons have become markedly more diverse.

Badenoch is the Tories’ fourth female leader, after Margaret Thatcher, Theresa May and Liz Truss, all of whom became prime minister. She’s the second Conservative leader of color, after Sunak, and the first with African roots. The center-left Labour Party has a more diverse membership but has only ever been led by white men.

In a leadership contest that lasted more than three months, Conservative lawmakers reduced the field from six candidates in a series of votes before putting the final two to the wider party membership.

Both finalists came from the right of the party, and argued they could win voters back from Reform U.K., the hard-right, anti-immigrant party led by populist politician Nigel Farage that has eaten away at Conservative support.

But the party also lost many voters to the winning party, Labour, and to the centrist Liberal Democrats, and some Conservatives worry that tacking right will lead the party away from public opinion.

Starmer's government has had a rocky first few months in office, beset by negative headlines, fiscal gloom and a plummeting approval rating.

But Bale said that the historical record suggests the odds are against Badenoch leading the Conservatives back to power in 2029.

“It’s quite unusual for someone to take over when a party gets very badly beaten and manage to lead it to election victory," he said. "However, Keir Starmer did exactly that after 2019. So records are there to be broken.”




Who is Kemi Badenoch? Former business secretary elected Conservative Party leader

Rachael Burford,William Mata,Sian Baldwin and Tamara Davison
Sat, November 2, 2024 

Who is Kemi Badenoch? Former business secretary elected Conservative Party leader



Kemi Badenoch has won the Conservative Party leadership election, defeating Robert Jenrick in the final run off.

The former Business Secretary received 53,806 votes among party members, while her rival secured 41,388.

She will now lead HM opposition, taking over from departing party leader Rishi Sunak - who announced he would step down following the party losing power in July.

The North West Essex MP and former London Assembly member has been seen as being on the right of the party and has had a fast rise to the top.



Her immediate challenge is to unite her party after the at times fractious leadership contest

She becomes the first black woman to lead a major British political party.

Here is her story.


Kemi Badenoch defeated Robert Jenrick ((Stefan Rousseau/PA))
What is Kemi Badenoch’s political background?

Born in Wimbledon, the 44-year-old lived in the US and Nigeria as a child before returning to the UK aged 16. Her father, Femi Adegoke, was a GP and her mother, Feyi Adegoke, was a professor of physiology.

She has talked about working at McDonald’s while studying for her A-levels in Morden, south London.

After graduating from the University of Sussex with a master's degree in computer systems engineering, she worked for companies including the Royal Bank of Scotland and private bank Coutts, as well as the Spectator magazine.

She joined the Conservative Party in 2005, aged 25. Five years later, she stood as the Tory candidate in Dulwich and West Norwood, coming third in the vote won by Labour's Tessa Jowell.

Then in September 2015 she joined the London Assembly, retaining her seat at the 2016 election. She became the London Tory spokeswoman for the economy and also sat on the transport committee and policing and crime committee.

She backed the Vote Leave campaign in 2016 and at the following year’s election she she stood in the safe Conservative seat of Saffron Walden in Essex and was elected to Parliament.

She is married to banker Hamish Badenoch with whom she has three children.


Born in Wimbledon, Ms Badenoch lived in the US and Nigeria as a child before returning to the UK aged 16 (PA Wire)
Kemi Badenoch’s rise through the Tory ranks

Ms Badenoch has had a long career within the Conservative Party and has been tipped consistently for big things.

She has served as international trade secretary before taking up her current role as business and trade secretary and in 2022, she put herself forward to replace former prime minister Boris Johnson as a “fresh face” for the Tories.

Ms Badenoch showed her right-wing credentials by standing on an anti-woke and small government platform.

More than a dozen Tory colleagues, including Michael Gove, backed her bid but, she ultimately lost to Liz Truss in the leadership campaign, finishing fourth.

She then went on to serve as international trade secretary from September 2022 to February 2023 and minister for women and equalities.

When the Tories lost power at the July general election, Ms Badenoch became shadow secretary of state for housing, communities and local government.
Kemi Badenoch’s controversies

Ms Badenoch has rubbed people up the wrong way, with Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle and actor David Tennant both expressing frustration with her tone.

She was also criticised for publicly shaming journalist Nadine White in 2021. The HuffPost reporter had asked the then equalities minister’s office about suggestions Ms Badenoch had refused to participate in a video featuring black cross-party politicians seeking to promote the Covid-19 vaccination.

Screenshots of Ms White’s two emails were shared on Twitter by Ms Badenoch, who branded them “creepy and bizarre”. Labour called for an investigation and Ms White said the MP’s actions set a dangerous precedent, threatening the role of a free press.

Ms Badenoch also admitted hacking Harriet Harman’s website in 2008 as part of a “foolish prank”. She guessed the Labour MP’s password and then posted a hoax blog post claiming that the then-minister for women and equality supported Boris Johnson in the London elections.

During her time as minister for women and equalities she challenged the Equality Act and has furthered her criticism in her latest leadership campaign by saying “two tier policing” was softer on protesters for progressive causes and racial minorities in recent riots.


Tory leadership candidate Kemi Badenoch walks with her team through the Birmingham International Conference Centre (PA Wire)

In an online rally, she said: “I think that one of the things we need to strongly emphasise is equality under the law.

“There are too many people who have misinterpreted the Equality Act and think that there are different groups which are protected in different ways. That is not true.

“It is one of the things that has fed a lot of the discontent within communities, whether they’re complaining about two-tier policing or about the equality law being misapplied. You see it, whether it’s in the battles between women and trans rights activists, between different religions, between men and women, between black and white.”

Ms Badenoch attracted criticism for not attending a Conservative leadership husting in Yarm, North Yorkshire on August 17 because she was on holiday.

A supporter of one of her rivals said her non-appearance showed she did not value the region enough, pointing out that the event was the sole one being held in the north.

At the Conservative Party Conference she made headlines for suggesting one in ten civil servants should be arrested for being terrible at their jobs and describing maternity pay as “excessive”.
One senior Tory MP told the Standard that Ms Badenoch could be an exciting leader, but some were concerned about her imploding.

“We know she’s Mrs T,” they said. “We just haven’t worked out if that’s Thatcher or Truss.”

Having announced her bid to lead her party with an article in the Times where she said the last administration “talked right and governed left” she has tried to maximise her appeal to those who may have been tempted to vote for Reform UK at the general election.

Ms Badenoch made headlines during the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham when she described maternity pay as “excessive” and said five to 10 per cent of civil servants should “be in prison”.
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CHE WOULD BE PROUD

Armed group kidnaps more than 200 military personnel and seizes base in central Bolivia

Mitchell McCluskey and Mauricio Torres, CNN
Sat, November 2, 2024 at 2:42 PM MDT·2 min read


An armed group has taken control of a military post in central Bolivia and is holding more than 200 personnel hostage.

The Bolivian military said Friday that an “irregular armed group” had kidnapped military personnel and seized weapons and ammunition from the base situated near the central Bolivian city of Cochabamba. The Bolivian Foreign Ministry said more than 200 military personnel had been taken hostage during the incident.

Bolivian president Luis Arce said that the armed group was “affiliated” with former president Evo Morales, but did not offer evidence for the claim. CNN has reached out to Morales’ team for comment.

The armed forces urged the group to leave the barracks “immediately and peacefully,” emphasizing that these actions would be “considered treason to the country.”

The incident is the latest escalation in a period of unrest in the South American country as Morales and Arce clash ahead of the 2025 election.

In recent weeks, Morales’ supporters have set up blockades on major highways across the country, including in Cochabamba, in reaction to the government unveiling human trafficking charges against Morales. The blockades, which Bolivian police said involve “violent armed groups,” have led to food and fuel shortages in some cities.

Morales and the government have also traded accusations over an exchange that occurred in Cochabamba last weekend.

Bolivian Minister of Government Eduardo Del Castillo alleged that individuals in a car carrying Morales opened fire on police while trying to evade a checkpoint set up to deter drug trafficking. The former president denied the charge and accused the government of trying to orchestrate his assassination by firing at his vehicle.

CNN has reached out to the Bolivian government for more information on the events at the military base.


Bolivian ex-president’s supporters hold ‘20 soldiers hostage’ amid escalating tensions

Shweta Sharma
INDEPENDENT
Sat, November 2, 2024 

Bolivian ex-president’s supporters hold ‘20 soldiers hostage’ amid escalating tensions


Supporters of Bolivia’s former president Evo Morales stormed a military facility and took soldiers hostage, intensifying a standoff with the government over rape allegations, according to the country’s military.

The Bolivian Armed Forces said in a statement that “irregular armed groups” had kidnapped military personnel and taken control of military units in the central Chapare region, which has emerged as a battleground with supporters of Mr Morales surrounding the area.

The armed forces urged those responsible for the takeover to “immediately and peacefully” abandon the facility and warned that “anyone who takes up arms against the country will be considered a traitor”.


Around 20 soldiers were taken hostage by the armed groups, according to reports citing military sources.

The clashes between supporters of Mr Morales and the government erupted three weeks ago when Bolivian prosecutors launched an investigation into accusations that the ex-president fathered a child with a 15-year-old girl in 2016, classifying their relationship as statutory rape.

Mr Morales has refused to testify in court regarding what he calls trumped-up rape charges.

President Luis Arce condemned the seizure of three military units by supporters of Mr Morales on Friday, calling it “an absolutely reprehensible criminal act that is far from any legitimate social claim of the Indigenous peasant movement”.

Demonstrators block roads amid rising political tensions, in Parotani (REUTERS)

Mr Arce said: “The taking of a military unit is a crime of treason against the homeland and an affront to the country’s Constitution.”

“We have taken a first step: unblocking Cochabamba towards the west of our country. Now we will continue working until we free this department from the hostage situation to which it is subjected,” he said in another update on X.

Since reports circulated of a possible warrant against him, supporters of the country’s first Indigenous leader have erected roadblocks and fortified areas in Chapare to prevent his arrest.

Bolivia’s former president Evo Morales was in office from 2006 to 2019 (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Images and videos showed at least 16 soldiers with their hands tied behind their backs, surrounded by members of the armed group.

Police officers attempted to clear the roadblocks, and 30 were injured after a standoff between security forces and supporters of Mr Morales. More than 50 protesters were arrested.

The coca-growing region of Chapare has emerged as the political bastion and refuge of Mr Morales, who was himself a former coca grower. Loyalist coca growers have kept watch to prevent his arrest.

On Sunday, Mr Morales shared a video claiming his car was shot at in what he described as an “assassination attempt” against him.

The Bolivian government denied claims that it was a targeted attack against Mr Morales, stating that police fired on the vehicle after coming under attack from Mr Morales’s convoy at a checkpoint.
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Bolivia's president accuses supporters of former leader Morales of seizing 3 military barracks
CARLOS VALDEZ
Fri, November 1, 2024 






Bolivia Roadblocks
Police launch tear gas to disperse supporters of former President Evo Morales who have been blocking roads for days to prevent him from facing a criminal investigation over allegations of abuse of a minor while he was in office, in Parotani, Bolivia, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Bolivian President Luis Arce on Friday condemned the seizure of three military units by supporters of former President Evo Morales, calling it “an absolutely reprehensible criminal act that is far from any legitimate social claim of the Indigenous peasant movement.”

In a message on the social media platform X, Arce wrote that “the taking of a military unit is a crime of treason against the homeland and an affront to the country's Constitution."

Earlier on Friday the Bolivian Armed Forces said in a statement that “irregular armed groups” had kidnapped military personnel and took control of military units in the center of the country, where police officers began to clear the roads blocked 19 days ago by supporters of former President Evo Morales.


In the statement, the armed forces urged those responsible for the takeover to “immediately and peacefully” abandon the facility and warned that “anyone who takes up arms against the country will be considered a traitor.”

The warning came after videos circulated on social media with statements from a military leader who is believed to be detained confirming the “peaceful” takeover of a regiment in the coca-growing area of ​​Chapare. The authorities have neither confirmed nor denied that he is a member of the Army.

Meanwhile, the police mobilized a large number of troops and tractors to clear the roads of debris with the support of a fraction of the military police.

Officers clearing the roadblocks found an unexpected ally in the popular All Saints’ Day holiday, as many protesters left the roads to celebrate.

The conflict broke out three weeks ago when Bolivian prosecutors launched an investigation into accusations that Morales fathered a child with a 15-year-old girl in 2016, classifying their relationship as statutory rape. Morales has refused to testify in court.

Since reports circulated of a possible warrant against him, the ex-president has been holed up in the Chapare region, in central Bolivia, where loyalist coca growers have kept watch to prevent his arrest.

Last week, 30 police officers were injured and more than 50 protesters were arrested after a standoff between security forces and supporters of Morales. But the so-called blockers regained control of the roads after the law enforcement agents passed through.

The most critical situation is taking place in the coca-growing region of Chapare, a political bastion and refuge of Morales, where his followers have surrounded and threatened to take over police and military barracks, demanding the closure of the judicial cases against the former president.

Several groups, including the mayor of La Paz, Iván Arias, have asked the government to declare a state of emergency in Cochabamba, the region hardest hit by the protests. The government has avoided sending out soldiers en masse to clear the roads. Opponents say the government is showing weakness in dealing with the conflict in the midst of an economy in crisis with rising living costs and fuel shortages.

Morales, a former coca grower, has retained significant support among poor and Indigenous Bolivians despite his resignation in 2019 amid mass protests over his disrupted re-election.


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