Tag: martial law

Ukrainian parliament confirms local elections will not be held due to martial law

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted a resolution that ensures the continuity of representative bodies of local self-government given the conditions of military aggression by Russia, Ukrinform reported, quoted by BTA.

The document states that the organization, preparation and holding of local elections in accordance with national legislation and European standards for democratic elections are impossible in the conditions of the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine and given the declared martial law in the country.

At the same time, the parliamentary resolution emphasizes the stable functioning of local government bodies and the exercise of their powers in accordance with the Constitution and laws of Ukraine.

According to the document, mayors, municipal and city councilors and regional councils will remain in power until holding elections after the war with Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said during a meeting with Donald Trump earlier this year that he was ready to hold elections after the end of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.

According to the Ukrainian constitution, the country was supposed to hold local elections on October 26, five years after the 2020 elections. This would affect the term of Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, who has been in office since 2014. Due to martial law in the country, regular parliamentary elections in October 2023 and presidential elections in March 2024 were canceled. This gives Russia reason to question Volodymyr Zelensky’s legitimacy, DPA reports.

Keep reading

Nepal Army Takes Over Capital As Politicians Flee By Helicopter, Mayhem Worsens

The collapse of the Nepal government situation has gone from bad to worse overnight and into Wednesday. Parliament has gone up in flames, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has resigned, there have been dozens of deaths and injuries – including among some government officials or their families. 

Government ministers have been seen fleeing the capital, chased by enraged mobs of mostly youth, sick of government corruption and following the latest attempt to outright ban a large number of popular social media sites, including Facebook, X, Instagram, WhatsApp and YouTube.

But apparently the social media ban days ago was simply the straw that broke the camel’s back. “The unrest started in early September, when a group of young Nepalis, fed up with seeing politicians’ children posting about their designer handbags and luxury travel while most people struggle to make ends meet, organized a peaceful protest,” CNN reviews.

“Anger had been brewing for years about the country’s worsening youth unemployment crisis and lack of economic opportunities, exacerbated by what many viewed as a growing disparity between the country’s elite and regular people,” the report adds.

Residents of top politicians in Kathmandu have been reported attacked and in some cases damaged or set on fire, including the home of the now former prime minister of the country.

Keep reading

The Spectacle Of A Police State: This Is Martial Law Without A Formal Declaration Of War

Reporter: “What’s the bar for sending in the Marines?”

Trump: “The bar is what I think it is.“

In Trump’s America, the bar for martial law is no longer constitutional—it’s personal.

Indeed, if ever we needed proof that Donald Trump was an operative for the Deep State, this is it.

Despite what Trump would have us believe, the Deep State is not the vast numbers of federal employees who have been fired as part of his government purge.

Rather, the Deep State refers to the entrenched network of unelected bureaucrats, intelligence agencies, military contractors, surveillance firms, and corporate lobbyists that operate beyond the reach of democratic accountability. It is a government within a government—an intelligence-industrial complex that persists regardless of who sits in the Oval Office and whose true allegiance lies not with the Constitution but with power, profit, and control.

In other words, the Deep State doesn’t just survive presidential administrations—it recruits them. And in Trump, it has found a showman willing to turn its agenda into a public performance of raw power—militarized, theatrical, and loyal not to the Constitution, but to dominance.

What is unfolding right now in California—with hundreds of Marines deployed domestically; thousands of National Guard troops federalized; and military weapons, tactics and equipment on full display—is the latest chapter in that performance.

Trump is flexing his presidential muscles with a costly, violent, taxpayer-funded military display intended to intimidate, distract and discourage us from pulling back the curtain on the reality of the self-serving corruption, grift, graft, overreach and abuse that have become synonymous with his Administration.

Don’t be distracted. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t be sidelined by the spectacle of a police state.

As columnist Thomas Friedman predicted years ago, “Some presidents, when they get into trouble before an election, try to ‘wag the dog’ by starting a war abroad. Donald Trump seems ready to wag the dog by starting a war at home.”

This is yet another manufactured crisis fomented by the Deep State.

When Trump issues a call to “BRING IN THE TROOPS!!!” explaining to reporters that he wants to have them “everywhere,” we should all be alarmed.

This is martial law without a formal declaration of war.

This heavy-handed, chest-thumping, politicized, militarized response to what is clearly a matter for local government is yet another example of Trump’s disregard for the Constitution and the limits of his power.

Political protests are protected by the First Amendment until they cross the line from non-violent to violent. Even when protests turn violent, constitutional protocols remain for safeguarding communities: law and order must flow through local and state chains of command, not from federal muscle.

By breaking that chain of command, Trump is breaking the Constitution.

Keep reading

Ukraine’s Extension Of Martial Law Exposes Zelensky’s Fear Of Losing Re-Election

The US might pressure him to assemble a government of national unity on pain of once again suspending military and intelligence aid if he refuses to dilute his power in lieu of holding elections…

Ukraine extended martial law until 6 August following Zelensky’s request earlier this week, which will prevent elections from being held over the summer like The Economist claimed late last month was a scenario that he was considering in an attempt to give himself an edge over his rivals. This move therefore exposes his fear of losing re-election. It’s not just that he’s very unpopular, but he likely also fears that the US wants to replace him after his infamous fight in the White House.

To that end, the Trump Administration might not turn a blind eye to whatever electoral fraud he could be planning to commit in order to hold onto power, instead refusing to recognize the outcome unless one of his rivals wins.

As for who could realistically replace him, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service claimed last May that the US had reportedly entered into talks with Petro Poroshenko, Vitaly Klitschko, Andrey Yermak, Valery Zaluzhny, and Dmytro Razumkov.

The New York Times (NYT) just ran a feature article on Poroshenko, who took the opportunity to propose a government of national unity (GNU) almost 18 months after this idea was first floated by Politico in December 2023, but even the article’s author felt obligated to inform readers that he’s unlikely to return to power. 

Citing unnamed political analysts, they assessed that “Mr. Poroshenko may be angling for an electoral alliance with General Zaluzhny…[who] has remained mostly silent about politics” till now.

Nevertheless, Poroshenko’s NYT feature article succeeded in raising wider awareness of the GNU scenario, which the Trump Administration might seek to advance over the summer. 

Zelensky continues to irritate Trump, most recently by alleging that Russia has “enormous influence” over the White House and accusing his envoy Steve Witkoff of overstepping his authority in talks with Putin. 

This comes as Ukraine continues dragging its heels on agreeing to the latest proposed mineral deal with the US.

From the US’ perspective, since the increasingly troublesome Zelensky can’t be democratically replaced through summertime elections, the next best course of action could be to pressure him into forming a GNU that would be filled with figures like Poroshenko who’d be easier for the US to work with. 

Keep reading

Ukraine’s Parliament Votes To Prolong Martial Law Despite Trump Criticisms

Ukraine’s parliament on Wednesday voted to extend martial law and military mobilization for another three months, in a nearly unanimous 357-1 vote which though fully expected, presents yet another obstacle for peace with Russia.

These wartime measures will continue until at least August 6, when another extension vote is likely. This means that there will be no efforts to organize a presential vote during that time, and that Zelensky’s mandate continues. Also, there can be no elections to parliament while the ruling is in effect. President Trump previously derided Zelensky as a “dictator without elections” – in a drastic break from the Biden presidency.

Ukraine’s constitution stipulates that elections cannot be held during martial law, which has remained highly controversial, given also both the Trump administration and the Kremlin have called for some kind of timeline for political transition.

Keep reading

BlueAnon: Democrats in Full Panic Mode Over Absurd Conspiracy That Trump Will Declare Martial Law on April 20

The Left is melting down once again—and this time, it’s over a tinfoil-hat-level conspiracy theory that President Donald Trump is preparing to declare martial law on April 20.

The same people who spent years mocking “QAnon” are now pushing a full-blown BlueAnon fantasy of their own.

The source of this hysteria? None other than James Carville, the aging Democratic strategist who’s apparently desperate to stay relevant.

On a recent episode of Politics War Room, Carville was asked whether Trump was trying to provoke enough unrest to declare martial law and suspend the 2026 elections.

“You’re so correct to be concerned about this… It’s getting worse by the day. It is not going to stop getting worse. And I would be, we ought to be, on high, high alert.”

The left’s panic stems from a deliberate misreading of Trump’s January 20 executive order, which declared a national emergency at the southern border and directed the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security to submit a report by April 20.

The report will assess the border crisis—created by years of Democrat open-border policies—and recommend whether to invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807 for enforcement. Nowhere does it mention “martial law,” but that hasn’t stopped the BlueAnon crowd from spinning dystopian fantasies.

Keep reading

Why some US elites want South Korea to be a ‘dictatorship for democracy’

Morse Tan, a high-ranking former US State Department official, let the cat out of the bag on the US ruling elite position on South Korea’s martial law.

He declared that President Yoon Suk-yeol declared martial law to “preserve democracy”. At a rally in South Korea, Tan said:

President Yoon declared martial law, and it is to preserve your democracy, that this country was made, and exists, by you, and for you, that President Yoon stuck out his neck, in a heroic way, and stood up to awaken this country, to the realities of what are going on in this country.

Having previously labeled South Korea a model democracy, this is a No-Scotsman-move taken to absurdity.

Tan also openly threatened South Korea’s government against upholding Yoon’s impeachment. Writing for the global news agency UPI on March 18, he warned:

Removing Yoon may trigger Section 7008 punishments from the United States government, which can include the elimination of: Bilateral Economic Assistance (III), International Security Assistance (IV), Multilateral Assistance (V), and Export and Investment Assistance (VI).

The US applies Section 7008 when a country is deemed to have undergone a military coup, or a coup d’etat “where the military has played a significant role”. Under those circumstances, critical aid is withdrawn from the country. It is an extreme measure — the political equivalent of banishment and excommunication — exercised against a state.

If Tan’s threats are material, South Korea risks being grouped with Myanmar, Gabon, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Sudan — other countries currently under section 7008 listing. Notice the explicit use of the word “punishment”.

Now Tan is not a current US government official, buthe is an indicator of what the US national security state is thinking, in particular, what its neoconservative wing is thinking. Tan also recently claimed that “the impeachment against Yoon is an insurrection” led by opposition party leader Lee Jae Myung, “who wants to turn the country over to the Chinese communists”.

As absurd and conspiratorial as these allegations sound, these are actually finely tuned and well-honed Washington-CPAC talking points about Chinese threats and interference in Korea, and they are echoed endlessly, if histrionically, by US flag-waving foot soldiers at South Korean protests and on YouTube.

These anti-China messages were also repeated in German State TV ARD’s documentary “Staatskrise im Schatten von China und Nordkorea” (State Crisis in the Shadow of China and North Korea), released to its German public television website on February 25. The documentary claimed that China had hacked South Korea’s legislative election to put the opposition DP party into power, which is now taking orders from North Korea and China to impeach Yoon.

There is clearly a highly convergent and disciplined campaign of anti-China propaganda around the impeachment. ARD removed its documentary, but the damage has clearly been done.

It’s impossible not to highlight the absurdity of Tan’s statement that “Yoon declared martial law (i.e. military dictatorship) to preserve democracy”. And, as a foreign national, Tan is breaking South Korean law by directly participating in domestic Korean politics. But the free rein he is given, and the lack of disavowal or reprimand from the State Department – if only for his own safety – is very revealing.

Keep reading

After Ceasefire With Russia, Trump and Kellog Want Ukraine To Hold Presidential Elections – Zelensky’s Mandate Expired in Mid-2024

Amid what US President Donald J. Trump called ‘very serious’ – if still-secret – peace discussions with Russia, some aspects of the sought agreement have started to leak to the press.

One of the most relevant so far is that the US wants Ukraine to hold elections by the end of the year, especially if Kiev signs a ceasefire with Russia in the coming months, according to President Trump’s Ukraine envoy.

Reuters reported:

“Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, said in an interview that Ukrainian presidential and parliamentary elections, suspended during the war with Russia, ‘need to be done’.

‘Most democratic nations have elections in their time of war. I think it is important they do so’, Kellogg said. ‘I think it is good for democracy. That’s the beauty of a solid democracy, you have more than one person potentially running’.”

Keep reading

Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol Surrenders to Investigators To Avoid Bloodshed Between Police and Presidential Guard During Second Attempt To Arrest Him

The political instability in Seoul continues as news arises that South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has been arrested in a second attempt by the police authorities, six weeks after his short-lived attempt to impose martial law and 10 days after a first failed arrest attempt.

Sky News reported:

“A motorcade of black SUVs was seen leaving the gates of his hillside residence where he had been holed up for weeks behind barbed wire and a small army of personal security.

Mr Yoon said the “rule of law has completely collapsed” in a video message recorded before he was escorted to the headquarters of an anti-corruption agency. He said he was complying with the detention warrant to prevent clashes between police and the presidential security service.”

Keep reading

A HOUSE DIVIDED: South Korean Investigators Face Standoff With Military Trying To Execute Warrant To Arrest President Yoon Suk Yeol and Search His Residence

A clash of different authorities resulted in a dangerous standoff today (3) in South Korea’s capital Seoul, military personnel blocked police investigators from arresting impeached president Yoon at his residence.

Yonhap News agency reported that Investigators attempting to detain Yoon were able to enter the presidential residence compound but were blocked by the Presidential Guard military unit.

Sputnik reported:

“Earlier, Yonhap stated that investigators from South Korea’s Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) had entered the presidential residence on Friday to execute a detention warrant for impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol.

‘The team executing the warrant comprises 30 people from the CIO and 120 police personnel, with 70 waiting outside the residence compound’, the report stated.”

Keep reading