Politically Exposed Person (PEP) Weekly Digest – Volume 60

PEP Weekly Digest

Introducing the 60th edition of The PEP Weekly Digest, where we present to you the most recent updates and news on the global political stage.

Recent and upcoming elections influence the worldwide political landscape in eight nations, slated between Jul 04, 2024 and Sep 07, 2024. These elections hold significant importance, as they will determine the direction and governance of each respective country’s future.

One noteworthy event has occurred in Nepal, Newly-appointed Chief Minister of the Lumbini provincial government, Chet Narayan Acharya, has taken the oath of office and secrecy. Province Chief Amik Sherchan administered the oath of office and secrecy to Acharya in accordance with Article 172 of the Constitution of Nepal. The Province Chief had on Monday appointed Acharya, the Deputy Leader of the CPN (UML) Province Assembly parliamentary party, to the post of Chief Minister in accordance with Article 168, Sub-Article 2 of the Constitution of Nepal. Acharya, who has become the sixth Chief Minister of Lumbini Province, commands the support of 56 legislators, including 29 CPN (UML) legislators and 27 Nepali Congress legislators.

Also, Province Chief Sherchan administered the oath of office and secrecy to eight ministers without portfolio in line with the Article 168, Sub-Article 9 of the Constitution at the recommendation of Chief Minister Acharya. Chief Minister Acharya had today itself recommended to the Province Chief the names of four legislators from the UML and four from the Nepali Congress for appointment as ministers without portfolio.

The Province Chief administered the oath of office and secrecy of minister without portfolio to Bhumishwar Dhakal, Dinesh Panthi, Sita Sharma and Khem Bahadur Saru from the CPN (UML), and Saroj Thapa, Dhanendra Karki, Badshah Kurmi and Prachanda Bikram Neupane of the Nepali Congress. The portfolio of the newly-appointed ministers will be allocated only after agreement between the UML and Nepali Congress, it is said.

Shifting our focus to Iran, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei gave the official mandate for the presidency to Masoud Pezeshkian on Sunday in a ceremony attended by various officials and dignitaries. During the ceremony — called Tanfiz, Khamenei handed over a decree, known as the “decree of confirmation” or “decree of validation”, to the president-elect, formally recognizing him as the legitimate president. In fact, the official government news website, IRNA, used the word “approved” for Khamenei’s endorsement of Pezeshkian as President, who is considered to be the chief executive from today, July 28.

Therefore, the second inauguration event in the parliament in two days, is indeed a ceremonial swearing-in. The ceremony started with Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi delivering a report on the process of snap election following the death of late President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash on May 19 along with his accompanying delegation including Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. Following Vahidi’s speech, Mohammad Mohammadi Golpayegani, the head of Khamenei’s office, read out the decree issued by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, officially confirming the appointment.

The new president then delivered a speech, emphasizing that he will follow Khamenei’s orders and calling for the resolution of political differences. “The responsibility that the Constitution has placed on me is to move towards the clear path outlined by the Supreme Leader.” Khamenei also delivered a speech notably avoiding attacks on the United States but reiterating his rhetoric against Israel and support for anti-West, anti-Israel militant groups backed by Tehran.

In Mozambique, Government removed Marcelino Gildo Alberto from the position of chairman of the board of directors of the state-owned Eletricidade de Moçambique (EDM), appointing Joaquim Henriques Ou-Chim in his place. The decision was taken at the regular meeting of the Council of Ministers today, according to a statement released by the body this morning, detailing only the dismissal of Marcelino Gildo Alberto and the appointment of the current executive administrator for the electrification area to lead the public company. Lusa reported in May that EDM recorded profits for the third consecutive year in 2023, but that they fell 7.5% this year compared to 2022, to 4,820 million meticais (€70.3 million).

According to data from EDM’s report and accounts, the company’s turnover grew 14% in 2023, to 53,170 million meticais (€775.6 million), and the level of losses, resulting “mainly from energy theft”, was reduced by two percentage points, to 26% of total production. “This reduction, the sharpest in the last four years, had a significant impact on the increase in the company’s revenue and responds to the challenge established by the Government, to improve operational excellence,” the EDM information reads. The profits of the state electricity company, which had more than doubled in 2022 to 5,220 million meticais (€76.1 million), registered a drop in 2023.

In the realm of regulatory affairs, Liberia’s Justice Minister and Attorney General Cllr. Oswald Tweh has called for robust regional and international cooperation to combat money laundering, terrorist financing, and other financial crimes.

Shifting our attention to legal advancements, in Taiwan, Yen Kuan-heng, an opposition Kuomintang (KMT) lawmaker, was sentenced to a jail term of seven years and 10 months for his role in a corruption case in which he pocketed a public salary earmarked for an legislator’s office assistant, the Taichung District Court said Friday. The district court also sentenced Yen, 46, to an additional jail term of six months for forgery of a document, but this sentence may be commuted to a fine. Yen was also stripped of his civil rights for three years, according to the court.

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