Politically Exposed Person (PEP) Weekly Digest – Volume 92

92nd PEP Weekly Digest:

Introducing the 92nd 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 Feb 09, 2025 and Apr 13, 2025. These elections hold significant importance, as they will determine the direction and governance of each respective country’s future.

Conservative Christian Stocker Sworn in as Austria’s Chancellor, Ending Political Deadlock with New Coalition Government

One noteworthy event has occurred in Austria, Conservative Christian Stocker has been sworn in as Austria’s chancellor at the head of a three-party coalition government, ending five months of political deadlock that followed a far-right party’s election win. The swearing-in came days after Stocker said a “common programme” had been agreed by his Austrian People’s Party (OVP), the centre-left Social Democrats and the liberal Neos.

The creation of the coalition government came after separate bids by the same three parties and the far-right Freedom Party, which won the most votes in the September 29 parliamentary elections, ended without an agreement. The new administration faces significant challenges, including rising unemployment, a recession and a strained budget. Its coalition agreement includes plans for stricter asylum rules in the European Union nation of nine million people.

Chile’s Interior Minister Carolina Tohá Resigns to Run for President in Upcoming Election

Shifting our focus to Chile, Interior Minister Carolina Tohá stepped down from her post and said she will run for president in this year’s election, marking the entry of an experienced centre-left politician in the contest for head of state. Tohá presented her resignation to President Gabriel Boric. In separate remarks made after the cabinet change ceremony, she told reporters it’s time for her generation to seek the nation’s top job.

“The time has come for me to undertake another political battle, which is to compete for the presidency,” Tohá said. “I have participated in many triumphs — in resounding triumphs — but also in defeats. I have been part of hope and of advances.”

Chile’s centre-left parties have dragged their feet over naming candidates for this year’s presidential vote, leaving opposition contenders to dominate early polls. Local laws prevent Boric, whose administration has been dogged by low popularity, from seeking a second consecutive term. Amid the political vacuum, there’s also speculation that former head of state Michelle Bachelet could attempt a third period in the nation’s top job.

Maharashtra Minister Dhananjay Munde Resigns Over Beed Sarpanch Murder Controversy

In India, Maharashtra minister Dhananjay Munde resigned following an uproar over the murder of the sarpanch of Beed. Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis accepted Munde’s resignation, who was the state cabinet minister of food, civil supplies and consumer protection.

Dhananjay Munde tendered his resignation after his close aide, Walmik Karad, was accused of masterminding the murder of Beed sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh in December last year.

Dhananjay Munde is a leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) who sided with now Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar when he split from his uncle Sharad Pawar in 2023.

Munde is a member of the Maharashtra assembly from Beed’s Parali constituency. After winning from Beed by defeating Sharad Pawar faction’s Rajasaheb Deshmukh in 2024 assembly polls, Dhananjay Munde was inducted to the cabinet of the state, with food, civil supplies and consumer protection under him.

Aspire Global Fined £1.4 Million for Failing to Protect At-Risk Customers and Meet Anti-Money Laundering Rules

In the realm of regulatory affairs, Aspire Global firm AG Communications has been hit with a £1.4 million penalty by the Gambling Commission for “wholly unacceptable” failures to step in and protect at-risk customers and not meeting anti-money laundering rules. The commission said AG Communications, which trades as Aspire Global and runs 58 websites, did not have proper systems in place to stop customers from gambling thousands of pounds in a short space of time.

It said the group did not act quickly enough despite one customer losing £6,000 in 48 hours, only phoning the customer when the daily loss limit of £5,000 had been reached.

Iranian Court Sentences Two Former Ministers to Prison in Multi-Billion-Dollar Tea Corruption Case

Shifting our attention to Iran, an Iranian court has sentenced two former ministers to prison over a multi-billion-dollar corruption case involving imported tea, the judiciary said. The case, known in Iran as the Debsh Tea Scandal, was opened in 2023 and implicated more than 60 people, involving a total of $3.7 billion, the Iran newspaper reported in May, citing the country’s chief justice. Forty-two defendants were sentenced in the case, including former agriculture minister Javad Sadatinejad and former industry minister Reza Fatemi Amin, said Mizan Online, the judiciary’s news outlet. Sadatinejad received a one-year sentence, while Fatemi Amin was handed two years for their roles in the scandal, Mizan reported.

The pair, who served under late president Ebrahim Raisi, were convicted of complicity in disrupting the country’s economic system, with the sentences deemed “final and binding.”

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