Introducing the 33rd 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 January 11, 2024 and February 08, 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 Canada, a British Columbia cabinet minister who faced calls to resign has been pulled from her post as minister of children and family development. Premier David Eby announced that Mitzi Dean was removed as children’s minister and will be replaced by Victoria-Beacon Hill MLA Grace Lore. Dean’s tenure at the ministry was rocky, with several cases of abuse of children in government care arising during her watch, leading to calls for her resignation by the Green Party and First Nations Leadership Council. She was appointed to the job in 2020 and is a social worker with a broad background working with children, youth and families.

Shifting our focus to France, a week after being appointed culture minister and slammed by an avalanche of criticism, famed politician Rachida Dati has officially entered the ring. Dati went off-script and delivered an unfiltered speech — starting with “I’m not asking you to love me, what I want is to convince you” — to a room full of film and TV players on Thursday evening during a ceremony honouring actor Melvil Poupaud, who received the French Cinema Award. While on stage, Dati said she would strive to democratize culture during her tenure.

In Pakistan, in a surprise development, Pakistan Supreme Court’s second senior-most judge, who was slated to be the next chief justice, resigned. Justice Ijazul Ahsan stepped down a day after another top court judge Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi resigned. In his resignation addressed to President Arif Alvi, the senior judge said that he no longer wished to continue. “Therefore, I, Justice Ijazul Ahsan, resign as a Judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan in terms of Article 206(1) of the Constitution with immediate effect. He also said that he had the honour and privilege of serving as a Judge of the Lahore High Court, the Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court and a Judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

In the realm of regulatory affairs, the European Union has made a decisive move in the global fight against financial crime by reaching a provisional agreement on a sweeping anti-money laundering package. This legislative milestone, achieved through the collaborative efforts of the European Council and Parliament, is poised to fortify the defenses of EU citizens and the financial system against the pervasive threats of money laundering and terrorist financing.
The new legislative package is a game-changer, transferring all rules pertaining to the private sector into a new regulation, while a directive will address the organization of national anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing (AML/CFT) systems within member states.

Shifting our attention to legal advancements, Former Omaha City Councilman Vincent “Vinny” Palermo was sentenced Tuesday to 27 months in federal prison following a tearful in-court apology to his family and community members. Palermo pleaded guilty last year to one felony count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud by deprivation of honest services. In doing so, he admitted to failing to disclose conflicts of interest when awarding money through his position on the City Council, and to conspiring with others to use nonprofit funds to pay for his airfare and accommodations on a number of trips. U.S. District Judge John Gerrard sentenced Palermo on Tuesday to a total of 27 months in prison — 18 months on the conspiracy charge and nine months for violating the terms of his federal probation. Because the judge accepted Palermo’s plea, known as a Rule 11(c)(1)(C) agreement, Palermo’s sentence on the conspiracy charge was required to be 21 months or less.