News from April 2018
By DOJ Newswire | Apr 20, 2018
News Release: Baltimore, Maryland - Chief Judge James K. Bredar sentenced Al Samuel Lawson, age 32, of Baltimore, Maryland to 14 years in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release for sex trafficking of a minor related to the trafficking of a 15-year-old female and a 16-year-old female for prostitution in Maryland.
By State Newswire | Apr 20, 2018
Release: The Republic of Maldives is a multiparty constitutional democracy. Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom won the presidential election in 2013, and most international observers and the local nongovernmental organization (NGO) Transparency Maldives (TM) determined it to be a credible and transparent election. Parliamentary elections held in 2014 were well administered and transparent according to TM, although there were credible reports of vote buying.
By State Newswire | Apr 20, 2018
News Release: Madagascar is a semipresidential democratic republic with a popularly elected president, a bicameral legislature (Senate and National Assembly), prime minister, and cabinet. The current president and National Assembly were elected in 2013, the first national elections after the 2009 coup against former...
By Homeland Newswire | Apr 20, 2018
News Release: BROWNSVILLE, Texas - The former governor of the Mexican State of Tamaulipas, and former candidate for the office of President of Mexico, was extradited to the United States from Italy on Friday and charged with racketeering, drug smuggling, money laundering and bank fraud.
By State Newswire | Apr 20, 2018
News Release: Czech Republic is a multiparty parliamentary democracy. Legislative authority is vested in a bicameral parliament, consisting of a Chamber of Deputies (Poslanecka snemovna) and the senate (Senat). The president is head of state and appoints a prime minister from the majority party or coalition. On October...
By DOJ Newswire | Apr 20, 2018
News Release: SAN JUAN, P.R. - On April 19, a federal grand jury returned a six-count indictment charging Edgar Arroyo-Amezquita and Luis Serrano-Perdigón with conspiracy to obtain property by fraud from a program receiving federal funds, bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds, aggravated identity theft...
By State Newswire | Apr 20, 2018
News Release: Solomon Islands is a constitutional multiparty parliamentary democracy. Observers considered the 2014 parliamentary election generally free and fair, although there were incidents of vote buying. Parliament elected Manasseh Sogavare as prime minister, and he formed a coalition government.
By State Newswire | Apr 20, 2018
News Release: Washington, D.C. - House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) today announced he will introduce legislation to reauthorize the State Department and better support our diplomats. The bipartisan Department of State Authorization Act of 2018 will be marked by the full committee next Thursday, April 26.
By State Newswire | Apr 20, 2018
Release: Greece is a constitutional republic and multiparty parliamentary democracy. Legislative authority is vested in the unicameral parliament. In 2015 the country held parliamentary elections that observers considered free and fair. A coalition government formed by the SYRIZA and ANEL parties and headed by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras leads the country.
By State Newswire | Apr 20, 2018
News Release: The United States recognizes the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) and Tibetan autonomous prefectures (TAPs) and counties in Sichuan, Qinghai, Yunnan, and Gansu Provinces to be a part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) Central Committee oversees Tibet policies. As...
By State Newswire | Apr 20, 2018
News Release: Peru is a constitutional, multiparty republic. Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, leader of the Peruanos Por el Kambio (Peruvians for Change) party, won the June 2016 national elections in a vote widely considered free and fair.
By State Newswire | Apr 20, 2018
Release: The Azerbaijani constitution provides for a republic with a presidential form of government. Legislative authority is vested in the Milli Mejlis. The Presidential Administration is the predominant power, exceeding that of the judiciary, legislature, and other elements of the executive. Legislative elections ...
By State Newswire | Apr 20, 2018
Release: Tuvalu is a constitutional parliamentary democracy. The parliamentary election held in 2015 was generally free and fair, with three new members elected into the 15-member parliament. There were no formal political parties. Parliament selected Enele Sopoaga for a second term as prime minister.
By State Newswire | Apr 20, 2018
News Release: The Republic of Kazakhstan’s government system and constitution concentrate power in the presidency. The presidential administration controls the government, the legislature, and judiciary as well as regional and local governments. Changes or amendments to the constitution require presidential consent.
By State Newswire | Apr 20, 2018
Release: Angola is a constitutional republic. On February 4, President Jose Eduardo dos Santos announced he would not seek re-election after 37 years in power. The government held presidential and legislative elections on Aug. 23, which the ruling Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) won with 61 percent of the vote. On Sept. 26, Joao Lourenco was inaugurated president for a five-year term.
By State Newswire | Apr 20, 2018
Release: Gabon is a republic with a presidential form of government dominated by the Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG) and the Bongo family, which has held power since 1967. Ali Bongo Ondimba was declared winner of the August 2016 presidential election. Observers noted numerous irregularities, including a highly...
By State Newswire | Apr 20, 2018
News Release: Cote d’Ivoire is a democratic republic ruled by a freely elected government. In legislative elections held in December 2016, the ruling government coalition won 66 percent of National Assembly seats. The main opposition party, which boycotted the 2011 legislative elections, participated and won seats.
By State Newswire | Apr 20, 2018
News Release: The Republic of Serbia is a constitutional, multiparty, parliamentary democracy. The country held extraordinary parliamentary elections in 2016 and presidential elections in 2017. International observers stated that the elections were mostly free but that both campaign periods were tilted to benefit progovernment candidates. In April Aleksandar Vucic, chairman of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), was elected president, winning approximately 55 percent of the vote.
By DOJ Newswire | Apr 20, 2018
News Release: United States Attorney Gregory G. Brooker announced the conviction of ROGER ERIK SPLETTSTOESZER, 53, for distributing, receiving and possessing video and image files containing child pornography. SPLETTSTOESZER was charged in a six-count indictment on June 22, 2017, and, on April 19, 2018, was found guilty on all counts by a federal jury in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
By State Newswire | Apr 20, 2018
News Release: Cameroon is a republic dominated by a strong presidency. The country has a multiparty system of government, but the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) has remained in power since its creation in 1985. In practice, the president retains the power to control legislation. In 2011 citizens re-elected...
