Category: Politics

Venezuela opposition suspends trial of Nicolas Maduro

{National Assembly head says decision not “capitulation” but proof of desire to end crisis via talks set for November 11.}

Venezuela’s opposition has suspended a “trial” and a planned mass march against President Nicolas Maduro, in advance of talks next week aimed at easing the country’s political crisis.

The decision, adopted by the opposition-led National Assembly to put off its proceedings against Maduro on charges he has been derelict in his constitutional duties, was not “capitulation,” Henry Ramos Allup, the speaker, said on Tuesday.

Instead, he said, it showed the opposition’s desire to seek a solution to the crisis through the talks with the government set to begin on November 11.

The protest march on Maduro’s presidential palace that had been planned for Thursday would also be postponed, he said.

The trial of Maduro was merely symbolic as it would not lead to any results, given that the constitution does not allow for such a process against the president.

Maduro himself had dismissed the effort as invalid and an attempt to overthrow his government, and threatened to throw participants in jail.

“I welcome … the fact that the opposition has made sensible decisions. I welcome that,” he said on his weekly TV show.

“And I shook hands with [Jesus] ‘Chuo’ Torrealba. I did not like him at all, and now I like him. He’s nice.”

Torrealba is the leader of the opposition coalition, the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD).

Political prisoners released

Maduro’s government had made gestures towards the opposition before the negotiations, made possible through mediation by the Vatican and the Union of South American Nations.

It released five opposition members from prison on Monday.

The opposition called for the release of more “political prisoners”, but it also showed signs of coming to terms with a decision by the electoral authorities last month to halt its drive for a recall referendum aimed at removing Maduro.

Relieving pressure on Maduro indicates the opposition sees the negotiations as its best option rather than a test of its ability to rally the public to its side.

A home for Sofia: A single mother’s struggle in Caracas

Maduro’s approval rating are rapidly decreasing, as many Venezuelans blame their dire situation on the president, whose current term is set to end in 2019, and his decision to maintain socialist policies launched by his late predecessor Hugo Chavez.

The country is also deeply feeling the sharp fall in the price of oil, Venezuela’s main resource.

Venezuelans have been lining up for basic goods as they struggle with chronic shortages of food, power and proper medical care on top of runaway inflation.

November 2, 2016
Somalia in focus on the World Day to end impunity for crimes against journalists

{The rule of law has not existed for many years in Somalia. Gun-toting men have tried their best to control the country through their bullets. Since 2012, Somalia has tried to get back on its feet with a federal government, though an endless culture of impunity has left 38 journalists dead in the past four years.}

On 2 November, marking the annual International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, I join forces with the world community of journalists in calling for an end to the impunity – official and otherwise – that is seen around the world, but especially in Somalia. The international community must get more involved.

As secretary general of the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ), I know well that the Somali media community is the most persecuted part of civil society. They are arrested, threatened, beaten up and murdered more than any other group.

The blood of innocent journalists has been shed in almost each of the 17 districts of the capital city of Mogadishu, making Somalia the deadliest place to be a journalist in sub-Saharan Africa.
When such a heinous crime happens, all we hear is that a “nameless militia is responsible for the murder. Even if it is possible to identify the suspected killers, no one dares to point the finger at anyone, for fear of violent repercussions.

The government, especially the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA), has made several arrests of al-Shabaab members who confessed to be behind killings of journalists. In one high-profile case, a former al-Shabaab media officer was investigated, prosecuted, convicted, sentenced to death and eventually executed by firing squad.

But al-Shabaab are not the only ones responsible for the killings of journalists. It is widely believed and strongly suspected that powerful persons in a position of power or wealth use “guns for hire” to go after journalists and commit calculated killings with impunity.

Almost all journalists who have been murdered in Somalia reported on the kind of unpleasant stories that someone did not want to be told. Some journalists were also killed in order to send a message of fear and intimidation to a media outlet or another journalist covering a bitter or uncomfortable truth.

Impunity is also prolonged by state agents into two ways. The first is that they do not carry out their duties to protect journalists, or they do not conduct effective investigations when a crime against a journalist is committed.

The second is that state agents are committing violations against journalists and no one in government has ever been convicted of committing a crime against a journalist. State agents and their superiors do not believe they committed a crime at all. Some of them think journalists are enemies that need to be dealt with.

The federal government’s failure to investigate or establish accountability has reinforced a culture of impunity in the four years it has existed. And this has contributed to more killings of journalists.
In addition, the government has so far not faced stringent human rights conditions for international aid. Therefore, providing international assistance to a ministry or an authority in the government which has been accused of violating media freedom or journalists’ rights – without clear steps towards investigations or human rights safeguards – could run the risk of facilitating human rights violations.

Some members of the international community are preoccupied with security and the political process. But effective protection and the respect of the human rights of journalists cannot wait. The international community must therefore play an active role in bringing an end to this impunity.

Four years on, the federal government has shown itself unwilling politically to end the scourge of impunity by failing to hold to account all perpetrators of crimes against journalists, including those in government.

Post-conflict processes take time and Somalia has multifaceted and multilayered problems. But what matters is getting on the right path.

November 2, 2016
Jacob Zuma drops bid to block corruption report

{Surprise move paves way for release of report of probe into claim president allowed wealthy family undue political sway.}

South African President Jacob Zuma has abandoned a court bid to block a watchdog’s report into corruption allegations against him as calls grow for him to step down.

The surprise move on Wednesday came as thousands of people began to take to the streets of the administrative capital, Pretoria, to demand his departure.

The decision paves the way for the release of the inquiry into accusations that he allowed a wealthy Indian family undue political sway, including letting them choose some cabinet ministers.

“My instructions are to withdraw the application,” Anthea Platt, Zuma’s lawyer, told the High Court in Pretoria at the start of the second day of the hearing.

Thuli Madonsela, former public ombudswoman, concluded her report into the influence of the Gupta family last month, shortly before the expiry of her seven-year term.

It was due to be released on October 14 until Zuma moved to block it.

Zuma, 74, has survived a string of damaging scandals, but faces increasing criticism as South Africa’s economy stalls and after the ruling ANC party suffered unprecedented losses in local polls.

Some factions of the ANC, former anti-apartheid activists and business leaders have all recently called for him to stand down before his term ends in 2019.

Protests against Zuma

On Wednesday thousands of opposition party supporters, unions and civil groups marched through Pretoria to protest against Zuma’s presidency.

The marches were originally planned to show support for Pravin Gordhan, the finance minister, who was due in court on Wednesday on separate corruption charges that many analysts see as an attempt by Zuma loyalists to remove him.

But prosecutors dropped the charges on Monday in another twist to a power struggle that has exposed deep tensions in the ANC.

The ANC, the party that Nelson Mandela led in the fight against apartheid, has held power since white-minority rule ended in 1994.

The Gupta family – brothers Ajay, Atul and Rajesh – built an empire in mining, transportation, technology and media after arriving in South Africa from India in the early 1990s.

One of Zuma’s sons, Duduzane, is their business partner.

Early this year, Mcebisi Jonas, South Africa’s deputy finance minister, accused the Gupta family of offering him the job of finance minister, something he said he rejected.

Zuma last month said he was not given enough time to respond to the watchdog’s questions.

November 2, 2016
Ivory Coast voters back new constitution

{Officials say more than 90 percent supported the new charter, though turnout was low following an opposition boycott.}

An overwhelming majority of voters in Ivory Coast have backed a new constitution in a weekend referendum that was boycotted by the opposition, according to provisional results announced by the electoral commission.

The results on Tuesday showed 93.42 percent of voters had supported the new charter.

Turnout was 42.41 percent of registered voters, commission president Youssouf Bakayoko said on state-owned television.

The opposition had previously said it believed only around six or seven percent of voters took part.

The boycott meant there had been little doubt about the outcome and the focus was on turnout as the key measure of whether there was broad public support for the new constitution.

Ahead of the vote, President Alassane Ouattara had said the new constitution would help end years of instability in the country.

But the proposed package alarmed opposition leaders and prompted accusations that Ouattara is trying to line up a successor for when his term ends in 2020.

Ouattara’s revised constitution would create a vice president picked by the president, and set up a senate, a third of whom would be nominated by the head of state.

It would also get rid of a contested clause on national identity that took effect in 2000. It stipulates that both parents of a presidential candidate must be born on Ivorian soil and not have sought nationality in another country.

The issue has previously contributed to of unrest in the country.

In recent years, Ivory Coast has made progress, and the International Monetary Fund says it will be Africa’s fastest-growing economy by the end of 2016.

November 2, 2016
US Democrats: FBI chief may have broken the law

{Politicians slam FBI director James Comey as Clinton’s lead over Trump narrows following new email investigation.}

Senior members of the Democratic Party have said FBI director James Comey might have broken the law after he called for a probe into emails potentially tied to presidential candidate Hillary Clinton just days before the US election.

Comey set off a political firestorm late last week after announcing that the FBI would investigate newly discovered emails related to Clinton.

The emails, belonging to Clinton’s closest aide, Huma Abedin, came to light during an investigation of her estranged husband, disgraced former New York congressman Anthony Weiner.

The FBI found the emails on computers it seized during an investigation into lewd messages Weiner is accused of sending to an underaged girl.

Nevada Democrat Harry Reid wrote a stinging letter to Comey on Sunday suggesting he may have broken the Hatch Act by informing Congress of the new emails. The Hatch Act prohibits FBI staff from using their position to influence an election.

“Your actions in recent months have demonstrated a disturbing double standard… with what appears to be a clear intent to aid one political party over another,” Reid said, adding that through Comey’s “partisan actions, you may have broken the law.”

Clinton’s running mate, Tim Kaine, called Comey’s actions “extremely puzzling,” while John Podesta, Clinton’s campaign manager, said the FBI should have investigated the new trove of emails before announcing the review.

“To throw this in the middle of a campaign 11 days out just seems to break with precedent and be inappropriate at this stage,” Podesta told CNN’s “State of the Union” show.

The FBI had said in July that its investigation into Clinton’s email practices had concluded with a recommendation of no criminal charges in the matter.

Meanwhile, President Barack Obama said he did not believe Comey was secretly trying to influence the election outcome, the White House said.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest also said he had no “independent knowledge” of how Comey had arrived at his decision to make public the FBI email investigation or “what factors were considered” in his decision to discuss the issue publicly.

However, Michael Hayden, a former director at the CIA, said Clinton bore responsibility for having used a private email server when serving as US secretary of state.

“The original email set-up was the sin,” he told Al Jazeera. “Anyone with government experience views that email arrangement to be frankly inconceivable and all the subsequent explanations of it to be incoherent. Now we’re here in this dark place.”

Al Jazeera’s Rosiland Jordan, reporting from Washington, DC, said Comey’s announcement was likely to improve Trump’s standing in the election.

“This might encourage Trump supporters who had been thinking about staying home because they thought the race was lost. Following this announcement they might now go out and vote,” she said.

Within minutes of Comey’s announcement on Friday, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump used Comey’s letter to attack Clinton on the campaign trail.

He said the political system “might not be as rigged as I thought” now that the FBI has decided to investigate new emails found.

At a rally in Manchester, New Hampshire, Trump praised the FBI, saying: “I think they are going to right the ship, folks.”

That is a new tune for Trump, who has repeatedly complained that the Washington establishment has rigged the political system against him.

In an average of national polls, Clinton is leading Trump at 48.0 to 44.9 percent.

November 1, 2016
Malawi government reviews foreign policy

{Government on Monday presented a review of a draft on Malawi Foreign policy to the Parliamentary Committee on International Relations.}

Speaking during the official opening of the presentation of the draft in Lilongwe, Principal Secretary (PS) for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Dr Dalitso Kabambe said the country had its first policy in 2000 and it has never been reviews for 15 years.

“Following the adoption of the policy document in 2000, it provided a context and framework through which Malawi’s foreign interests and positions were anchored.

“Considering the ever changing geopolitical environment in which Malawi lives, the policy document included a framework for regular reviews of the document for every five years so that the policy is able to take into account the emerging changes,” explained Kabambe.

He however said due to other challenges, the policy was not reviewed for 15 years; it is only now that it has been reviewed.

Kabambe added that the policy recognises that, Malawi needs to continuously self-evaluate economically, politically, socially and culturally, in order to strategically position herself to meaningfully benefit from the ever changing dynamic global geopolitics.

He further said they have taken into account the current global development agenda of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as the slogan of the policy “A Catalyst for Sustainable Development” to identify five policy priority areas which are; Sovereign and Territorial Integrity,

Sustainable Development; Peace and Security; Democratic Governance and Human Rights; and Environmental Management and Climate Change.

Kabambe said the policy also recognises the foundation set by Malawi’s history and its predecessor policy, which provides an opportunity for learning and improvement for the betterment of all Malawian.

He emphasized that the policy would put in place mechanism to protect the land, water and airspace the country have from neighbouring countries.

According to Kabambe the implementation of the policy will start later this year and a number of changes would likely happen which includes; opening and closure of embassies abroad, further restructuring of offices and redrafting of strategic plans within the ministry headquarters and embassies abroad and a general review of the country’s operating procedures to make them more efficient and cost effective.

Chairperson of the parliamentary committee on International Affairs, Alex Major said the policy will provide improvement on the laws government signs with international co-operations and also brought a change in political environment and climate change.

November 1, 2016
DRC: Regional process yields accord, relief

{The joint summit between SADC and the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) in Luanda last week was the last remaining obstacle standing between the government of President Joseph Kabila and a formal delay in the 2016 presidential elections.As expected, the Sadc-ICGLR heads of state formally endorsed the political accord reached in Kinshasa on October 18. This followed a controversial six-week political dialogue between the ruling party and elements of the political opposition and civil society.}

A delegation of Sadc foreign ministers from Angola, Mozambique and Tanzania had travelled to Kinshasa days head of the signing. Its statement supporting the national dialogue process was a clear sign that Kabila could count on the region to endorse its outcome.

The political accord sets elections for April 2018 at the earliest, and contains no language about whether or not Kabila can or will stand for a third mandate.

Having secured regional backing, Kabila can now sit back and relax. It is a wholesale victory for him and his ruling party, even if it has been rejected by key opposition parties in the DRC and certain members of the international community.

Part of the support team to the African Union (AU) facilitation led by former Togolese prime minister Edem Kodjo, the European Union (EU) issued a statement on October 17 – as the signing seemed imminent. In it, it criticises the fact that the dialogue was not sufficiently inclusive, with key political parties having boycotted the process from the outset.

After the violent crackdown on political protests in September led to the deaths of over 30 people, even the Catholic Church – which had been trying to play a unifying role – eventually withdrew from the talks. It took with it the last bit of credibility that the dialogue may have had.

The EU’s statement came too late in the day to make a difference, and looked like the last-ditch effort that it was. It is also hard to reconcile the supporting role the EU played in the dialogue with its criticisms of the process.

After the September crackdowns, the EU, the UN and the International Organisation of the Francophonie (OIF) should have pressed pause on their support to the process, and insisted on greater participation and an end to harassment and violence against activists and the political opposition before it could resume. What credibility can a government-led negotiation on the country’s elections have when the security forces are killing Congolese citizens, and activists are routinely harassed and imprisoned?

In addition to the EU, the French and various other interested countries have also expressed dissatisfaction with the political accord. And it is, on all fronts, the worst possible outcome.

That the election would not take place in 2016 has become obvious over at least the last six months. The international community’s dilemma was that it could not outright say this, as this would have been interpreted as an endorsement of the delay – but there was a general understanding that the election would not happen until 2017.

This realisation, and the understanding that an interim arrangement would be inevitable, is what prompted key players in the international community – notably the EU, the UN and the OIF – in February this year to throw their weight behind a process that had first been mooted by the government in 2015.

Prior to that, many were reluctant to support it, because it appeared to be designed to rubber-stamp an orchestrated power grab disguised as a technical delay. By supporting the dialogue process, the EU, UN and OIF presumably thought they could positively influence its outcome.

But the new political accord pushed the election date back even further – to April 2018 at the earliest.

Another significant problem is that the accord does not contain any language about what happens to Kabila; who presides over the interim period; and whether or not Kabila can or will stand for another term.

An earlier version of the accord did specify that the constitution could not be touched in the period leading up to the elections. This was meant to be a sort of guarantee that the government that will run the country in the meantime would not initiate any process that could amend the constitution with regard to presidential term limits.

Kabila wins at least 20 more months in office, without making even the slightest concession

Uncertainty over whether Kabila intends to extend his stay in office has been a key driver of the instability in the DRC, and doubts about his intentions to respect a two-term limit began to surface a few years ago.

It had been hoped that the national dialogue would provide clarity on this issue and put that question to rest. –

Unfortunately, it has not. If anything, between the content and the fact that the process lacked legitimacy, the present accord paves the way for more contestation and uncertainty. There is only one clear winner here, and that is Kabila, who walks away with at least 20 more months in office, not having made even the slightest concession.

Kabila now has absolutely no incentive to return to the negotiating table, as several countries have demanded. This, coupled with the Sadc and ICGLR’s endorsement, leaves the rest of the international community with very little leverage and few options.

It is probably better to refrain from trying to coerce Kabila back to new talks. Doing so risks alienating the continental and regional economic communities – the AU, Sadc and the ICGLR – that have thrown their weight behind the accord, and creating a rift with key African institutions. The best way for the international community to intervene now is to monitor every step of the electoral process and offer support where it can, so that elections are not allowed to be delayed again and again.

The international community must monitor every step of the DRC electoral process

It may seem counter-intuitive to engage with a government that was born of a discredited process designed to legitimise its own power grab, but this is currently the only remaining avenue for constructive engagement. Following up on implementation of the political accord is also important. Here, too, constructive engagement between Sadc and the ICGLR, and the EU, UN and OIF is an important avenue to ensure that important benchmarks are met. One way to do this is to appoint one person who is mandated to act as a liaison between the Congolese government and those supporting the political and electoral process.

Of course, such measures assume that there is the will to move forward towards elections. How sincere the government is remains to be seen. If it continues to target its critics in the heavy-handed manner it has used over the course of the last 18 months, international actors may have no choice but to walk away. – ISS Africa.

November 1, 2016
FBI obtains warrant to review Clinton aide’s emails

{With little more than a week to the US presidential election, the Democratic candidate is again under fire over emails.}

The FBI has obtained a warrant to begin reviewing a new batch of emails potentially tied to US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, law enforcement officials tell US media.

It remains unclear, however, whether investigators can finish their work before Election Day, The New York Times reported. “The process has begun,” the paper quoted a federal law enforcement official as saying on Sunday.

James Comey, the director of the FBI, set off a political firestorm on Friday by announcing in a letter to Congress that the agency would investigate emails discovered in a separate probe to see if they contain classified information.

The emails, belonging to Clinton’s closest aide, Huma Abedin, came to light during an investigation of disgraced former New York congressman Anthony Weiner, the estranged husband of Abedin.

Weiner is under investigation for allegedly sending lewd messages to an underaged girl. The FBI found the emails on computers that it seized in that investigation, according to news reports.

Earlier on Sunday, it was reported that FBI investigators knew for weeks about the existence of newly discovered emails potentially related to the investigation of Clinton’s private email server – raising questions as to why Comey waited until 11 days before the elections to make his annoucement.

“With just a little more than a week until Election Day, it’s unclear if this new Clinton email development will sway any undecided voters,” Al Jazeera’s Kimberly Halkett reported from Washington.

“Still, it’s a concern for Clinton’s campaign, given polls show Clinton and her rival now in a tight race in some key battleground states.”

The FBI had announced in July that its investigation into the Democratic presidential candidate’s email practices had concluded with a recommendation of no criminal charges in the matter.

Clinton’s rival, Republican Donald Trump, thanked Weiner for his role in the FBI’s discovery of new emails.

“We never thought we were going to say thank you to Anthony Weiner,” he told a rally in Las Vegas.

October 31, 2016
Iceland’s Pirates poll lower than expected in election

{Iceland looks likely to steer away from Pirate Party government, as voters favour the incumbent Independence Party.}

Support for Iceland’s Pirate Party in parliamentary elections was lower than expected, making it less likely the anti-establishment party will be part of a new government, early results have showed.

On Sunday, with roughly half of votes counted from the previous day’s election, the Independence Party had about 30 percent of ballots and the Pirate Party about 14 percent, putting them in third place behind the Left-Green movement.

It was a worse result for the Pirates than some polls suggested, and a better performance than predicted for the Independents, who have governed as part of a coalition since 2013. Coalition governments are the norm in Iceland’s multi-party system.

It was not immediately clear whether the Independents would be able to assemble a coalition with other centrist and right-wing parties or whether the Pirates and other opposition forces would get the numbers to govern.

Independence Party leader Bjarni Benediktsson said he was “extremely happy” with the early results.

He said that given the party’s strong showing, it would be “extremely hard to not include us” in the next government.

Saturday’s election was held amid widespread public discontent with Iceland’s traditional elites, with debate focusing on the economy and voters’ desire for political reform

It was called after then-Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson resigned in April during public protests over his offshore holdings, revealed in the Panama Papers leak.

The tax-avoidance scandal outraged many Icelanders, who suffered years of economic upheaval after the country’s debt-swollen banks collapsed during the 2008 global financial crisis.

The chief victim of voters’ wrath was Gunnlaugsson’s Progressive Party, which looked set to lose more than half its seats.

A kingmaker in government negotiations could be Vidreisn, or Renewal, liberal party formed this year that advocates Iceland joining the European Union. It looks set to gain a handful of parliament seats.

The Pirate Party, founded four years ago by an assortment of hackers, political activists and Internet freedom advocates, drew international attention as its support surged among Icelanders fed up with established parties after years of financial turmoil and political scandal.

Some polls had given the Pirates the support of a fifth of voters, potentially poised to become the biggest group in the volcanic island nation’s parliament, the Althingi.

Pirate cofounder Birgitta Jonsdottir said the early results were in line with the party’s own prediction of between 12 and 15 percent up from the 5 percent it secured in 2013.

READ MORE: Panama Papers – Iceland names new PM amid poll calls

“If we get more than 15 percent, we will be deeply thankful,” she said.

“We’re just amazed that we’ll possibly maybe triple our following from last time, and it’s only three years.”

The Pirates campaigned on promises to introduce direct democracy, subject the workings of government to more scrutiny and place the country’s natural resources under public ownership

The party also seeks tough rules to protect individuals from online intrusion.

Jonsdottir, the Pirates’ most prominent voice, is a former ally of WikiLeaks who has called on Iceland to offer citizenship to US National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden.

Opponents claim the inexperienced Pirates could scare off investors and destabilize an economy that is now recovering, with low unemployment and high growth.

A wind-lashed volcanic island near the Arctic Circle with a population of 320,000, Iceland has become known in recent years for large street protests that ousted one government after the 2008 financial crash and dispatched another in April.

October 30, 2016
Blow for Hillary Clinton as FBI reopens email probe

{Clinton calls on FBI to release all information immediately as Trump tries to capitalise with election day imminent.}

The FBI says it will investigate whether there is classified information in newly discovered emails related to Hillary Clinton’s private servers, reinjecting one of the most toxic political issues into the presidential campaign less than two weeks before Election Day.

The FBI had announced in July that its investigation into the Democratic presidential candidate’s email practices had concluded with a recommendation of no criminal charges in the matter.

But in a letter sent to members of Congress on Friday, James Comey, the FBI’s director, said new emails had been discovered in an “unrelated” case.

It was not clear from Comey’s letter where the new emails came from or who sent or received them. He said he did not know how long it would take to review the emails, or whether the new information was significant.

Officials speaking to US media said the new trove of emails that will be examined by the FBI emerged from a sexting investigation of Anthony Weiner, a former congressman who is the estranged husband of Clinton aide Huma Abedin.

Officials told NBC News the emails were found on a laptop that Weiner allegedly used to send inappropriate text messages and pictures to an underage girl.

Investigators also discovered that Abedin had used the same laptop to send emails to Clinton and now they are checking those messages to see if there was any classified information on them, the sources said.

{{‘Not as rigged as I thought’}}

Within minutes of the news, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump used Comey’s letter to attack Clinton on the campaign trail.

He said the political system “might not be as rigged as I thought” now that the FBI has decided to investigate new emails found.

At a rally in Manchester, New Hampshire, Trump praised the FBI, saying “I think they are going to right the ship, folks”

That is a new tune for Trump, who has repeatedly complained that the Washington establishment has rigged the political system against him.

Al Jazeera’s Gabriel Elizondo, reporting from the Trump rally, said there was an “absolute roar with approval” from his supporters as Trump told them about the FBI announcement.

“It really touches on a central theme of Trump’s campaign,” our correspondent said. “I spoke to several people here who said they hope this eventually leads to Clinton ending up in jail.”

In response to the news, Clinton called on the FBI to release all new information in its probe and said she did not think the agency would change its conclusion in July not to prosecute her.

“The American people deserve to get the full and complete facts immediately. The director himself has said he doesn’t know whether the emails referenced in his letter are significant or not. I’m confident whatever they are will not change the conclusion reached in July,” she told reporters

A yearlong investigation by the FBI focused on whether Clinton sent or received classified information using the private server located in the basement of her New York home, which was not authorised to handle such messages.

“This is a damaging bombshell from the FBI that she will have to cope with until Election Day and potentially, into the White House,” Al Jazeera’s John Hendren reported from a Clinton rally on Friday in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where she made no reference to the emails.

“She’s already getting negative ratings in polls on the issue of being trusted.”

A new poll, conducted before Friday’s news, gave Clinton a lead of 6 percentage points over Trump.

The October 21-27 opinion poll found 42 percent of people who either voted already or expect to vote in the November 8 election supporting Clinton, versus 36 percent backing Trump. Clinton’s lead a week ago was 4 points.

October 29, 2016