Latin America and the Caribbean

Trusted news agencies tracing tendencies of democratisation and autocratisation globally

Freedom of expression and alternative sources of information07. May

El Salvador journalists go into exile at highest rate in decades

Legislative constraints on the executive30. April

Brazil Senate blocks Supreme Court nominee for first time in 132 years

Clean elections27. April

Bomb attack in Colombia kills 19, one month ahead of election

Clean elections13. April

Runoff likely in Peru's presidential election

Peru is getting a new president – yet again, one might say. Since July 2016, eight different people have held the office. There were some problems during Sunday’s vote – and, as the count shows, no clear winner. A run-off election in June is highly likely.

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Political corruption25. March

Brazil's former president Bolsonaro placed under house arrest

Ex-Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro had been serving his sentence at the Papuda penitentiary complex in Brasília and has now been granted house arrest on humanitarian grounds.

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Civil Society Participation25. March

Victims of Argentina military coup commemorated 50 years on

Forty years ago, on March 24, 1976, a military junta led by General Jorge Rafael Videla staged a putsch and formally took power in Argentina. Human rights groups have taken to the streets to mark the anniversary.

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Legislative constraints on the executive19. March

Peru appoints third new premier in a month

Peru has appointed its third new prime minister in a month as the country remains in the grip of the political turmoil that has marked its recent history.

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Freedom of expression and alternative sources of information17. March

Trump says he believes he will have the "honour" of taking Cuba

Cuba is a totalitarian, one-party state but US President Donald Trump believes he has a mandate to change that status.

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Clean elections12. March

Sheinbaum has Plan B after Mexican parliament rejects electoral reform

Mexico's Chamber of Deputies has thrown out electoral reform proposed by President Sheinbaum's Morena, which failed to gain the requisite two-thirds majority. The president says she has an as-yet undefined Plan B up her sleeve. Opponents accuse Morena of seeking long-term rule.

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Clean elections11. March

Kast takes office as Chilean president marking shift to the right

The inauguration of José Antonio Kast marks a major shift to the right in Chile, but also a continuation of a recent South American trend. The devout Catholic plans to come down hard on crime and illegal migration and to be close to the Trump administration.

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Clean elections11. March

Colombian president's party ahead in congress vote, but no majority

President Gustavo Petro's Pacto Histórico has emerged ahead in congressional elections, but lacks a majority to push through leftist reforms backed by Petro. Observers saw increased polarization ahead of presidential elections in May.

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Clean elections09. March

Colombians are electing a new Congress, Petro's leftist bloc leads

Colombians elected a new Congress on Sunday, along with a primary election for the selection of candidates ahead of the presidential elections in May. The day saw plenty of action, with preliminary results showing leftist coalition of outgoing President Petro finishing first.

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Equal protection06. March

Judge: Mexican ministry must release documents on abducted students

One night in 2014, a group of young men from a rural teachers’ college in Mexico vanished. Since then, their families have been fighting for answers.

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Clean elections27. February

Mexican president presents her electoral reform initiative

Elections are an important factor in determining democracy in a country. How the electoral system works in detail is a decisive factor in this. In Mexico, President Claudia Sheinbaum has announced a comprehensive reform in this area – and is facing a lot of criticism as a result.

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Civil Society Participation20. February

Workers in Argentina stage general strike over Milei's labour reform

Milei has sparked a general strike in Argentina after he proposed reducing the number of government ministries and addressing economic challenges through spending cuts and fiscal reforms.

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Equality before the law and individual liberties20. February

Venezuelan parliament greenlights amnesty for political prisoners

Venezuelan lawmakers have passed new legislation that gives amnesty to hundreds of people prosecuted or convicted for political reasons during 27 years of authoritarian rule.

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Legislative constraints on the executive19. February

Peru's Congress elects Balcázar as interim president

José María Balcázar was chosen as Peru's interim president by Congress. He is the eighth president in a decade and will govern until general elections on April 12 result in a new president.

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