Blog entries

Organization of American States (OAS) Secretary-General José Miguel Insulza rejected a request yesterday to suspend Paraguay as a member state over the impeachment of former President Fernando Lugo. During an emergency meeting of the OAS Permanent Council in Washington DC, Insulza explained that Paraguay’s suspension would negatively affect the country politically and economically while doing … Read more

Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono called on Latin America and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) yesterday to increase business and use existing frameworks for cooperation to boost trade and investment between the two regions. The call was made at the ASEAN-Latin Business Forum 2012, which seeks to foster trade and investment between the … Read more

When the Chilean government made its initial proposal early last month to increase the monthly minimum wage to 193,000 Chilean pesos ($390.53), it may have felt it was already conceding too much ground to the demands of Chile’s workers union: the Central Unitaria de Trabajadores (Central Workers’ Union—CUT). It signified an increase of 6 percent from … Read more

Top stories this week are likely to include: post-election protests in Mexico; OAS to issue its report on Fernando Lugo’s ouster; anti-mining protests continue in Peru; Raúl Castro arrives in Vietnam; and ASEAN-Latin America Business Forum gets underway. PRD Alliance Questions Peña Nieto’s Victory: Although officially declared the winner on Friday by the autonomous Instituto … Read more

Proposed reforms to the education system have resulted in tense stand-offs between students, their teachers and riot police across Guatemala. Just this week at least 40 people were injured after riot police were called in to break up a protest. The crux of Education Minister Cynthia del Aguila’s proposed changes is a requirement that those … Read more

Costa Rica, among Latin America’s oldest and best-established democracies, is facing an unusual crisis of confidence on the part of the population in the country’s politicians and institutions.  This goes beyond unhappiness with the administration of President Laura Chinchilla (among the least popular leaders in the Americas, according to polls); it is also targeted at … Read more

On June 20th, Guatemala asked the Inter-American Court of Human Rights to declare itself incompetent in ruling on a series of massacres against Mayan villagers in Río Negro between 1980 and 1982. More significantly, the State publicly rejected the notion that these were acts of genocide, and Secretary of Peace Antonio Arenales Forno went on … Read more

On Wednesday, Argentine Minister of Defense Arturo Puricelli and his Chinese counterpart, General Liang Guanglie, signed a memorandum of understanding in which they agreed to cooperate in the area of defense. The agreement was signed during a visit by the Argentine minister to Beijing to strengthen a relationship developed and deepened since 2004, when President … Read more

Over the Québec, Canadian, and U.S. holidays, I had the good fortune to read a book entitled “The Presidents’ Club”, written by Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy.  It is a story about the world’s most exclusive and unique club – living former U.S. President and how they interact.What struck me in the accounts is how … Read more

Mexican electoral authorities said yesterday they would recount votes cast at more than half of the polling places in Sunday’s presidential election, following inconsistencies in vote tallies and allegations of vote-buying. Edmundo Jacobo, executive secretary of Mexico’s Instituto Federal Electoral (Federal Electoral Institute—IFE), said that ballots from 78,012 of the 143,000 ballot boxes used in … Read more

A cholera outbreak in southeastern Cuba has killed three people and infected an additional 53 people, according to a Cuban Health Ministry release published by the Communist Party newspaper Granma on Tuesday. The outbreak of Vibrio cholerea was centered on Manzanillo, a coastal town of 130,000 residents in Granma province. A number of contaminated drinking … Read more

Upon assuming the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council, the Colombian government stated that addressing the violence in Syria will remain a priority in the agenda of the inter-governmental body. Speaking with reporters in Ibague over the weekend, Santos said that “the country reaffirms its full willingness to facilitate a quick solution that will … Read more

With an estimate of around 37 percent of the votes, Enrique Peña Nieto’s victory in Mexico’s presidential race will be analyzed from multiple angles, including what this will mean with regard to the war on drugs, the economic model in place, relations with the U.S. and the rest of the world, and many other topics. … Read more

Top stories this week are likely to include: Enrique Peña Nieto appears set for victory in Mexico; OAS sends a delegation to Paraguay; Vietnam to build trade ties with Latin America; Julian Assange still under consideration for asylum; and Hugo Chávez and Henrique Capriles Radonski officially begin campaigning ahead of October’s election. Enrique Peña Nieto … Read more

Updated 1:00 a.m. (Eastern) At 12:15 am (Eastern) today, the Instituto Federal Electoral (Federal Electoral Institute—IFE) announced the results of its quick count for the next president of Mexico. According to IFE President Leonardo Valdés, Enrique Peña Nieto (Partido Revolucionario Institucional—PRI) received between 37.93 and 38.55 percent—an average of 38.24 percent—of the vote. Behind Peña … Read more