Why Piñera Is the Frontrunner to Return as Chile’s President
Eight months before Chileans go to the polls, former President Sebastián Piñera is the frontrunner among a crowded field of candidates. The center-right businessman who was president from 2010 to 2014 leads public opinion polls, and has clearly benefited from the unpopularity of Michelle Bachelet, who preceded him in power – and replaced him when … Read more
The Real Lesson of Mexico’s State Elections
Mexicans from the U.S. border to the Yucatan peninsula issued a strong rebuke to President Enrique Peña Nieto and his ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) in state elections on Sunday. The PRI lost governorships in six of the nine states it held going into the vote, including four – Durango, Quintana Roo, Tamaulipas and Veracruz – … Read more
Peru’s LGBT Community Frustrated By Violence, Presidential Election
With less than six weeks to go before Peru’s presidential election, gay rights activists are fighting to put LGBT inclusion on the national agenda and find a candidate to rally behind. It isn’t easy, says Carlos Polo in Lima. Over Valentine’s Day weekend, Polo was beaten by police while kissing his boyfriend during a small … Read more
Growing Pains: Former Student Leaders Step into Electoral Politics Amid Continuing Mobilization in Chile
In 2011, a nationwide reform movement swept Chile, with teachers, students and their families filling the streets to demand free, quality public education. As student marches and police crackdowns continue into 2013, some former leaders of the movement are transitioning to electoral politics, looking to win seats in parliament come November. View an exclusive slideshow … Read more
Trade This Election
Headline writers called it the “Battle for Latin America’s Soul.” With a record 12 presidential elections and nine congressional contests scheduled in Latin America for late November 2005 to December 2006, the phrase captured the widespread perception that double-digit unemployment and a rising wave of dissatisfaction would propel nationalist, anti-establishment candidates into office, and effectively … Read more
