In late March 2022, El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele declared a state of emergency on the heels of a bloody weekend in which 87 people were killed in gang-related violence. In the weeks since, he has carried out mass arrests against suspected gang members and moved to suppress news coverage, reminding people of the worst

President Andrés Manual Lopéz Obrador, known as AMLO, promised during his 2018 election campaign that he would give Mexicans the opportunity to boot him out of office in the second half of his term. On April 10, 2022, he gave them their chance. While fewer than 20% of Mexico’s citizens turned out to vote (far

On April 3, 2020, Rodrigo Chaves became Costa Rica’s President-elect. Costa Rica’s Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones (TSE) confirmed that Chaves, candidate of the Partido Progreso Social Democrático (PPSD), had won the Presidential elections over José María Figueres. The TSE made the announcement after 95% of the votes had been counted and also reported a high

On March 28, 2022, Peruvian opposition lawmakers failed yet again to remove President Pedro Castillo from office. They fell far short of the 87 votes required in Peru’s unicameral legislature; with 55 votes in favor of Castillo’s dismissal, 54 against, and 19 abstentions, the motion to vacate the presidency was a resounding dud. It was

In the days after Gabriel Boric, aged 36, was sworn in as Chile’s youngest president ever on March 11, 2022, observers all over Latin America noted positive signs for the future as well as rookie mistakes. Boric entered office with high approval ratings and with plans to turn the country into a greener and more

On March 13, 2020, Colombian voters seemed to take a decidedly leftward turn in their Congressional and presidential primary elections. They provided “historic support” for Senator Gustavo Petro, the leading leftist candidate who is the favorite in recent polls as Colombia heads for the May 29 presidential election. Petro’s Pacto Histórico coalition also did well

On March 5, 2022, U.S. officials visited Caracas to hold talks with the heretofore shunned regime of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela. “The purpose of the trip” was “to discuss a range of issues, including certainly energy, [and] energy security,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters. The United States broke off relations with Venezuela

In late February 2022, Latin American countries were divided over Russia’s aggression towards Ukraine. Most condemned the invasion, but some defended Moscow’s “right to defend itself” against NATO’s alleged encroachment. Venezuela and Cuba openly supported Russian President Vladimir Putin, while other Latin American countries questioned Russia’s moves, and called for dialogue and respect for U.N.

On February 21, 2022, Colombia’s Constitutional Court ruled to decriminalize medical procedures used to terminate pregnancies up to the 24th week of gestation. Before the decision, abortions in Colombia were only legal in cases of rape, if the mother’s health was at risk, or if the fetus had a malformation that compromised its survival. Colombia

By mid-February of 2022, the number of murdered journalists in Mexico had already outstripped the pace set in 2021. At the same time, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s contentious relationship with journalists became seriously intensified by his brouhaha with Carlos Loret de Mola. The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) called on AMLO to suspend a