Americas This Week: February 4, 2023

February 4, 2023

A weekly review of news and analysis of elections in the Americas, usually posted on Saturdays and occasionally updated throughout the week.

A sea lion in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, Ecuador, in the Galapagos Islands. Photo credit: Wikimedia/MusikAnimal (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Upcoming Americas Elections

Ecuador Regional and Local Elections: February 5, 2023

Ecuador holds local and regional elections on February 5, as well as a referendum on constitutional amendments backed by President Guillermo Lasso. Lasso, who is center-right, was elected in a close runoff in 2021 in one of the handful of Latin American elections that resisted the “pink tide.” He is up for re-election in 2025.

Crisis24 (February 3, 2023): Ecuador: Disruptions, increased security likely through at least Feb. 6 due to local elections and a national referendum

Bnamericas (February 3, 2023): Activists advance toward plebiscite on mining northwest of Quito

Marina E. Franco, Axios (February 2, 2023): Ecuador to vote on constitutional reforms

Haiti Presidential and Legislative Elections: Long overdue, but could happen in 2023 (delayed from November 7, 2021, no new date set – don’t hold your breath)

Vanda Felbab-Brown, Brookings Institution (February 3, 2023): Haiti in 2023: Political abyss and vicious gangs

Megan Janetsky and Pierre Richard Luxama, AP (January 31, 2023): In Haiti, gangs take control as democracy withers

Mexico, Some Gubernatorial Elections: June 4, 2023, followed by General Elections: July 2024

Some Mexican states are holding gubernatorial elections this year, but the country’s politicos are all gearing up for the big presidential election in 2024. Populist firebrand Andrés Manuel López Obrador (often called AMLO) stormed to election in 2018, but he is barred from seeking another term. There had been some talk of him potentially trying to run again anyway, but he now says he will not. But concerns about growing authoritarianism remain.

Drazen Jorgic, Reuters (February 3, 2023): A Mexican soccer icon entered politics. Prosecutors say narcos followed

Eyder Peralta, NPR (February 3, 2023): Mexico’s president says he won’t seek an unconstitutional second term

Alex Vasquez, Bloomberg (February 2, 2023): Ebrard Confident of Clinching Mexico Presidential Nomination

Venezuela Presidential Election: Due in 2024

Mary Triny Mena and Fabian Koh, Channel News Asia (January 31, 2023): Venezuela returns to global oil stage, as US lifts sanctions amid world’s energy crunch

Past Americas Elections

Antigua and Barbuda Snap Elections: January 18, 2023

Global Americans (February 3, 2023): Antigua and Barbuda: Elections Over, yet Challenges Remain

Brazil General Elections: October 2, 2022

Rodrigo Pedroso, CNN, (February 2, 2023): Brazilian senator says Bolsonaro participated in a meeting to overturn election and didn’t discourage the proposed plan

Filipe Porto, The Diplomat (February 1, 2023): Lula and Latin America’s Great China Debate

Hans von der Burchard, Politico (January 31, 2023): Brazil’s Lula snubs Olaf Scholz with Ukraine war remarks

Bloomberg (January 31, 2023): Bolsonaro Resurfaces in Orlando, Vowing to Stay in Politics

Peru General Elections: April 11, 2021 (early elections could be set for April or December 2024)

Peru is in the middle of a political crisis, with massive protests calling for new elections. While the president and many others have repeatedly called for new elections, the legislature has repeatedly blocked any plans to actually hold them. 

Voice of America (February 4, 2023): New Elections Blocked in Peru

Editorial Board, Washington Post (February 4, 2023): Peru could spin out of control, unless its leaders act

Daniel Flatley, Bloomberg (February 2, 2023): Peru’s Top Diplomat Sees 2023 Elections as the Way to End Crisis

Andrea Moncada, Americas Quarterly (February 2, 2023): Is This Peru’s “Constitutional Moment”?

Reuters (February 1, 2023): Peru’s Congress fails to agree on holding early elections

Regional Analysis

Carin Zissis and Luisa Leme, AS/COA (February 2, 2023 – podcast): LatAm in Focus: Will the Anti-Incumbency Wave Reach Argentina and Guatemala?

Carmen Colosi, Stratfor (January 31, 2023): Is Latin America Experiencing Another Leftist Wave?

Americas Elections Coming Up in 2023

Ecuador Regional and Local Elections: February 5, 2023

Jamaica Local Elections: February 2023 (long overdue – date still not set)

Guyana Local Elections: March 13, 2023

Argentina, Gubernatorial Elections in Corrientes and Neuquen: March 26, 2023

Paraguay Presidential, Legislative, and Gubernatorial Elections: April 30, 2023

Chile Constituent Assembly Elections: April/May 2023 (expected)

Canada, Alberta Provincial Elections: May 29, 2023

British Virgin Islands Assembly Election: May 2023 (due)

Mexico, Some Gubernatorial Elections: June 4, 2023

Guatemala General Elections: June 25, 2023

Argentina Presidential Primary: August 13, 2023

Guatemala General Election Runoffs: August 27, 2023

Canada, Prince Edward Island Provincial Elections: October 2, 2023

Canada, Manitoba Provincial Elections and Northwest Territories Territorial Elections: October 3, 2023

Argentina Presidential and Legislative Elections: October 22, 2023

Colombia Regional Elections: October 29, 2023

Argentina Presidential Runoff: November 19, 2023

Dominica Indirect Presidential Election (by parliament): October 2023 (due)

Chile Constitutional Referendum: November/December 2023 (expected)

Trinidad and Tobago Local Elections: December 20, 2023

Haiti Presidential and Legislative Elections: Long overdue, but could happen in 2023 (delayed from November 7, 2021, no new date set)

21votes does not necessarily agree with all of the opinions expressed in the linked articles; rather, our goal is to curate a wide range of voices. Furthermore, none of the individuals or organizations referenced have reviewed 21votes’ content. That is to say, their inclusion should not be taken to imply that they endorse us in any way. More on our approach here.

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