April 8, 2023
A weekly review of news and analysis of elections in the Americas, usually posted on Saturdays and occasionally updated throughout the week.
Landscape in Patagonia, Argentina. Photo credit: Wikimedia/Diego Rodriguez (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Upcoming Americas Elections
Argentina Presidential and Legislative Elections: October 22, 2023
Americas Quarterly (April 5, 2023 – podcast): Argentina’s Elections And Reasons For Hope
Colombia Regional Elections: October 29, 2023
In 2022, Colombia elected its first-ever leftist president, Gustavo Petro. In concurrent legislative elections, however, no party won a majority and centrists did not perform well. Ironically given his name, Petro pledged to end oil exploration.
Colombian politics are polarized and the climate is tense.
Bloomberg (April 5, 2023): Colombia’s Petro to Lead Push for Renewal of Venezuela Talks
Adriaan Alsema, Colombia Reports (April 3, 2023): Concerns over violence ahead of Colombia’s local elections
Lucía Cholakian Herrera, Buenos Aires Herald (April 5, 2023): 200 days to the election: the potential presidential candidates so far
Canada Federal Elections: Due by October 2025 – snap elections possible (various provincial and local elections due between now and then)
Natalie Liu, Voice of America (April 5, 2023): Canada’s Probe of Alleged Chinese Interference Gets Mixed Reviews
Past Americas Elections
Ecuador Regional and Local Elections: February 5, 2023
Ecuador held 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.
The elections dealt a blow to Lasso, with the leftist opposition winning most major cities, including the port of Guayaquil, the country’s biggest city, which the right had controlled since the 90s. Now, some are calling for Lasso’s impeachment and/or early elections.
DW (April 7, 2023 – in Spanish): Ecuadorian Parliament notifies Guillermo Lasso about impeachment
Bnamericas (April 4, 2023): Ecuador suffering triple whammy of violent crime, political tensions and natural disasters
Reuters (April 2, 2023): Ecuador’s Lasso authorizes civilian use of guns, citing insecurity
Nicaragua General Elections: November 7, 2021
Nicaragua held general elections on November 7, 2021. President Daniel Ortega, who has been in power for 20 years, sought and won another term after jailing his strongest opponents. Under Ortega’s rule, Nicaragua has become increasingly authoritarian, with rule of law and fundamental freedoms under assault.
Several opposition candidates were arrested before the election, including Cristiana Chamorro, who was seen by many as the opposition’s best chance of ousting Ortega (in fact, her mother, Violeta Chamorro, beat Ortega in the 1990 election, becoming Nicaragua’s first – and to date only – female president and ending 11 years of Sandinista rule).
Charles Lane, Washington Post (April 5, 2023): Nicaragua’s political future emerges from Ortega’s political prison
Peru General Elections: April 11, 2021 (early elections could be set for April or December 2024)
Marcelo Rochabrun, Bloomberg (April 4, 2023): Peru Congress Dismisses Impeachment Motion Against President
Regional Analysis
Juan Carlos Echeverry, El País (April 6, 2023): Ungovernable governments: In Colombia, restrictions on President Gustavo Petro have come from both Congress and the high courts. In the rest of the region, similar dynamics are happening
Americas Elections Coming Up in 2023
Argentina, Provincial Elections in Neuquén and Río Negro: April 16, 2023
British Virgin Islands Assembly Elections: April 24, 2023
Paraguay Presidential, Legislative, and Gubernatorial Elections: April 30, 2023
Argentina, Provincial Elections in Jujuy, Misiones and La Rioja: May 7, 2023
Chile Constitutional Council Elections: May 7, 2023
Argentina, Provincial Elections in La Pampa, San Juan, Salta, Tucumán and Tierra del Fuego: May 14, 2023
Canada, Alberta Provincial Elections: May 29, 2023
Mexico, Some Gubernatorial Elections: June 4, 2023
Argentina, Provincial Legislative Elections in Corrientes: June 4, 2023
Argentina, Provincial Elections in San Luis: June 11, 2023
Guyana Local Elections: June 12, 2023
Argentina, Provincial Elections in Córdoba: June 18, 2023
Guatemala General Elections: June 25, 2023
Argentina Presidential Primary: August 13, 2023
Guatemala General Election Runoffs: August 27, 2023
Argentina, Provincial Elections in Mendoza and Entre Ríos: September 24, 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
Venezuela Opposition Presidential Primary: 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.
Americas This Week: April 8, 2023
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Last Updated: April 17, 2023 by 21votes
April 8, 2023
A weekly review of news and analysis of elections in the Americas, usually posted on Saturdays and occasionally updated throughout the week.
Landscape in Patagonia, Argentina. Photo credit: Wikimedia/Diego Rodriguez (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Upcoming Americas Elections
Argentina Presidential and Legislative Elections: October 22, 2023
Americas Quarterly (April 5, 2023 – podcast): Argentina’s Elections And Reasons For Hope
Colombia Regional Elections: October 29, 2023
In 2022, Colombia elected its first-ever leftist president, Gustavo Petro. In concurrent legislative elections, however, no party won a majority and centrists did not perform well. Ironically given his name, Petro pledged to end oil exploration.
Colombian politics are polarized and the climate is tense.
Bloomberg (April 5, 2023): Colombia’s Petro to Lead Push for Renewal of Venezuela Talks
Adriaan Alsema, Colombia Reports (April 3, 2023): Concerns over violence ahead of Colombia’s local elections
Lucía Cholakian Herrera, Buenos Aires Herald (April 5, 2023): 200 days to the election: the potential presidential candidates so far
Canada Federal Elections: Due by October 2025 – snap elections possible (various provincial and local elections due between now and then)
Natalie Liu, Voice of America (April 5, 2023): Canada’s Probe of Alleged Chinese Interference Gets Mixed Reviews
Past Americas Elections
Ecuador Regional and Local Elections: February 5, 2023
Ecuador held 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.
The elections dealt a blow to Lasso, with the leftist opposition winning most major cities, including the port of Guayaquil, the country’s biggest city, which the right had controlled since the 90s. Now, some are calling for Lasso’s impeachment and/or early elections.
DW (April 7, 2023 – in Spanish): Ecuadorian Parliament notifies Guillermo Lasso about impeachment
Bnamericas (April 4, 2023): Ecuador suffering triple whammy of violent crime, political tensions and natural disasters
Reuters (April 2, 2023): Ecuador’s Lasso authorizes civilian use of guns, citing insecurity
Nicaragua General Elections: November 7, 2021
Nicaragua held general elections on November 7, 2021. President Daniel Ortega, who has been in power for 20 years, sought and won another term after jailing his strongest opponents. Under Ortega’s rule, Nicaragua has become increasingly authoritarian, with rule of law and fundamental freedoms under assault.
Several opposition candidates were arrested before the election, including Cristiana Chamorro, who was seen by many as the opposition’s best chance of ousting Ortega (in fact, her mother, Violeta Chamorro, beat Ortega in the 1990 election, becoming Nicaragua’s first – and to date only – female president and ending 11 years of Sandinista rule).
Charles Lane, Washington Post (April 5, 2023): Nicaragua’s political future emerges from Ortega’s political prison
Peru General Elections: April 11, 2021 (early elections could be set for April or December 2024)
Marcelo Rochabrun, Bloomberg (April 4, 2023): Peru Congress Dismisses Impeachment Motion Against President
Regional Analysis
Juan Carlos Echeverry, El País (April 6, 2023): Ungovernable governments: In Colombia, restrictions on President Gustavo Petro have come from both Congress and the high courts. In the rest of the region, similar dynamics are happening
Americas Elections Coming Up in 2023
Argentina, Provincial Elections in Neuquén and Río Negro: April 16, 2023
British Virgin Islands Assembly Elections: April 24, 2023
Paraguay Presidential, Legislative, and Gubernatorial Elections: April 30, 2023
Argentina, Provincial Elections in Jujuy, Misiones and La Rioja: May 7, 2023
Chile Constitutional Council Elections: May 7, 2023
Argentina, Provincial Elections in La Pampa, San Juan, Salta, Tucumán and Tierra del Fuego: May 14, 2023
Canada, Alberta Provincial Elections: May 29, 2023
Mexico, Some Gubernatorial Elections: June 4, 2023
Argentina, Provincial Legislative Elections in Corrientes: June 4, 2023
Argentina, Provincial Elections in San Luis: June 11, 2023
Guyana Local Elections: June 12, 2023
Argentina, Provincial Elections in Córdoba: June 18, 2023
Guatemala General Elections: June 25, 2023
Argentina Presidential Primary: August 13, 2023
Guatemala General Election Runoffs: August 27, 2023
Argentina, Provincial Elections in Mendoza and Entre Ríos: September 24, 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
Venezuela Opposition Presidential Primary: 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.
Category: This Week Tags: Argentina, Canada, Colombia, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Peru