Upcoming Elections
Belize Village Elections – June 23-July 28, 2019
Freedom House Rating: Free – Government Type: Parliamentary Democracy under a Constitutional Monarchy (a Commonwealth realm)
Belize is dominated by two parties: Prime Minister Dean Barrow’s center-right United Democratic Party, which has been in government since 2008, and the center-left People’s United Party (PUP), which played a major role in negotiating Belize’s independence and dominated politics until the 1980s. Belize has general elections coming up in November 2020.
Breaking Belize News: “PUP claims victory in 4th round of village council elections”
Guatemala General, Second Round – August 11, 2019 (first round was June 16)
Freedom House Rating: Partly Free – Government Type: Presidential Republic
These elections are taking place in a climate of chaos and uncertainty. Incumbent president Jimmy Morales, a comedian and political outsider, ran on an anti-corruption platform in 2015 but since being elected has repeatedly attacked the UN’s anti-corruption body CICIG after it started investigating his family members.
In May 2019, two out of the three leading presidential candidates were disqualified by the Constitutional Court: Thelma Aldana, a former attorney general who jailed hundreds for corruption, and Zury Rios, daughter of the former dictator. The first round did not produce a winner. Left-wing former first lady Sandra Torres faces conservative former prison director Alejandro Giammattei in a runoff on August 18. In the congressional elections, Torres’ left-wing National Unity of Hope (UNE) party appears to have won the most seats, but some face a runoff. Twenty percent of the incumbents are under investigation for corruption, and 92 percent of Guatemalans do not trust their legislature.
Editorial Board, Washington Post: “The Trump administration should fight graft and impunity in Guatemala. It’s doing the opposite.”
Canada General – October 21, 2019
Freedom House Rating: Free – Government Type: Federal Parliamentary Democracy (Parliament of Canada) under a Constitutional Monarchy; a Commonwealth Realm
The election will be competitive, and some polls have shown that the Conservatives would beat incumbent Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals if the election were held today. Trudeau is a darling of the global center-left, but his popularity has eroded in the last several months, partly due to controversies such as the SNC-Lavalin affair, in which the justice minister resigned from cabinet after a public conflict with Trudeau. Several provinces also elect provincial parliaments throughout the year. Seats for all 338 ridings (districts/constituencies) in Canada’s House of Commons, the lower house of the bicameral Parliament, are up for election (the Senate is appointed). Usually the leader of the party with the most seats then becomes Prime Minister.
Amanda Coletta, Washington Post: “Canada’s Trudeau is down in the polls. Can Conservatives take advantage?”
CBC News: “Federal election 2019: Provinces, premiers and their demands dominating the conversation: Stephen Tomblin breaks down the big things he expects from the upcoming election”
Allison Lampert, Reuters: “Separatists in the Canadian province of Quebec are making a comeback after years in the doldrums and could regain enough strength to endanger Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau‘s bid to retain power in a federal election this October.”
Terry Glavin, Maclean’s: “By happily admitting last week that he has been advising senior Chinese foreign ministry officials about how to influence the outcome of the October federal election, John McCallum, Canada’s disgraced former ambassador to China, has once again invited a whole lot of spirited public speculation about what the hell gives with this guy.”
Michael Fraiman, Maclean’s: “Why the federal election might not happen on Oct. 21: The set date is a high holy day for Jews, with possible implications in some battleground ridings. A court battle this week could force a shift.”
Uruguay General – October 27, 2019
Freedom House Rating: Free – Government Type: Presidential Republic
Nicknamed the “Switzerland of South America,” Uruguay is wealthier than the its neighbors and politically neutral. The three major parties are the center-left and social democratic Frente Amplio (Broad Front) coalition, the center-right National Party (PN), and the liberal Colorado Party (PC). FA holds a razor-thin majority in the General Assembly, with 16 out of 31 Senate seats and 50 out of 99 seats in the Chamber of Deputies. It has had a majority in the General Assembly and held the presidency since 2005. President Tabaré Vázquez, who was elected in 2014 and had also been president from 2005 to 2010, is not able to run this year because the constitution does not allow consecutive terms. Corruption allegations and slow economic growth could hurt FA’s chances in these elections. During the June 30, 2019 primaries – in which voters also express a preferred party – FA received only 23.6 percent of the vote, with PN winning 41.6 and PC picking up 16.8.
Mauricio Vázquez and Andrés Del Rio, Open Democracy: “A Uruguayan Bolsonaro in October?On June 30, political parties in Uruguay held primary elections to decide who will be their leading candidate at the October general elections.”
Argentina Presidential and Legislative – October 27, 2019 and Provincial – Throughout the year (next up: Santa Cruz on August 11, 2019)
Freedom House Rating: Free – Government Type: Presidential Republic
On the presidential front: Incumbent Maucirio Macri from the center-right Cambiemos – the first non-Peronist since 1928 to complete a presidential term – faces off against former president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, who surprised everyone by announcing that she was running for vice president on a ticket headed by Alberto Fernández. The election could go either way. Macri has had difficulty delivering on his economic promises, while Kirchner faces criminal charges related to corruption during her time in office. Provincial elections are also taking place throughout the year. Peronists have done well in the provincial polls held thus far.
Benedict Mander, Financial Times: “Macri’s hopes brighten as Argentina’s economy improves: A rise in the peso and slowdown in inflation buoys president after a rough patch”
Eliana Raszewski and Adam Jourdan, Reuters: “Polls agree the election will be a close-run affair that will likely go to a second round in November. A poll from consultancy Management & Fit suggested Macri would edge out Fernandez in a run-off scenario. Other polls, however, give Fernandez an edge head-to-head.”
Facundo Cruz, OpenDemocracy: “Uncertainty and elections in Argentina: Is the Argentine vote determined by the pro-peronist/anti-peronist axis? Do their choices depend on the left-right divide? Or is it more populism-republic?”
Marcelo Duclos, Panam Post: “Argentina: Top Peronists Jump Ship to Back Macri, as Presidential Election Looms: As Mauricio Macri fights for his political life amidst tough economic conditions in Argentina, key Peronists have come out of the woodwork to back his reelection bid, as Argentina holds presidential elections in October.”
Colombia Local – October 27, 2019
Freedom House Rating: Partly Free – Government Type: Presidential Republic
Local elections will be an important test for center-right President Iván Duque, elected last year with the backing of a range of political parties across the ideological spectrum. Duque has had difficulty passing legislation due to gridlock in Congress. Colombia has seen an uptick in violence ahead of these elections.
Brenden Paulsen, Colombia Reports: “Organized crime groups are threatening to severely corrupt Colombia’s local elections in October, particularly in port towns that are key for drug trafficking, according to experts.”
UN Security Council: “A week after the 15-member Council’s visiting mission to the South American country, Carlos Ruiz Massieu reported that, as Council members saw for themselves, progress in implementing the peace process is mixed, with Government efforts to reintegrate former members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People’s Army (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia-Ejército del Pueblo, FARC-EP) starting to show results but security in conflict-affected areas still a grave concern.”
Trinidad and Tobago – November 2019 (due)
Freedom House Rating: Free – Government Type: Parliamentary Republic
The two major parties are Prime Minister Keith Rowley’s People’s National Movement (PNM), which tends to be supported by Afro-Trinidadians and returned to power after winning the 2015 elections. The People’s Partnership (PP) coalition, whose main member the United National Congress (UNC) is mostly supported by Indo-Trinidadians, governed from 2010 to 2015, with leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar serving as Trinidad and Tobago’s first female prime minister. She currently serves as the country’s first female leader of the opposition. The two major parties fall largely, but not exclusively, along ethnic lines. Roughly 40 percent of citizens are of Indian descent and 40 percent are of African descent, with the remaining 20 percent encompassing a broad spectrum of ethnic heritages. However, citizens have a strong sense of national pride and national identity as Trinidadians and Tobagonians. The next parliamentary elections are due by September 2020, but could happen earlier.
Jada Steuart, Global Voices: “A new political party will officially run in Trinidad and Tobago’s next general elections, scheduled to take place in 2020. The Progressive Party, which takes a reformist approach to the country’s problems, is a younger, more liberal contender for the 41 seats in the country’s House of Representatives — but with a two-party system and a nation entrenched in identity politics, there are no guarantees that the group will find its place in local politics.”
Venezuela – Ongoing Crisis
Freedom House Rating: Not Free – Government Type: Federal Presidential Republic
Venezuela is currently in a political crisis following disputed presidential elections in May 2018. Incumbent Nicolás Maduro, Hugo Chávez’s protege, was declared the winner, but the elections were widely denounced as illegitimate and the opposition mostly boycotted the polls. Because Venezuela’s constitution stipulates that the leader of the National Assembly (Venezuela’s only institution with a modicum of democratic legitimacy) becomes interim president if the office is vacant, many of the world’s free democracies recognized Juan Guaidó as interim president until the country holds new elections. Maduro continues to cling to power and his forces are violently cracking down on the opposition. The regime has deployed death squads. However, the opposition perseveres.
The country is also in a humanitarian crisis. The capital, Caracas, is one of the most violent cities in the world. Hyperinflation has resulted in 90 percent of Venezuelans being unable to afford sufficient food, and as many as 3.4 million people (more than 10 percent of the population) have fled since 2015.
Annika Hernroth-Rothstein, Foreign Policy: “‘We Are Going to Continue to Fight’: Venezuela’s would-be president, Juan Guaidó, says he’s confident ahead of a new round of talks with the Maduro government.”
The Economist: “A faint hope for Venezuela: Can talks in Barbados restore democracy?”
AFP: “South American trade bloc Mercosur called for ‘free, fair and transparent presidential elections, as soon as possible’ in Venezuela, at its summit in Argentina on Wednesday.”
Andres Oppenheimer, Miami Herald: “Pope Francis’ wimpy statement on crisis in Venezuela is shameful: Venezuela’s Conference of Bishops has released a bombshell statement demanding an immediate end of dictator Nicolás Maduro’s ‘illegitimate and failed government.’ So why isn’t Pope Francis saying anything even close to that?”
Americas This Week – July 20, 2019
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Last Updated: July 29, 2019 by 21votes
July 20, 2019
Each day, 21votes gathers election news, analysis, and opinions from a different region of the world. We explore the Americas on Saturdays. Click the map pins.
Belize Village Elections – June 23-July 28, 2019
Freedom House Rating: Free – Government Type: Parliamentary Democracy under a Constitutional Monarchy (a Commonwealth realm)
Belize is dominated by two parties: Prime Minister Dean Barrow’s center-right United Democratic Party, which has been in government since 2008, and the center-left People’s United Party (PUP), which played a major role in negotiating Belize’s independence and dominated politics until the 1980s. Belize has general elections coming up in November 2020.
Guatemala General, Second Round – August 11, 2019 (first round was June 16)
Freedom House Rating: Partly Free – Government Type: Presidential Republic
These elections are taking place in a climate of chaos and uncertainty. Incumbent president Jimmy Morales, a comedian and political outsider, ran on an anti-corruption platform in 2015 but since being elected has repeatedly attacked the UN’s anti-corruption body CICIG after it started investigating his family members.
In May 2019, two out of the three leading presidential candidates were disqualified by the Constitutional Court: Thelma Aldana, a former attorney general who jailed hundreds for corruption, and Zury Rios, daughter of the former dictator. The first round did not produce a winner. Left-wing former first lady Sandra Torres faces conservative former prison director Alejandro Giammattei in a runoff on August 18. In the congressional elections, Torres’ left-wing National Unity of Hope (UNE) party appears to have won the most seats, but some face a runoff. Twenty percent of the incumbents are under investigation for corruption, and 92 percent of Guatemalans do not trust their legislature.
Canada General – October 21, 2019
Freedom House Rating: Free – Government Type: Federal Parliamentary Democracy (Parliament of Canada) under a Constitutional Monarchy; a Commonwealth Realm
The election will be competitive, and some polls have shown that the Conservatives would beat incumbent Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals if the election were held today. Trudeau is a darling of the global center-left, but his popularity has eroded in the last several months, partly due to controversies such as the SNC-Lavalin affair, in which the justice minister resigned from cabinet after a public conflict with Trudeau. Several provinces also elect provincial parliaments throughout the year. Seats for all 338 ridings (districts/constituencies) in Canada’s House of Commons, the lower house of the bicameral Parliament, are up for election (the Senate is appointed). Usually the leader of the party with the most seats then becomes Prime Minister.
Uruguay General – October 27, 2019
Freedom House Rating: Free – Government Type: Presidential Republic
Nicknamed the “Switzerland of South America,” Uruguay is wealthier than the its neighbors and politically neutral. The three major parties are the center-left and social democratic Frente Amplio (Broad Front) coalition, the center-right National Party (PN), and the liberal Colorado Party (PC). FA holds a razor-thin majority in the General Assembly, with 16 out of 31 Senate seats and 50 out of 99 seats in the Chamber of Deputies. It has had a majority in the General Assembly and held the presidency since 2005. President Tabaré Vázquez, who was elected in 2014 and had also been president from 2005 to 2010, is not able to run this year because the constitution does not allow consecutive terms. Corruption allegations and slow economic growth could hurt FA’s chances in these elections. During the June 30, 2019 primaries – in which voters also express a preferred party – FA received only 23.6 percent of the vote, with PN winning 41.6 and PC picking up 16.8.
Argentina Presidential and Legislative – October 27, 2019 and Provincial – Throughout the year (next up: Santa Cruz on August 11, 2019)
Freedom House Rating: Free – Government Type: Presidential Republic
On the presidential front: Incumbent Maucirio Macri from the center-right Cambiemos – the first non-Peronist since 1928 to complete a presidential term – faces off against former president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, who surprised everyone by announcing that she was running for vice president on a ticket headed by Alberto Fernández. The election could go either way. Macri has had difficulty delivering on his economic promises, while Kirchner faces criminal charges related to corruption during her time in office. Provincial elections are also taking place throughout the year. Peronists have done well in the provincial polls held thus far.
Colombia Local – October 27, 2019
Freedom House Rating: Partly Free – Government Type: Presidential Republic
Local elections will be an important test for center-right President Iván Duque, elected last year with the backing of a range of political parties across the ideological spectrum. Duque has had difficulty passing legislation due to gridlock in Congress. Colombia has seen an uptick in violence ahead of these elections.
Trinidad and Tobago - November 2019 (due)
Freedom House Rating: Free – Government Type: Parliamentary Republic
The two major parties are Prime Minister Keith Rowley’s People’s National Movement (PNM), which tends to be supported by Afro-Trinidadians and returned to power after winning the 2015 elections. The People’s Partnership (PP) coalition, whose main member the United National Congress (UNC) is mostly supported by Indo-Trinidadians, governed from 2010 to 2015, with leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar serving as Trinidad and Tobago’s first female prime minister. She currently serves as the country’s first female leader of the opposition. The two major parties fall largely, but not exclusively, along ethnic lines. Roughly 40 percent of citizens are of Indian descent and 40 percent are of African descent, with the remaining 20 percent encompassing a broad spectrum of ethnic heritages. However, citizens have a strong sense of national pride and national identity as Trinidadians and Tobagonians. The next parliamentary elections are due by September 2020, but could happen earlier.
Venezuela – Ongoing Crisis
Freedom House Rating: Not Free – Government Type: Federal Presidential Republic
Venezuela is currently in a political crisis following disputed presidential elections in May 2018. Incumbent Nicolás Maduro, Hugo Chávez’s protege, was declared the winner, but the elections were widely denounced as illegitimate and the opposition mostly boycotted the polls. Because Venezuela’s constitution stipulates that the leader of the National Assembly (Venezuela’s only institution with a modicum of democratic legitimacy) becomes interim president if the office is vacant, many of the world’s free democracies recognized Juan Guaidó as interim president until the country holds new elections. Maduro continues to cling to power and his forces are violently cracking down on the opposition. The regime has deployed death squads. However, the opposition perseveres.
The country is also in a humanitarian crisis. The capital, Caracas, is one of the most violent cities in the world. Hyperinflation has resulted in 90 percent of Venezuelans being unable to afford sufficient food, and as many as 3.4 million people (more than 10 percent of the population) have fled since 2015.
Upcoming Elections
Belize Village Elections – June 23-July 28, 2019
Freedom House Rating: Free – Government Type: Parliamentary Democracy under a Constitutional Monarchy (a Commonwealth realm)
Belize is dominated by two parties: Prime Minister Dean Barrow’s center-right United Democratic Party, which has been in government since 2008, and the center-left People’s United Party (PUP), which played a major role in negotiating Belize’s independence and dominated politics until the 1980s. Belize has general elections coming up in November 2020.
Breaking Belize News: “PUP claims victory in 4th round of village council elections”
Guatemala General, Second Round – August 11, 2019 (first round was June 16)
Freedom House Rating: Partly Free – Government Type: Presidential Republic
These elections are taking place in a climate of chaos and uncertainty. Incumbent president Jimmy Morales, a comedian and political outsider, ran on an anti-corruption platform in 2015 but since being elected has repeatedly attacked the UN’s anti-corruption body CICIG after it started investigating his family members.
In May 2019, two out of the three leading presidential candidates were disqualified by the Constitutional Court: Thelma Aldana, a former attorney general who jailed hundreds for corruption, and Zury Rios, daughter of the former dictator. The first round did not produce a winner. Left-wing former first lady Sandra Torres faces conservative former prison director Alejandro Giammattei in a runoff on August 18. In the congressional elections, Torres’ left-wing National Unity of Hope (UNE) party appears to have won the most seats, but some face a runoff. Twenty percent of the incumbents are under investigation for corruption, and 92 percent of Guatemalans do not trust their legislature.
Editorial Board, Washington Post: “The Trump administration should fight graft and impunity in Guatemala. It’s doing the opposite.”
Canada General – October 21, 2019
Freedom House Rating: Free – Government Type: Federal Parliamentary Democracy (Parliament of Canada) under a Constitutional Monarchy; a Commonwealth Realm
The election will be competitive, and some polls have shown that the Conservatives would beat incumbent Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals if the election were held today. Trudeau is a darling of the global center-left, but his popularity has eroded in the last several months, partly due to controversies such as the SNC-Lavalin affair, in which the justice minister resigned from cabinet after a public conflict with Trudeau. Several provinces also elect provincial parliaments throughout the year. Seats for all 338 ridings (districts/constituencies) in Canada’s House of Commons, the lower house of the bicameral Parliament, are up for election (the Senate is appointed). Usually the leader of the party with the most seats then becomes Prime Minister.
Amanda Coletta, Washington Post: “Canada’s Trudeau is down in the polls. Can Conservatives take advantage?”
CBC News: “Federal election 2019: Provinces, premiers and their demands dominating the conversation: Stephen Tomblin breaks down the big things he expects from the upcoming election”
Allison Lampert, Reuters: “Separatists in the Canadian province of Quebec are making a comeback after years in the doldrums and could regain enough strength to endanger Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau‘s bid to retain power in a federal election this October.”
Terry Glavin, Maclean’s: “By happily admitting last week that he has been advising senior Chinese foreign ministry officials about how to influence the outcome of the October federal election, John McCallum, Canada’s disgraced former ambassador to China, has once again invited a whole lot of spirited public speculation about what the hell gives with this guy.”
Michael Fraiman, Maclean’s: “Why the federal election might not happen on Oct. 21: The set date is a high holy day for Jews, with possible implications in some battleground ridings. A court battle this week could force a shift.”
Uruguay General – October 27, 2019
Freedom House Rating: Free – Government Type: Presidential Republic
Nicknamed the “Switzerland of South America,” Uruguay is wealthier than the its neighbors and politically neutral. The three major parties are the center-left and social democratic Frente Amplio (Broad Front) coalition, the center-right National Party (PN), and the liberal Colorado Party (PC). FA holds a razor-thin majority in the General Assembly, with 16 out of 31 Senate seats and 50 out of 99 seats in the Chamber of Deputies. It has had a majority in the General Assembly and held the presidency since 2005. President Tabaré Vázquez, who was elected in 2014 and had also been president from 2005 to 2010, is not able to run this year because the constitution does not allow consecutive terms. Corruption allegations and slow economic growth could hurt FA’s chances in these elections. During the June 30, 2019 primaries – in which voters also express a preferred party – FA received only 23.6 percent of the vote, with PN winning 41.6 and PC picking up 16.8.
Mauricio Vázquez and Andrés Del Rio, Open Democracy: “A Uruguayan Bolsonaro in October?On June 30, political parties in Uruguay held primary elections to decide who will be their leading candidate at the October general elections.”
Argentina Presidential and Legislative – October 27, 2019 and Provincial – Throughout the year (next up: Santa Cruz on August 11, 2019)
Freedom House Rating: Free – Government Type: Presidential Republic
On the presidential front: Incumbent Maucirio Macri from the center-right Cambiemos – the first non-Peronist since 1928 to complete a presidential term – faces off against former president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, who surprised everyone by announcing that she was running for vice president on a ticket headed by Alberto Fernández. The election could go either way. Macri has had difficulty delivering on his economic promises, while Kirchner faces criminal charges related to corruption during her time in office. Provincial elections are also taking place throughout the year. Peronists have done well in the provincial polls held thus far.
Benedict Mander, Financial Times: “Macri’s hopes brighten as Argentina’s economy improves: A rise in the peso and slowdown in inflation buoys president after a rough patch”
Eliana Raszewski and Adam Jourdan, Reuters: “Polls agree the election will be a close-run affair that will likely go to a second round in November. A poll from consultancy Management & Fit suggested Macri would edge out Fernandez in a run-off scenario. Other polls, however, give Fernandez an edge head-to-head.”
Facundo Cruz, OpenDemocracy: “Uncertainty and elections in Argentina: Is the Argentine vote determined by the pro-peronist/anti-peronist axis? Do their choices depend on the left-right divide? Or is it more populism-republic?”
Marcelo Duclos, Panam Post: “Argentina: Top Peronists Jump Ship to Back Macri, as Presidential Election Looms: As Mauricio Macri fights for his political life amidst tough economic conditions in Argentina, key Peronists have come out of the woodwork to back his reelection bid, as Argentina holds presidential elections in October.”
Colombia Local – October 27, 2019
Freedom House Rating: Partly Free – Government Type: Presidential Republic
Local elections will be an important test for center-right President Iván Duque, elected last year with the backing of a range of political parties across the ideological spectrum. Duque has had difficulty passing legislation due to gridlock in Congress. Colombia has seen an uptick in violence ahead of these elections.
Brenden Paulsen, Colombia Reports: “Organized crime groups are threatening to severely corrupt Colombia’s local elections in October, particularly in port towns that are key for drug trafficking, according to experts.”
UN Security Council: “A week after the 15-member Council’s visiting mission to the South American country, Carlos Ruiz Massieu reported that, as Council members saw for themselves, progress in implementing the peace process is mixed, with Government efforts to reintegrate former members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People’s Army (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia-Ejército del Pueblo, FARC-EP) starting to show results but security in conflict-affected areas still a grave concern.”
Trinidad and Tobago – November 2019 (due)
Freedom House Rating: Free – Government Type: Parliamentary Republic
The two major parties are Prime Minister Keith Rowley’s People’s National Movement (PNM), which tends to be supported by Afro-Trinidadians and returned to power after winning the 2015 elections. The People’s Partnership (PP) coalition, whose main member the United National Congress (UNC) is mostly supported by Indo-Trinidadians, governed from 2010 to 2015, with leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar serving as Trinidad and Tobago’s first female prime minister. She currently serves as the country’s first female leader of the opposition. The two major parties fall largely, but not exclusively, along ethnic lines. Roughly 40 percent of citizens are of Indian descent and 40 percent are of African descent, with the remaining 20 percent encompassing a broad spectrum of ethnic heritages. However, citizens have a strong sense of national pride and national identity as Trinidadians and Tobagonians. The next parliamentary elections are due by September 2020, but could happen earlier.
Jada Steuart, Global Voices: “A new political party will officially run in Trinidad and Tobago’s next general elections, scheduled to take place in 2020. The Progressive Party, which takes a reformist approach to the country’s problems, is a younger, more liberal contender for the 41 seats in the country’s House of Representatives — but with a two-party system and a nation entrenched in identity politics, there are no guarantees that the group will find its place in local politics.”
Venezuela – Ongoing Crisis
Freedom House Rating: Not Free – Government Type: Federal Presidential Republic
Venezuela is currently in a political crisis following disputed presidential elections in May 2018. Incumbent Nicolás Maduro, Hugo Chávez’s protege, was declared the winner, but the elections were widely denounced as illegitimate and the opposition mostly boycotted the polls. Because Venezuela’s constitution stipulates that the leader of the National Assembly (Venezuela’s only institution with a modicum of democratic legitimacy) becomes interim president if the office is vacant, many of the world’s free democracies recognized Juan Guaidó as interim president until the country holds new elections. Maduro continues to cling to power and his forces are violently cracking down on the opposition. The regime has deployed death squads. However, the opposition perseveres.
The country is also in a humanitarian crisis. The capital, Caracas, is one of the most violent cities in the world. Hyperinflation has resulted in 90 percent of Venezuelans being unable to afford sufficient food, and as many as 3.4 million people (more than 10 percent of the population) have fled since 2015.
Annika Hernroth-Rothstein, Foreign Policy: “‘We Are Going to Continue to Fight’: Venezuela’s would-be president, Juan Guaidó, says he’s confident ahead of a new round of talks with the Maduro government.”
The Economist: “A faint hope for Venezuela: Can talks in Barbados restore democracy?”
AFP: “South American trade bloc Mercosur called for ‘free, fair and transparent presidential elections, as soon as possible’ in Venezuela, at its summit in Argentina on Wednesday.”
Andres Oppenheimer, Miami Herald: “Pope Francis’ wimpy statement on crisis in Venezuela is shameful: Venezuela’s Conference of Bishops has released a bombshell statement demanding an immediate end of dictator Nicolás Maduro’s ‘illegitimate and failed government.’ So why isn’t Pope Francis saying anything even close to that?”
The Year Ahead: Americas
Canada provincial and territorial (throughout the year); Belize village councils (June 23-July 28); Guatemala general second round (August 18); Bolivia presidential and legislative (October); Haiti parliamentary (October); Bolivia presidential and legislative (October 20); Canada general (on or before October 21 – exact date not set yet); Argentina presidential and legislative (October 27); Uruguay presidential and legislative (October 27); Colombia local (October 27); Guyana snap parliamentary (November); Trinidad and Tobago local (November) Dominica legislative (December); St. Kitts and Nevis legislative (February)
A protest in Caracas, Venezuela, in February 2019. Photo credit: Wikimedia/Alexcocopro (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Category: This Week Tags: Argentina, Belize, Canada, Colombia, Guatemala, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela