Americas This Week: November 14, 2020

November 14, 2020

Your weekly roundup of news and analysis of elections in the Americas, usually posted on Saturdays and occasionally updated throughout the week. For a full electoral calendar and interactive map, click here.


The famous Ipanema Beach in Rio de Janeiro. Brazil holds local elections on November 15. Photo credit: Wikimedia/Sandro Vox (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Upcoming Americas Elections

Brazil Local Elections: November 15, 2020 (Runoffs: November 29, 2020)

Brazil will hold municipal elections on November 15, 2020, with a second round on November 29, 2020. For background: the 2018 elections in Brazil swept controversial right-wing populist firebrand Jair Bolsonaro into the presidency. Bolsonaro, sometimes dubbed the “Trump of the Tropics,” ran against a political establishment notorious for corruption. However, his attitudes toward race and gender, and his attacks on the media, have raised concerns among many Brazilians. The country remains deeply polarized between right and left. The local elections are an important test for Bolsonaro, who is up for re-election in 2022. More

Bryan Harris and Carolina Pulice, Financial Times (November 12, 2020): Local elections will test political climate in Bolsonaro’s Brazil

Luciana Magalhaes and Samantha Pearson, Wall Street Journal (November 12, 2020): Brazil’s President Promised Economic Change. Now He Is Writing Covid-19 Relief Checks.

Simone Iglesias and Samy Adghirni, Bloomberg (November 10, 2020): How Covid Cash Boosts Bolsonaro Allies in Brazil Vote

Robert Muggah, Louise Marie Hurel, and Pedro Augusto Francisco, Americas Quarterly (November 12, 2020): Misinformation Is Threatening Brazil’s Elections, Too

Venezuela Legislative Elections: December 6, 2020

Venezuela plans to hold legislative elections on December 6, 2020, despite members of the opposition and international community calling for a delay in order to ensure credible, fair elections. These elections are taking place in the context of ongoing politicalconstitutional, and humanitarian crises have been going on for years. More

Naky Soto, Caracas Chronicles (November 13, 2020): What Conditions Would Allow Us to Trust an Election?

Peru General Elections: April 11, 2021

Peru has scheduled general elections for April 11, 2021. Voters will elect a president, all 130 members of the unicameral Congress, and 15 regional governors. These elections are coming on the heels of snap legislative elections that took place on January 26, 2020, and in the context of political turmoil and an economic crisis brought on by COVID-19. More

Reuters (November 10, 2020): Peru plunged into political upheaval as Congress ousts President Vizcarra

Anatoly Kurmanaev and Mitra Taj, New York Times (November 9, 2020): Peru President Is Impeached by Congress

Evan Ellis, Global Americans (November 8, 2020): Peru’s Multidimensional Challenge – Part 1: the political crisis

John Quigley, Bloomberg (November 11, 2020): Impeached, Jailed, Wanted: President Is a Dangerous Job in Peru

Gideon Long, Financial Times (November 14, 2020): Protests mount in Peru after president’s impeachment

Past Americas Elections

Belize Parliamentary Elections: November 11, 2020.

Belize held parliamentary elections on November 11, 2020. The center-right United Democratic Party government lost its majority in the face of an economic crisis due to COVID. The center-left’s People’s United Party (PUP) will take office, with John Antonio Briceno as prime minister. More

Jose Sanchez, Reuters (November 12, 2020): Belize elects opposition leader to succeed retiring prime minister

St Vincent and the Grenadines Parliamentary Elections: November 5, 2020

St. Vincent and the Grenadines held parliamentary elections on November 5. Prime Minister Ralph Gonzalves’s social democratic Unity Labour Party (ULP) won a fifth term in office. However, in the preliminary vote tally, the main opposition center-right New Democratic Party (NDP) won slightly more votes. International observers said the elections were free and fair.

Jonathan Mason, St. Kitts and Nevis Observer (November 9, 2020): While World Watched USA Election Agony, St. Vincent’s Election Last Week Was A Breeze For Dr. Ralph’s Ruling Party.

CARICOM (November 7, 2020): CARICOM Election Observation Mission declares the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Elections free and fair

Bolivia General Elections Re-Run: October 18, 2020

Bolivia held a rerun of the 2019 annulled general elections on October 18, 2020. Voters elected a president, vice president, plus the entire national legislature, which consists of 130 members of the Chamber of Deputies and 36 members of the Senate. Socialist Luis Arce won the presidency. More

Linda Farthing, World Politics Review (November 13, 2020): Arce Looks to Heal Bolivia’s Divisions, but Morales’ Shadow Looms Large

MercoPress (November 12, 2020): New Bolivian government reestablishes diplomatic ties with Venezuela and Iran

Kejal Vyas, Wall Street Journal (November 9, 2020): Evo Morales Returns Triumphantly to Bolivia After Exile

Claudia Dominguez, CNN and Reuters (November 8, 2020): Bolivia’s Luis Arce sworn in as president as socialists return to power

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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