Americas This Week: April 3, 2021

April 3, 2021

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.

Cuzco, Peru, capital of the Inca Empire from the 13th to the 16th centuries. Photo credit: Wikimedia/Martin Lang (CC BY 2.0)

Upcoming Americas Elections

Peru General Elections: April 11, 2021

Peru has scheduled general elections for April 11, 2021. 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 – including the impeachment of President Martín Vizcarra and the subsequent “week of three presidents” – and an economic crisis brought on by COVID-19. More

Simeon Tegel, World Politics Review (April 5, 2021): Is Peru’s crowded presidential election a bridge to nowhere?

Al Jazeera (April 4, 2021): Peru reports new COVID deaths record ahead of elections

Marco Aquino, Reuters (March 30, 2021): Peru presidential candidates spar over vaccines, oxygen in debate as virus rages

Andina (March 30, 2021): Peru’s President says general elections still on track for April 11

Ecuador Presidential Runoff: April 11, 2021

Ecuador holds a presidential runoff on April 11, 2021. Left-wing economist Andrés Arauz, a protege of former president Rafael Correa (himself barred from running after being convicted of corruption) will face conservative Guillermo Lasso, who edged out indigenous activist Yaku Pérez for a spot in the runoff. More

Bolivia Local Election Runoffs: April 11, 2021

Bolivia held regional and municipal elections on March 7, 2021, and some races will have runoffs on April 11. These follow a rerun of the 2019 annulled general elections that took place on October 18, 2020 in which socialist Luis Arce won the presidency. Leftist firebrand Evo Morales has returned to the country to lead his party, although apparently not every member of his party loves him. Opposition candidates won the mayoral elections in 8 out of 10 of Bolivia’s biggest cities. More

El Deber (April 4, 2021 – in Spanish): MAS and the Government deploy for the second round one week before the elections

Argentina Midterm Legislative Elections: October 24, 2021

Argentina is due to hold midterm legislative elections on October 24, 2021. Furthermore, although most of Argentina’s 23 provinces hold elections at the same time as the presidential election, a few are due to hold elections in 2021. These elections are happening in the context of an economic crisis, which the leftist government and COVID-19 have exacerbated. More

The Economist (April 3, 2021): Argentina is in no hurry to strike a deal with the IMF

Agustino Fontevecchia, Forbes (April 2, 2021): Macri’s Return Signals More Division Ahead Of Argentine Midterm Elections This Year

MercoPress (March 31, 2021: Lawmaker wants referendum on province of Mendoza’s independence from Argentina

Canada, Yukon Territorial Election: April 12, 2021 and Possible Snap Federal Elections

Canada’s 10 provinces and three territories all hold provincial and municipal elections at different times. Yukon holds territorial elections on April 12, following a rather turbulent Newfoundland and Labrador provincial election in March. Moreover, snap federal elections are possible if the opposition manages to oust PM Justin Trudeau’s Liberal minority government in a vote of no confidence.

Yukon

CBC News (April 4, 2021): Advance polls open in Yukon election

Haley Ritchie, Yukon News (April 3, 2021): What happens if a party wins but a leader doesn’t?

Federal Elections

David Akin, Global News Canada (April 4, 2021): NOTEBOOK: A first look at Canada’s next federal election battlegrounds

David Ljunggren, Reuters (April 1, 2021): Erin who? Main rival to Canada’s Trudeau struggling to win voters’ attention as election looms

Éric Grenier, CBC News (April 1, 2021): COVID-19 and N.L.’s election results probably killed the idea of a spring federal election

Newfoundland and Labrador

Greg Mercer, Globe and Mail (March 31, 2021): Newfoundland election creates new democratic crisis

Chile Local and Regional Elections: May 15 and 16, 2021 (DELAYED from April 11) and Presidential and Legislative Elections: November 21, 2021

Chile has delayed its local and regional elections, originally scheduled for April 11, 2021, to May. Voters will elect governors as well as mayors and local councils throughout the country. After that, presidential and legislative elections are scheduled for November 21, 2021. The upcoming elections in Chile are taking place in the context of a year of protests and riots, including violent looting, arson, and vandalism. Furthermore, an intense debate over a constitutional referendum continues, following a referendum in which Chileans voted to write a new constitution. More

Cristian Torres, Infobae (April 5, 2021): Faced with the outbreak of the pandemic, Chile postpones its constituent and municipal elections

CNN Chile (April 5, 2021 – in Spanish): Draft postponement of elections will be analyzed by the Mixed Commission after changes in the Lower House

Mexico Legislative Elections: June 6, 2021

Mexico plans to hold midterm legislative elections on June 6, 2021. These elections will be a key test for left-wing populist firebrand Andrés Manuel López Obrador (frequently called AMLO) ahead of the 2024 presidential election. More

Mexico News Daily (April 5, 2021): Centennials — aged 18 to 24 — will play a big role in elections this year

David Marcial Pérez, El País (March 31, 2021): Dodging bullets in Fresnillo, Mexico’s city of fear

AP (March 31, 2021): Mexican electoral court: President can’t praise achievements

Christopher Lenton, Natural Gas Intelligence (March 31, 2021): With elections near, Mexico fuel bill seeks to tighten state control over energy permitting

Nicaragua General Elections: November 7, 2021

Nicaragua holds general elections on November 7, 2021. President Daniel Ortega, who has been in power for 20 years, will seek another term, and under his rule, Nicaragua has become increasingly authoritarian, with rule of law and fundamental freedoms under assault.

The Economist (April 3, 2021): A family of six Nicaraguan presidents looks to provide a seventh

Haiti Parliamentary Elections: September 19, 2021 and Presidential Election: Due in November 2021 (delays possible)

Haiti plans to hold long-overdue legislative elections on September 19, 2021, and also has a presidential election due later this year. However, the country is currently in a political crisis related to allegations of fraud followed Haiti’s presidential 2015 election. The international community, including the United States government, has called on Haiti’s officials to set a date for elections and end the crisis. More

Jim Wyss, Bloomberg (March 31, 2021): Haiti’s leader defies protesters’ calls to cancel election and quit

Andre Paultre and Sarah Marsh, Reuters (March 30, 2021): As turmoil deepens, Haitians fear democracy is slipping away

Colombia Presidential and Legislative Elections: Spring 2022 (due)

Colombia is due to hold presidential and legislative elections in spring 2022. Conservative Ivan Duque, elected president in 2018, is not eligible to run for another term.

Javier LaFuente, El País (March 30, 2021): Politics, peace and poverty: a powder keg called Colombia

Brazil Presidential and Legislative Elections: October 2, 2022

Brazil holds general elections in October 2022. Jair Bolsonaro, the right-wing populist firebrand president, is up for re-election. The country remains deeply polarized between right and left. More

Beatriz Rey, The Brazilian Report (April 5, 2021): Ahead of 2022, anti-partisanship is a looming risk for Brazil

Brian Winter, Americas Quarterly (March 30, 2021): An insecure Bolsonaro prepares for his own January 6

Gabriel Stargardter, Reuters (April 1, 2021): Analysis: Brazil’s Bolsonaro seeks police support before elections with reshuffle

Past Americas Elections

Antigua and Barbuda, Local Elections in Barbuda

St. Kitts and Nevis Observer (March 31, 2021): A&B Labour Party booted from Barbuda in local polls

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.

Share This