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Articles on Latin American politics

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Migrants from Latin America are traveling through Mexico as part of a caravan heading to the U.S. Isaac Guzman/AFP via Getty Images

Migration to the US is on the rise again – but it’s unlikely to be fully addressed during the Summit of the Americas, or anytime soon

The US is convening Latin American countries in Los Angeles this week to discuss major regional issues. An expert explains 3 key things to know about one top concern – migration.
On the campaign trail, Pedro Castillo often wore a straw-palm hat typical of Peru’s rural Cajamarca region, where he is from. Ricardo Moreira/Getty Images

Peru has a new president, its fifth in five years – who is Pedro Castillo?

Castillo is a farmer and teacher who has never held national office. Peru is a nation in political turmoil, with the world’s worst COVID-19 death rate. Can this unlikely leader lead it through crisis?
Salvadoran president Nayib Bukele promised voters change. Instead, he seems to be reviving El Salvador’s authoritarian past. Camilo Freedman/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

El Salvador’s façade of democracy crumbles as president purges his political opponents

El Salvador ‘is inching back toward its authoritarian past’ after President Nayib Bukele fired five supreme court justices and the attorney general – essentially the only checks on his power.
Riot police face off against protesters in Lima, Peru, Nov. 12, 2020. Ernesto Benavides/AFP via Getty Images

Peru’s democracy faces greatest trial since Fujimori dictatorship after two presidents are ousted in one week

After becoming Peru’s third president in six days, Francisco Sagasti must both lead the country into elections and build a better democracy. It’s a test Peruvian leaders largely failed 20 years ago.
Art featuring the slain Rio politician Marielle Franco, whose 2018 murder remains unsolved. Carl de Souza/AFP via Getty Images

‘My vote will be Black’ – A wave of Afro-Brazilian women ran for office in 2020 but found glass ceiling hard to break

The 2018 murder of Rio city councilwoman Marielle Franco inspired record numbers of Black women to get involved in politics. Winning proved harder – but it isn’t the only point of their campaigns.
Chileans celebrate victory after the referendum, in Santiago, Chile, Oct. 25, 2020. Felipe Vargas Figueroa/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Chile abolishes its dictatorship-era constitution in groundbreaking vote for a more inclusive democracy

After a year of unrest Chileans voted decisively on Oct. 25 to replace their constitution, a relic of the military dictator Pinochet. Civilians, half of them women, will write the new constitution.
‘Chile Decides’ whether to change its military dictatorship-era constitution at a popular referendum on Oct. 25. Martin Bernetti/AFP via Getty Images

Chile puts its constitution on the ballot after year of civil unrest

On Oct. 25 Chile will decide whether to replace its dictatorship-era constitution with a new one written wholly by the Chilean people. The vote shows how protests can change the course of a nation.
The ‘Christ of the Pacific’ statue in Lima has caused controversy in Peru because of its financing by a graft-tainted Brazilian construction company. Both religion and corruption loomed large in Peru’s 2020 legislative elections. CRIS BOURONCLE/AFP via Getty Images

Fringe religious party gains power in crisis-stricken Peru

After a bribery scandal that took down four presidents and led Congress to dissolve, some Peruvians are putting their faith in an austere religion called the Israelites of the New Universal Pact.
A supporter of former Bolivian president Evo Morales tells a police officer to respect the nation’s indigenous people, in La Paz, Bolivia, Nov. 12, 2019. AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko

Bolivia after Morales: An ‘ungovernable country’ with a power vacuum

Evo Morales is at least the ninth Bolivian president to by forced out of office by a mass uprising. But even in exile he remains by far the most popular politician in the country.
Chilean President Sebastián Piñera decrees a state of emergency to restore public order after a day of violent protest, Oct.19, 2019. Sebastián Rodríguez/Prensa Presidencia

Chile protests: President’s speeches early in crisis missed the mark, AI study reveals

As protests raged across Chile last month, President Piñera repeatedly addressed the nation. Researchers fed his speeches into an AI system to assess the emotions behind his words.
Supporters of former Bolivian president Evo Morales rally with indigenous flags outside the city of Cochabamba, Bolivia, Nov. 18, 2019. AP Photo/Juan Karita

Old religious tensions resurge in Bolivia after ouster of longtime indigenous president

Indigenous people, symbols and religious practices filled the halls of power in Bolivia during Evo Morales’ 14-year tenure. Now a new conservative Christian leader seems to be erasing that legacy.
Argentina’s president-elect, Alberto Fernández (right), with his running mate, former president and first lady Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. Reuters/Agustin Marcarian

Argentina elects new president on promises to fix economy and unify a struggling nation

Argentina has voted for change. Alberto Fernández, a 60-year-old lawyer, defeated President Mauricio Macri with a campaign emphasizing economic recovery, social inclusion and national unity.

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