Schot, De Volkskrant, Netherlands
As we say goodbye to the dizzying and tumultuous year the region has had, we don’t have a lot of time to recover. With major presidential and legislative elections this year—including the U.S.’s midterm elections in November—2018 promises to be just as, if not more, memorable than 2017. First up is Costa Rica which will hold presidential and legislative general elections on February 4th, followed by El Salvador’s and Colombia’s legislative elections, both in March.
In April, the region will witness the Cuban presidential transition of power and legislative elections marking the end of the Castros’ era. Paraguay will also hold its presidential and legislative general elections on the 22nd. On April 13th and 14th, Peru will host the Eighth Summit of the Americas which will focus on none other than anti-corruption—sources reveal President Donald Trump is not likely to attend, which would make him the first U.S. president to skip the summit since it was first held in 1994.
The latter part of the year will see presidential elections in Colombia (May 27th), Mexico (July 1st), and Brazil (October 7th). Although a presidential election has been scheduled in Venezuela for December, no one—except President Maduro—knows when or even if it will be held. In November, Argentina is scheduled to host the G-20 summit which will focus on the future of work, infrastructure for development, and a sustainable food future.
