The spectre of populism – both of the left and right variety – has hung over Latin American politics and economics since the 19th century but, for the last two decades, a new wave of populist movements and leaders has developed as a result of ongoing economic dislocation and popular anger at the political class.
On the day before the Easter holiday, the Colombian Attorney General’s office issued an indictment against the former governor of the Antioquia Department and current presidential contender, Sergio Fajardo, for fund mismanagement alleged to have taken place in 2013. Fajardo’s response to the allegations against him may redirect his candidacy just one year before Colombia’s presidential election.
As Brazil spirals deeper into the epidemiological crisis caused by COVID-19, a new political dilemma has also arisen in the South American nation. Following President Jair Bolsonaro’s sudden and unexpected firing of Minister of Defense General Fernando Azevedo e Silva last Monday, the chiefs of the Brazilian army, navy, and air force all announced their resignations in response.
The beginning of 2021 has brought with it a deepening of the health, economic, and social crises in Brazil. With the 2022 elections on the horizon, political players consider several approaches to lift Brazil from crisis.
Among the first critical tests of the Biden administration will be the November 2021 presidential elections in Honduras and Nicaragua. Both countries are facing difficult elections mired by corruption, authoritarianism, and weak oppositions.
Three candidates have emerged as the frontrunners in the presidential race: a young protégé of former President Rafael Correa, a pro-business social conservative, and an Indigenous activist.
Colombian support for President Donald Trump during the 2020 presidential election threatens to stain the U.S.-Colombia relationship. The task now will be to undertake a full-blown exercise in damage control.
Sitting from a position more among the clouds than the buildings of neighboring cities, El Alto conjures the image of a rising political underdog whose Indigenous voice has managed to reverberate throughout the country in the last decade. As Bolivia returns to MAS leadership under Luis Arce, the highland community has shown that it will continue to elevate the interests of Indigenous and rural groups, amplifying their voices from the mountaintops.
