Going Down the Rabbit Hole of the UNHRC’s Universal Review Process
Even in Latin America, a region often thought to share the same democratic orientation and values of the U.S. and Europe, there are some striking differences among groups of countries regarding supporting norms and practices on human rights internationally, with some countries lining up more with autocratic countries of the Global South.
An Ominous Opening for Venezuela’s New Parliament
For the first time in the 17 years since the late Hugo Chávez swept into power, the opposition has firm control of one of the branches of government. This proved too much for the chavista legislators to handle, and their walkout foreshadows the tensions ahead.
The 2015 Top 10 Events in LGBT Politics in Latin America and the Caribbean
Despite legal setbacks in Peru and El Salvador and retrograde rhetoric from the newly-elected President of Guatemala and the Catholic cardinal of the Dominican Republic, overall LGBT civil, human and political rights continued to make gains across the region.
Mis 43 héroes del 6D
Mis héroes del 6 de diciembre son los 43 venezolanos que votaron a favor de la MUD en la zona popular de Chirgua venciendo el miedo y la coerción para ejercer su derecho a votar libremente.
Here’s how the opposition got a two-thirds majority in Venezuela
The big news out of Venezuela’s Dec. 6 legislative elections is the victory of the opposition United Democratic Roundtable (MUD) over the incumbent United Socialist Party (PSUV) of President Nicolás Maduro. But how did the MUD achieve this landslide win in an electoral environment widely regarded as stacked in favor of the PSUV? A variety of factors were at play, and the MUD caught some remarkable breaks.
How Did Venezuela’s MUD Get Its Supermajority?
On December 6th, election laws originally designed by the chavista government to favor it in the allocation of congressional seats worked to the opposition’s advantage.
Latest from Latin Pulse – December 11th
Religion and politics, the so-called taboo subjects provide the central themes for Latin Pulse this week. The program provides a preview of Cuba’s favorite religious celebration, the feast day of San Lazaro. The program also goes in-depth on reaction to the surprising landslide win of opposition groups in Venezuela in that country’s Congressional elections.
The sad death of the Latin American left
Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez and Brazil’s Luiz Inacio da Silva dreamed of a new world order. Their successors watched it fall to pieces.
Will it be a majority or a supermajority in Venezuela, and why this matters
On Sunday, Venezuela held elections for all 167 seats in its National Assembly. The opposition coalition, the United Democratic Roundtable (MUD), captured a majority, but as of midday on Monday, we don’t yet know how big that majority will be because some races were initially declared too close to call.
Venezuela opposition scores surprise win. But don’t count chavismo out.
Venezuela’s political opposition rode a wave of economic discontent in Sunday’s elections to win the majority of legislative seats for the first time in 16 years. It’s a historic shift for the oil-rich nation that’s spent the past nearly two decades under a socialist regime that had few checks on its power.