Weekly Report - 04 June 2026 (WR-26-22)

Colombia faces potentially the most divisive second-round presidential electoral contest in a generation after the far-right populist Abelardo de la Espriella and former left-wing senator Iván Cepeda booked their passage to the run-off in emphatic terms in the first round on 31 May with 85% of the vote between them.... Read More

The anti-government protests in Bolivia which have escalated dramatically since mid-May are becoming increasingly existential for President Rodrigo Paz’s administration.... Read More

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An ‘anti-mafia bill’ that was submitted to Ecuador’s congress on 1 June was drafted with input from the Italian authorities, based on their country’s decades-long campaign against powerful organised crime groups.... Read More

President José Antonio Kast delivered his first state of the nation speech to congress on 1 June, an address known as the ‘cuenta pública’, seeking to dispel the impression that his three-month-old administration is suffering from teething problems.... Read More

Tensions between the Brazilian government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and the US government of President Donald Trump have heightened in recent days.... Read More

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has described Brazil’s economy as “remarkably resilient” in the face of external shocks such as the volatility of global oil prices in recent months.... Read More

Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum delivered a speech on 31 May to mark the second anniversary of her electoral victory in June 2024.... Read More

Mexico’s congress has approved a bill that would allow elections to be annulled in the event of proven foreign interference.... Read More

MEXICO | Private sector reduces growth forecast.... Read More

US-Cuba negotiations on the political future of the island appear to be continuing under a cloak of secrecy: the latest meeting between the two sides was held on the perimeter of the Guantánamo military base in south-eastern Cuba.... Read More

Mexican federal forces arrested Jesús Corona Damián, the sitting mayor of Cuautla municipality in Mexico’s south-central state of Morelos, on charges of organised crime on 30 May.... Read More

“I will be the best warrior to defend democracy and let myself be killed for Colombia if necessary.... Read More