LatinNews Daily - 09 March 2018

Development: On 8 March, the Fuerza Alternativa Revolucionaria del Común (Farc) political party announced that its presidential candidate, the former guerrilla group’s main leader ‘Timochenko’ (Rodrigo Londoño Echeverri), would be withdrawing from the election due to health concerns, and would not be replaced.... Read More

Peru: Left-wing parties opposition in the national congress have presented a second impeachment motion against President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, after he narrowly escaped being ousted last December.... Read More

Development: On 8 March, centre-right party Democratas (DEM) confirmed that the head of Brazil's chamber of deputies, Rodrigo Maia, would be its pre-presidential candidate.... Read More

* Brazil’s leading businessmen and politicians are discussing how to react after US President Donald Trump signed the decree to impose steep tariffs on aluminium and steel imports, which could damage Brazil’s economic recovery.  Their first port of call is to appeal the measure before the World Trade Organisation (WTO), whose director-general, Roberto Azevêdo, is Brazilian.... Read More

Development: On 8 March, several prominent politicians from Costa Rica’s defeated traditional parties threw their weight behind each of the two candidates competing in the second round of presidential election on 1 April.... Read More

Caribbean... Read More

Development: On 8 March, Mexico’s national electoral institute (INE) announced that three of the 86 independent candidates who were seeking to register to run for the 1 July presidential contest had successfully completed the registration process.... Read More

* Mexico’s President Enrique Peña Nieto has promulgated the new law on financial technology institutions following its recent approval by the federal congress.... Read More

Development: On 8 March, Chile’s foreign minister, Heraldo Muñoz, said that the signing of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) will help to combat poverty and inequality in Chile and around the world.... Read More

Paraguay: Paraguay’s finance ministry has announced that it has raised US$530m following the successful issue of sovereign bonds in US financial markets.... Read More