Weekly Report - 15 March 2018 (WR-18-10)

The majority of Colombia’s political parties could claim a victory of some sort in the congressional elections on 11 March but the biggest winner was Germán Vargas Lleras, whose right-of-centre party, Cambio Radical (CR), excelled.... Read More

Retired Major General Miguel Rodríguez Torres was arrested on 13 March accused of conspiring against the government led by President Nicolás Maduro and seeking to destabilise the Bolivarian armed forces (FANB).... Read More

After a rollercoaster week, Ecuador’s national assembly has a new president and the attorney general appears to be on borrowed time.... Read More

Sebastián Piñera was sworn-in on 11 March for a second four-year term, the second time he has inherited the presidential sash from Michelle Bachelet (2006-2010; 2014-2018).... Read More

Far-left candidate Ciro Gomes from the Partido Democrático Trabalhista (PDT) thinks he has the winning ticket in Brazil’s electoral lottery.... Read More

“A tense week for relations with the government”.... Read More

BRAZIL | US tariffs.... Read More

“In the face of the factious, illegal, and cowardly use of the federal attorney general’s office [PGR], in the face of the attacks ordered from Los Pinos by [President Enrique] Peña Nieto, here we are.” With these words Ricardo Anaya formally registered his presidential candidacy for the Por México al Frente opposition coalition ahead of elections on 1 July.... Read More

The ruling left-wing Frente Farabundo Martí para la Liberación Nacional (FMLN) suffered the heaviest defeat of its history in El Salvador’s congressional and municipal elections on 4 March.... Read More

The dismissal of Guatemala’s national police (PNC) chief Nery Ramos, despite evidence of security-related progress, is again fanning concerns about the commitment on the part of the conservative Frente de Convergencia Nacional (FCN-Nación) government led by President Jimmy Morales to anti-corruption efforts.... Read More

The failure of the government led by President Enrique Peña Nieto to employ a coherent and coordinated strategy to arrest the deterioration in public security in Mexico was laid bare this week.... Read More

“Seeking peace has never been as popular as showing war trophies.... Read More