LatinNews Regional Monitor: Andean Group - 21 February 2020

Not since Lucio Gutiérrez (2003-2005) met George W Bush on 11 February 2003 had an Ecuadorean president been invited to the White House.... Read More

According to Maduro, over 2.3m uniformed officers were deployed across the country for the first large-scale military exercises of the year, “to defend [our] territorial integrity, [our] independence and [our] national sovereignty.” Footage broadcast over the weekend by the state television VTV showed the armed forces handling artillery and tanks, as well as marching through the streets of Venezuelan cities, including the capital Caracas. These military troops were deployed “on each ship, to each border post, throughout the airspace, in each city, on each street, determined to defend their homeland with love,” Maduro’s defence minister, General-in-chief Vladimir Padrino López, said on 15 February.... Read More

It is being widely reported, based on comments by MAS sources to national daily El Deber, that while the party’s presidential nominee Luis Arce has been approved, former president Evo Morales (2006-2019) will be disqualified from running for senate.... Read More

The extent of the damage has not yet been fully established.... Read More

Susana Vilca Achata picks up the energy and mines portfolio from Juan Carlos Lui, whose position became untenable after it emerged that through his company, Conasac, he had provided services to the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht between 2010 and 2014 at the same time as he was serving as an adviser and consultant to the energy and mines ministry for which he been tasked with drawing up a report into the gas pipeline project Gasoducto Sur Peruano (GSP) [WR-20-06]. The justice and human rights minister, Ana Teresa Revilla, resigned after it was revealed that she had brokered a recent meeting between Liu and Odebrecht representatives over the GSP.... Read More

On 20 February, Bolivia’s electoral tribunal (TSE) approved the presidential candidacy of the Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS) nominee Luis Arce, but disqualified former president Evo Morales (2006-2019) from running to become a senator.... Read More

* Colombia’s state-owned oil company Ecopetrol has announced plans to construct a 50MW solar park which will be owned by its Cenit hydrocarbon transportation and logistics subsidiary.... Read More