Weekly Report - 30 April 2020 (WR-20-17)

The coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic and accompanying economic crisis have been unfolding to a background of political tensions in Brazil.... Read More

Chile’s President Sebastián Piñera suggested this week that an impending recession associated with the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic might make it necessary to re-evaluate holding a plebiscite on reforming the constitution in October.... Read More

ARGENTINA-REGION | Argentina disengages from Mercosur.... Read More

It is not the way the Colombian government would have chosen to celebrate being formally admitted to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) after a prolonged accession process spanning seven years.... Read More

The appointment of Tareck El Aissami as Venezuela’s new oil minister elicited a strong reaction from opponents of Nicolás Maduro’s government.... Read More

As governments across the region struggle with the political and economic repercussions of the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, Peru had looked like being something of an exception, with President Martín Vizcarra winning plaudits for his decisive action to contain the virus and protect the economy [WR-20-14].... Read More

The economic reactivation plan that the Mexican government led by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador will implement to address the economic crisis derived from the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic has been widely criticised for being limited in scope and offering little assistance to local firms [WR-20-14].... Read More

No country in Latin America has imposed as tough a lockdown as El Salvador in response to the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.... Read More

Guatemala’s President Alejandro Giammattei has delivered a balance sheet on his first 100 days in office.... Read More

As of 20 April, textile factories in Haiti able to ensure social distancing and meet other requirements aimed at preventing the spread of coronavirus (Covid-19) resumed operations.... Read More

The resignation of two Paraguayan government officials in as many weeks over alleged irregularities in the procurement of materials to help with the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic has raised concerns that the financial effort undertaken by the administration led by President Mario Abdo Benítez to address the public health emergency [WR-20-12] will be undermined by corruption.... Read More

“The President of the Republic – who is also subject to the law, like any other citizen in this country – is not exempt from the criminal liability of the acts he has committed, as no one, not even the head of the national executive, is above the authority of the constitution.”  ... Read More