Caribbean & Central America - January 2023

Despite having pledged to demilitarise citizen security in her 2021 election manifesto, Honduras’s President Xiomara Castro and her leftist Partido Libertad y Refundación (Libre) government would instead appear to be following the lead of El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele in suspending constitutional guarantees and cracking down on gangs.... Read More

Despite having pledged to demilitarise citizen security in her 2021 election manifesto, President Xiomara Castro and her leftist Partido Libertad y Refundación (Libre) government would instead appear to be following the lead of El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele in suspending constitutional guarantees and cracking down on gangs.... Read More

In early December, a Guatemalan court sentenced former president Otto Pérez Molina (Partido Patriota, 2012-2015) and his former vice president, Roxana Baldetti, on fraud and conspiracy counts, each receiving a 16-year prison sentence.... Read More

In early December, various human rights groups presented a report titled ‘Expediente ONG Nicaragua’ detailing the impact of the actions by the government led by President Daniel Ortega in shutting down NGOs in Nicaragua, in line with its dismantling of democratic institutions and stifling of dissent.... Read More

Coffee farming continues to play a “dominant role in the economy and social fabric” of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, but the industry is facing serious challenges, according to a new report from the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB).... Read More

Foreign direct investment (FDI) rebounded throughout Central America in 2021 after a sharp decline in 2020, with Costa Rica the top performer according to the latest annual report from the United Nations’ Economic Commission for Latin America & the Caribbean (Eclac).... Read More

Costa Rica’s fiscal deficit has fallen after ballooning for years, and lawmakers have approved an external bond issuance after the International Monetary Fund (IMF) completed a successful third review of its agreement with the country.... Read More

While 2022 was a tough year for all Latin America and the Caribbean, Cuba suffered more than most – and it looks set to continue lagging in 2023 as some of its regional neighbours push forward on the recovery path.... Read More

The Dominica Labour Party (DLP), which has ruled Dominica since 2000, was returned to power for the sixth consecutive term on 6 December, with a 19-2 majority, in a general election called two years ahead of schedule, the ease of its victory greatly helped by the electoral boycott of the main opposition United Workers Party (UWP).... Read More

On 19 December, Holland’s Prime Minister Mark Rutte issued a formal apology to former Dutch colonies in the Caribbean - Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, Sint Maarten, and Suriname - for his country’s historical association with slavery and the slave trade.... Read More

The issue of race continues to dominate the politics of Guyana, with the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) particularly concerned about the attempts by the opposition A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (Apnu+AFC) to draw the US into the debate.... Read More

*** JAMAICA REIMPOSES STATE OF EMERGENCY.... Read More

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC | Record net international reserves.... Read More