Brazil and Southern Cone

Brazil & Southern Cone - September 2023

In August, Argentina held its presidential primaries (Paso) which serve as a gauge of public opinion ahead of the first round of presidential elections, which will be held on 22 October.

Brazil & Southern Cone - August 2023

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Introduction
- Introduction
Brazil
- Lula’s two-pronged economic strategy
- Decades-long tax reform in sight
- Enduring challenges for anti-deforestation goals
Paraguay
- Foreign policy shift unlikely under Peña
Uruguay
- Slow government response to water crisis
Argentina
- Massa bets on gas, IMF deal for election boost
Region
- Mercosur-EU deal hangs in the balance
Economic Highlights
- Economic Highlights

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Brazil continues to pursue a busy agenda of reform and recovery across various policy areas, including economic, environmental, and foreign policy.

Brazil & Southern Cone - July 2023

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Introduction
- Introduction
Chile
- Second constitutional reform attempt veers to the right
- Boric’s all-or-nothing tax reform
Brazil
- Lula cracks down on illegal gold rush
- Congress investigates landless workers’ movement
- Regulating the online information ecosystem
Uruguay
- Big hydrogen project for small country
Economic Highlights
- Economic Highlights

The July edition of the Latin American Regional Report: Brazil & Southern Cone begins with a deep dive into two topics which are of primordial importance to President Gabriel Boric in Chile: the drafting of a new constitution and a possible tax reform, two key policies for the young president which both failed the first time around.

Brazil & Southern Cone - June 2023

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Introduction
- Introduction
Paraguay
- Tough times for democracy
Argentina
- Massa has economy in intensive care
- Milei formalises plan for ultra-liberal shock
Brazil
- A new pricing policy at Petrobras
- The double-edged sword of Chinese investment
Uruguay
- Pension reform helps credit rating upgrade
Region
- Bird flu concerns sweep through Southern Cone
Economic Highlights
- Economic Highlights

After considering the economic consequences of Paraguay’s 30 April presidential elections last month, this June issue of the Latin American Regional Report: Brazil & Southern Cone provides an overview of the electoral process as a whole, highlighting how the clear victory for Santiago Peña, the candidate for the ruling Associación Nacional Republicana-Partido Colorado (ANR-PC), concealed a more complex political landscape in which public trust in democracy is being eroded, as a more radical opposition emerges.

Brazil & Southern Cone - May 2023

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Introduction
- Introduction
Paraguay
- Continuity doesn’t mean stability
Brazil
- Reining in the armed forces
- A new cap on more government spending
Chile
- Boric proposes statis lithium industry
- Public security shoots to top of the agenda
Argentine
- Passports and pregnant Russians
Economic Highlights
- Economic Highlights

Paraguay held presidential elections on 30 April which delivered an unexpectedly strong result for the ruling Associación Nacional Republicana-Partido Colorado (ANR-PC).

Brazil & Southern Cone - April 2023

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Introduction
- Introduction
Brazil
- Urban and rural violence both major challenges
- Lula’s beef with the central bank
- Lojas Americanas – downfall of a retail empire?
Argentina
- Massa’s battle to avoid default and devaluation
- Violence in Rosario forces new measures
Chile
- Constitutional rewriting attempt take two
- Aftermath of a failed tax reform
Economic Highlights
- Economic Highlights

The April 2023 issue of the Latin American Regional Report: Brazil & Southern Cone goes to press shortly after Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva marked 100 days in office, at the start of the month.

Brazil & Southern Cone - March 2023

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Introduction
- Introduction
Brazil
- The challenges surrounding the Yanomami crisis
- Economic policies cause a stir
Paraguay/Brazil
- Paraguay wants better Itaipú terms from Lula, again
Paraguay
- Shadow of corruption hangs over elections
Uruguay
- Tax breaks amid drought-induced economic slowdown
- Homicides soar, crime spreads
Economic Highlights
- Economic Highlights

The March 2023 issue of the Latin American Regional Report: Brazil & Southern Cone focuses first on Brazil and the actions and challenges of the new government of three-times President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Brazil & Southern Cone - February 2023

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Introduction
- Introduction
Argentina
- Economic woes follow World Cup Bliss
Brazil
- Undoing Bolsonaro’s foreign policy legacy
- Lula backs integration talk with money
Chile
- Boric’s blunders
- Boric says no to Dominga mine
- Fishy business threatens national parks
Economic Highlights
- Economic Highlights

Things are looking tricky for President Alberto Fernández of Argentina, whose government continues to face soaring inflation and the looming fear of default and devaluation, as a general election approaches later in the year.

Brazil & Southern Cone - January 2023

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Introduction
- Introduction
Brazil
- Lula’s economic challenges
- New government faces up to extremist threats
- Did the top court go too far?
Argentina
- Prison sentence handed down to VP
- The white gold rush in the Andes
Region
- Uruguay tells Mercosur to grow or die
Chile
- Palestine policy makes waves
Economic Highlights
- Economic Highlights

The first issue of the year 2023 of the Latin American Regional Report: Brazil & Southern Cone focuses first of all on the new government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who was inaugurated for a third term as president of Brazil on 1 January.