Following the ouster of former President Pedro Castillo last month, ongoing protests concentrated in Peru’s southern Andes have descended on the capital city of Lima. At least 53 people thus far have been killed in clashes with security forces—the worst political violence the country has experienced in more than two decades. President Dina Boluarte has resisted calls for her resignation, despite offering her support for a plan shifting elections originally scheduled for 2026 to 2024 and cooperating with a probe launched by Peru’s prosecutor investigating Boluarte and other ministers for their role in the Ayacucho and Juliaca police crackdowns which left dozens dead at the hands of security forces.

The protestors have demanded the government to hold new presidential and congressional elections, a constitutional convention to rewrite the country’s founding document, and fundamental structural reform to address the high levels of disparity between the urban coastal elite and the rural, largely indigenous periphery. In the town of Macusani, protestors burned a police station and judicial office, while in the city of Juliaca, a police crackdown left at least 17 people dead and over 100 injured. Former Minister of Interior Victor Rojas Herrera and Minister of Women and Vulnerable Populations Grecia Rojas Ortiz have both resigned following the resignation of Minister of Labor Eduardo García Birmisa, who released a statement calling for Boularte to apologize and hold fresh general elections.

Castillo is currently being held in pre-trial detention as he is investigated on charges of rebellion for what the constitutional court calls a “coup d’etat” after an unsuccessful attempt to dissolve Congress. The protests have prompted a statement condemning violence and calling for dialogue from the European Union, an observation mission from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, as well as a meeting held between members of the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) discussing the ongoing situation in Peru on January 18.

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On Sunday, January 8, supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro laid siege to the National Congress building, the Presidential Palace, and the Supreme Court in Brasilia. Many observers compared this attack to the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol invasion by supporters of former President Donald Trump. According to eyewitnesses and videos of the incident shared on social media, hundreds of protestors climbed a ramp to the top of the congressional building in Brasilia, while a smaller number entered the structure from a lower level. The Supreme Court and the presidential offices—located on the same square—were broken into by other protest groups.

Later that same day, Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes suspended Brasilia Governor Ibaneis Rocha for 90 days due to alleged security failures that allowed access to official buildings. Moreover, Brazilian authorities have arrested 1500 rioters and security officers suspected of providing funds for the violent protests. Authorities have also requested that a federal court freeze Bolsonaros’ assets.

Leaders from around the world condemned the attacks and expressed their support for elected President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Jair Bolsonaro has condemned the violent protests from Miami, Florida, where he is currently located, and asserted that he would return to Brazil earlier than anticipated following hospitalization for abdominal pain related to his 2018 stabbing.

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Colombian Minister of the Interior Alfonso Prada addresses the press during a news conference after peace negotiations in Bogota, Colombia, on January 4, 2023. Photo: Reuters/Luisa Gonzalez.

On Wednesday, Colombian ministers announced the suspension of a negotiated ceasefire with the National Liberation Army (ELN, per its Spanish acronym). Colombian President Gustavo Petro initially celebrated a 6-month ceasefire with the five main guerrilla groups on New Year’s Eve. However, the ELN—Colombia’s largest active guerilla group—later replied with a statement issued on Tuesday claiming that they did not agree to such a ceasefire and clarified they would only analyze a ceasefire proposal during the ongoing negotiations.

Petro’s “Total Peace” plan represents one of his administration’s top priorities, as nearly 60 years of conflict has claimed more than 450,000 lives in the country. On Wednesday, Interior Minister Alfonso Prada explained that the ceasefire was still in place for the other four groups—FARC dissidents known as the Estado Mayor Central and Segunda Marquetalia; the Clan del Golfo; and the Self-Defenses of the Sierra Nevada.

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Amid the ongoing political crisis, on Wednesday, Peruvian Defense Minister Alberto Otarola declared a 30-day state of emergency throughout the country. Violence, roadblocks, and airport takeovers have aggravated the situation. “National emergency means the suspension of the rights of assembly, inviolability of homes, freedom of transit, freedom of assembly, personal freedom and security,” the minister stated in his announcement. The declaration came after new President Dina Boluarte said she would move elections forward by two years to April 2024–a move designed to appease Castillo supporters from rural regions who took to the streets demanding her resignation. Clashes between police and protesters have claimed up to 15 lives so far and more than 100 police officers have been injured.

The public crisis follows the ouster and detention of former President Petro Castillo and inauguration of Boluarte last Wednesday. In a handwritten letter addressing the Peruvian people, Castillo requested his immediate freedom, refused to resign, and called Boluarte a “usurper.” Prosecutors have requested sentencing Castillo to 18 months of pre-trial detention for the alleged coup attempt.

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On Sunday, the Inter-American Development Bank’s (IDB) board of governors elected Brazil’s Ilan Goldfajn as the president of the hemisphere’s premier financial institution. Goldfajn garnered 80 percent of the total vote, compared to 9.9 percent and 8.2 percent of the Chilean and Mexican candidates, respectively. He will take office on December 19. According to the Financial Times, Goldfajn said his top priorities would be to address poverty, inequality, food insecurity, climate change, and financial infrastructure. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen congratulated Goldfajn and urged him to “lead this organization to be an engine of change and progress for our neighbors across Latin America and the Caribbean.” However, others in the region have expressed concern over Goldfajn’s election. On Monday, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador criticized the election result, stating that it showcased the persistence of “neoliberalism” and suggesting that the U.S. was working behind the scenes to ensure the result. 

An Israel-born Brazilian, Goldfajn was nominated by Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro for the position at the IDB. He has been the director of the Western Hemisphere department at the International Monetary Fund since January 2022. Prior to that role, Goldfajn served as the president of Brazil’s Central Bank from 2016 to 2019 and has experience in the private sector. He received his Ph.D. degree in Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Before the IDB election, Brazilian President-elect Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva proposed postponing the election to nominate his own candidate.

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An areal view shows people protesting against the electoral reform proposed by Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) and in support of the National Electoral Institute (INE), in Monterrey, Mexico, November 13, 2022. Photo: Reuters.

On Sunday, Mexicans took to the streets across the nation to protest President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s plan to replace the National Electoral Institute (INE) with directly elected delegates. The protest culminated when José Woldenberg—former head of the Federal Electoral Institute (IFE), INE’s predecessor—joined the protest and called on Mexicans not to permit “the pretension of aligning electoral bodies to the will of the government.” Lorenzo Córdova, the Executive Secretary of INE, also expressed gratitude to protestors who took to the streets “in defense of democracy.” However, on Monday, López Obrador said that the protest was not carried out by the people, but by corrupt anti-democratic politicians “in favor of racism and classism.”

INE is an autonomous constitutional body in Mexico responsible for regulating electoral processes. Created in 1990 to address electoral disputes, IFE presided over Mexico’s first transfer of power in 2000 after 71 years of Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) control. AMLO’s National Regeneration Movement (MORENA) party and its allies fall short of the supermajority control in congress required to pass such constitutional reform. However, there are plans to discuss this proposal in the coming weeks. The current reform also proposes funding cuts to political parties and electoral authorities as well as a reduction in the number of legislators in both chambers of Congress.

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Former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won Sunday’s runoff election in Brazil. He won with 50.8 percent of the vote over incumbent Jair Bolsonaro, becoming the republic’s next president starting January 1, 2023. Lula fared better in metropolitan areas, the northeast, and municipalities with high indigenous populations while trailing Bolsonaro in medium-sized cities and the center and south regions of the country. After the victory, Lula addressed Brazilians and made clear that “they want more freedom, equality, and fraternity in our country,” adding that “I will govern for 215 million Brazilians and not just for those who voted for me.” While Bolsonaro has not publicly conceded, he told the Supreme Court, “it’s over. Let’s look forward,” and authorized his chief of staff, Ciro Nogueira, to begin the transition process. Bolsonaro’s prominent allies, including Senate president Rodrigo Pacheco and Chamber of Deputies President Arthur Lira, immediately congratulated Lula da Silva when the election results were revealed. However, Bolsonaro supporters have blocked highways across the country in attempts to protest the result—causing traffic jams and airline cancellations—and demanded Bolsonaro mobilize the military. On Tuesday, the Brazilian Supreme Court ordered state and federal highway police to remove the pro-Bolsonaro roadblock. Bolsonaro also publicly called for roadblocks to end on Wednesday.

Argentine President Alberto Fernández met Lula in São Paulo following the victory, stressing that Lula’s presidency would strengthen the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR) and continent’s unity. U.S. President Joe Biden congratulated Lula and emphasized that the U.S. would further cooperate on climate change, food security, regional migration, democracy, and social inclusion. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz tweeted that he looks forward to cooperating with Lula, especially on trade and climate protection. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador commended Lula on a phone call and invited him to Mexico City for an in-person conversation on November 24. Chinese General Secretary Xi Jinping announced his willingness to bring bilateral relations “to a new level.”

Lula’s victory ended a campaign fraught with disinformation and violence. In previous debates, Lula and Bolsonaro attacked each other over corruption, COVID-19 mismanagement, and the economic situation. Bolsonaro repeatedly questioned the electoral system and said that only “God could remove him from power.” Lula da Silva previously served two terms between 2003 and 2010, riding the global commodity boom. In 2017, the Supreme Court sentenced Lula to nearly ten years in prison for accepting bribes, an action which was overruled the following year. 

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Photo: Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, left, and Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes in Brasilia, on May 19. Photo: Sergio Lima/AFP/Getty Images.

This Sunday, October 30, Brazil heads to the polls for a second-round runoff between President Jair Bolsonaro and former President Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva. On Wednesday, the Brazilian electoral tribunal president, Justice Alexandre de Moraes, ruled to reject the investigation of alleged irregularities in radio advertisements that President Bolsonaro believes “unbalance the electoral process” and “interfere in the election result” in favor of former President Lula. “There is no doubt that the plaintiffs [Bolsonaro]⁠—who should have carried out their assignment of overseeing their campaign’s radio and television insertions—pointed out an alleged electoral fraud on the eve of the second round of the election without credible documentary basis, therefore absent any minimal evidence,” said Moraes in the decision. The magistrate added that the company that carried out Bolsonaro’s campaign is “not specialized in audits.” In response, Bolsonaro alleged that the magistrate “does not follow our Constitution and does not have the support of the Public Ministry.”

Last Thursday, Brazil’s electoral court granted itself unilateral power to demand social media companies remove false online posts as disinformation plagues social platforms in the country. Under the rule, social networks must remove relevant content within two hours or face temporary suspension of services in Brazil. The law requires social networks to delete content within one hour and ban any paid electoral ads from 48 hours before till 24 hours after the election. Justice Moraes said that “the aggressiveness of this information and of hate speech” merits the measure. Before this ruling, Bolsonaro supporters had reportedly spread fake news on social media.

Several polling organizations show Lula’s lead over Bolsonaro slimming to less than five percentage points. On Tuesday, Lula reassured voters that if elected in October, he would not seek reelection in 2026. On Monday, a former congressman threw a grenade at federal police officers while trying to resist arrest for attacking Supreme Court Justice Cármen Lúcia online. This incident occurred one and a half months after a Bolsonaro supporter killed a Lula supporter during a political argument. Bolsonaro has repeatedly questioned the electoral system and said that only “God could remove him from power.”

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Photo: Haitian demonstrators march on the street to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry in Port-au-Prince. Source: AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph.

On Wednesday, the U.N. Security Council postponed votes on U.S.-proposed resolutions to address gang violence and ease supply shortages in Haiti. The resolutions, which the U.S. and Mexico support, would send a multinational action force to contest criminal gangs’ control over water and fuel supplies. On Monday, U.S. representative to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield stated, “Colleagues, if there was ever a moment to come to the aid of Haitians in dire need, it is now. Faced with extreme violence and instability, Haiti’s leaders and people are crying out for help.” Haiti’s Foreign Minister Jean Victor Geneus said, “The people of Haiti are not living, they are surviving… Every day, human lives are lost. There are kidnappings, public and private property is destroyed.” The resolutions also seek to impose an international arms embargo, travel ban, and asset freeze on Haiti’s gang leaders, such as G9 coalition leader Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier. 

Chinese Deputy Ambassador to the U.N. Geng Shuang cast doubt on whether the Haitian people would welcome such interventions. “At a time when the Haitian government lacks legitimacy and is unable to govern, will sending such a rapid action force to Haiti received the understanding, support and cooperation from the parties in Haiti, or will it face resistance or even trigger violent confrontation from the population?” Geng asked. Dmitry Polyanskiy, Russia’s first deputy permanent representative, implored the Council to “weigh all of the consequences,” pointing out that “Many opposition groups call for not allowing a foreign intervention and they are rightly referring also, to put it mildly, to a not very successful experience with external interference in the affairs of the country.” Brazil’s U.N. representative, Ambassador Ronaldo Costa Filho expressed similar concerns, declaring that “A Haitian-led solution is central to curb violence.”

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