Latin America

• Wednesday, November 20th 2013 - 21:15 UTC

  Abstention won Chile's Sunday election, but it's also a vote: rejecting the political system

  

  Chileans went to the polls Sunday and chose to send Michelle Bachelet and Evelyn Matthei to a runoff election with 46.7% and 25% of the vote respectively, but abstention far outstripped them both — less than half the number of voters on the electoral roll cast a vote.

• Wednesday, November 20th 2013 - 04:55 UTC

  Uruguay confirms third pulp mill project, but to the east of the country close to Brazil

  

  Finland's UPM/Botnia plant, which is an ongoing motive of dispute with Argentina is planning a second pulp mill but to the east of Uruguay, announced Vice-president Danilo Astori, confirming a previous statement from the First Lady and Senator Lucia Topolansky.

• Tuesday, November 19th 2013 - 08:55 UTC

  Kerry declares the Monroe Doctrine dead: “we are equals sharing responsibilities”

  

  US Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday declared that a nearly 200-year-old policy which had governed Washington's relations with Latin America was finally dead. Known as the Monroe Doctrine after it was adopted in 1823 by former US president James Monroe, the policy had stated that any efforts by European countries to colonize land in North or South America would be views as aggressive acts and could require US intervention.

• Tuesday, November 19th 2013 - 07:34 UTC

  The Lady, without mourning, is back to run the show: “Hi, how are all of you?”

  

  Argentine President Cristina Fernandez reappeared Monday in a video for the first time since the October 8 cranium surgery to remove blood clots. Very much in control of the situation and specially impressive for the occasion the Argentine leader reopened her Twitter and with a first message in 45 days that said: “Hi, how are all of you?”

• Tuesday, November 19th 2013 - 07:22 UTC

  Cristina Fernandez reshuffles cabinet and names new economic team

  

  The administration of Argentine President Cristina Fernández announced on Monday a major cabinet reshuffle naming Chaco governor Jorge Capitanich as new cabinet chief and Axel Kicillof Economy minister while the Central bank will have a new president, Carlos Fabrega.

• Monday, November 18th 2013 - 22:06 UTC

  Chilean leaders of the massive student protests elected to Congress

  

  Vallejo's victory and those of independent candidates Giorgio Jackson and Gabriel Boric and fellow communist Karol Cariola, former comrade-in-arms in the student movement, who also gained seats in Chile's lower house on Sunday is significant for presidential front-runner Michelle Bachelet's bid to have her Nueva Mayoria coalition gain a stronger foothold in both houses of Congress.

• Monday, November 18th 2013 - 18:33 UTC

  Astori forecasts Uruguay's inflation in the range of 3 to 7% in the next two years

  

  Vice-president Danilo Astori confirmed that Uruguay will continue with its current flexible foreign exchange policy, because “this has helped us reduce volatilities”, but also admitted concern about inflation, the third highest in South America and fourth in Latin-American and the Caribbean.

• Monday, November 18th 2013 - 17:51 UTC

  Two ladies in the runoff for Chile's presidency, but Pinochet's legacy is still around

  

  Two ladies and daughters of Air Force generals (but from opposite sides) will be disputing the run off on 15 December when the next Chilean president will be elected. Given the fact that on last Sunday's first round Socialist Michelle Bachelet was only three points short of a majority, and over twenty points ahead of conservative Evelyn Matthei there should be no doubts about who will be inaugurated at La Moneda next March 2014.

• Monday, November 18th 2013 - 06:00 UTC

  Chile election: Bachelet and Matthei go to second round

  

  Left-wing candidate Michelle Bachelet has won the first round of voting in Chile's presidential election.She took 47% of the votes, against 25% for her main rival, Evelyn Matthei, a former Labour minister in the centre-right government of Sebastian Pinera. A second round of voting will take place on 15 December.

• Saturday, November 16th 2013 - 07:25 UTC

  Next Tuesday Venezuelan president Maduro will begin governing by decree

  

  Venezuela's legislature gave initial backing this week to a measure granting extraordinary powers over the economy to President Nicolas Maduro, which means next Tuesday, when the second vote, he will be able to govern by decree without having to seek parliamentary approval.