Costa Rica next Sunday will be electing a successor to president Oscar Arias out of nine hopefuls among which leading public opinion polls is his sponsored candidate, Laura Chinchilla, followed by Conservative Otto Guevara and Socialist Ottón Solis.
Chilean president Michelle Bachelet promulgated this week a bill with sweeping changes in the Defence ministry and Armed Forces structure including the creation of a post equivalent to that of chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
A group of one-time loyalists and close advisors of Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez called on him to resign saying that after eleven years in power he had lost “the legitimacy and capacity to govern”.
The new Honduras government is “one step” toward the country’s return to the Organization of American States and recovery of international credit lost during the seven month coup, said the US top diplomat to Latin America.
Six presidents will be participating in the coming Union of South American Nations, Unasur, extraordinary meeting to he hosted by Ecuador next week and which will address mainly how to better coordinate relief efforts for earthquake devastated Haiti.
Two outgoing South American presidents have reached record popularity according to the latest January public opinion polls. They are Michelle Bachelet from Chile and Brazil’s Lula da Silva, both with plus eighty percentages.
Colombian president Alvaro Uribe continues to lead vote intention polls for next May presidential elections if the Constitutional Court finally authorizes a referendum on a second consecutive re-election of the popular leader.
The Roman Catholic Church warned Sunday that Cuba is on the verge of an economic collapse that can only be prevented if President Raul Castro institutes sweeping economic and social reforms.
Brazil sees a positive attitude and a good indication of “reconciliation” attempts by the recently inaugurated Honduran president Porfirio Lobo. “The new president acted in a politically positive manner when he negotiated a safe conduct for the deposed president, Manuel Zelaya”, said Foreign Affairs minister Celso Amorim.
Chilean teenagers are becoming obese due to increasing fast food consumption while those from Mexico, Venezuela and Guatemala are not far behind.