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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, August 4th 2026 - 05:31 UTC

Latin America

  • Wednesday, June 17th 2026 - 09:14 UTC

    Fujimori nears victory in Peru's presidential count as the left calls for protests

    The overseas vote, already tallied, heavily favored Fujimori while within Peru the balance tilted toward Sánchez

    Ten days after the June 7 presidential runoff, Peru still has no proclaimed winner, but the right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori is heading toward victory. With 99.1% of the vote counted, she leads the left-wing Roberto Sánchez by some 36,889 votes and is projected as the virtual winner, while the left pushes mobilizations and nullity appeals. The official proclamation remains pending on 0.84% of tally sheets under review, with a deadline of mid-July.

  • Tuesday, June 16th 2026 - 08:07 UTC

    Bolivia's Paz bets on wearing down protests and holds off deploying the army

    The strategy has generated impatience in La Paz, deprived of fuel and food for more than a month, but it has allowed the government to hold out for more than 40 days

    Bolivia's government has opted to wear down the social protests that have shaken the country for about six weeks, rather than resort to a hard line. President Rodrigo Paz promulgated a law regulating states of exception in early June, but has so far not ordered the deployment of the Armed Forces to clear the roads, leaning instead toward exhausting the protesters and dismantling the movements demanding his resignation through the detention or persuasion of their leaders. “The new Bolivia will be built with dialogue, without giving way to violence,” said presidential spokesman José Luis Gálvez.

  • Monday, June 15th 2026 - 16:04 UTC

    Peru's electoral board reiterates it will proclaim the president-elect by mid-July

    The tribunal is awaiting the resolution of 1,661 tally sheets (actas) that were flagged on runoff day and sent to the special electoral juries (JEE) for evaluation

    Peru's National Jury of Elections (JNE) reiterated on Monday that the maximum deadline to officially proclaim the new president-elect is mid-July, while vote recounts proceed in three overseas cities over observations to the tally sheets. The body's spokeswoman, Grecia Rentería, said at a press conference that the proclamation would come about two weeks before the swearing-in, set for July 28, with the start of the 2026-2031 term of government.

  • Sunday, June 14th 2026 - 12:35 UTC

    'Honduras Gate' audios linking Milei to a disinformation network stir controversy, and denials

    Hernández says Milei “is supporting with $350,000” a project that, according to that account, sought to set up a “news site” operated from the US; the audios also mention Benjamin Netanyahu

    A set of leaked audios, released in late April by left-leaning Spanish media outlets and dubbed “Honduras Gate,” has stirred political controversy in Latin America by alleging a regional disinformation network and naming Argentine President Javier Milei as one of its financiers. The recordings' authenticity is in dispute: the main figure named called them false, and the others mentioned denied or did not respond to the accusations.

  • Friday, June 12th 2026 - 21:19 UTC

    Colombia's far right eyes landslide amid fears Petro will reject runoff result

    In the first round on May 31, De la Espriella won about 10.3 million votes (43.74%) and Cepeda roughly 9.7 million (40.9%), a margin of under three points that sent both men to the runoff

    The campaign of Colombian presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella, of the far-right Defenders of the Homeland movement, is aiming for a decisive win in the June 21 runoff to shield the outcome from possible challenges, his campaign chief said.

  • Friday, June 12th 2026 - 19:35 UTC

    Díaz-Canel unveils reforms to liberalize Cuba's economy amid an oil crisis and US sanctions

    The reform also envisages a reduction of the state apparatus —from 27 to 20 ministries, according to a draft law— to cut spending and finance a future salary reform

    Cuba's President Miguel Díaz-Canel on Friday announced a broad package of economic reforms, under the so-called Economic and Social Program for 2026, to confront one of the most severe crises in the island's recent history, amid strong pressure from Donald Trump's government. “These are times when we have to change,” the president said, without specifying an entry-into-force date or the legal norms that will underpin each measure.

  • Thursday, June 11th 2026 - 23:03 UTC

    Amnesty International condemns police violence at World Cup opening protests in Mexico City

    Mexico City's government deployed more than 10,000 officers around the stadium and hotel corridors

    Amnesty International (AI) on Thursday condemned the violence by security forces during the large protests in southern Mexico City surrounding the opening of the 2026 World Cup, in which police used fire extinguishers to disperse demonstrators. The organization demanded respect for and protection of the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and protest.

  • Thursday, June 11th 2026 - 22:46 UTC

    Cuba accuses Rubio of tightening the US economic and energy blockade after Cupet sanction

    Rubio accused the Cuban government of using energy “as a weapon” and of diverting resources to enrich itself, a claim that, according to news agencies, he did not back with evidence.

    Cuba's government on Thursday accused US Secretary of State Marco Rubio of “further reinforcing” the economic and energy siege against the island, after Washington sanctioned the state company Unión Cuba-Petróleo (Cupet), which handles crude extraction, refining and production. Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez charged that Rubio resorts to “usual vulgar lies” to justify the measure.

  • Thursday, June 11th 2026 - 22:34 UTC

    Colombia's government confirms El Niño will be among the most intense since 1950

    In Colombia, El Niño tends to be associated with a decline in rainfall, which raises the risk of drought and energy rationing in a country that relies heavily on hydroelectric generation

    Colombia's Environment Ministry confirmed on Thursday that the El Niño phenomenon arrived about three months earlier than expected and that, if projections hold, it will be one of the “most intense recorded since 1950,” according to data from the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies (Ideam). The agency said the conditions associated with the phenomenon —which warms ocean waters above normal— are already present in the equatorial Pacific.

  • Thursday, June 11th 2026 - 09:04 UTC

    Fujimori edges ahead of Sánchez in Peru as expat ballots flip a razor-thin count

    Fujimori reappeared at the door of her home to ask Sánchez to keep his commitment to respect the final result

    Conservative Keiko Fujimori reclaimed first place on Wednesday night in Peru's presidential runoff, in a count being decided vote by vote that took a decisive turn with the arrival of ballots from Peruvians abroad. With 98.2% of the tally sheets processed by the National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE), Fujimori reached 50.002% against 49.999% for leftist Roberto Sánchez, a difference of fewer than a thousand votes. If the trend holds, the Fuerza Popular leader could become the country's first woman elected president at the polls.