News of democracy

Alberto Fernández lands in New York ahead of Biden bilateral

Today 10:59 President Alberto Fernández lands in New York ahead of bilateral meeting with US President Joe Biden; Economy Minister Sergio Massa travelling to Washington on Tuesday to join delegation.

by Rosario Ayerdi, from New York

BILATERAL MEET

Biden to meet with Alberto Fernández during democracy summit

Yesterdat 13:09 US President Joe Biden will host President Alberto Fernández in Washington next week after a planned meeting was postponed last year, White House confirms.

GRUPO PUEBLA FORUM

Fernández de Kirchner: ‘I don’t care if they put me in prison’

22-03-2023 16:32 Argentina’s vice-president uses closing speech of Grupo Puebla summit in Buenos Aires to repeat claims she is a victim of political persecution and condemn the “lawfare” that is flooding the region.

DIPLOMATIC DEFECTION

High-level defection: why a North Korean diplomatic family chose freedom

02-03-2023 12:30 Born into an elite North Korean family with ties to the ruling dynasty, Oh Hye Son convinced her husband Thae Yong Ho, then deputy ambassador at North Korea's London embassy, to give up their privileged place in the Pyongyang regime for the sake of their children.

WAR IN UKRAINE: ONE YEAR ON

US, Ukrainian envoys call on democracies to unite against Russian aggression

23-02-2023 17:11 US Ambassador to Argentina Marc Stanley marks one-year anniversary of war by calling for solidarity between countries challenging Russian aggression, as Ukrainian Chargé d'affaires demands renewed agricultural and energy sanctions against Moscow.

by Erica Davis

FOREIGN POLICY & DIPLOMACY

Biden and Lula put on pro-democracy show under Bolsonaro’s shadow

10-02-2023 11:09 Joe Biden hosts his counterpart Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at the White House Friday in a show of support for Brazilian democracy, shaken last month by a right-wing insurrection akin to the invasion of the US Capitol in 2021. The elephant in the room: former Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro, who's been vacationing in Florida since December 30.

FOREIGN RELATIONS & DIPLOMACY

US, Brazil to seek reset with Biden-Lula meeting

08-02-2023 17:18 The US and Brazil will seek to reset ties this week when President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva travels to Washington to meet Joe Biden, both keen to turn the page on the Jair Bolsonaro years.

CORRUPTION

Argentina retains low score in global corruption ranking

02-02-2023 12:50 Transparency International publishes results of annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), with discouraging results for the country and the region.

CELAC SUMMIT 2023

Lacalle Pou voices discontent at CELAC summit

24-01-2023 21:35 Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou delivers forceful remarks at “ideological” CELAC summit, declaring that “there are countries here that do not respect democracy or human rights.”

BRAZIL IN TURMOIL

Pope cites Brazil in critique of political crises in Americas

09-01-2023 21:48 Argentine pontiff cites "various countries of the Americas where political crises are laden with tensions and forms of violence that exacerbate social conflicts."

CHAOS IN BRASÍLIA

President Alberto Fernández assails 'coup attempt' in Brazil

09-01-2023 00:00 Vice-President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner also condemns attack, attributing it to "hate speech in the media and social networks."

GLOBAL REACTION

World leaders condemn anti-government mob attacks in Brasília

08-01-2023 23:44 President Alberto Fernández slams "coup attempt" by supporters of Jair Bolsonaro in Brazilian capital, as leaders from across the globe condemn "outrageous" attack on democracy.

And that reminds me…

The 39 steps

10-12-2022 04:45 Raúl Alfonsín’s election victory and inauguration gave most people every impression of a fresh start even if a Radical party then nearing its centenary could hardly be described as a new force.

by Michael Soltys

DEMOCRACY

Democracy overseas: Voting in Argentina for the US midterm elections

01-12-2022 20:27 More than 8.7 million US citizens are scattered across different continents living overseas ― a large source of unrecognised voting power.

by Sade Collier

US MIDTERMS

The issues keeping US voters up at night as midterms loom

26-10-2022 14:35 As biennial elections approach, US voters divided on key issues.

LATIN AMERICA

OAS send mission team to Peru to 'analyse' political crisis

20-10-2022 17:58 Organisation of American States expresses its support for Peruvian government and decides to send a mission to the country after President Pedro Castillo, under investigation for corruption, asked for help to overcome the political crisis.

PRO-CFK MARCH

‘We need to stand against this’ – huge crowds flood Plaza de Mayo to ‘defend democracy’

02-09-2022 18:26 Crowds gather in front of the presidential palace a day after a failed attack on the life of Vice President Cristina Kirchner. Peronists and those more skeptical of the government were united in condemnation of political violence.

by Isobel McGrigor

Brazil Elections 2022

Amid financial uncertainty, Brazilians prepare to vote

02-09-2022 10:01 Poll shows Brazilians’ top priority in the coming election is the economy: voters will decide between far-right current president Jair Bolsonaro and leftist former president Lula.

Brazil Elections 2022

Brazil's Bolsonaro a 'cheap copy of Trump': Lula

23-08-2022 12:12 President Jair Bolsonaro’s rival for Brazil’s 2022 election, Lula, has dubbed him a “cheap copy” of Donald Trump, due to Bolsonaro’s repeated allegations that the Brazilian election system is liable for fraud.

Brazil Elections

Jair Bolsonaro mocks Argentina using inclusive language

05-08-2022 22:12 The Brazilian president referred to Argentina’s economic situation in an ironic use of inclusive language, after condemning its use in Argentina. He also criticised his opponent Lula Da Silva.

As I see it

Ports in a storm

25-07-2022 15:56 Why is Boris Johnson out of office, but Alberto Fernández clings on? The simplest answer to that question lies in the difference between parliamentary and presidential democracy.

by James Neilson

Brazil Elections

Speaking to ambassadors, Bolsonaro again questions electoral system

19-07-2022 14:47 Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro gathered diplomats on Monday to criticise the electoral system. All polls predict he will lose when the elections take place in three months.

Human Rights

Spain advances bill to honour dictatorship victims

14-07-2022 13:31 Spanish lawmakers vote Thursday on a bill seeking to honour the memory of leftwing victims of Spain's civil war and dictatorship.

PRICES SURGE IN REGION

Inflation a severe risk to Latin America's stability, warn analysts at Davos

24-05-2022 09:25 Inflation threatens the immediate future and political stability of Latin America, experts warn at event in Davos.

Bloomberg

US needs to see more from Maduro to ease Venezuela sanctions

19-05-2022 14:16 US National Security Council Senior Director Juan Gonzalez says Maduro administration should take more democratic steps before receiving respite from sanctions.

DIPLOMACY

US joins with 55 countries to promote free Internet

28-04-2022 09:32 Amid a rise in authoritarian governments such as Russia cracking down on access to digital information, the United States on Thursday will join with more than 50 countries in launching an initiative to protect an open, safe Internet.

Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics

Xi’s Olympic guest list is mostly leaders of non-democracies

03-02-2022 12:23 Chinese President Xi Jinping will host 21 world leaders at the Winter Olympics, and a majority of them preside over non-democratic regimes.

FOREIGN POLICY

US to use Summit of the Americas to press nations on democracy

21-01-2022 19:37 Los Angeles to host event in June; Washington considers linking attendance to democratic standards.

DAY OF DEMOCRACY & HUMAN RIGHTS

Lula, 'Pepe' Mujica join Alberto, Cristina at democracy rally

10-12-2021 22:47 Four leaders – Alberto Fernández, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and José ‘Pepe’ Mujica – headline an event in Plaza de Mayo marking Day of Democracy and Human Rights in Argentina.

Biden's democracy summit

Before Biden, president denounces OAS support for Bolivia 'coup'

10-12-2021 15:58 Argentina’s president delivers a speech focused on Latin America to Joe Biden’s summit on democracy, during which he criticises 2019 "coup" in Bolivia "endorsed by a large part of the international community and the OAS."

DEMOCRACY SUMMIT

Biden rings the alarm on state of democracy worldwide

10-12-2021 02:48 President Alberto Fernández among those set to speak at US President Joe Biden's virtual summit on democracy.

FOREIGN POLICY

Argentina 'concerned' by opposition arrests in Nicaragua, but won't interfere

09-11-2021 15:24 Foreign Ministry in Buenos Aires reacts to results of Nicaraguan election by expressing "concern at the detention of opposition leaders," but says it will uphold "tradition of non-interference" in "internal issues of other nations."

US-LATIN AMERICAN RELATIONS

Blinken promises US shift from military focus in Latin America

20-10-2021 10:59 The United States has focused too much on security over other assistance in Latin America, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken declared Wednesday.

US Politics

Biden says Republicans have lost their way in 'mini-revolution'

05-05-2021 19:10 US President Joe Biden said Wednesday that America's Republicans face an identity crisis after Donald Trump's turbulent presidency.

Peruvian Politics

Ex-prostitute, 'Jesus' actor line up for Peru Congress race

07-04-2021 12:33 Meet some of the candidates in Peru's Congressional elections, including an ex-prostitute campaigning for sex workers rights, a Jesus impersonator, a transgender congresswoman and an anime fanatic.

POLITICS & THE PANDEMIC

On ‘the fear’ and philosopher kings

03-04-2021 08:17 When polarisation and emotional entrenchment reaches the level of a football rivalry, the democratic system begins to fail.

by Agustino Fontevecchia