Peru: Keiko Fujimori Leads In Peru's Delayed Vote-Runoff Likely

Keiko Fujimori Leads in Peru’s Delayed Vote, Runoff Likely PERU Peru With over half the votes counted in Peru’s extended presidential election, conservatives Keiko Fujimori and Rafael López Aliaga led with 16.88 percent and 13.88 percent of the vote, respectively, assuring a June runoff. A candidate must secure more than half the vote to win outright, a threshold made difficult by a fractured electorate and a record 35 contenders in the race. Peru’s presidential election on Sunday was extended by a day to Monday, after logistical failures prevented tens of thousands of people from voting, sparking nationwide protests over concerns about the transparency of the vote. The extension of voting was announced after counting began Sunday evening, when it became clear that ballots had not reached 15 polling stations, election officials said. Among those who voted on Monday were more than 52,000 residents of the capital Lima, as well as Peruvian voters living in the United States. Peruvians between the ages of 18 and 70 are required to vote, with those who fail to do so facing fines. “I’m fed up,” Iris Valle, 56, told the Associated Press while waiting to cast her ballot Monday at a public school in Lima. She expressed concern that her employer could reduce her pay for not arriving early due to her voting obligation. Peruvian investigators have started an investigation into the delays, carrying out searches at the country’s election headquarters. Officials said the inquiry centers on the breakdown of deliveries of election-related materials to polling stations. A private company involved in the process was also raided. Despite repeated assurances from election officials that the results will reflect voters’ choices, protesters said the disruption had heightened concerns about transparency and participation in an already closely fought race. The election is unfolding in a country grappling with rising violence and corruption, driving deep voter frustration and a widespread perception that candidates lack both integrity and readiness for office. Repeated removals and impeachments of presidents have also increased calls to dissolve Congress, which critics say has untrammeled power, along with demands for systemic political reform. In February, José Jerí became the latest Peruvian president in a decade to leave office before completing a full term. He was removed by lawmakers for failing to disclose meetings with wealthy Chinese businessmen he was legally required to report. Pre-election polls indicated no candidate had support above 15 percent, far below the threshold of more than 50 percent needed for an outright victory, which will likely result in a two-candidate runoff in June. They showed a tight race among conservative candidates, led by Fujimori, Aliaga and Carlos Álvarez. All three campaigned on tough-on-crime and pro-market policies, while left-leaning Alfonso López Chau trailed at around 6 percent. Still, analysts believe the contest remains fluid, pointing to the 2021 election when Pedro Castillo surged from near obscurity to victory.

Indigenous Protestors In Brasil Pressure Lula Over Land Protections Ahead Of Elections

Indigenous Protesters in Brazil Pressure Lula Over Land Protections Ahead of Elections BRAZIL Brazil Thousands of Indigenous protesters marched in Brasília this week to demand stronger protections for their ancestral lands, highlighting tensions over environmental policy and development ahead of October’s presidential elections. Demonstrators marched through the Brazilian capital, denouncing what they described as growing encroachment on Indigenous territories by agricultural, logging and mining projects. They accused the predominantly conservative legislature’s members of being “enemies of the people” due to their alignment with the powerful agribusiness sector, which is held responsible for a large part of the region’s deforestation. Protest organizers said participants would remain camped in Brasília until Friday to press for their demands. The demonstrations follow a broader wave of Indigenous protests across the Amazon, where communities and environmental groups have opposed a range of projects. The protests also reflect mounting pressure on leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who is seeking re-election in October. Indigenous groups largely supported Lula in the 2022 election, when he defeated his far-right predecessor Jair Bolsonaro, whose administration curtailed recognition of Indigenous lands and was associated with increased deforestation in the Amazon. Since taking office, Lula has pledged to protect both the environment and Indigenous communities. His government has overseen a decline in deforestation rates and committed to ending illegal tree felling by 2030. Authorities have also formally recognized 20 Indigenous territories and created a new Ministry of Indigenous Peoples, appointing Sonia Guajajara, a leader from the Guajajara-Tenetehara ethnicity, to head it. However, Lula has also backed certain oil, gas and mining initiatives, arguing they are necessary for Brazil’s economic interests amid rising global demand for energy and critical minerals. At the same time, conservative lawmakers have pushed legislation to weaken or reinterpret constitutional protections for Indigenous land rights. In 2023, Congress approved a law limiting those rights, though Brazil’s Supreme Court later struck it down. Indigenous leaders and rights groups warn that ongoing legal uncertainty leaves their territories vulnerable to agribusiness and mining expansion. Despite these concerns, many Indigenous voters have indicated they still plan to support Lula’s re-election bid. Lula will face Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro – the son of the far-right former president – with recent polls pointing to a closely contested second round between the two candidates.

Peruvians Worry That The Election Won't Stabilize The Country

Peruvians Worry That Election Won’t Stabilize the Country PERU Peru For years, Peruvians have elected a president only to see their leader ousted by Congress and often land in jail. In February, José Jerí became the 7th Peruvian president in a decade to leave office before completing a full term, ousted after he failed to disclose meetings with wealthy Chinese businessmen he was legally required to report. He had been in office for just four months, after assuming power following the impeachment of his predecessor Dina Boluarte in October amid public anger over soaring crime, harsh crackdowns on protesters and a corruption scandal known as Rolexgate. So it’s no surprise that as Peruvians prepare to go to the polls to select a president and members of their new Senate on April 12, most say that no matter whom they choose, it won’t make any difference: It won’t stop the rising violence perpetrated by criminal gangs, solve the country’s economic issues or improve services for the public, they add. “I’ve gotten used to this crisis, because we’re really in a crisis where Congress only dedicates itself to changing the president and looking out for their own well-being,” Javier Osorio, a self-employed worker in Lima, told Reuters. “They’re a bunch of criminals.” As a result, a majority of voters say they are undecided over the more than 30 candidates running in the race. None of the candidates are currently polling above 15 percent of the electorate. Still, polls show that right-wing candidates Keiko Fujimori, the daughter of former president Alberto Fujimori, has a slight lead over comedian Carlos Álvarez of the right-wing Country for All party, with Rafael López Aliaga, one of Peru’s richest men, trailing slightly behind. All three promise tough-on-crime policies and pro-market reforms. Left-leaning contender Alfonso López Chau, an economist and former university rector, is coming in fourth with about 6 percent and a campaign focused on government spending on services. Some analysts believe, however, that Peru may see a repeat of 2021, when far-left candidate Pedro Castillo surged to victory from near-zero support just weeks before the first round of presidential elections. To win outright, a candidate must secure more than 50 percent of the vote. If that doesn’t occur, the top two vote-getters advance to a June 7 runoff. And they believe that this surge will likely be in favor of “Porky” as Aliaga calls himself because of his round face and rosy cheeks, who says he wants to make Peru great again and save it from “lying, murderous and thieving” leftists. Aliaga says he will do that by expelling immigrants, slashing the government bureaucracy and spending, privatizing the state-owned oil company and sending criminals to the Amazon where they will be killed by snakes. He has also proposed allowing US forces to help Peru stop criminal gang operations. Even if Aliaga is elected, it’s not likely to solve Peru’s perennial political instability which is rooted in a steady erosion of institutional checks and balances since 2016, according to former finance minister Alfredo E. Thorne, writing in Americas Quarterly. He says that is when Congress assumed a dominant role, sidelining the constitutional separation of powers and asserting control over the executive, including the ability to install or remove presidents in ways that bypass safeguards meant to ensure a stable political landscape. Peruvians are now hoping that a constitutional change that will take effect this year, one that returns Peru to a bicameral legislature, will help. The existing 130-seat legislature will become the Chamber of Deputies and voters will elect a 60-seat Senate for the first time since 1992. Restoring the Senate could improve oversight and legislative quality, but its impact will depend on how politicians behave, analysts say. “Peru returns to bicameralism with pending issues and with political stability relying more on its politicians than on the reform,” wrote Latinoamérica21. As a result, some believe the election is a crossroads for the country. “Peru’s democracy is in a tough spot,” said an analysis by GIS Reports Online. “As the 2026 elections approach, the question is no longer who will be president, but whether the office itself still matters.”

Argentina: Russian Spy Network Ran Disinformation Campaign

Russian-Linked Spy Network Reportedly Ran Disinformation Campaign Against Argentina’s Milei ARGENTINA Argentina An international media investigation has found that a Russian-linked spy network ran a disinformation campaign in 2024 aimed at undermining Argentine President Javier Milei’s administration and influencing public opinion. The report, released Friday by a media consortium including the UK-based openDemocracy and South Africa’s The Continent, detailed how the network known as “La Compañía” (The Company) infiltrated Argentine media and funded the publication of more than 250 articles across at least 23 outlets between June and October 2024. The network reportedly spent at least $283,100 on media content, paying between $350 and $3,100 per article. The campaign placed stories to discredit Milei’s administration, sow divisions within the ruling coalition, support opposition figures and stir tensions with neighboring countries. One false report claimed Milei sent a sabotage team to attack a gas pipeline in Chile. Many articles lacked bylines or were attributed to fake authors using AI-generated images. The network’s operations in Argentina were led by Russian nationals Lev Andriashvili and Irina Iakovenko, who were based in Buenos Aires. Observers suggested the campaign was driven by Argentina’s foreign policy shift toward the United States after Milei’s election, including his support for Ukraine and invitation to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to his inauguration. The disinformation campaign lost momentum after Argentina distanced itself from Kyiv following the election of US President Donald Trump. Milei described the leak as one of “institutional gravity rarely seen in history” and vowed to “go all the way” to identify those responsible. His La Libertad Avanza party said “‘journalists’ and ‘media outlets’ linked to this are only the tip of the iceberg of something much bigger.” Argentina’s domestic intelligence agency said it uncovered the operation last year and referred it to the judiciary in October. The Russian Embassy in Buenos Aires dismissed the findings as “anti-Russian material,” while several editors named in the report denied involvement. The documents also showed that La Compañía was operating similar campaigns at the time in Bolivia to support then-President Luis Arce, as well as in Venezuela to boost now-ousted President Nicolás Maduro’s image after the disputed July 2024 presidential elections.

Argentina: Milei's Cabinet Chief Charged In Corruption Probe

Milei’s Cabinet Chief Charged in Corruption Probe ARGENTINA Argentina Argentinian prosecutors this week formally charged Cabinet Chief Manuel Adorni with illicit enrichment, intensifying a political controversy that adds to mounting legal and ethical challenges facing President Javier Milei’s administration, MercoPress reported Sunday. Federal prosecutor Gerardo Pollicita pushed criminal proceedings forward this week, requesting evidentiary measures from a judge to reconstruct Adorni’s asset history since 2022. The case follows a complaint from lawmaker Marcela Pagano, who cited a 500 percent increase in the senior official’s declared wealth within a single fiscal period. According to the complaint, discrepancies include undeclared financial assets and foreign deposits exceeding $11,500, as well as $24,500 in cash attributed to loans from relatives. Authorities are also examining the possible existence of an undeclared property in a gated community in the capital Buenos Aires. Pollicita has requested property registry data, bank records, migration history, and corporate records involving Adorni, his wife Julieta Bettina Angeletti and relatives. Adorni has denied wrongdoing and insisted that he has “nothing to hide.” He claimed his assets were accumulated during 25 years in the private sector before entering government. Adorni, a close ally of Milei and a key government figure, has described the allegations as part of a “political and media campaign” against the administration. The charges come as Milei’s government faces other corruption allegations, including fraud investigations linked to the promotion of the “$LIBRA” cryptocurrency and a separate case involving an alleged bribery network in the procurement of medicines. Opposition figures have called for greater transparency, with lawmaker Maximiliano Ferraro urging Adorni to step aside.

Bolivia Is Undergoing A Tectonic Shift

Bolivia Is Undergoing a ‘Tectonic Shift’ Under Its New Conservative President BOLIVIA Bolivia In 2008, then-Bolivian President Evo Morales – his country’s first indigenous head of state and a darling of the left in South America – expelled the American ambassador and the US Drug Enforcement Administration. Relations between the two countries deteriorated sharply. Almost two decades later, center-right Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz extradited Sebastian Marset, an alleged Uruguayan drug lord, to Virginia to face charges of money laundering. The move signaled the resumption of legal cooperation between Bolivia and the US and a mending of relations. Marset’s capture and extradition is an example of the dramatic changes that the current president, the first conservative politician to lead the country in two decades, has brought to Bolivia since his election victory in October. There has been a “tectonic shift” in Bolivia in recent months, say observers. During the runoff election, in which Paz faced a more conservative rival after infighting within the left divided the electorate, Paz pledged to bring “capitalism for all” to the country. In particular, Paz has vowed to create a mining and oil boom. Bolivia, for example, is blessed with 20 percent of the world’s lithium reserves but has failed to benefit from the massive spike in demand for the mineral, which is essential for electric vehicle batteries and other technologies. “Peru last year had mining revenues of around $50 billion,” Paz told the Financial Times. “Chile had revenues with state and private companies of $65 billion. And we . . . had just $6 billion.” Paz also recently attended American President Donald Trump’s “Shield of the Americas” summit in Miami. The organization included far-right luminaries like Argentine President Javier Milei and El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele. Moves like these are reasons why Bolivia under Paz has received billions in loans from the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington. He has faced headwinds, however. For example, critics of Paz’s reform plan say it flouts the law and will harm the environment. Writing in the Conversation, Enrique Castañón Ballivián, a lecturer in international development at University College London, wrote how Paz has garnered emergency powers and made changes to national taxes without legislative approval, given the central bank too much leeway in acquiring foreign debt, and fast-tracked commodity extraction projects without pollution safeguards or local approval. Paz’s defenders counter that he must do something to bring prosperity to the landlocked Andean nation. Morales nationalized the country’s lithium industry, vowing to retrieve the so-called “white gold” without multinational corporations, wrote Progressive magazine. He invested $1 billion into the state-owned Yacimientos de Litio Bolivianos, but the company has failed to capitalize on the country’s resources. Paz also ended fuel subsidies to shore up the Bolivian government’s finances, part of an austerity plan that led to other cuts in public services and stipends. Mass nationwide, union-led protests broke out in response. After weeks of negotiations with unions and other groups, the government retreated: It eliminated or changed most of the cuts even as the fuel subsidy cut remained. Yet even Paz’s detractors admit that the subsidies were unsustainable. He increased the minimum wage, school stipends, and state pensions in a bid to take the sting out of the new policy. Paz has a tough road to travel. But analysts say they are amazed at what he has done already. When he took office, Paz faced a country in economic crisis with inflation topping 20 percent, depleted foreign currency reserves and lines at gas stations stretching for blocks, wrote Americas Quarterly. At the same time, he faced staunch opposition from the legislature, the opposition and within his own government. “Any one of these challenges might have immobilized a new administration,” the magazine wrote. “Yet in his first 90 days, Paz has done what many believed impossible: He not only survived the initial storm but also began to change the nation’s trajectory.”

Argentina Marks 50th Anniversary of Military Coup

Argentinians Mark 50th Anniversary of Military Coup ARGENTINA Argentina Tens of thousands of people marched in cities across Argentina this week to mark 50 years since the 1976 military coup that ushered in one of Latin America’s bloodiest dictatorships, the Associated Press reported. Demonstrations took place Tuesday in a number of cities, with the largest in Buenos Aires, as political tensions rise due to libertarian President Javier Milei’s efforts to challenge long-standing narratives about the junta that ruled the country from 1976 to 1983. The anniversary coincided with the publication of nearly 500 pages of intelligence documents from 1973 to 1983, including records of surveillance on universities, unions and political organizations, the Buenos Aires Times reported. Human rights organizations say around 30,000 people were disappeared during the junta’s campaign against dissidents, including left-wing guerrillas, labor activists and students. A truth commission and rights groups attribute most of the violence to state security forces, which carried out disappearances, torture and the theft of babies. The Abuelas (grandmothers) de Plaza de Mayo, one of the groups leading the demonstrations, say they have identified around 140 children taken from their families, out of an estimated 500 babies born in captivity and illegally adopted. More than 300 are still believed to be missing. However, Milei’s government has rejected the human rights organizations’ tally of the victims, putting the number of disappeared at fewer than 9,000 and arguing that the victims of attacks by left-wing guerrilla groups active at the time should also be commemorated. On Tuesday, the presidency released a video criticizing what it called a “biased and revanchist perspective” of the period. Meanwhile, critics have accused the libertarian president of undermining human rights efforts and recovering victims’ remains. As part of his austerity plan, Milei’s administration has downgraded the Human Rights Secretariat by cutting its budget and dismissing staff involved in archive analysis. Efforts to locate victims’ remains have long been hindered by the military’s refusal to provide information, activists say.