Weekly Roundup: Mexico's Political Reform, Honduras' Election Results, LatAm Corruption Ranking

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Latin American Leaders Mourn Mandela’s Passing

Across Latin America, presidents expressed sadness over the December 5 passing of Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first black president and anti-apartheid leader. “His legacy remains our guide for reaching peace,” said Colombia’s Juan Manuel Santos. As Venezuela prepares for Sunday’s municipal elections, President Nicolás Maduro declared three days of mourning. Cuban leader Raúl Castro expressed gratitude for Mandela’s friendship toward Cuba and said: “We will never speak of Mandela in the past tense.” Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff described Mandela as a “guide all those who fight for social justice and for peace in the world,” while Mexico’s Enrique Peña Nieto said: “Humanity has lost a tireless fighter for peace, freedom, and equality.”

Santos Goes to Washington in Bid for Post-Conflict Support

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos made an official visit to Washington this week, meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama and high-level officials. Obama expressed support for Colombia's ongoing peace talks, and the two leaders talked energy, technology, trade, and regional security. "The relations of our two countries find themselves at their best moment ever," Santos said in remarks following the meeting.

Semana quoted an anonymous source traveling with Santos, who said that the idea behind the meeting was to ask for U.S. backing during an eventual transition following the peace talks. Foreign Policy’s The Complex blog reports that U.S. security assistance and operations in Colombia will “likely wind down” as Colombia continues to tackle crime and the two countries focus more on economic cooperation. An unnamed U.S. official told the blog that U.S. security assistance "was always designed to be phased out" and conditions are improving.

Brazil Plans Special World Cup Courts

Following the model implemented in South Africa in 2010, Brazil’s Ministry of Justice plans to set up special courts during the World Cup to fast track judicial proceedings, said a ministry representative this week. The government is largely concerned with common crimes, like theft. But writing for Carta Capital’s Other Words blog, journalist Antonio Martins warned that Brazil could repeat the same mistakes as South Africa by violating people’s rights “in name of event security and economic interests.”

Mexico’s Political Reform Heads Back to Senate; Energy Reform Debate Delayed Again

On Thursday night, the Mexican Chamber of Deputies approved by a vote of 401 to 64 an amended version of the political reform legislation passed earlier in the week by the Senate. The reform paves the way for reelection of legislators and mayors, but does not include the president, governors, or mayor of Mexico City. However, the lower house delayed reelection to begin in 2018, meaning it would not apply to federal congressmen currently holding office. Deputies also backed a measure that will replace the Federal Institute of Elections with a National Institute of Elections, which will oversee local elections in addition to federal ones. The reform has been sent back to Senate for review.

Meanwhile, on Friday, for the third time senators suspended debate of Mexico’s much-anticipated energy reform. The Economist notes that Mexico’s Congress is working against the clock to push through reforms ahead of December 15, when legislators go on vacation for Christmas.

PISA Exam: Brazil and Mexico Improve Math Scores

This week, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development released the 2012 results from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) exam, which measured math, reading, and science skills of 15-year-olds in 64 countries, including eight in Latin America. Brazil was the country with the largest improvements in math scores since 2003, as well as an increase in school enrollment—increasing from 65 percent to 78 percent over that period. Mexico saw similar improvements, with one of the largest math score increases in the OECD and a 12-point rise in school enrollment. However, 55 percent of Mexican students failed to demonstrate basic math skills.

Ranking Perceptions of Corruption in Latin America

In Latin America, corruption has worsened over the past year, data from Transparency International’s 2013 Corruption Perception Index shows. Released this week, the index showed no changes in Brazil and Mexico and corruption increases in Central America. Uruguay, Latin America’s top performer, tied with the United States at spot 19 and was followed by Chile and Costa Rica. Guatemala displayed the highest increase in corruption regionally, falling ten places.

In a post for the Space for Transparency blog, Transparency International’s Americas Director Alejandro Salas evaluates the region’s progress in fighting corruption. Using traffic lights as an example, he explains that infrastructure—like transparency laws—isn’t enough; enforcement is key. “You can install all the traffic lights you want in a city, but if no real mechanism is in place to enforce the ‘stop’ when the red light is on, then they will only be part of the urban landscape, mere decoration,” he writes.

Expats File Complaint Against Chilean Government, Citing Inability to Vote

On December 1, Chilean expats seeking the right to vote abroad filed a petition against the government with the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights (IACHR). The group asserted that the inability of the approximately 850,000 citizens living abroad to vote in elections constituted a human rights violation. The country is one of three in Latin America that doesn’t provide emigrants a means to vote.  The international court has up to three months to make a decision. The runoff for Chile’s presidential election takes place on December 15.

Trade Talks: Peru Negotiating FTAs with El Salvador, India, and Russia

Peru’s free trade agreements might jump from 17 to 20, with three new accords underway. After separate visits by Russia’s trade minister and India’s Vice President Hamid Ansari, both countries have approached Peru to discuss bilateral trade deals, said Silva. Peru’s exports to India grew 125 percent compared to last year, indicates October 2013 data. Lima also intends to restart negotiations with El Salvador, an endeavor previously stalled.

In the immediate future, Peru continues to eye membership in the Trans-Pacific Partnership and is attending the bloc’s meeting in Singapore from December 7 to 10.

While Hunger Decreases, Obesity Increases in Latin America

Latin America sliced its hunger rates over the last 20 years, falling from 14.7 to 7.9 percent, according to a report released this week by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. The study showed that while Haiti, Guatemala, and Paraguay have the highest incidences of hunger in the region, eight countries—Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, and the Dominican Republic—halved hunger rates. However, adult obesity rates now stand at 23 percent and 7 percent for preschool-aged children.

Report: LatAm Poverty Levels in Decline, but Progress Slowing

Poverty reduction in Latin America is slowing down despite falling 15.7 percentage points since 2002, says a new report by the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean. In 2012, around 28 percent of the population in Latin America and the Caribbean lived in poverty, with 11.3 percent in extreme poverty. Those numbers have changed little this year, with 27.9 percent in poverty and 11.5 percent in extreme poverty. The report points to increasing food costs and weak economic growth as reasons for slower poverty gains.

Honduras Election Fraud Questions Linger as Hernández Takes CentAm, Mexican Tour

After allegations of fraud during Honduras’ November 24 election, the country’s electoral tribunal reached an agreement to allow the Freedom and Reestablishment Party (LIBRE) to compare vote counts, AFP reported on December 5. With 98.87 percent of the votes counted as of December 6, Juan Orlando Hernández of the National Party won with 36.85 percent, and LIBRE’s Xiomara Castro de Zelaya came in second with 28.78 percent. Hernández was declared the victor on November 30. Despite the ongoing questions about the election, the country’s ruling party may be looking for compromise in at least one branch of government. La Tribuna reported this week that the National Party—which has the largest bloc in the legislature—plans to award the congressional presidency to the Liberal Party.

Meanwhile, Hernández took a whirlwind victory tour of Costa Rica, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama this week, meeting with each country’s president. According to a December 4 CID-Gallup poll, Honduras has the lowest level of confidence in government of six countries surveyed, which included the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Panama.

No Clear Favorite in Costa Rica's Presidential Race

A Unimer poll released December 1 indicates roughly a tie between the three top contenders running for president in Costa Rica's February 2 vote. National Liberation Party candidate Johnny Araya—backed by President Laura Chinchilla—saw support fall over the last two months; in September, he had 31 to 38 percent of the vote, and now has 14 to 19 percent. Meanwhile, José Villalta of the Broad Front received a boost, from 3 to 10 percent, rising to 17 to 22 percent. An estimated 14 to 19 percent of voters said they would vote for Otto Guevara of the Libertarian Movement.

The DR and Jamaica Team up on Intercontinental Drug Bust

The Dominican Republic and Jamaica participated in a nine-day INTERPOL operation to target cocaine trafficking routes tying the Caribbean to Africa, South America, and Europe, reports the Jamaica Observer. Along with the cooperation of other countries, including Brazil, France, and Nigeria, authorities arrested 91 people and seized 1.7 tons of drugs and $1.9 million in cash.

Game over: Bad News for Mexico’s Cobalt-60 Thieves

This week, thieves in Mexico first stole and then abandoned a truck carrying radioactive Cobalt-60—a material that can be used to make a dirty bomb—outside the country’s capital. The Washington Post reports that the thieves are likely “doomed,” with the International Atomic Energy Agency saying it “would probably be fatal to be close to this amount of unshielded radioactive material for a period in the range of a few minutes to an hour.” Gizmodo’s coverage includes a link to an overview about the effects of radiation poisoning, with high levels of exposure leading to neurological damage followed by death as soon as within 48 hours.