Leopoldo López Mendoza, mayor of the Chacao municipality of Caracas, was favored to win the mayoralty of the Venezuelan capital until he and hundreds of other candidates were banned from running in upcoming municipal elections. In an interview, López talks about the questionable legality of the ban and the threat posed to democracy in Venezuela.

Less than a year after Venezuela voted against a new constitution, Ecuador prepares for its own vote and Bolivia witnesses violent clashes in the midst of a reform process. AS/COA speaks with Latin American historian Alfonso Quiroz about the recent round of constitutional changes in the Andes and how they differ from reforms of the 1980s and 1990s.

Relations between Brazil and the United States offer “fertile areas” to partner in the fields of resource technology, security, and private sector cooperation.

In an AS/COA interview, Brazilian CEO Jair Ribeiro discusses Partners in Education, a program targeting one of Brazil’s most pressing issues—the quality of education. Through the program’s model, business leaders adopt and boost management of individual schools in the São Paulo area.

In an AS/COA interview, Bolivia expert Eduardo Gamarra of Florida International University discusses the complex series of referenda taking place in Bolivia, explaining what is behind the political divisions affecting the country. Speaking about Sunday’s recall vote, Gamarra comments that, “The president is basically running a riskless election.”

Brazil’s Helio Mattar, who serves as the president of the Akatu Institute for Conscious Consumption and founded the Ethos Institute for Social Responsibility talks about the corporate social responsibility movement in Brazil and across the Americas.

Consul General of Mexico in New York Rubén Beltrán outlines a new initiative bringing together Latin American consulates to expand services for immigrants in the tri-state area. He also describes the impact of local-level immigration laws and prospects for federal-level reform.