Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner won the country’s first primary election handily on Sunday, taking more than half the votes. Facing a splintered opposition, it looks increasingly likely that she could win October’s presidential election in the first round.

"This economic growth - this miracle of Peru if you want to put it that way - could very well continue," says COA's Eric Farnsworth, speaking about the economic implications of President Ollanta Humala's recent electoral victory.

With the race for the Casa Rosada heating up, President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner holds a strong lead in the polls. But results in recent local elections indicate the opposition could be building steam.

The victory of Eruviel Ávila in the race for governor of the State of Mexico is the latest in a string of PRI victories.

President Hugo Chávez’s announcement he was being treated for cancer has raised questions about Venezuela’s capacity to transition after 12 years under a strongly vertical political power structure.

Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner chose Economy Minister Amado Boudou as her running partner for the October vote. The decision signals her confidence in his economic policies and hope of reaching young voters.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez has been unusually quiet during a prolonged recovery from emergency surgery while in Cuba. But energy shortages and a prison riot draw attention to the leadership vacuum back at home.