On May 3, Panama's voters chose a business leader who chaired the Panama Canal Authority over a former housing minister from the party currently in power. As the winner, Ricardo Martinelli will oversee the country as it faces economic challenges and a multi-billion dollar expansion of the canal.
In an AS/COA Online interview, Eric Farnsworth lays out what Panama's May 3 presidential election could mean for the country’s economy and for bilateral relations with Washington. He explains that Ricardo Martinelli, who leads in polls, “has always been able to navigate the very complicated relationship with the Unites States.”
Though facing a financially tough 2009, President Rafael Correa won Sunday’s vote. His government unveiled a controversial debt buyback plan a week before the election.
After a 15-month "mega-trial," a Peruvian court found former President Alberto Fujimori guilty of human rights abuses. The verdict makes him the first democratically elected leader in Latin America convicted in a human rights case in his home country.
After a divisive election, El Salvador's next president, Mauricio Funes, makes calls for unity and a moderate route to help shore up his country's economy at a time of global financial insecurity. But some raise concerns about which way he may find himself pulled by some members of his party.
Fresh from meetings with U.S. President Barack Obama, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Liberal leader Michel Ignatieff continue to haggle over the budget and jockey for power.
Leftist candidate Mauricio Funes won the March 15 election, unseating the ruling party by defeating Rodrigo Ávila at the polls. Ávila argued that Funes will mimic Venezuela's Chávez, but Funes said he looks to Brazil's Lula as an example.