South American heads of state converged in Buenos Aires Sunday for the launch of Banco del Sur, a project hatched by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. The bank's birth marked Argentine head of state Nestor Kirchner's last day in office before the inauguration of his wife, Cristina. During a September AS/COA event, she discussed Argentina's economic recovery.

After Venezuela's rejection of a new constitution, attention turns to other Latin American attempts at reform, particularly in Bolivia and Ecuador. Plagued by protests, Bolivia's constitutional reform remains in doubt. Venezuelan Ambassador Bernardo Álvarez Herrera and President Rafael Correa of Ecuador discussed constitutional reform at AS/COA events.

In a Sunday referendum, Venezuelans narrowly rejected sweeping constitutional changes. President Hugo Chavez, suffering his first electoral defeat since gaining office in 1998, accepted the loss "for now." AS/COA’s Latin America Conference featured a discussion panel on the referendum.

While world attention focuses on Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's war of words with Colombia and Spain, Venezuelans prepare to vote on a constitutional referendum that could allow Chavez to hold office indefinitely. Polls indicate the outcome of Sunday's vote remains uncertain. AS/COA’s Latin America Conference featured a discussion panel on the referendum.

Guatemalans elected Alvaro Colom president in Sunday's run-off vote. With the country's rampant crime rate a focus of the election, Colom won on an anti-poverty platform over pledges by his opponent, a retired general, to use the military for a fierce crackdown. AS/COA produced a July 2007 report on the rule of law in the Americas.

Guatemalans vote Sunday in a tight presidential race marred by violence and mudslinging. The winner faces the challenge of halting a rising crime rate. Read more. The new issue of Americas Quarterly, released November 2, examines security in Latin America. AS/COA produced a July 2007 report outlining means to boost the rule of law in the Americas.

After winning nearly 45 percent of the vote in the first round of elections, President-Elect Cristina Fernández de Kirchner will assume office on December 10. Continued economic growth and revamping the national statistics institute will be top concerns.