Argentina
President Mauricio Macri renegotiated the country’s International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan from $50 billion to $56.3 billion. After the initial loan failed to bring the changes Macri was hoping, he renegotiated by promising to tighten previously agreed fiscal measures. The new deal will require further spending cuts and increased taxes to decrease the nation’s budget deficit. The government expects inflation to rise to 40% before falling rapidly once the new agreement is in place next year.
Brazil
Jair Bolsonaro was elected President of Brazil in the run-off vote on Sunday in the largest political shift the country has seen since it restored democracy over 30 years ago. The right-wing politician has vowed to rid the government of corruption and fight the nation’s violence with increased police authority. Bolsonaro captured 55.1% of votes against Fernando Haddad’s 44.8%. Many celebrated on the streets of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, excited for the new shift their country is taking. Others fear that the progressive movements under the Worker’s Party will be lost.
As his term comes to an end, President Michel Temer is again facing corruption investigations for accepting bribes. Part of a year-long investigation, federal police have again asked the Supreme Court to indict Temer and confiscate his, his daughter’s, his former advisor’s, and eight other associates’ assets. The Prosecutor's Office must file an official complaint to the Supreme Court in order for any action to be taken, while Temer’s lawyers have asked for the top court to block the federal police report. However, as President, Temer has immunity from prosecution unless the Congress allows a trial - thus far Congress has blocked two legal trials against Temer.
Haiti
Protests broke out in Haiti as a Senate investigation found that former government officials misused $3.8 billion of an oil assistance program sponsored by Venezuela. The program was meant to improve social services to Haitians. One person was reported killed and many wounded as protestors fired guns, blocked roads, threw rocks, and burned tires. It has only been three months since the last protests rocked the country and led to the resignation of the Prime Minister after his attempt to increase fuel prices.
Nicaragua
According to a new Amnesty International investigative report, which documents human rights violations within Nicaragua between May 30 and September 18 2018, “weapons of war” were used to torture and kill anti-government protesters likely with the knowledge and order from the highest government figures. The report is based on a set of 115 interviews that uncovered possible extrajudicial killings as the number of deaths continue to climb. Over 300 people have died and 2,000 injured since protests began in April, but the government disputes this number claiming only 200 have died. The same day the Amnesty report was released, the Organization of American States (OAS) denounced the actions of Nicaraguan authorities and called for its human rights body, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), to be allowed to investigate the country’s human rights abuses over the last months. Nicaraguan authorities have not provided data to the IACHR since July.
United States
A migrant caravan that initially began with up to 7,000 Central Americans is making its way to the US border in search of asylum. The caravan began in Honduras on October 12 and is now less than 1,000 miles from the US border. As the caravan has made its way through Central America, it has received significant attention from US President Donald Trump, who has called it an “invasion” and threatened to cut off aid to Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. Under orders from Trump, Homeland Security and Pentagon officials announced that 5,200 additional active duty troops will be sent to the border crossing in McAllen, Texas for the arrival of the caravan. This deployment is the largest active-duty mobilization along the US-Mexico border during peacetime. Under pressure from the US government, the Mexican government has made an effort to prevent the caravan from reaching the US border by offering asylum and jobs to the migrants, and setting up highway blockades. Nevertheless, many of the men, women, and children remain determined to make it to the United States.
Uruguay
Uruguay’s Congress approved a law guaranteeing rights to the country’s transgender community. The law now states that the government will pay for hormones and an operation to match their sexual identity, and ensures a minimum number of public jobs go to transgender people.
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