Where were we? Since our last newsletter, Latin America held two presidential votes. 

First, Chile’s first-round presidential vote saw right-winger José Antonio Kast ride a wave of anxiety over immigration and crime to a first-place finish. But that doesn’t mean his victory in the December 19 second round against leftist deputy Gabriel Boric is a safe bet. Our poll tracker dives deep into the runoff race and examines which way supporters of the also-rans are leaning. 

Then in Honduras, voters defied turnout expectations, showing up in droves to reject the conservative National Party’s 12-year-old power grip. The outcome was notable not just because of the landslide win for democratic socialist Xiomara Castro, but also because the relatively peaceful process contrasted sharply with the turmoil that followed the last presidential election.

Get more regional election coverage in our 2021 guide.

THEY SAID WHAT?

• Peruvian prosecutor summons President Pedro Castillo over military promotions amid impeachment threat. (El Mundo)

• Mexico’s Sowing Life reforestation program appears to have the opposite effect, as a multimedia report shows. (El Universal)

• What the U.S. removal of the the FARC from its list of terrorist groups means for the Colombia peace process. (The Washington Post) 

• The copper royalty bill advances in Chile’s Senate. (Bloomberg)

• More than half of people in Latin America and the Caribbean are now vaccinated, per PAHO. But vaccination rates vary, so check each country’s progress in our vaccine timeline. 

• This week, Chile surpassed Israel to become the global leader in booster shots, per The Rio Times.