Guillermo Lasso’s tricky year. In April 2021, the Ecuadoran leader won a presidential runoff. His start in office was marked by a successful vaccination campaign and high approval ratings as he sought to implement business-friendly reforms. 

Recalls, reforms, relations. It’s been a busy week in Mexico, where the country is readying for an April 10 presidential recall referendum amid tests for energy legislation and ties with Washington. AS/COA’s Carin Zissis connects the dots: “The bigger the turnout [in the recall], the more momentum it gives AMLO when it comes to his legislative and political goals.” Read the AS/COA Insider.

Costa Rica picks a president. Rodrigo Chaves won the April 3 runoff by framing himself as the candidate who can tackle the country’s economic woes and battle corruption. But he’s not without a scandal of his own. Learn about the electoral outcome.
 

Find out more about Latin American elections in our 2022 Election Guide.

THEY SAID WHAT?

• Latin America is the world’s fastest-growing region for startups, writes Andres Oppenheimer. (Miami Herald)
• Pensions, foreign relations, human rights: Gabriel Boric explains his positions on major issues to Clarín.
• Polls show a tightening Colombian presidential race between Gustavo Petro and Federico Gutierrez. (Bloomberg)

Number of Latin American countries that did not vote to suspend Russia from the UN Human Rights Council on April 7. Brazil, El Salvador, and Mexico abstained while Bolivia, Cuba, and Nicaragua voted against the measure.