Q&A: "When There’s Corruption, All Votes Are Not Equal"

"In Chile, like in other countries, there is very little transparency when it comes to political funding," Andrea Sanhueza, executive director of the Chilean non-governmental organisation Corporación Participa, said in an interview ahead of the Oct. 26 municipal elections.

BRAZIL: Militarised Election Campaign

Rio de Janeiro will be the most fiercely contested city in Brazil’s upcoming local elections, with an average of 25 candidates for every seat on its municipal councils, and dozens of poor neighbourhoods being militarised in order to prevent violence and allow candidates to campaign safely.

LATIN AMERICA: Quotas Alone Won’t Give Women Equal Power

A collection of studies published in Argentina shows that quotas for women on electoral candidate lists have been successful in achieving a certain level of gender balance in the parliaments of many Latin American countries. However, it says that more tools are needed to accelerate the process.

BRAZIL: Parties Fielding Too Few Women in Local Elections

There are still too few women on the lists of candidates for Brazil’s municipal elections in October - another example of the distance between political parties and society which has led to the loss of credibility of political institutions.

POLITICS-BOLIVIA: Volatile Loyalties, Deep Divisions

The governing party in Bolivia is reeling from its latest electoral defeat, and beginning to doubt the popularity of President Evo Morales, who is putting his office, the vice president's and those of provincial governors up for ratification in a recall referendum to be held on Aug. 10.

NICARAGUA: “The Women’s Movement Is in Opposition”

The action taken on abortion by the governing Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) in Nicaragua is "a betrayal" of women, who were "key allies" of the 1979 revolution. Therefore there has been a "radicalisation of the women’s movement," which is declaring itself in opposition, activist Sofía Montenegro told IPS.

PARAGUAY: Torture Victim Still Fears Colorado Party ‘Mafia’

The Colorado Party has become a "criminal mafia" during its 61 years in government in Paraguay, and it will continue to be a force to be reckoned with in spite of its defeat in last month’s elections, says Anuncio Martí, a Paraguayan citizen living in exile in Brazil.

Q&A: A Bishop with His (Sandalled) Feet on the Ground

Fernando Lugo has rocketed into Paraguayan history. Not only is he the first Catholic bishop to be elected president, but he has also ended 61 years of rule by the Colorado Party.

PARAGUAY: An Injection of Hope

"This is an injection of hope," said Ricardo Cáceres, a resident of Asunción, celebrating the victory of former Catholic bishop Fernando Lugo, who was elected president of Paraguay in elections that put an end to six decades of rule by the conservative Colorado Party.

PARAGUAY: Historic Elections End Six Decades of Rule

Former Catholic bishop Fernando Lugo was elected president in a landslide victory Sunday in Paraguay, putting an end to 61 years of rule by the Colorado Party.

ELECTIONS-PARAGUAY: Change – Catchword and Reality?

Sunday’s elections will mark a watershed in the history of Paraguay, where the "bishop of the poor" is front-runner in the polls and the ruling party is at risk of losing its hold on power for the first time in six decades.

ELECTIONS-PARAGUAY: Indigenous Woman on Course for Senate

An indigenous woman has an excellent chance of winning a seat in Congress for the first time in the history of Paraguay, in Sunday’s general elections.

ELECTIONS-PARAGUAY: Women Unimpressed by Female Candidate

For the first time in Paraguayan history, a woman is running for president in the elections on Apr. 20, as the candidate of the Colorado Party, which has governed this country continuously for 61 years.

POLITICS-CUBA: Fidel Re-Elected to Parliament – Will He Become President?

In national elections for the Cuban parliament’s next five-year term, all nominated candidates were elected, including President Fidel Castro, who has been away from government duties since Jul. 31, 2006 for health reasons.

ELECTIONS-GUATEMALA: Colom Calls for Unity

"Guatemala is starting out on a path to change, and from now on I am president-(elect of all Guatemalans); I am no longer identified with a single party," said social democrat Álvaro Colom, urging unity after Sunday’s runoff elections.

GUATEMALA: Journalists Face Threats Over Report on Candidate

"Where are you? Hurry up, we’re waiting for you!" barked the voice on the telephone. Guatemalan journalist Enrique Castañeda had just finished writing an investigative article on rightwing presidential candidate Otto Pérez’s alleged links with organised crime, and this was the first phonecall he received.

ELECTIONS-GUATEMALA: Solidarity or Zero Tolerance?

Guatemala’s costly and violent presidential election campaign will come to an end with Sunday’s runoff vote, in which retired General Otto Pérez and his tough stance on crime will face off with businessman Álvaro Colom, who has put an emphasis on extending a helping hand of solidarity to the poor.

COLOMBIA: War Orphans Sound Alert on Paramilitary Candidates

"The parapolitics scandal has new names," said the Daughters and Sons for Memory and Against Impunity movement, which warned that paramilitary groups will meddle in Sunday’s local and regional elections in Colombia.

ELECTIONS-ARGENTINA: President Kirchner’s Legacy, Pending Challenges

When Néstor Kirchner took over the presidency in 2003, Argentina was in a state of collapse. He managed to establish a model of economic growth that brought down the soaring unemployment and poverty rates. But whoever succeeds him in December will still have challenges to face.

ELECTIONS-ARGENTINA: Cristina’s Low-Income Voter Support Base

Although Argentine First Lady Cristina Fernández is a well-heeled lawyer with an impressive track record as a politician, the front-runner for Sunday’s presidential elections is not favoured by her peers. Instead, her main support comes from lower income sectors, analysts say.

ARGENTINA: Political Parties – An Endangered Species

Political parties are seeing their influence wane in many countries, say analysts. But in Argentina, the trend has become so acute that in the Oct. 28 presidential elections it will be difficult to even recognise the two parties that governed Argentina for much of the 20th century.