COLOMBIA: Death Threats for Tracing Paramilitary Expansion

Death threats have been received by members of a think tank in the Colombian capital that published a new book describing the expansion of ultra-rightwing paramilitary militias in several provinces of Colombia and their alliance with local politicians.

PARAGUAY: Oviedo’s Release Will Weaken Opposition Candidate

The release of former army chief Lino Oviedo in Paraguay will weaken the presidential candidacy of former Catholic bishop Fernando Lugo, the front-runner in the polls for the April 2008 elections, say analysts and politicians.

ELECTIONS-GUATEMALA: Rigoberta Menchu Running for the Long Term

The first indigenous woman candidate for president of Guatemala, Rigoberta Menchú, is behind in the polls, but the very fact that she is standing is an important precedent and a sign that the political system is more open, analysts say.

GUATEMALA: Bloody Campaign Trail

"They were just going to kill us, without any warning. They chased us and started shooting," said Héctor Rosales, a candidate for the presidency of Guatemala, who almost become one of dozens of victims of the political violence that is marring the campaign for the Sept. 9 elections.

COLOMBIA: Reporters Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Between 6:00 and 7:00 AM Friday there was no regular news broadcast in the northeastern Colombian town of Saravena. Instead, the Notifrontera news team of the Sarare Estéreo radio station read out a brief statement and played Colombian folk music.

CHALLENGES 2006-2007: Defining Latin America’s Leftist Governments

The wave of governments that identify themselves as leftist in Latin America and which have risen to power in the last few years represent neither a regional movement nor a homogeneous phenomenon.

MEXICO: War on Crime Triggers Activists’ Suspicions

Mexican President Felipe Calderón kicked off his administration by stressing public security and increasing the power of the military. And although the strategy is alarming human rights groups, the majority of Mexicans seem pleased.

VENEZUELA-US: Another Chance?

The outcome of Venezuela's presidential elections may hold out a possibility of a thaw in relations with the United States, within a hemispheric context of greater openness to negotiation and dialogue.

VENEZUELA: The Opposition, a Minority to Reckon With

Hugo Chávez's landslide victory in Venezuela's presidential elections has not prevented the emergence of a much more mature opposition. After years of seeking a shortcut to oust him from power, it now has nearly 40 percent of the electorate behind it.

VENEZUELA: Reelected Chavez Announces ‘New Era’

Immediately after his landslide victory Sunday, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez announced the start of a new socialist era for the country.

ELECTIONS-VENEZUELA: No Shades of Grey

The contrasting styles of Hugo Chávez, the retired army officer seeking reelection to the presidency in Venezuela, and opposition candidate Manuel Rosales, a teacher, reflect the great divide between the people of this country, who will elect their government for the next six years on Sunday.

MEXICO: Will Calderon Take On the Vested Interests?

In Mexico no single party has a monopoly on political power anymore. But the private and public corporatist structures remain in place, as reflected by the privileges and dominant positions still enjoyed by a small group of companies and trade unions.

ELECTIONS-VENEZUELA: Christmas Shopping Comes First

The people on the streets in the run-up to Venezuela's Dec. 3 presidential elections are on a massive end-of-year shopping spree rather than keeping a solemn vigil to consider the political choices before them.

ELECTIONS-ECUADOR: Correa Reaches the Government from the Left

Rafael Correa, a leftist economist who plans to renegotiate Ecuador's foreign debt and oil company contracts while working with other left-leaning governments towards the consolidation of a South American bloc, won what appeared to be a landslide victory in Ecuador's presidential runoff Sunday.

VENEZUELA: Climate as Polarised as Ever as Elections Loom

"They shall not steal a single one of our votes," vowed opposition candidate Manuel Rosales, after claiming that he had beaten incumbent President Hugo Chávez in surveys of voting intentions for Venezuela's Dec. 3 presidential elections.

MEXICO: Self-Styled “Legitimate President” to Tour Country

The leader of the Mexican left, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, will tour Mexico as the country's "legitimate president," to foment a broad progressive movement.

ELECTIONS-ECUADOR: Correa Closing the Gap

With only 10 days to go to the second round of the presidential elections in Ecuador, three surveys have found that leftwinger Rafael Correa has reached a technical draw with his rival, banana magnate Álvaro Noboa, and that voter intentions in his favour are still rising.

RIGHTS-MEXICO: Fox Administration Two-Faced, Say Activists

A double discourse and contradictory stances have characterised Mexico's Vicente Fox administration in the field of human rights, as demonstrated by the government's decisive support for human rights causes abroad while impunity remains the norm in Mexico, according to leading human rights organisations.

ELECTIONS-ECUADOR: A Kind of Comeback for Gutierrez

Supporters of Lucio Gutiérrez, the former president of Ecuador who was overthrown in 2005, will play a key role in the second round of voting on Nov. 26 to elect, as the next head of state, either banana magnate Álvaro Noboa or leftwinger Rafael Correa.

ELECTIONS-NICARAGUA: The Sandinistas Are Back

They swore they would return. And today, 16 years after losing their grip on power in national elections, Nicaragua's Sandinistas appear to have made it back, according to the preliminary results from Sunday's elections.

ELECTIONS-NICARAGUA: Cold War Spooks and Chills

Nicaraguans will cast their votes on Sunday under the scrutiny of a multitude of observers, and amid intense interest in the elections that has extended far beyond the country's borders to Caracas, Washington and even Moscow.