Central America

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A politician puts a wad of money into a ballot box next to a group of demonstrators waving the Guatemalan flag.
Better World Info | Mei Lau

Guatemala Political Crisis 2023

Starting in early October protests, marches, and roadblocks have crippled the country as prodemocracy supporters take to the streets to peacefully demand the resignation of Attorney General María Consuelo Porras who was sanctioned for her involvement in corruption by the U.S. government in 2022. Her investigations into the newly elected party Movimiento Semilla led by Bernardo Arévalo came after a landslide win based on his campaign of anti-corruption. The resulting suspension of Arévalo’s party has been labelled a disruption of justice and is preventing a peaceful transfer of power.

Guatemala Political Crisis 2023
Photo of Nayib Bukele holding a ribbon of the flag of El Salvador, on a podium waving to the public.
CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 | Gobierno Danilo Medina via flickr

World’s coolest dictator

Nayib Bukele, the self-proclaimed 'coolest dictator in the world', is one of Latin America's most controversial and popular presidents. In recent elections, he secured a second term in office with a landslide victory, winning 85% of the vote. His popularity is largely due to his efforts to combat organised crime. However, he has been heavily criticised for mass arrests of civilians without warrants and human rights abuses. Concerns have also been raised about his perceived threat to democracy; in the past he has stormed Congress with the military to secure a law of his interest, and although the Salvadoran constitution states that no president can serve two consecutive terms, Bukele found a loophole and sought re-election.

World’s coolest dictator
Image by Mariana Mercado from Pixabay

Cuba - US relations

As a one party Marxist-Leninist state, severe political repression removes the democratic right of Cuban citizens. They are denied trial, freedom of speech, and movement. As a result the United States placed an embargo on the country making economic, commercial, and financial business operations there illegal. Read more about how the lives of Cubans continues to be impacted, and how relations have changed over the years.

Cuba - US relations
Protesters in Nicaragua demand justice. They march down a street holding a large white banner that says ' Justicia' in blue. Many of the protesters hold Nicaragua flags.
Flickr | Jorge Mejía Peralta

Nicaragua - Opposition Members Released From Prison and Forced into Exile.

Nicaragua has been experiencing a deep political crisis since 2018, when the current president Daniel Ortega, won a fourth consecutive term in a disputed election. This sparked massive civilian and opposition protests, these demonstrations have consistently encountered a violent response, and many citizens have suffered persecution and imprisonment. Now, in a dubious move, the Nicaraguan government has released 222 opposition members from prison and forced them into exile in the U.S.

Nicaragua - Opposition Members Released From Prison and Forced into Exile.
Image by Lena Eriksson from Pixabay

The economic and social crisis in Puerto Rico

Although Puerto Ricans are apart of the United States, and have citizenship, they severely lack political representation. They are a land caught between celebrating their own nationalism, and a U.S territory - but with little support from the mainland. The island continues to struggle with debt, natural disasters, and political instability.

The economic and social crisis in Puerto Rico

Political crisis in Haiti

Tensions in Haiti have escalated following the assassination of Jovenel Moïse. President Moïse, had been in power since 2017 and, according to the opposition, should have finished his term in February this year, but Moïse claimed he still had a year left in office. Many saw this as an attempt to establish a dictatorship, and it was one of the many reasons for the mass protests in Haiti in recent months, but this unfortunate turn only worsens the precarious situation in the Caribbean country.

Political crisis in Haiti
Man on his back with the flag of Haiti on his shoulders.
abdallahh CC BY 2.0 | Flickr

2024 Haiti Unrest

In a new escalation of the ongoing crisis in Haiti, armed gangs have stormed two of the country's largest prisons, causing at least 3,700 inmates to escape. The move was aimed at putting pressure on Prime Minister Ariel Henry to resign. Prior to the incident, Henry had travelled to Kenya to secure a UN-backed operation to deploy Kenyan security forces to help regain control of the country. Haiti's national police force has around 9,000 officers serving a population of over 11 million. The unrest has forced 15,000 people to flee the violence, including those already living in makeshift camps for the displaced. Henry took over as prime minister after the assassination of President Moise and has repeatedly postponed plans to hold elections.

2024 Haiti Unrest