On Sunday, Chile is set to begin its constitutional reform process once again with the election of the 50 members who will make up the Constitutional Council. The Constitutional Council, which will be formed on June 7, will be responsible for debating and writing a new draft of the Constitution. El País notes how the government’s strategy this time around is to distance itself from the vote and the constitutional process so that “Sunday’s ballot is not seen as a referendum on the government, whose approval ratings are floundering at around 30%.” Voting for the Constitutional Council will be mandatory, as opposed to the previous reform attempt which did not require voters to cast their ballots. Political analysts believe Sunday’s vote will end up favoring right-wing parties, as opposed to Boric’s own left-leaning coalition, and may result in a Constitutional Council whose view for the new document differs from that of the current administration.
The new draft will be presented between June and November and will face a national referendum on December 17. Reuters notes that “The new proposal is expected to be more moderate than the first one,” given that the previous constitutional reform was rejected by 61.89% of the vote (Página 12). A Technical Admissibility Committee composed of 14 members will also begin its work as an arbitrator the Monday following the election.
Regional
Predictvia, a marketing firm based in Miami, ran fake accounts and disinformation tactics that influenced political operations in Honduras and Guatemala, revealed Reuters.
US Representative Norma Torres called for an end to US financial assistance to Northern Triangle countries, believing that US aid has not helped curb migration from the region, reports Roll Call.
El Salvador
“Amid the ongoing crackdown, gender-based violence and gendered vulnerabilities have become a form of collateral damage,” write Julia Sulver and María José Méndez for Carnegie Endowment.
Ecuador
Americas Quarterly covers Ecuador’s current political crisis—with an impeachment vote set for later this month—outlining three future scenarios: (1) impeachment; (2) muerte cruzada, in which President Lasso dissolves Congress before an impeachment vote, setting up new elections; (3) Lasso stays in power.
Bolivia
Mongabay reports on illicit gold mining in Bolivia, noting “There are worries over mercury contamination as well as the diversion of river flows away from wetlands to the mines. NGOs working with the cooperatives say the local miners are keen on making their operations more sustainable, but that the cost and lack of government support are hurdles to achieving this.”
Brazil
“The world’s largest grain trader, Cargill, is facing a first-ever legal challenge in the United States over its failure to remove deforestation and human rights abuses from its soya supply chain in Brazil,” reports The Guardian.
Brazil’s Supreme Court has formed a majority to annul former president Bolsonaro’s pardon of former lawmaker Daniel Silveira, says Estadão. Silveira had been arrested in 2021 for inciting attacks on the court.
Caribbean
Great St. James and Little St. James islands in the US Virgin Islands, previously owned by Jeffrey Epstein, were purchased for $60 million by US investor Stephen Deckoff, with SD Investments LLC, reports ABC News.
Mexico
“Mexico's president asked his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden to stop the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) from funding groups hostile to his government,” reports Reuters, noting, “President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador did not specify which Mexican groups the U.S. should stop funding, but he has in the past accused several media organizations of being part of a conservative movement against his government.”
Haiti
CEPR covers “minute by minute and text by text” the plot to assassinate former president Jovenel Moïse.
Colombia
The US State Department designated three former Colombian officials, former Colonel Publio Hernán Mejía Gutiérrez, former Colonel Juan Carlos Figueroa Suárez, and former General Iván Ramírez Quintero, “for their involvement in gross violations of human rights during Colombia’s decades-long internal armed conflict. ”
Venezuela
The US State Department unfroze the Venezuelan opposition’s bank accounts in the US, offering the opposition access to approximately $347 million to finance its operations, according to Bloomberg.
9.3 million Venezuelans have difficulty accessing medicines, reports Crónica Uno.
“More than half of the 22 oil tankers in Venezuela's fleet are so run down that they should be immediately repaired or taken out of service,” says Reuters.
Argentina
Ámbito reports that France, in addition to the US, will support Argentina as it renegotiates parts of its $44 billion deal with the IMF. Brazil, China, and Russia have also pledged to support Argentina with the IMF Board.