The Big Stories in LATAM
What comes next in Venezuela, Peru has another president again, and Milei's anti-corruption czar resigns over corruption scandal
Venezuela
Double earthquakes in Venezuela have dominated headlines in Latin America since the tragedy struck on June 24. Venezuelan officials now put the number of confirmed deaths above 1,700. Anger is mounting among civil society over a slow state disaster response and even overt interference in rescue efforts.
Things are unlikely to get better in the short term as 1000’s of people left without homes sleep in public spaces and streets near Caracas. I wrote about some of the possible next steps at America Community Media. Will the Rodriguez government withstand growing pressure? And will the US aid in reconstruction efforts or simply continue plundering Venezuela?
Among the developing stories, 146 Venezuelans, including 19 women and children, who were deported from the U.S on the day of the quakes, remain missing. The hotel where they were being temporarily held collapsed in La Guaira during the first earthquake.
Families have spent almost a week desperately searching for loved ones they expected, shortly before, to be reunited with.
Peru finally has another president, again
Right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori has formally been declared the victor in presidential elections after weeks of recounts and disputes. Fujimori won the second round on June 7 by a razor-thin margin of 50,000 votes out of 18 million ballots.
Her rival, the left-wing Roberto Sanchez, has previously stated that he would not recognize the result of elections, citing issues with overseas voting and claims of irregular ballots.
Fujimori takes power amidst security concerns and a deeply divided electorate. Peru has had 8 presidents in less than a decade, but counter-intuitively, Fujimori may be the president who breaks that streak. Her party is the largest coalition in Congress, which has been responsible for removing 6 of the 8 previous heads of state.
Milei’s top aide, and Cabinet Chief resigns over growing scandals
Argentine President Javier Milei’s Cabinet chief and close ally, Manuel Adorni, who has been the face of anti-corruption and austerity efforts by the Libertarian government, has dominated headlines for months over his extravagant spending and jet-setting lifestyle.
Adorni is being investigated for corruption charges. He denies the accusations, explaining his apparent overnight transformation into a well-heeled big spender as the result of “careful saving” and “finding a thumb drive filled with Bitcoin” that he had forgotten he purchased.
The scandal presents a sharp contrast to drastic cuts in public services and programs for the poor in Argentina as part of Milei’s efforts to reduce state spending.
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