Latin America in Short: Pedro Castillo Takes Office and Nicaragua’s Electoral Campaign Begins

Another week is over and we know you need to stay up-to-date. This week Pedro Castillo was finally inaugurated as president of Peru. Central America, on the other hand, has shifted its political tensions: Guatemala goes on strike and Nicaragua officializes electoral campaigns. Regarding the environment: this Thursday we finished the natural resources budgeted for the year 2021 while the European Union joins forces to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Finally, Brazil takes a medal in surfing, the debut sport of the Olympic Games. Find out the details here.

Pedro Castillo assumes the presidency of Peru

In a nourished inauguration speech, the former professor became president of the Inca nation. Pedro Castillo, with a socialist spirit, tried to send a piece of tranquility in his first intervention as president of the Peruvians. The new president explained that extractivist industries, such as mining, must have a clear social component and benefit.

Additionally, Castillo reiterated that his focus will be on facing the COVID-19 pandemic and promised that by the end of the year, more than 70% of the population will already be immunized. Another great element that the leader of Peru Libre reiterated was his intentions for a new constitution that prioritizes attention to the most vulnerable communities.

Nicaragua: campaigns become official despite political persecution

Despite the fact that President Daniel Ortega advances with the arrest of several opposition leaders and leaves the panorama more and more free for his re-election, opposition groups made their candidacies official. Óscar Sobalvarro (who was the Contra leader to overthrow the Sandinista government in the 1980s) and Berenice Quezada (ex-Miss Nicaragua) are the presidential and vice-presidential formula, respectively, for the Citizens for Freedom party.

With this candidacy, the opposition was divided between those who refuse to participate in a contest that already leaves 29 political prisoners; and those who coincide with the Citizens for Freedom party that insists on going to elections.

For its part, Colombia joins Mexico and Argentina in calling their ambassador to Managua in protest at the political persecution of the Ortega regime. Ambassador Alfredo Rangel was called by the Colombian Government. General elections are scheduled for November 7. Daniel Ortega will seek his fourth consecutive presidential term.

Also read: What is happening in Nicaragua?

European Union seeks to reduce emissions by 55%

Recently, the European Union (EU) presented a package of legislative projects focused on reducing GHGs (greenhouse gases). It aims to reduce emissions by 55% compared to pre-industrial levels by 2030.

Starting with stricter limits, this package called Fit for 55 increases the amount and promise of member country targets. One of the key points is the ecological tax on the borders, which seeks to regulate CO2-producing imports, in order to prevent this leak from reaching the Balkans or Ukraine.

This Thursday the natural resources ran out for 2021

According to the Global Footprint Network, yesterday the biological resources that were budgeted for 2021 were exhausted. This announcement was made on Tuesday 27 by Susan Aitken, leader of Glasglow, the city in which the will hold COP26.

The Global Ecological Footprint Network warned that in the remainder of the year 1.7 planets Earth will be needed to meet global consumption needs in a sustainable way. Although 2020 did not reach the day of ecological debt due to the reduction of global CO2 due to the isolation produced by the COVID-19 pandemic, the economic reactivation caused them to return to the levels of 2019.

Brazil won the first gold medal in surfing

Brazil took the first Olympic gold medal for surfing. Italo Ferreira became the first Olympic champion in the history of surfing by beating Japanese Kanoa Igarashi in the final. Italo had a final score of 15.14 compared to 6.60 for Igarashi. Ferreira managed to win the recognition despite adverse weather conditions that resulted in much larger waves than expected. Not even the huge wave that broke his board on his first lap was able to stop his path to gold.