End your weekend informed of the most important political and economic news from Latin America and the world
These are the most relevant political news of this week. Photos: TW-MaritoAbdo, Reuters
LatinAmerican Post | Santiago Gómez Hernández
Escucha este artículo
Leer en español: Cámara salva a presidente paraguayo de impeachment y tensión entre Moscú y Washington
Tension grows between Kremlin and White House
Russia called its ambassador in Washington for consultation after Joe Biden called his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin a "murderer" in an interview with ABC News. Biden, however, emphasized that despite the differences, there are common places where he hopes to work with Moscow, amid its first major diplomatic crisis from the new administration.
Joe Biden cree que Vladimir Putin, presidente de Rusia, es un asesino.
Las declaraciones del mandatario de Estados Unidos se dieron en medio de una entrevista que causó indignación en Moscú >>> https://t.co/jkDTgS5vax pic.twitter.com/LFn3JM7ae0
— Noticias Caracol (@NoticiasCaracol) March 18, 2021
Colombia: coalition parties seek to prolong Iván Duque's administration
The publication of a bill, supported by several congressmen, that aims to align national and local votes in Colombia caused a stir. The intention of this project is that Colombians go out to vote the same year for congressmen, mayors, governors and president, and not with a difference of 2 years, as has been done.
Ojo con esta bomba. Unificación de elecciones ampliaría el periodo de @IvanDuque, congresistas, el Fiscal, la Procuradora, el Contralor, el Registrador, el Defensor y los magistrados de altas cortes. Congresistas empezaron a firmar el proyecto. #EXCLUSIVOhttps://t.co/LCkAXoB0Gw
— Lucas Pombo (@lucaspom) March 17, 2021
The most controversial point of the project is that the coordination of dates would be carried out automatically increasing the presidential term and the current congressmen when passing from 4 to 6 years. After the "new elections" the presidents will have a period of 5 years.
Also read: How important is Lula's return to Brazilian politics?
The US Federal Reserve improves economic forecasts
The FED estimates that the post-covid economy will be much better than what was forecast for 2021. According to the Federal Reserve, it is estimated that the love economy of the planet will grow 6.5% for this year (higher than 4.2 % that you had previously predicted). The agency also calculated that unemployment by the end of this year will be only 4.5%, and will continue to fall to 3.9% in 2022 and 3.5% in 2023.
#FED | Las tasas de interés de Estados Unidos se mantendrán en un rango de 0 a 0,25 % y la Reserva Federal considera pertinente conservar esa estimación hasta 2023, esperando que se equilibren las condiciones de la economía.https://t.co/jb4BAMCT1x
— Valora Analitik (@ValoraAnalitik) March 17, 2021
Cape Verdean justice finally authorizes Alex Saab's extradition to the United States.
The Supreme Court of the African country gave the go-ahead for the shipment of the supposed figurehead of the Nicolás Maduro regime to the United States, where he faces a trial for money laundering. Saab, a Colombian businessman, was captured in the small African nation in June 2020 and was waiting for his legal future.
¡Al fin! El supremo de Cabo Verde acaba de autorizar la extradición a Estados Unidos de Alex SAAB.
Tiemblan por parejo el uribismo y el chavismo.— Gonzalo Guillén (@HELIODOPTERO) March 17, 2021
The Saab case is a diplomatic battlefront that faces the White House and the Miraflores Palace, which, for now, the Americans win. This court decision goes against the decision of the Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which last Monday ruled against Saab's extradition and ordered his immediate release.
President of Paraguay is saved from impeachment
The Paraguayan Chamber of Deputies on Wednesday refused to impeach President Mario Abdo Benitez and his vice president, Hugo Velásquez, for poor results in reference to the pandemic. The vote ended with 42 votes against the impeachment, 36 in favor and 2 absences.
Crisis política y sanitaria golpea Paraguay
La pandemia ha doblegado al sistema sanitario del país. Aunque la propuesta de un juicio político contra el presidente, Mario Abdo Benítez, por su mala gestión de la pandemia no prosperó, el malestar en la población persiste. /mgp pic.twitter.com/opWMfrfKep
— DW Español (@dw_espanol) March 18, 2021
The Paraguayan opposition maintains that the Benitez administration has failed to guarantee the doses of vaccines required for the population. Until this week, the South American country had barely received 4,000 doses of Sputnik V and 20,000 of Sinovac (several of these donated by Chile).