Weekly Roundup: Biden's LatAm Plans, Colombia's Close Race, Brazil's Crusading Justice

After first-round win, Colombia’s Zuluaga changes stance on peace talks. Óscar Iván Zuluaga came in first during Colombia’s May 25 election, edging out President Juan Manuel Santos by less than 4 points. Ahead of a June 15 runoff, third-place candidate Marta Lucía Ramírez agreed to support Zuluaga’s presidential bid. Upon announcing this deal, Zuluaga revealed he would change his stance on the country’s peace process, agreeing to certain conditions to continue the negotiations instead of halting them altogether. La Silla Vacía points out that Santos—the so-called “peace candidate”—won in areas where the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia group is most active.

• See what else happened during Sunday’s first-round election in Colombia.
• Also, AS/COA’s Adriana La Rotta explores how the Colombian electorate is responding to the race.

U.S. House of Representatives passes Venezuela sanctions bill. On May 28, the lower house of the U.S. Congress approved a bill that would levy sanctions on Venezuelan officials accused of human rights abuses during the country’s protests. The Miami Herald points out that those who oppose the bill say it would be a “PR win” for President Nicolás Maduro. However, the Eurasia Group said this week that the bill is unlikely to reach the Senate floor, reports Bloomberg.

• Get a more in-depth look at Venezuela’s unrest in AS/COA’s guide.

Brazil’s crusading Supreme Court president announces retirement. Joaquim Barbosa surprised his colleagues on May 29 by announcing he would retire at the end of June. Valor reports he plans to rest and watch the World Cup. In response to rumors that he would run for president, Barbosa says he will not get involved in politics. Folha de São Paulo provides a timeline of Barbosa’s career, including becoming the first black member of the Supreme Court and presiding over the country’s largest corruption trial.

• Read about Brazil’s mensalão trial, when Barbosa gained acclaimed for his hard line on corruption.

Biden plans LatAm tour in June. The U.S. vice president will travel to Brazil, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic during the week of June 16, the White House announced this week. His first stop will be Brazil, where he will attend a World Cup match and meet with the president. He will also hold meetings with heads of state in Bogota and Santo Domingo.

• See what Biden had to say about the Obama administration’s Latin America policy at last year’s COA Washington Conference.

Latin America’s enduring challenge: the informal job market. The International Labor Organization estimates that 127 million Latin Americans, or 47 percent of the labor force, work in the informal sector, reports BBC Mundo. Though many countries saw the number of formal jobs expand in the last decade, countries such as Colombia, Mexico, Paraguay, and Peru have over half of their workers laboring in the informal sector. This provides a challenge as workers reach retirement age; around 130 million people in the region are working without saving up for a pension.

• Watch a video featuring COA’s Eric Farnsworth on Mexico’s informal job market.

Interactive face-off: Pacific Alliance vs. Mercosur. A Bloomberg infographic looks at the 2014 economic forecast for the Pacific Alliance compared with the Southern Common Market (Mercosur). Users can view the trade blocs based on four factors: GDP, inflation, trade, and investment.

• Learn more about the Pacific Alliance and Mercosur.