Weekly Roundup: Brazil's Presidential Race, Paraguay's FOI Law, Haiti's Delayed Election

Polls Show Brazil’s President Pulling ahead in Final Days of Campaign

The latest polls in Brazil’s presidential race suggest President Dilma Rousseff regaining an edge over challenger Marina Silva just days before the October 5 vote. An October 2 Ibope poll indicates that Rousseff would beat Silva in an anticipated second-round vote with 43 percent to Silva’s 36 percent. Pollster Datafolha also showed Rousseff on the rise: its October 2 survey gave the president 16 points more than Silva in the first round, and shows Rousseff would defeat Silva 48 percent to 41 percent in a runoff. The candidates faced off a final time during the last presidential debate on October 2, when much of the sparring between the three main candidates centered on corruption.

Follow AS/COA Online’s Storify on Brazil’s presidential race for the latest on the vote.

White House Announces CentAm Refugee Program, but Lowers Latin America Cap

This week, U.S. President Barack Obama announced the government would start a refugee program for Central American youth in the wake of this year’s migrant crisis. Per the White House’s memo, the United States will accept up to 4,000 refugees from Latin America and Caribbean in 2015—20 percent fewer than this year. Applicants must still be located in their country of origin to be eligible, and must have a relative living lawfully in the United States. Vox points out that in 2013, the number of refugee slots granted to Cubans—4,200 out of a total of 5,000 in Latin America—surpasses next year’s grand total for the entire region.

Read AS/COA’s Susan Segal's perspective over whether unaccompanied minors are migrants or refugees.

Students March against University Reforms in Mexico City 

Over 50,000 students marched in Mexico City on September 30 to protest new regulations at the National Polytechnic Institute, one of the country's largest public universities. On social media, protesters used the hashtag #TodosSomosPolitécnico, or “we are all Polytechnic.” During the peaceful demonstration, students marched to the Interior Ministry and called for Interior Secretary Osorio Chong, who left the building and spoke publicly to the students. Chong promised a future meeting with the students, which is scheduled for the afternoon of October 3. The demonstrations—which resulted in the resignation of the university's president—took place the same week that marches commemorated the October 2 anniversary of the 1968 Tlatelolco massacre of student protesters.

Read an Americas Quarterly feature on the large-scale mobilization of discontented students in Latin America.

USAID Leaving Ecuador after 53 Years

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) announced this week that it will end operations in Ecuador after government regulation limited prospects for future activities. The aid agency drew criticism from President Rafael Correa’s administration for its support of free-press advocates at odds with the government. Also, in December, Correa signed Decree 16, which subjects non-state groups to greater government management. GlobalPost details how the law has made operations difficult for both foreign aid agencies and domestic NGOs.

Find out the implications of Bolivia’s expulsion of USAID last year.

Haitian PM Promises Elections by Early 2015

On September 29, Haiti’s Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe told the AP that his the country would not hold overdue legislative and local elections in October as planned, but rather by the end of the first quarter of 2015. Lamothe said a group of senators is blocking the electoral process, but noted they would be unable to continue do so come January. At that point, enough legislators’ terms will expire that parliament may be dissolved. In that event, President Michel Martelly would rule by executive decree. The United States and the UN have urged Haiti’s government to hold elections, while the Haitian opposition has held the president accountable for the delay.

Watch an AS/COA interview with President Martelly.

Find out what has been causing the delay to Haiti’s elections in an AS/COA election blog post.

Morales Holds 46-point Lead in Bolivia’s Presidential Race

Ahead of Bolivia’s October 12 general elections, an Ipsos poll released September 30 puts Bolivian President Evo Morales’ support at 59 percent. His closest challenger is cement tycoon Samuel Doria Medina with 13 percent, and former President Jorge Quiroga trails in third at 8 percent. Bolivians will also elect 36 senators and 130 congressional deputies.

Read about the challenges Bolivia’s opposition has faced in the AS/COA election blog.

Paraguay Signs Freedom of Information Law

On September 18, Paraguayan President Horacio Cartes signed the Access to Public Information and Transparency Law, making Paraguay the world’s one-hundredth country to sign legislation guaranteeing public access to government financial records. When it goes into effect next year, the legislation will make public government salaries and contracts, among other expenses. The legislation comes on the heels of an anti-corruption movement last year that demanded greater government transparency, reports the Knight Center’s Journalism in the Americas blog.

Read about Brazil’s freedom of information law, which passed in 2011.

Colombia and Peru Sign Bilateral Agreements

On September 29, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos met with his Peruvian counterpart in Iquitos, Peru, for a series of bilateral discussions. During their meetings, the two leaders signed 11 agreements to promote cooperation between the two Andean countries in a number of areas, from trade and development to technology and women’s rights.

Read an AS/COA explainer on the Pacific Alliance, of which Colombia and Peru are members.

In Mexico, the Big Top Comes Down on the World’s Oldest Touring Circus

Vice covers the demise of the Atayde Hermanos Circus, which closed up shop on September 28 after 126 years of performances. Audiences and revenues shrank for Atayde Hermanos following Mexico City’s recent ban on including animals in circus acts to help end cruelty against animals. The article notes, however, that bullfighting continues in the capital city.