Weekly Roundup: Nicaragua's Constitutional Reforms, FARC's Political Talks, and Peru's Anti-Corruption Law

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Preliminary Accord on FARC Political Participation Reached in Colombia Talks

This week, Colombian government negotiators and representatives of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) reached a preliminary accord about political participation of former guerrillas. During the peace talks, negotiators have come to agreements on two of six main points: land reform and political participation. The remaining four points, such as victims’ rights, “deal more with the symptoms and consequences of the conflict and the particulars of how the peace deal will unfold rather than the causes of the fighting,” writes Virginia Bouvier for the U.S. Institute for Peace’s Olive Branch blog.

The latest deal gives few details but includes “democratic mechanisms for direct participation.” An analysis from Semana points out that the agreement gives President Juan Manuel Santos the “fuel to sustain his credibility during the [peace] process, with public opinion skeptical and unwilling to make concessions to the FARC.” The article also contends that political participation is crucial to a future guerrilla demobilization.

Nicaragua on Track to Get Major Constitutional Overhaul, Could End Term Limits

With the Sandinistas holding majority control of Nicaragua’s National Assembly, a series of constitutional reforms could be passed by Christmas that would do away the current ban on reelection. The move would legitimize President Daniel Ortega’s 2011 reelection and could allow him to run again—and indefinitely. Tim Rogers of the Nicaragua Dispatch writes that the reforms would involve rewriting 39 articles, or one-fifth of the constitution.

New Version of Brazil’s “Internet Constitution” Revealed

On November 5, Brazil’s Congress unveiled the final version of the proposed “Internet Constitution,” which gained support from President Dilma Rousseff following U.S. spying revelations in the South American country. A vote in the Chamber of Deputies is expected on the bill next week. The latest version of the legislation would require tech companies to store user data in Brazil, in accordance with requests from the executive branch. It also guarantees net neutrality, which means internet service providers cannot discriminate between different types of content or applications, nor can they charge different prices according to internet usage.

I Spy: Brazil Spied on the United States

This week, Folha de São Paulo revealed that in the early 2000s, Brazil’s intelligence agency spied on foreign embassies and diplomats, including those from the United States. The Brazilian daily reports that the U.S. government now expects a change in tone from the Brazilian administration over U.S. spying allegations, revealed in documents from Edward Snowden. “To continue demanding apologies or asking to stop spying is naïve,” an unnamed U.S. diplomat told Folha. However, Brazil’s justice minister said the two situations were incomparable, claiming that Brazil’s spying was considered legal, whereas U.S. spying violated Brazilian sovereignty.

Rousseff Wants Affirmative Action in Brazilian Government

President Dilma Rousseff sent a bill to Congress this week that would reserve 20 percent of federal government jobs for Brazilians of African descent. The legislation was sent as an “urgent” measure, meaning that committees considering the bill will have less time to deliberate than with a normal bill. Brazil’s Congress is also considering affirmative action in the Chamber of Deputies and state legislatures.

Mexican Military Moves into Parts of Michoacan State

In an effort to rein in organized crime plaguing Mexico’s Michoacan state, Mexican military forces took over security in the port city of Lazaro Cardenas on Monday, as well as the municipality of Vista Hermosa on Thursday. The takeovers also involve the disarming, detention, and evaluation of local police forces, which are thought to be rife with corruption. Local vigilante groups, or autodefensas, fighting against the Knights Templar crime group in that area indicated they would pause operations due to the arrival of federal forces. Some observers say the government’s action demonstrates that President Enrique Peña Nieto is following similar security strategies as his predecessor. “The reaction of the government has been the same for the past seven years,” writes historian Rodrigo Borja for the Americas Quarterly blog.

Report: The Good and the Bad on Mexican Well-Being

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released its second annual report on quality of life among its members this month, with data on indicators ranging from housing to health. It also selected specific countries for special reports, including Mexico. First, some bad news for Mexicans’ well-being: the country ranks second-worst in the OECD in terms of disposable income and inequality after Chile—the other Latin American member. It also fell in the lowest 20 percent when it comes to indicators such as work-life balance, education, health, and personal security.

But there is good news as well, including the fact that the wage gap between men and women is 5 percent, well below the OECD average of 16 percent. Moreover, while only 37 percent of Mexican national legislative seats are held by women, that figure puts it 10 percent above the OECD average. Finally, the portion of Mexicans feeling satisfied with their lives rose from 55 percent to 70 percent from 2001 to 2012—one of the largest OECD increases and placing it above the OECD average.

Downed Plane in Venezuela Raises Questions in Mexico

This week, a high-ranking Venezuelan military officer tweeted an image of a burned-up Mexican aircraft, saying it had had been “detected and intercepted” in the Venezuelan state of Apure, an area known for drug plane activity. Mexico’s Interior Minister Miguel Angel Osorio Chong later gave an explanation he received from the Venezuelan government: Venezuelan officials asked the plane to land and then set it on fire after it landed. But it remained unclear what type of plane it, why it flew to Venezuela, and who was on board. Osorio Chong noted the Mexican government wants to know if there were Mexican citizens involved. “The mystery was threatening to create a row between two nations whose diplomatic relationship has been particularly rocky in recent years,” reports The Los Angeles Times.

With Rising Prices, Venezuela in “Hyperinflation Territory”

With the release of October inflation numbers this week, Venezuela’s 12-month inflation rate surpassed 54 percent—the highest rate in Latin America. This means the Andean country is “well into hyperinflation territory,” writes the Financial Times. Food and drink prices rose by nearly 58 percent in the first 10 months of this year—the largest jump in this period since 1998. Venezuela is also facing food shortages in staples such as sugar, cooking oil, and flour.

Peru’s Congress Passes Anti-Corruption Bill

On November 7, Peru’s Congress passed a bill to criminally charge civil servants, public officials, and employees of government-run companies for acts of corruption—even if these acts took place before officials took office. Now, public officials can be charged for corrupt acts committed after getting elected or appointed, but before taking office. César Villanueva, president of the Council of Ministers, called the legislation an advancement in the government’s zero-tolerance policy toward corruption.

Ríos Montt Retrial Delayed Until 2015

Prensa Libre reported this week that former Guatemalan leader General Efraín Ríos Montt—accused of genocide and crimes against humanity—will not have a retrial until January 5, 2015. The case was transferred to a different court, which has a full caseload until 2015. Ríos Montt was convicted in May, but the decision was overturned. Before the retrial, another court must decide whether Ríos Montt qualifies for protection under the country’s 1986 amnesty law. Pan American Post points out that one reason for concern over the delay stems from the fact that the former leader is already 87 years old and has health problems.

Guatemala: Thanks, but No Thanks to Petrocaribe

On November 4, Guatemalan Vice President Roxana Baldetti announced that the Central American country would not become a full member of Petrocaribe, a bloc that allows Caribbean and Central American countries to receive low-interest oil imports from Venezuela. Though Guatemala joined the bloc in 2008, it never penned an oil accord with Venezuela. Baldetti said after “exhaustive analysis,” Guatemala wouldn’t accept the terms offered by Venezuela.

Bachelet Continues to Lead Chile’s Presidential Election Polls

Former President Michelle Bachelet remains the front-runner in Chile’s November 17 presidential election, according to an IPSOS poll released November 7. Around 35 percent of voters say they will vote for Bachelet—the same amount as the previous IPSOS poll. Evelyn Matthei is in second place with 22 percent, followed by a tie for third place between Franco Parisi and Marco Enríquez-Ominami. The pollsters also indicated there was a high probability for a runoff election between Bachelet and Matthei in December, though a Centro de Estudios Públicos poll last month suggested Bachelet might win enough votes to avoid a second round.

Learn more about the election in an AS/COA Online explainer.

Chile’s Poderopedia Expanding to Colombia and Venezuela

Poderopedia—a data journalism platform that maps and tracks the people, companies, and organizations of influence in Chile to promote transparency—is expanding to Colombia and Venezuela this year, reports the Knight Center for Journalism. Founder Miguel Paz said he also wants to open chapters in Argentina, Ecuador, Mexico, and Brazil.

Jamaica Decriminalizes Defamation

On November 5, Jamaica’s House of Representatives passed a bill overhauling an eighteenth-century libel law, abolishing criminal defamation and becoming the first independent country in the Caribbean to have no criminal defamation laws. Once signed into law, the Defamation Bill 2013 will abolish the distinction between libel and slander, which could help the media avoid lawsuits and self-censorship. Judges—instead of juries—will now decide on damages for media organizations found guilty of defamation, which the Jamaica Observer says could potentially reduce what were traditionally hefty fines.

Natural Disasters: Which Latin American Countries Have Been Hit Hardest?

A new United Nations report found that small- and medium-scale natural disasters were responsible for half of natural disaster fatalities in 16 Latin American and Caribbean countries from 1990 to 2011. An estimated 41,556 people died due to natural disasters during that period. Colombia and Mexico had the largest number of people affected by natural disasters, while Colombia and Honduras accounted for half of fatalities counted in the study.