Latin America and the Caribbean:
Fact Sheet on Leaders and Elections
Julissa Gomez-Granger
Information Research Specialist
Mark P. Sullivan
Specialist in Latin American Affairs
May 9September 17, 2012
Congressional Research Service
7-5700
www.crs.gov
98-684
CRS Report for Congress
Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress
Latin America and the Caribbean: Fact Sheet on Leaders and Elections
Summary
This fact sheet tracks the current heads of government in Central and South America, Mexico,
and the Caribbean. It provides the dates of the last and next elections for the head of government
and the national independence date for each country.
Congressional Research Service
Latin America and the Caribbean: Fact Sheet on Leaders and Elections
Contents
Tables
Table 1. South America.................................................................................................................... 1
Table 2. Mexico and Central America ............................................................................................. 1
Table 3. Caribbean ........................................................................................................................... 2
Contacts
Author Contact Information............................................................................................................. 2
Congressional Research Service
Latin America and the Caribbean: Fact Sheet on Leaders and Elections
Table 1. South America
Country
Independence
Date
Head of
Government
Last
Election
Next
Election
Argentina
July 9, 1816
FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER,
Cristina
Oct. 23, 2011
Oct. 2015
Bolivia
Aug. 6, 1825
MORALES, Evo
Dec. 6, 2009
Dec. 2014
Brazil
Sept. 7, 1822
ROUSSEFF, Dilma
Oct. 3, 2010/ Oct. 31,
2010
Oct. 2014
Chile
Sept. 18, 1810
PIÑERA, Sebastián
Dec. 13, 2009/Jan. 17,
2010
Dec. 2013
Colombia
July 20, 1810
SANTOS, Juan Manuel
May 30, 2010/June 20,
2010
May 2014
Ecuador
May 24, 1822
CORREA, Rafael
Apr. 26, 2009
Apr. 2013
Paraguay
May 14, 1811
LUGO, FernandoFRANCO, Federicoa
Apr. 20, 2008
Apr. 2013
Peru
July 28, 1821
HUMALA, Ollanta
Apr. 10, 2011/June 5,
2011 (2nd round)
Apr. 2016
Uruguay
Aug. 25, 1825
MUJICA, José
Oct. 25, 2009/ Nov.
29, 2009
Oct. 2014
Venezuela
July 5, 1811
CHÁVEZ, Hugo
Dec. 3, 2006
Oct. 7, 2012
a.
Fernando Lugo, elected Paraguay’s President on April 20, 2008, was impeached by Paraguay’s Congress on
June 22, 2012, and succeeded by Vice President Federico Franco. The rapid impeachment process raised
concern about President Lugo’s due process, and created tensions with several countries in the region. Two
regional bodies, the Common Market of the South (Mercosur) and the Union of South American Nations
(Unasur), suspended Paraguay’s participation.
Table 2. Mexico and Central America
Country
Independence
Date
Head of
Government
Last
Election
Next
Election
Mexico
Sept. 16, 1810
CALDERÓN, FelipeFelipea
July 2, 20061, 2012
July 1, 20122018
Costa Rica
Sept. 15, 1821
CHINCHILLA Miranda, Laura
Feb. 7, 2010
Feb. 2014
El Salvador
Sept. 15, 1821
FUNES, Mauricio
Mar. 15, 2009
Mar. 2014
Guatemala
Sept. 15, 1821
PÉREZ MOLINA, Otto
Sept. 11, 2011/
Nov. 6, 2011
Sep. 2015
Honduras
Sept. 15, 1821
LOBO SOSA, Porfirio
Nov. 29, 2009
Nov. 2013
Nicaragua
Sept. 15, 1821
ORTEGA, Daniel
Nov. 6, 2011
Nov. 2016
Panama
Nov. 3, 1903
MARTINELLI, Ricardo
May 3, 2009
May 2014
a.
Enrique Peña Nieto won Mexico’s presidential election on July 1, 2012. He will take office on December 1, 2012.
Congressional Research Service
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Latin America and the Caribbean: Fact Sheet on Leaders and Elections
Table 3. Caribbean
Country
Independence
Date
Head of
Government
Last
Election
Next
Election
Antigua and
Barbuda
Nov. 1, 1981
SPENCER, Baldwin
Mar. 12, 2009
by July 2014
Bahamas
July 10, 1973
CHRISTIE, Perry
May 7, 2012
by May 2017
Barbados
Nov. 30, 1966
STUART, Freundela
Jan. 15, 2008
by May 2013
Belize
Sept. 21, 1981
BARROW, Dean
Mar. 7, 2012
by June 2017
Cuba
May 20, 1902
CASTRO RUZ, Raúl
b
b
Dominica
Nov. 3, 1978
SKERRITT, Roosevelt
Dec. 18, 2009
by Mar. 2015
Dominican
Republic
Feb. 27, 1844
FERNANDEZ, Leonel
May 16, 2008
May 20, 2012MEDINA, Danilo
May 20, 2012
May 2016
Grenada
Feb. 7, 1974
THOMAS, Tillman
July 8, 2008
by July 2013
Guyana
May 26, 1966
RAMOTAR, Donald
Nov. 28, 2011
by Nov. 2016
Haiti
Jan. 1, 1804
MARTELLY, Michel
Nov. 28, 2010/Mar.
20, 2011
late 2015
Jamaica
Aug. 6, 1962
SIMPSON MILLER, Portia
Dec. 29, 2011
by December
2016
St. Kitts and
Nevis
Sept. 19, 1983
DOUGLAS, Denzil
Jan. 25, 2010
by Jan. 2015
St. Lucia
Feb. 22, 1979
ANTHONY, Kenny
Nov. 28, 2011
by Nov. 2016
St. Vincent and
the Grenadines
Oct. 27, 1979
GONSALVES, Ralph
Dec. 13, 2010
by Dec. 2015
Suriname
Nov. 25, 1975
BOUTERSE, Desic
May 25, 2010c
May 2015
Trinidad and
Tobago
Aug. 31, 1962
PERSAD-BISSESSAR, Kamla
May 24, 2010
by May 2015
a.
Freundel Stuart was selected as prime minister on October 23, 2010, following the death of Prime Minister
David Thompson.
b.
On February 24, 2008, Raúl Castro was selected by Cuba’s legislature as president of the Council of State, a
position that makes him head of state and government. Raúl had been serving as acting president since July 31,
2006, when Cuba’s long-serving communist leader, Fidel Castro, stepped down provisionally because of poor
health. Since the 1959 Cuban Revolution, there have been no elections for head of government.
c.
Suriname held National Assembly elections on May 25, 2010, but under Suriname’s system of government, the
country’s president is not elected directly by voters, but by a two-thirds majority vote of the Assembly (or failing
that, by a majority of the United People’s Assembly comprised of more than 800 regional and municipal officials).
On July 19, 2010, the National Assembly elected Desi Bouterse as president, with 36 out of 51 votes.
Author Contact Information
Julissa Gomez-Granger
Information Research Specialist
jgomezgranger@crs.loc.gov, 7-8981
Congressional Research Service
Mark P. Sullivan
Specialist in Latin American Affairs
msullivan@crs.loc.gov, 7-7689
Congressional Research Service
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