Latin America and the Caribbean: Fact Sheet on Leaders and Elections

Changes from February 25, 2015 to March 1, 2016

This page shows textual changes in the document between the two versions indicated in the dates above. Textual matter removed in the later version is indicated with ~~red strikethrough~~ and textual matter added in the later version is indicated with blue.
    Latin America and the Caribbean:
Fact Sheet on Leaders and Elections
Anne Leland
Information Research Specialist
February 25, 2015

Congressional Research Service
7-5700
www.crs.gov
98-684

 Latin America and the Caribbean: Fact Sheet on Leaders and Elections

T

his Fact Sheet on Leaders and Elections
    March 1, 2016
            (98-684)
          
    This report provides the results of recent elections in Latin America and the Caribbean.
 Below are three tables organized by region, including the date of each country’s
's independence, the name of the newly elected president or prime minister, and the projected
 date of the next election. Information in this report was gathered from numerous sources,
 including the U.S. State Department, Central Intelligence Agency’'s (CIA’'s) World Fact Book,
 International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) Election Guide, Economist Intelligence
 Unit (EIU), and other news sources.

        Table 1. Election Results in South America
Country

Independence
Date

Head of
Government

Last
Election

Next
Election

Argentina

July 9, 1816

FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER,
Cristina

Oct. 23, 2011

Oct. 25, 2015

Bolivia

Aug. 6, 1825

MORALES-AYMA, Juan Evo

Oct. 12, 2014

Oct. 2019

Brazil

Sept. 7, 1822

ROUSSEFF, Dilma

Oct. 5, 2014/
Oct. 26, 2014

Oct. 2018

Chile

Sept. 18, 1810

BACHELET, Michelle

Nov. 17, 2013/
Dec. 15, 2013

Nov. 2017

Colombia

July 20, 1810

SANTOS, Juan Manuel

May 25, 2014/
June 15, 2014

2018

Ecuador

May 24, 1822

CORREA, Rafael

Feb. 17, 2013

Feb. 2017

Guyana

May 26, 1966

RAMOTAR, Donald

Nov. 28, 2011

May 11, 2015a

Paraguay

May 14, 1811

CARTES, Horacio

Apr. 21, 2013

2018

Peru

July 28, 1821

HUMALA, Ollanta

Apr. 10, 2011/
June 5, 2011

Apr. 2016

Suriname

Nov. 25, 1975

BOUTERSE, Desiré Delano

July 19, 2010

May 2015

Uruguay

Aug. 25, 1825

VÁZQUEZ, Tabaré

Oct. 26, 2014/
Nov. 30, 2014

2019

Venezuela

July 5, 1811

MADURO, Nicolásb

Apr. 14, 2013

Dec. 2018

Source: The Congressional Research Service (CRS).
a.

President Ramotar scheduled elections for May 11, 2015, after suspending parliament in November
2014.

b.

In the aftermath of the death of President Hugo Chávez in March 2013, Venezuela held a special
election on April 14, 2013, with Nicolás Maduro winning 50.7% of the votes versus 49.1% for
opposition candidate Henrique Capriles. Maduro was sworn in on April 19, 2013.

Congressional Research Service

1

 Latin America and the Caribbean: Fact Sheet on Leaders and Elections

Table 2. Election Results in Mexico and Central America
Independence
Date

Country

Head of
Government

Last
Election

Next
Election

Mexico

Sept. 16, 1810

PEÑA NIETO, Enrique

July 1, 2012

July 2018

Belize

Sept. 21, 1981

BARROW, Dean

Mar. 7, 2012

by June 2017

Costa Rica

Sept. 15, 1821

SOLĺS, Luís Guillermo

Feb. 2, 2014/
Apr. 6, 2014

Feb. 2018

El Salvador

Sept. 15, 1821

SÁNCHEZ CERÉN, Salvador

Feb. 2, 2014/
Mar. 9, 2014

Feb. 2019

Guatemala

Sept. 15, 1821

PÉREZ MOLINA, Otto

Sept. 11, 2011/
Nov. 6, 2011

Sept. 13, 2015

Honduras

Sept. 15, 1821

HERNÁNDEZ, Juan Orlando

Nov. 24, 2013

Nov. 2017

Nicaragua

Sept. 15, 1821

ORTEGA, Daniel

Nov. 6, 2011

Nov. 2016

Panama

Nov. 3, 1903

VARELA, Juan Carlos

May 4, 2014

May 2019

Source: CRS.

Table 3. Election Results in the Caribbean
Independence
Date

Country

Head of
Government

Last
Election

Next
Election

Antigua and
Barbuda

Nov. 1, 1981

BROWNE, Gaston

June 12, 2014

by Mar. 2019

Bahamas

July 10, 1973

CHRISTIE, Perry

May 7, 2012

by May 2017

Barbados

Nov. 30, 1966

STUART, Freundel

Feb. 21, 2013

by Feb. 2018

Cuba

May 20, 1902

CASTRO, Raúl

a

a

Dominica

Nov. 3, 1978

SKERRIT, Roosevelt

Dec. 8, 2014

by Dec. 2019

Dominican
Republic

Feb. 27, 1844

MEDINA, Danilo

May 20, 2012

May 15,2016

Grenada

Feb. 7, 1974

MITCHELL, Keith

Feb. 19, 2013

by Feb. 2018

Haiti

Jan. 1, 1804

MARTELLY, Michel

Nov. 28, 2010/
Mar. 20, 2011

Oct. 25, 2015

Jamaica

Aug. 6, 1962

SIMPSON MILLER, Portia

Dec. 29, 2011

by Dec. 2016

St. Kitts and
Nevis

Sept. 19, 1983

HARRIS, Timothy

Feb. 16, 2015

by 2020

St. Lucia

Feb. 22, 1979

ANTHONY, Kenny

Nov. 28, 2011

by Dec. 2016

St. Vincent and
the Grenadines

Oct. 27, 1979

GONSALVES, Ralph

Dec. 13, 2010

by Dec. 2015

Trinidad and
Tobago

Aug. 31, 1962

PERSAD-BISSESSAR, Kamla

May 24, 2010

by Sept. 2015

Source: CRS.
a.

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

Congressional Research Service

2

 Latin America and the Caribbean: Fact Sheet on Leaders and Elections

provisionally because of poor health. Since the 1959 Cuban Revolution, there have been no elections
for head of government.

Author Contact Information
Anne Leland
Information Research Specialist
aleland@crs.loc.gov, 7-4704

Acknowledgments
Barbara Salazar Torreon, CRS information research specialist, was the former author of this report.

Congressional Research Service

3

 Country

            Independence Date
          
            Head of Government
          
            Last Election 
          
            Next Election
          
            Argentina
July 9, 1816
MACRI, Mauricio

            Oct. 25, 2015Nov. 22, 2015
          
            Oct. 2019
Bolivia
Aug. 6, 1825
MORALES-AYMA, Juan Evo 
Oct. 12, 2014
Oct. 2019
Brazil
Sept. 7, 1822
ROUSSEFF, Dilma

            Oct. 5, 2014/Oct. 26, 2014
          
            Oct. 2018
Chile
Sept. 18, 1810
BACHELET, Michelle

            Nov. 17, 2013/Dec. 15, 2013 
          
            Nov. 2017
Colombia
July 20, 1810
SANTOS, Juan Manuel

            May 25, 2014/June 15, 2014
          
            May 2018
Ecuador
May 24, 1822
CORREA, Rafael
Feb. 17, 2013
Feb. 2017
Guyana
May 26, 1966
GRANGER, David
May 11, 2015
May 2020
Paraguay
May 14, 1811
CARTES, Horacio
Apr. 21, 2013
Apr. 2018
Peru
July 28, 1821
HUMALA, Ollanta

            Apr. 10, 2011/June 5, 2011
          
            Apr. 10, 2016
Suriname
Nov. 25, 1975
BOUTERSE, Desiré Delano
May 25, 2015
May 25, 2020
Uruguay
Aug. 25, 1825
VÁZQUEZ, Tabaré
Oct. 26, 2014/ Nov. 30, 2014
Oct. 2019
Venezuela
July 5, 1811
MADURO, Nicolás 
Apr. 14, 2013
Dec. 2018
Source: The Congressional Research Service (CRS).

        Table 2. Election Results in Mexico and Central America
      
            Country

            Independence Date
          
            Head of Government
          
            LastElection
          
            Next Election
          
            Mexico
Sept. 16, 1810
PEÑA NIETO, Enrique
July 1, 2012
July 2018
Belize
Sept. 21, 1981
BARROW, Dean
Mar. 7, 2012
by June 2017
Costa Rica
Sept. 15, 1821
SOLĺS, Luís Guillermo

            Feb. 2, 2014/Apr. 6, 2014
          
            Feb. 2018
El Salvador
Sept. 15, 1821
SÁNCHEZ CERÉN, Salvador

            Feb. 2, 2014/Mar. 9, 2014
          
            Feb. 2019
Guatemala
Sept. 15, 1821
MORALES, Jimmy

            Sept. 6, 2015/Oct. 25, 2015
          
            Sept. 2019
Honduras
Sept. 15, 1821
HERNÁNDEZ, Juan Orlando
Nov. 24, 2013
Nov. 2017
Nicaragua
Sept. 15, 1821
ORTEGA, Daniel
Nov. 6, 2011
Nov. 6, 2016
Panama
Nov. 3, 1903
VARELA, Juan Carlos
May 4, 2014
May 2019
Source: CRS.

        Table 3. Election Results in the Caribbean
      
            Country

            Independence Date
          
            Head of Government
          
            Last Election
          
            Next Election
          
            Antigua and Barbuda
Nov. 1, 1981
BROWNE, Gaston
June 12, 2014
by Mar. 2019
Bahamas
July 10, 1973
CHRISTIE, Perry
May 7, 2012
by May 2017
Barbados
Nov. 30, 1966
STUART, Freundel
Feb. 21, 2013
by Feb. 2018
Cuba
May 20, 1902
CASTRO, Raúl
aaDominica
Nov. 3, 1978
SKERRIT, Roosevelt
Dec. 8, 2014
by Dec. 2019
Dominican Republic
Feb. 27, 1844
MEDINA, Danilo
May 20, 2012
May 15, 2016
Grenada
Feb. 7, 1974
MITCHELL, Keith
Feb. 19, 2013
by Feb. 2018
Haiti
Jan. 1, 1804

            PRIVERT, JocelermebOct. 25, 2015/
Apr. 24, 2016
Jamaica
Aug. 6, 1962
HOLNESS, Andrew
Feb. 25, 2016
by Feb. 2021
St. Kitts and Nevis
Sept. 19, 1983
HARRIS, Timothy 
Feb. 16, 2015
by Feb. 2020
St. Lucia
Feb. 22, 1979
ANTHONY, Kenny
Nov. 28, 2011
by Dec. 2016
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Oct. 27, 1979
GONSALVES, Ralph E.
Dec. 9, 2015
by Dec. 2020
Trinidad and Tobago
Aug. 31, 1962
ROWLEY, Keith 
Sept. 7, 2015 
by 2020
Source: CRS.
        a.

    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.
        b.

    Former Haitian President Michel Martelly stepped down from office per the country's constitutional calendar on February 7, 2016, without elections having been held to replace him. Runoff elections originally scheduled for December 27, 2015, were cancelled. As per an agreement between Martelly and the Haitian parliament, the parliament chose Privert as interim president on February 14, 2016. The parliament and the president chose a consensus Prime Minister, Fritz Jean on February 26, 2016. The interim government is to organize new elections to be held on April 24, 2016, and swear in a new president on May 14, 2016. 
      
    Author Contact Information
[author name scrubbed], Senior Research Librarian
        ([email address scrubbed], [phone number scrubbed])
      
Acknowledgments
[author name scrubbed], CRS information research specialist, was the former author of this report.