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This report provides the results of recent presidential elections in Latin America and the Caribbean. Below are three tables organized by region, that include the date of each country's independence, the name of the most recently elected president or prime minister, and the projected date of the next presidential 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.
Country |
Independence |
Head of |
Last |
Next |
Argentina |
July 9, 1816 |
FERNÁNDEZ, Albertoa |
Oct. 27, 2019 |
Oct. 2023 |
Bolivia |
Aug. 6, 1825 |
ÁÑEZ, Jeanineb |
Oct. 20, 2019c |
TBD |
Brazil |
Sept. 7, 1822 |
BOLSONARO, Jair |
Oct. 7, 2018/ |
Oct. 2022 |
Chile |
Sept. 18, 1810 |
PIÑERA, Sebastián |
Nov. 19, 2017/ |
Nov. 2021 |
Colombia |
July 20, 1810 |
DUQUE, Iván |
May 27, 2018/ June 17, 2018 |
May 2022 |
Ecuador |
May 24, 1822 |
MORENO, Lenín |
Feb. 19, 2017 |
Feb. 2021 |
Guyana |
May 26, 1966 |
GRANGER, David |
May 11, 2015 |
Mar. 2, 2020d |
Paraguay |
May 14, 1811 |
ABDO BENITEZ, Mario |
Apr. 22, 2018 |
Apr. 2023 |
Peru |
July 28, 1821 |
VIZCARRA, Martíne |
Apr. 10, 2016 /June 5, 2016 |
Apr. 2021 |
Suriname |
Nov. 25, 1975 |
BOUTERSE, Desiré Delano |
May 25, 2015 |
May 25, 2020 |
Uruguay |
Aug. 25, 1825 |
VÁZQUEZ, Tabaréf |
Oct. 27, 2019/Nov.24, 2019 |
Oct. 2024 |
Venezuela |
July 5, 1811 |
MADURO, Nicolás |
May 20, 2018 |
May 2024g |
Source: Compiled by the Congressional Research Service (CRS).
a. CRS Insight IN11184, Argentina's 2019 Elections.
b. Evo Morales stepped down from office on November 10, 2019, following October 20, 2019, presidential elections that international election observers assert were marred by fraud. After several resignations, the highest-ranking official still in office, Second Vice President of the Senate, Jeanine Áñez, declared herself interim president on November 12, 2019. Bolivia's Constitutional Court endorsed her as interim president. See CRS Insight IN11198, Bolivia: Presidential Resignation and Aftermath, by Clare Ribando Seelke.
c. On November 23, 2020, Bolivia passed a law that annulled the results of the October 20 elections and established that the next presidential elections must be convened within 120 days of the appointment of a new electoral tribunal. The electoral tribunal is likely to be appointed in December 2019. The newly formed election tribunal set presidential elections for May 3, 2020. See Rachelle Krygier, "Bolivia's election tribunal sets May date for new presidential election," Washington Post, January 3, 2020.
d. Originally due by September 2020, after a no-confidence vote in December 2018 (upheld by the Caribbean Court of Justice in June 2019), President Granger announced that general elections will be held on March 2, 2020. See CRS In Focus IF11381, Guyana: An Overview, by Mark P. Sullivan and Angel Carrasquillo Benoit.
e. Pedro Pablo Kuczynski was elected president of Peru in June 2016, but resigned on March 21, 2018, just ahead of a vote on impeachment. First Vice President Martín Vizcarra constitutionally succeeded him and is set to fulfill the remainder of Kuczynski's term.
f. Luis Lacalle Pou was elected president in a runoff election on November 24, 2019, and is expected to take office on March 1, 2020.
g. In a controversial move, Venezuela's presidential election was moved forward from December 2018 to May 20, 2018. Most Venezuelans and much of the international community considered the May 2018 election, in which then-President Nicolás Maduro won reelection, as illegitimate (CRS In Focus IF10230, Venezuela: Political Crisis and U.S. Policy, by Clare Ribando Seelke). The United States and over 50 other countries have recognized Juan Guaidó, elected president of Venezuela's National Assembly in January 2019, as Interim President of Venezuela yet Maduro remains in power (CRS Insight IN11024, Venezuela: U.S. Recognizes Interim Government, by Clare Ribando Seelke).
Country |
Independence |
Head of |
Last |
Next |
Mexico |
Sept. 16, 1810 |
LÓPEZ OBRADOR, Andrés Manuel |
July 1, 2018 |
July 1, 2024 |
Belize |
Sept. 21, 1981 |
BARROW, Dean |
Nov. 4, 2015 |
Nov. 2020 |
Costa Rica |
Sept. 15, 1821 |
ALVARADO, Carlos |
Feb. 4, 2018/ |
Feb. 2022 |
El Salvador |
Sept. 15, 1821 |
BUKELE, Nayib |
Feb. 3, 2019 |
Feb. 4, 2024 |
Guatemala |
Sept. 15, 1821 |
MORALES, Jimmya |
June 16, 2019/ Aug. 11, 2019 |
2023 |
Honduras |
Sept. 15, 1821 |
HERNÁNDEZ, Juan Orlando |
Nov. 26, 2017 |
Nov. 2021 |
Nicaragua |
Sept. 15, 1821 |
ORTEGA, Daniel |
Nov. 6, 2016 |
Nov. 2021 |
Panama |
Nov. 3, 1903 |
CORTIZO, Laurentino |
May 5, 2019 |
May 2024 |
Country |
Independence |
Head of |
Last |
Next |
Antigua and Barbuda |
Nov. 1, 1981 |
BROWNE, Gaston |
Mar. 21, 2018 |
by Mar. 2023 |
Bahamas |
July 10, 1973 |
MINNIS, Hubert |
May 10, 2017 |
by May 2022 |
Barbados |
Nov. 30, 1966 |
MOTTLEY, Mia |
May 25, 2018 |
by May 2023 |
Cubaa |
May 20, 1902 |
DÍAZ-CANEL, Miguel |
Apr. 2018 |
Apr. 2023 |
Dominica |
Nov. 3, 1978 |
SKERRIT, Roosevelt |
Dec. 6, 2019 |
March 2025 |
Dominican Republic |
Feb. 27, 1844 |
MEDINA, Danilo |
May 15, 2016 |
May 2020 |
Grenada |
Feb. 7, 1974 |
MITCHELL, Keith |
Mar. 13, 2018 |
by Mar. 2023 |
Haiti |
Jan. 1, 1804 |
MOÏSE, Jovenel |
Nov. 20, 2016 |
Oct. 2021 |
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 |
CHASTANET, Allen |
June 6, 2016 |
by June 2021 |
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 Sept. 2020 |