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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
January 24, 2012
Congressional Research Service
7-5700
www.crs.gov
98-684
CRS Report for Congress
Pr
epared for Members and Committees of Congress
c11173008
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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
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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
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Latin America and the Caribbean: Fact Sheet on Leaders and Elections
Table 1. South America
Country
Independence
Head of
Last
Next
Date
Government
Election
Election
Argentina
July 9, 1816
FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER,
Oct. 23, 2011
Oct. 2015
Cristina
Bolivia
Aug. 6, 1825
MORALES, Evo
Dec. 6, 2009
Dec. 2014
Brazil
Sept. 7, 1822
ROUSSEFF, Dilma
Oct. 3, 2010 /
Oct. 2014
Oct. 31, 2010
Chile
Sept. 18, 1810
PIÑERA, Sebastián
Dec. 13, 2009 /
Dec. 2013
Jan. 17, 2010
Colombia
July 20, 1810
SANTOS, Juan Manuel
May 30, 2010 / June
May 2014
20, 2010
Ecuador
May 24, 1822
CORREA, Rafael
Apr. 26, 2009
Apr. 2013
Paraguay
May 14, 1811
LUGO, Fernando
Apr. 20, 2008
Apr. 2013
Peru
July 28, 1821
HUMALA, Ollanta
Apr. 10, 2011/June 5,
Apr. 2016
2011 (2nd round)
Uruguay
Aug. 25, 1825
MUJICA, José
Oct. 25, 2009 /
Oct. 2014
Nov. 29, 2009
Venezuela
July 5, 1811
CHÁVEZ, Hugo
Dec. 3, 2006
Oct. 7, 2012
Table 2. Mexico and Central America
Country
Independence
Head of
Last
Next
Date
Government
Election
Election
Mexico
Sept. 16, 1810
CALDERÓN, Felipe
July 2, 2006
July 1, 2012
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/
Sep. 2015
Nov. 6, 2011
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
Congressional Research Service
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Latin America and the Caribbean: Fact Sheet on Leaders and Elections
Table 3. Caribbean
Country
Independence
Head of
Last
Next
Date
Government
Election
Election
Antigua and
Nov. 1, 1981
SPENCER, Baldwin
Mar. 12, 2009
by July 2014
Barbuda
Bahamas
July 10, 1973
INGRAHAM, Hubert
May 2, 2007
May 2012
Barbados
Nov. 30, 1966
STUART, Freundela
Jan. 15, 2008
by May 2013
Belize
Sept. 21, 1981
BARROW, Dean
Feb. 7, 2008
by June 2013
Cuba
May 20, 1902
CASTRO RUZ, Raúl
b
b
Dominica
Nov. 3, 1978
SKERRITT, Roosevelt
Dec. 18, 2009
by Mar. 2015
Dominican
Feb. 27, 1844
FERNANDEZ, Leonel
May 16, 2008
May 16, 2012
Republic
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.
late 2015
20, 2011
Jamaica
Aug. 6, 1962
SIMPSON MILLER, Portia
Dec. 29, 2011
2016
St. Kitts and
Sept. 19, 1983
DOUGLAS, Denzil
Jan. 25, 2010
by Jan. 2015
Nevis
St. Lucia
Feb. 22, 1979
ANTHONY, Kenny
Nov. 28, 2011
by No. 2016
St. Vincent and
Oct. 27, 1979
GONSALVES, Ralph
Dec. 13, 2010
by Dec. 2015
the Grenadines
Suriname
Nov. 25, 1975
BOUTERSE, Desid
May 25, 2010d May
2015
Trinidad and
Aug. 31, 1962
PERSAD-BISSESSAR, Kamla
May 24, 2010
by May 2015
Tobago
a. Freundel Stuart was selected as prime minister on October 23, 2010 fol owing 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 provisional y 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
Mark P. Sullivan
Information Research Specialist
Specialist in Latin American Affairs
jgomezgranger@crs.loc.gov, 7-8981
msullivan@crs.loc.gov, 7-7689
Congressional Research Service
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