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

Table 1. South America: Heads of State and Election Schedules

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. Second Vice President of the Senate, Jeanine Áñez, declared herself interim president on November 12, 2019.

c. On November 23, 2019, Bolivia passed a law that annulled the results of the October 20 elections. On March 22, 2020, Bolivia's Supreme Electoral Tribunal suspended preparations for national elections scheduled for May 3 following a declaration of a two-week national quarantine to prevent the spread of COVID-19. A new election date has yet to be set. See CRS Insight IN11198, Bolivia Postpones May Elections Amidst COVID-19 Outbreak, by Clare Ribando Seelke

d. Amid allegations of fraud, international observers issued a joint statement on March 6, 2020, calling for the transparent tabulation of results to continue in Region 4 for Guyana's March 2, 2020 general elections. Following a series of legal challenges, Guyana's electoral commission announced in early April 2020 that a full national recount would be conducted, but it has not yet been determined when the recount will start and how long it will take. See CRS In Focus IF11381, Guyana: An Overview, by Mark P. Sullivan .

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. 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).

Table 2. Mexico and Central America: Heads of State and Election Schedules

Source: Compiled by CRS.

Table 3. Caribbean: Heads of State and Election Schedules

Source: Compiled by CRS.

a. Cuba does not have direct elections for its head of government. Instead, Cuba's legislature selects the members of the 31-member Council of State, with the president of that body serving as Cuba's head of government and head of state. In April 2019, Cuba's legislature selected Miguel Diaz-Canel for a five-year term. In October 2019, Cuba's legislature appointed Diaz-Canel as president of the republic under Cuba's new constitution.

b. In April, the Dominican Republic announced that elections would be moved from May to July 2020 due to the ongoing COVID-19 health crisis. See Jim Wyss, "Dominican Republic Delays Presidential vote amid Coronavirus Pandemic," Miami Herald, April 13, 2020.

c.

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