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

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

Latin America and the Caribbean:
Fact Sheet on Leaders and Elections
Updated June 17, 2024
Congressional Research Service
https://crsreports.congress.gov
98-684

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his 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
T 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 compiled
from numerous sources, including the U.S. State Department, Central Intelligence Agency’s
(CIA’s) World Factbook, International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) Election Guide,
Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), and other news sources.
Table 1. South America: Heads of Government and Election Schedules
Last
Next
Independence
Head of
Election/
Election/
Country
Date
Government
Runoff
Runoff
Argentina
July 9, 1816
MILEI, Javier
Oct. 22, 2023/
Oct. 2027/
Nov. 19, 2023
Nov. 2027
Bolivia
Aug. 6, 1825
ARCE, Luis
Oct. 18, 2020a
2025
Brazil
Sept. 7, 1822
DA SILVA, Luiz Inácio (widely
Oct. 2, 2022/
Oct. 2026
known as “Lula”)
Oct. 30, 2022
Chile
Sept. 18, 1810
BORIC, Gabriel
Nov. 21, 2021/
Nov. 2025/
Dec. 19, 2021
Dec. 2025
Colombia
July 20, 1810
PETRO, Gustavo
May 29, 2022/
May 2026/
June 19, 2022
June 2026
Ecuador
May 24, 1822
NOBOA, Daniel
Aug. 20, 2023/
Feb. 2025/
Oct. 15, 2023b
Apr. 2025
Paraguay
May 14, 1811
PEÑA, Santiago
Apr. 30, 2023
Apr. 2028
Peru
July 28, 1821
BOLUARTE, Dinac
Apr. 11, 2021/
Apr. 2026d
June 6, 2021
Uruguay
Aug. 25, 1825
LACALLE POU, Luis
Oct. 27, 2019/
Oct. 2024
Nov. 24, 2019
Venezuela
July 5, 1811
MADURO, Nicolás
May 20, 2018
July 28, 2024e
Source: Compiled by the Congressional Research Service (CRS).
Notes: For information on Guyana and Suriname, see Table 3.
a. Elections were held on October 18, 2020, after the November 2019 results were annul ed, and then
delayed in March 2020 due to the spread of COVID-19. See CRS In Focus IF11325, Bolivia: An Overview, by
Clare Ribando Seelke.
b. On May 17, 2023, facing an imminent impeachment vote, President Guil ermo Lasso invoked constitutional
article 148, the so-called “crossed death” decree, dissolving congress and requiring snap general elections to
choose a president and a legislature to serve the remainder of the current terms of office until 2025.
Fol owing elections in which no candidate won 50% of the vote, a runoff election was held between the top
two candidates on October 15, 2023. Daniel Noboa won with 51.83% of the vote. President Noboa’s
inauguration took place November 23, 2023, and Ecuador’s new National Assembly was seated on
November 17. For additional information, see CRS In Focus IF11218, Ecuador: Country Overview and U.S.
Relations, by Joshua Klein.
c. On December 7, 2022, Pedro Castil o attempted to dissolve congress, create a government of exception,
and rule by decree. That same day, the Peruvian Congress impeached Castil o, who was arrested shortly
afterwards. Also on December 7, Vice President Dina Boluarte was sworn in as president.
d. Despite proposals by President Dina Boluarte and members of the legislature to hold early general elections
in late 2023 or early 2024 in response to the impeachment and removal of former President Pedro Castil o,
legislators failed to approve early elections in two successive congressional sessions as required by the
constitution. Consequently, the electoral calendar remains unchanged, with the next general elections
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scheduled for April 2026. See Andrea Moncada, “Why Dina Boluarte Could Make It to 2026,” Americas
Quarterly, April 10, 2023, https://americasquarterly.org/article/why-dina-boluarte-could-make-it-to-2026/.
e. After a decade of increasingly authoritarian rule, Venezuela is scheduled to hold a presidential election on
July 28, 2024, which could be a step toward restoring the country's democracy. For more information, see
CRS Insight IN12354, Venezuela’s 2024 Presidential Election, by Leticia Chacon and Clare Ribando Seelke.
Table 2. Mexico and Central America: Heads of Government and Election Schedules
Last
Next
Independence
Head of
Election/
Election/
Country
Date
Government
Runoff
Runoff
Mexico
Sept. 16, 1810
LÓPEZ OBRADOR, Andrés Manuel
June 2, 2024a
June 2030
Costa Rica
Sept. 15, 1821
CHAVES, Rodrigo
Feb. 6, 2022/
Feb. 2026/
Apr. 3, 2022
Apr. 2026
El Salvador
Sept. 15, 1821
BUKELE, Nayib
Feb. 4, 2024
Feb. 2029
Guatemala
Sept. 15, 1821
ARÉVALO, Bernardo
June 25, 2023/
by 2027
Aug. 20, 2023
Honduras
Sept. 15, 1821
CASTRO, Xiomara
Nov. 28, 2021
Nov. 2025
Nicaragua
Sept. 15, 1821
ORTEGA, Daniel
Nov. 7, 2021b
Nov. 2026
Panama
Nov. 3, 1903
CORTIZO, Laurentino
May 5, 2024c
May 2029
Source: Compiled by CRS.
Notes: For information on Belize, see Table 3.
a. Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo won 59.76% of the vote, ahead of Bertha Xóchitl Gálvez Ruiz with 27.45% of the
vote. Sheinbaum is scheduled to be sworn in as Mexico’ first female president on October 1, 2024. See
Kylie Madry and Valentine Hilaire, “Historic win gives Mexico's Sheinbaum a landslide, spooks markets,”
Reuters, updated June 3, 2024, https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/claudia-sheinbaum-claims-
sweeping-mandate-become-mexicos-first-female-president-2024-06-03/. For more information, see CRS
Insight IN12356, Mexico’s 2024 Elections, by Joshua Klein and Clare Ribando Seelke.
b. CRS Report R47083, El Salvador: Background and U.S. Relations, by Clare Ribando Seelke. Prior to the
elections, the Ortega government arrested eight people who sought to challenge Ortega in the elections
and dozens of political and civil society leaders. Much of the international community, including the United
States, rejected the elections; the Organization of American States declared that the elections “were not
free, fair or transparent and have no democratic legitimacy.” See U.S. Mission to the Organization of
American States, “OAS General Assembly Condemns the Ortega-Muril o Regime in Nicaragua,” November
12, 2021, https://usoas.usmission.gov/oas-general-assembly-condemns-the-ortega-muril o-regime-in-
nicaragua/. See also CRS Report R46860, Nicaragua in Brief: Political Developments and U.S. Policy, by Maureen
Taft-Morales (for further information, congressional clients may contact Karla Rios), and CRS In Focus
IF12247, Nicaragua, by Karla I. Rios.
c. <001José Raúl Mulino won 34.24% of the national vote, nearly 10 points ahead of the second-place
candidate. Mulino is scheduled to take office on July 1, 2024. See Valentine Hilaire and Elida Moreno,
“Panama’s Mulino Wins Presidency with Support from Convicted Former Leader,” Reuters, May 6, 2024,
https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/panamanians-vote-crowded-field-presidential-contenders-2024-05-
05/. For more information, see CRS Insight IN12357, Panama: 2024 Elections and U.S. Interests, by Leticia
Chacon.
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Table 3. Caribbean: Heads of Government and Election Schedules
Last
Next
Independence
Head of
Election/
Election/
Country
Date
Government
Runoff
Runoff
Antigua and Barbuda
Nov. 1, 1981
BROWNE, Gaston
Jan. 18, 2023
by July 2028
Bahamas
July 10, 1973
DAVIS, Philip
Sept. 16, 2021
by Sept. 2026
Barbados
Nov. 30, 1966
MOTTLEY, Mia
Jan. 19, 2022
by Jan. 2027
Belize
Sept. 21, 1981
BRICEÑO, Johnny
Nov. 11, 2020
by 2025
Cubaa
May 20, 1902
DÍAZ-CANEL, Miguel
Apr. 19, 2023
2028
Dominica
Nov. 3, 1978
SKERRIT, Roosevelt
Dec. 6, 2022b
by Mar. 2028
Dominican Republic
Feb. 27, 1844
ABINADER, Luis
May 19, 2024c
May 2028
Grenada
Feb. 7, 1974
MITCHELL, Dickon
June 23, 2022d
by June 2027
Guyana
May 26, 1966
ALI, Irfaan
Mar. 2, 2020e
by 2025
Haiti
Jan. 1, 1804
CONILLE, Garryf
Nov. 20, 2016g
To be
determinedErr
or! Reference
source not
found.
Jamaica
Aug. 6, 1962
HOLNESS, Andrew
Sept. 3, 2020
by 2025
St. Kitts and Nevis
Sept. 19, 1983
DREW, Terrance
Aug. 5, 2022
by 2027
St. Lucia
Feb. 22, 1979
PIERRE, Philip
July 26, 2021
by 2026
St. Vincent and the
Oct. 27, 1979
GONSALVES, Ralph E.
Nov. 5, 2020
by 2025
Grenadines
Suriname
Nov. 25, 1975
SANTOKHI,
May 25, 2020
May 2025
Chandrikapersad
Trinidad and Tobago
Aug. 31, 1962
ROWLEY, Keith
Aug. 10, 2020
by 2025
Source: Compiled by CRS.
Notes: Although Belize is located in Central America and Guyana and Suriname are located in South America,
all three are members of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
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 2023, Cuba’s legislature selected Miguel Díaz-Canel for another five-
year term. Díaz-Canel has served as president of the republic since Cuba’s legislature appointed him in
October 2019. See Andrea Rodriguez, “Cuba’s Parliament Ratifies President Díaz-Canel for New Term,”
Associated Press, April 19, 2023, https://apnews.com/article/cuba-assembly-president-miguel-diazcanel-
7f496a6b05f04aa3d3c7b4a1f3cb45dc.
b. In November 2022, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit called a snap election that was held on December 6,
2022, ahead of elections constitutionally due by March 2025.
c. Current President Luis Abinader won his second presidential election with 57.44% of the vote; with over
50% of the vote, a runoff election wil not be held. Abinader is scheduled to begin his second term on
August 16, 2024.
d. In May 2022, Prime Minister Keith Mitchell called a snap election held on June 23, 2022, ahead of elections
constitutionally due in March 2023.
e. Irfaan Ali was sworn into office on August 2, 2020, five months after elections were held on March 2, 2020.
Allegations of fraud and vote tampering delayed the election results as supporters of the ruling government
led by President David Granger pursued legal challenges. See CRS In Focus IF11381, Guyana: An Overview, by
Karla I. Rios.
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Latin America and the Caribbean: Fact Sheet on Leaders and Elections

f.
President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated on July 7, 2021. Ariel Henry, named by Moïse but not yet sworn
in, became de facto prime minister on July 20, 2021. Under the Haitian Constitution, either the Council of
Ministers under the prime minister should govern or, in the last year of a presidential term, the legislature
should elect a provisional president. There has been no functioning legislature since January 2020, and there
are no remaining elected officials. On March 11, 2024, Henry agreed to resign after a transitional council
was formed. On April 12, 2024, the Haitian governmental gazette published a decree establishing a nine-
person council, effective until February 7, 2026, tasked with naming a new prime minister and cabinet The
transitional council was sworn in on April 25, 2024. See Evens Sanon and Dánica Coto, “Transitional
Council in Haiti to Choose New Leaders Is Formally Established Amid Gang Violence,” Associated Press,
April 12, 2024, https://apnews.com/article/haiti-transitional-council-gang-violence-
86ae6d010d0fba2a5742ec82ec05ac25?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email. See also U.S. State
Department, “The United States Welcomes Establishment of Haiti’s Transitional Presidential Council,”
press statement, April 12, 2024, https://www.state.gov/the-united-states-welcomes-establishment-of-haitis-
transitional-presidential-council/. The transitional council selected Garry Conil e as prime minister, who was
sworn in on June 3, 2024. See Juhakenson Blaise, “Garry Conil e officially receives the decree appointing him
Haiti’s Prime Minister,” Haitian Times, June 4, 2024, https://haitiantimes.com/2024/06/04/garry-conil e-haiti-
prime-minister/. This fol ows a period of increasing civil unrest in Haiti. See CRS Report R47394, Haiti:
Recent Developments and U.S. Policy, by Karla I. Rios and Clare Ribando Seelke. See also CRS Insight IN12331,
Haiti in Crisis: What Role for a Multinational Security Support Mission?, by Karla I. Rios and Clare Ribando
Seelke, by Clare Ribando Seelke and Karla I. Rios.
g. Haiti held controversial national elections on October 25, 2015. After postponing runoff elections several
times, the Provisional Electoral Council announced that new presidential elections would take place instead
in October 2016; these were delayed for a month due to Hurricane Matthew.
h. On January 13, 2020, most of the national legislature’s terms expired without the body having passed an
elections law to elect new legislators. From that date until his death, President Moïse ruled by decree. De
facto Prime Minister Ariel Henry did not hold elections as planned. An April 12, 2024, decree created a
transitional council that wil exercise presidential powers until February 7, 2026. The transitional council wil
also appoint a provisional electoral commission, a requirement for elections to take place. See Evens Sanon
and Dánica Coto, “Transitional Council in Haiti to Choose New Leaders Is Formally Established Amid Gang
Violence,” Associated Press, April 12, 2024, https://apnews.com/article/haiti-transitional-council-gang-
violence-86ae6d010d0fba2a5742ec82ec05ac25?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email. See also Dánica
Coto, “Ariel Henry Resigns as Prime Minister of Haiti, Paving the Way for a New Government to Take
Power,” Associated Press, April 25, 2024, https://apnews.com/article/haiti-ariel-lhenry-resigns-violence-
gangs-government-22868c51b5f4c9ca5a8d69fcb5df376b.

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

Author Information

Carla Y. Davis-Castro

Senior Research Librarian

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