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

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 annulled, and then delayed in March 2020 due to the spread of COVID-19. See CRS In Focus IF12743, Bolivia: Country Overview and U.S. Relations, by Leticia Chacon.

b. Following the second round of elections, incumbent Daniel Noboa won 55.6% of the vote, while Luisa Gonzalez won 44.4%. Noboa is scheduled to be sworn in on May 24, 2025. For additional information, see CRS Insight IN12530, Ecuador's 2025 Elections: Implications for U.S. Policy, by Joshua Klein, and CRS In Focus IF11218, Ecuador: Country Overview and U.S. Relations, by Joshua Klein.

c. On December 7, 2022, Pedro Castillo attempted to dissolve congress, create a government of exception, and rule by decree. That same day, the Peruvian Congress impeached Castillo, 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 Castillo, 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 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 held presidential elections that most international observers, including the U.S. Department of State, concluded did not meet international standards. Venezuela's National Electoral Commission (CNE) claimed that Nicolás Maduro won 51.2% of the vote, compared with 44.2% for Edmundo González Urrutia. These results contradict preelection polling, exit polls, and precinct-level vote tabulations published by the opposition. 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

Source: Compiled by CRS.

Notes: For information on Belize, see Table 3.

a. 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-Murillo Regime in Nicaragua," November 12, 2021, https://usoas.usmission.gov/oas-general-assembly-condemns-the-ortega-murillo-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 Report R48294, Nicaragua: In Brief, by Karla I. Rios.

Table 3. Caribbean: Heads of Government and Election Schedules

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. In May 2022, Prime Minister Keith Mitchell called a snap election held on June 23, 2022, ahead of elections constitutionally due in March 2023.

d. Haiti's 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. See also U.S. State Department, "The United States Welcomes Establishment of Haiti's Transitional Presidential Council," press statement, April 12, 2024, https://2021-2025.state.gov/the-united-states-welcomes-establishment-of-haitis-transitional-presidential-council/. The transitional council first selected Garry Conille as prime minister, who was sworn in on June 3, 2024 and later appointed Alix Didier Fils-Aimé on October 11, 2024. See U.S. Department of State, "Designation of a New Prime Minister in Haiti Press Statement," November 12, 2024, https://www.state.gov/designation-of-a-new-prime-minister-in-haiti/. This follows 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.

e. 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.

f. An April 12, 2024, decree created a transitional council that will exercise presidential powers until February 7, 2026, the date by which a new president must be sworn in. The transitional council appointed a provisional electoral commission, a requirement for elections to take place, on September 18, 2024. During a January 29, 2025, interview, the head of the transitional council stated that the first round of elections would be held on November 15, 2025, and a second round in early January 2026. 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. See also Haiti Libre, "Haiti—Elections: Finally a Provisional Electoral Council to prepare the first elections," September 19, 2024, https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-43238-haiti-elections-finally-a-provisional-electoral-council-to-prepare-the-first-elections.html. See Corinne Frilet and Jean-Michel Hauteville, "Haiti's transitional president Leslie Voltaire announces November 2025 elections," Le Monde, January 31, 2025, https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2025/01/31/haiti-s-transitional-president-leslie-voltaire-announces-november-2025-elections_6737642_4.html.