Hugo Chavez confirms his intention to run for reelection

Posted on June 1, 2012 by Thiago

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez assured that he will protocol his candidacy to to run for reelection within the required deadline set by the country’s electoral authority, reducing doubts about his ability to meet the challenges of the election campaign while fighting cancer at the same time.

After 11 days without appearing in public since returning from medical treatment in Cuba, Chavez coordinated a government meeting in the Miraflores Palace, broadcasted on national television.

The Venezuelan president, who appeared on television only twice since mid-April, said his candidacy will be made official between June 1st to 11th, the deadline set by the National Electoral Council (CNE).

Chavez turned his criticism to the opposition candidate, Henrique Capriles, accusing him of trying to emulate the socialist model to climb in the polls.

While Capriles held a series of house-to-home visits in recent months, the command of Chavez’s campaign has made frequent political acts, regardless of the absence of Venezuelan President on the account of his radiotherapy treatment in Cuba.

Meanwhile, polls show Chavez is ahead of Capriles. The candidate of the Mesa da Unidade Democrática (MUD), said he will formalize his candidacy on June 1st

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To Fiesp, Brazil is not applying protectionist measures against Argentina

Posted on May 29, 2012 by Thiago

The president of the Industries’ Federation of São Paulo (Fiesp), Paulo Skaf, denied that Brazil is applying protectionist measures against Argentina in response to the import restriction policies adopted by Buenos Aires.

Skaf explained that within the framework of  the Brazil-Italy Economic Forum, Brazil is not considered a protectionist country and that it is “well known that Argentina has adopted protectionist attitudes” and if Brasilia takes measures in response, this cannot be regarded as protectionism.

The statement was made when the president of Fiesp was questioned about the entry of Argentine products in the list of non-automatic import licenses’ emission, in which case they could wait up to 60 days for their release within the norms of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Skaf pledged the authorities to work together to increase trade between Argentina and Brazil, which, he said, are friendly countries and neighbors.

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Bolivia: Population is pessimistic about the future of the country

Posted on May 24, 2012 by Thiago

A opinion poll by conducted by Ipsos company and published in the newspaper, Página Sete, pointed out that 47% of Bolivians believe that the country is headed in the wrong direction. On the other hand, only 22% of respondents think the opposite, i.e, believes that Bolivia is in the right direction.

 

The survey heard 800 people between the 18th and 26th of April in the regions of Santa Cruz, La Paz, El Alto and Cochabamba, the four largest cities in the country, which account for 40% of the population. The margin of sampling error is 3.39%.

 

The institute said the pessimistic perception about the direction of Bolivia has remained between 43% and 47% in the first four months of 2012. The percentage of citizens who understand that the country is headed in the right way, ranged between 19% and 22% in the period between January and April of this year.

 

The pessimism about the situation in the country reached its highest point in February of 2011, when 70% of Bolivians responded that the country was not going in the right direction.

 

This result was recorded two months after the increase of fuel prices by up to 82% ordered by President Evo Morales. However, after the occurrence of strong protests organized by popular movements, Morales suspended the adjustment.

 

Pessimism can be attributed to the current political climate in recent weeks. It is important to remember, that the government of Evo Morales has faced strikes and demonstrations in various sectors in the last few months.

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Argentina: Pressure is mounting on the vice president

Posted on May 24, 2012 by Thiago

Last week, a judge ruled the deepening of an investigation on the patrimony of the vice-president of Argentina, Amado Boudou, who is a suspect of illicit enrichment and influence peddling.

 

Federal judge, Ariel Lijo, ordered a series of measures to ascertain the financial position of Boudou, in accordance with the request by prosecutor Jorge Di Lello, said the Judicial Information Center in Argentina.

 

By doing this, Lijo unified the investigations of alleged influence peddling by Boudou on behalf of the company Ciccone, with another investigation about the alleged embezzlement of the vice president.

 

Opposition congressmen accuse Boudou of having intervened, when he was Minister of Finances (2009-2011), in the Federal Public Revenue Administration to request the suspension Ciccone bankruptcy process, thereby facilitating, a investment fund called The Old Fund, directed by Alejandro Vandenbroele to buy Ciccone.

 

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Dilma negotiates with Prime Minister of China expanding partnerships and relations with Latin America

Posted on May 22, 2012 by Thiago

The prime minister of China, Wen Jiabao, told president Dilma Rousseff in a telephone conversation, that the Chinese want to “broaden and deepen relations with Latin America.”

 

He also accepted Dilma’s invitation to attend the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio +20), whose meetings occur in June (20-22) in Rio de Janeiro.

 

In the conversation, according to Jiabao, Dilma thanked China for the support regarding Rio +20 and added that she trusts the effort of the international community to seek a political consensus for the promotion of economic, social and environmental progress.

 

According to Wen Jiabao, the Rio +20 will be an opportunity for the world to send “clear, strong, positive signals” on the need to promote global sustainable development. The prime minister said China is willing to cooperate in this international process.

 

The Chinese prime minister and Dilma also talked about the impacts of the international economic crisis. Jiabao also said that strengthening cooperation between China and Brazil has “great significance and broad prospects.”

 

In 2009, China overtook the U.S, becoming Brazil’s main trading partner. In 2011, bilateral trade grew 35.2% reaching US$ 84.5 billion, with a balance of US$ 20.79 billion in favor of Brazil.

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Bolivia: Government announced an agreement regarding compensation towards the nationalized Spanish company

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Thiago

More than a week after the announcement of the nationalization of the energy company, Transportadora de Eletricidade (TDE), the Bolivian government said it reached an agreement about a fair compensation to the Spanish company, Rede Elétrica (REE), responsible for TDE. The matter will still be submitted, however, to a series of assessments.

 

Last week, Bolivian President, Evo Morales, met with the representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from Spain, Jesus Manuel Gracia, to negotiate the agreement. Talks between the Bolivian authorities, Spanish entrepreneurs and representatives lasted three days.

 

Morales decision to nationalize the electricity company surprised the Spaniards, who threatened to retaliate against the measure. In the last days however, the Bolivian foreign minister tried to minimize the tension.

 

On Feb. 1, Morales announced the nationalization of TDE. He said the decision was made due to low investment in the expansion of the National Interconnected System (SIN) of the energy supply in the country, and because it is government policy to recover the strategic enterprises that were privatized in the 1990s.

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Colombia: Colombia and China created group to study implementation of FTA

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Thiago

The governments of Colombia and China signed a “memorandum of understanding” in which they created a working group that will examine the possibility of implementing a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two countries.

 

The announcement was made last Wednesday by the Colombian government with the publication of a statement due to the official visit of President Juan Manuel Santos to Beijing.

 

The working group will be composed by the economic area staff of the two countries, which will develop, over the next year, a document containing recommendations to guide both governments about the possibilities to start the treaty negotiations.

 

Beijing is the second largest trade partner of Bogota. According to the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism of Colombia, in 2011, trade between the two countries reached US$ 10.16 billion, with China leading exports.

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Paraguay: The political struggle between the Executive and Legislative

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Thiago

Last week, the president of Paraguay, Fernando Lugo, vetoed two expansion budget requests from the Superior Court of Electoral Justice (TSJE), worth US$ 50 million.

 

Lugo’s decision was based on a recommendation from the Minister of Finances, who rejected the millionaire budget boost for the Electoral Court.

 

The decision was not well accepted by some sectors, such as the Colorado Party, who led Paraguay for five decades. The rejection of the Paraguayan Executive regarding the budget expansion request may cause reprisals from the TSJE towards the government in Congress. Although Fernando Lugo claims that such action would be “unwise”, the climate in Parliament is not good for President.

 

The strategy of Paraguay’s president to avoid further problems in Congress – the government is a minority in the legislative branch since the beginning of his government – is trying to convince the population that his decision is in the country’s best interests, despite contrary opinions from important congressmen and senators.

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Paraguay: Senate and the Judiciary in institutional crisis

Posted on May 9, 2012 by Thiago

A conflict between the Judiciary and the Senate lead the Paraguayan Supreme Court to report to the OAS (Organization of American States) a violation of the constitutional order in the country.

The court’s president, Victor Nunez, filed a complaint to President Fernando Lugo, so that he would communicate the alleged violation to the international body with urgency.

The controversy began after the Senate declared vacant the positions of seven of the nine ministers of the Court. Judges refused to leave their office and accused the Senate of exceeding its authority.

For Núñez, the decision of the Senate ”has no legal validity” and sets up an institutional situation that “poses a serious threat to democratic legality.”

Senators base their decision on an article of the Constitution that states that judges must be confirmed for two terms to become permanent or irreplaceable, but members of the Court argue that judges are not simply judges but rather Ministers or Justices, and therefore the rule does not apply to them.

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Brazil: Petrobras is interested in increasing investment in Africa

Posted on May 9, 2012 by Thiago

The president of Petrobras, Graça Foster, said that recent discoveries and relevant achievements from Africa in the energy sector increased the interest of the Brazilian oil company in the continent. She attended last week’s seminar on “Investing in Africa:Opportunities, Challenges and Tools for Economic Cooperation”, organized by the National Bank for Social and Economic Development (Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Economico e Social - BNDES) in Rio de Janeiro.

Foster said that “from the future’s point of view, Africa constitutes an exceptional new market and there is a great opportunity not only to Petrobras, but for other companies to invest in this new market.”

According to Foster, the company sees potential to increase economic partnership with some African countries in the production of ethanol through the production of cane sugar, which can be carried out as soon as they set the rules of the Regulatory Framework for Oil and Energy.

Today Petrobras operates in seven African countries, and produces about 58,000 barrels per day in Nigeria, two thousand in Angola as well as developing a series of investments related to biofuels production, importation of liquefied natural gas, among others.

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