Chilean protesters rampage, troops deployed in Santiago (Oct. 21, 2019)
At least ten people burned to death in violent protests in Chile over the weekend in violent anti-government unrest that morphed from protests against a subway fare hike into looting and arson in cities around the country, with demonstrators focused on income inequality. President Sebastián Piñera withdrew the price increase on Saturday, and declared a state of emergency in six major cities, which limits people's right to meet and protest. It's the first time the measure has been employed since the Pinochet dictatorship, according to Bloomberg. Reports expect the state of emergency to be extended to more localities today. (Washington Post)
Three people died in supermarket looting incidents and five were found in a burned out garment factory. Another two bodies were discovered in another burned store. (EMOL, Cadena 3)
A curfew, enforced by the army, was in place both Saturday and Sunday nights in the capital and several other localities. Nonetheless, protesters continued on the streets Sunday evening, reports Nodal. Troops and reinforced police presence on Sunday failed to deter ongoing looting. Security forces used teargas and jets of water to try disperse crowds. The interior minister, Andrés Chadwick, reported that 62 police officers and 11 civilians were injured in the latest disturbances and prosecutors said nearly 1,500 people had been arrested. He said late on Sunday there had been more than 70 “serious events” during the day, including more than 40 looting incidents. (Associated Press)
The protests started a week ago, when students jumped turnstiles to protest the second subway fare hike this year that went into effect earlier in October. But the protests rapidly morphed, reports the New York Times: on Friday, demonstrators set fire to dozens of subway stations, several banks, buses and the headquarters of Chile’s largest electricity provider, Enel. Looters stormed into pharmacies, supermarkets and other stores. Protests in pictures at the Guardian.
Officials called the demonstrators “organized vandals” and “criminals.” Piñera said protesters had the logistics of a criminal organization, reports La Tercera. But opposition lawmakers said the demonstrations show an accumulation of pent up rage among citizens. Analysts say costs of living for poor and middle class families have been rising, while wages remain stagnant. The fare hikes were just the tip of an iceberg of discontent over pensions, healthcare, low salaries, corruption scandals within security forces, poor education, among others, reports El PaÃs.
“It’s not about 30 pesos. It’s about 30 years," was a protest chant over the weekend.
On a broader level, the disturbances show shifts in the post-dictatorship balance, that evidence the politicization of new generations and design limits of Chile's political system, argues Noam Titelman in Nueva Sociedad. Chile's constitution dates to the Pinochet era noted many protesters. (Washington Post)
Much of Santiago's subway network suffered some kind of damage. Eighty-five subway stations were damaged by protesters, according to the Associated Press, and most of the subway system will be closed this week, which will affect 2.4 million daily users. Schools will be shut on Monday, and businesses are expected to follow suit in order to avoid disturbances, reports Deutsche Welle. There were reports of a national strike to take place Monday.
Just last week Piñera boasted to the Financial Times that Chile is an oasis in the region, due to it's democratic stability and economic growth. (El Mostrador)
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Morales to face off against Mesa in second round
Bolivian President Evo Morales won yesterday's election, but not by a margin large enough to avoid a runoff with second-place runner up, Carlos Mesa. Morales obtained 45.71 percent according to preliminary results last night, with 83 percent of votes counted.
Mesa obtained 37.84 or 39.4, and immediately called for unity among opponents to Morales in the second round. The fourth-place candidate immediately said he would support Mesa in the runoff. The surprise third place candidate, Chi Hyun Chung, said he was open to dialogue with Mesa.
Transmission of results was abruptly interrupted last night -- Morales said rural results would grant him an outright win, while Mesa called for vigilance and said the results clearly indicated a second round.
The ruling MAS party obtained majorities in both chambers of Congress yesterday, though it lost some seats.
(La Razón, La Razón, Agencia Boliviana de Información, Nodal, BBC, Associated Press, Wall Street Journal)
A second round would be held on Dec. 15, and Morales could be vulnerable to a united opposition front, reports the Guardian.
Though Morales celebrated the Movimiento Al Socialismo's fourth consecutive electoral victory yesterday, analysts note it's the tightest race he's faced yet. Morales won his previous three elections by a landslide. His economic success and legacy of political inclusion are balanced against a determination to stay in power despite term limits ratified by referendum, reports the New York Times.
News Briefs
Haiti
- Thousands of people demonstrated yesterday in Port-au-Prince, demanding Haitian President Jovenel Moïse's resignation, reports AFP.
- Haitians are no strangers to crises, but many say the current situation is the worst they've lived through, reports the New York Times. "Weeks of unrest around Haiti, coupled with rampant corruption and economic malaise, have led to soaring prices, a disintegration of public services and a galloping sense of insecurity and lawlessness."
Honduras
- A New York court convicted Tony Hernández, the Honduran president's brother, on drug and weapons charges, Friday. He will be sentenced in January and faces up to five years in jail. Honduran President José Manuel Hernández denied the accusations and said they were trumped up. (AFP, InSight Crime)
Venezuela
- Venezuela's Maduro administration continues to promote national dialogue with minority opposition groups -- and the possibility of early legislative elections to be held next year. Opposition leader Juan Guaidó has not yet taken a position on what his strategy would be if new National Assembly elections are held, reports Venezuela Weekly. Though the government announced the release of 24 political prisoners, only 18 were actually let out of jail, according to Foro Penal, which stressed that there are still 400 political detainees in Venezuela.
- When Venezuelan police detained a printing press employee in September for carrying subversive material -- print inserts for a punk rock album -- outsiders were understandably confused. That human rights organization Provea had compiled the record to be released was even stranger. The New Yorker explains how punk in Venezuela grew in a previous era of turmoil in the 1990s and what its revival could mean in the current crisis.
- The battle in Culiacán last week exposed one of the country’s foremost problems: the government’s slipping control over parts of the territory, reports the Washington Post. (See Friday's post.)
- On Sunday President Andrés Manuel López Obrador defended the decision to release the briefly captured cartel member, Oviedo Guzmán, saying it was aimed at tamping down violence, reports Animal PolÃtico.
- León Krauze criticizes the choice in a Washington Post opinion piece: "López Obrador can try to spin what happened all he wants, but Culiacán has set a precedent. If Calderón and Peña Nieto relied solely on enforcement, López Obrador has chosen to give up the legitimate power of the state."
El Salvador
- Three decades after El Salvador's brutal civil war, Salvadorans are again "disappearing." This time around, the phenomenon helps criminal gangs to avoid investigation -- and also mean that official homicide rates are lower, reports the Washington Post.
Guatemala
- Guatemalan attorney general Consuelo Porras withdrew security teams for her predecessor Thelma Aldana and Aldana's family. (Soy 502)
Brazil
- Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is losing key congressional allies due to infighting in his PSL party, reports Bloomberg.
- China could use its economic leverage as a major importer of Brazilian soy and beef to push Bolsonaro to improve his environmental policies for the Amazon rainforest, argues Heriberto Araújo in a New York Times op-ed.
- Women are breaking into Brazil's traditionally male-dominated agricultural sector. Known as Brazil’s “cattle queens,” they gather once a year to discuss various subjects: workplace harassment, technological advances, macroeconomic policy, reports the Washington Post. This year's event was sold-out, 2,000 people participated.
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