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It seems that a wave of protests has erupted in Latin America. it's somewhat similar to the Arab Spring which was a series of demonstrations in favor of democracy.
The protests in Guatemala are in response to some actions by President Jimmy Morales such as dismantling the UN backed International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala. They're also against the migrant asylum pact made with the US (which would make Guatemala the place to seek asylum rather than the US).
The protests in Haiti are against the tax hikes on gasoline, diesel, and kerosene. They're also protests against corruption. So far, 51 deaths have been documented from this protest and dozens have been injured.
People in Ecuador didn't like the removal of the fuel subsidies as well as austerity in general. They lasted from October 3 to October 14 and the fuel subsidies were restored.
Protests in Nicaragua began on April of 2018. They were in response to social security reform (cutting benefits and raising taxes), the proposed Nicaraguan canal, and alleged authoritarianism by President Ortega (in the form of restrictions on media outlets and police brutality). So far, 325-568 died, 2,800+ were injured, and 600-1,500 were detained.
The people in Chile seem to have been disatisfied with inequality in general. The boiling point was the hike in transit fares. Although the fares were soon removed, the protests still remain with demands of reforms in education and healthcare, raising the minimum wage, and the resignation of President Pinera. In response to the protests, a few regions declared a state of emergency and have instituted curfews. The protests started in October 14 and 26 have died, 11,564 were injured, and 6,362 were detained.
Peru has experienced protests in bursts with the current one dating back to the end of 2018. It seems to be in response to political instability.
Argentina has experienced protests due to President Macri's conservative policies. They blame him for the current financial troubles and the country will have a new president within a few days.
Colombia has experienced protests in response to corruption and austerity. They are also demonstrations in favor of peace negotiations with the communist militants. Curfews have been instituted in Santiago de Cali and Bogota. So far, there have been 4 deaths, 533 injuries, and 500 detained.
As you may notice, most of these protests are against corruption and/or fiscally conservative policies. However, there have been at least two leftist governments affected by these protests. In Bolivia, there was a referendum in 2016 to allow President Evo Morales to run for a third term. The referendum failed but the Supreme Court threw out the results, saying that they were rigged, allowing Morales to run again. When the 2019 elections came around, Morales won but it was alleged that they were rigged. This led to protests from October 21 to November 10 on which Morales resigned when the military sided with the protesters. However, Morales's supporters (as well as many other leftists) decried all of this as a military coup and western meddling. Pro Morales protests are ongoing. Morales is currently in exile. Many of you already know about Venezuela's protests. From January 10 to February, 500 have been injured and 956 (77 being children) have been detained and by March, 107 people had died.
Could we be seeing a Latin American Spring or will these protests dissipate?
The protests in Guatemala are in response to some actions by President Jimmy Morales such as dismantling the UN backed International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala. They're also against the migrant asylum pact made with the US (which would make Guatemala the place to seek asylum rather than the US).
The protests in Haiti are against the tax hikes on gasoline, diesel, and kerosene. They're also protests against corruption. So far, 51 deaths have been documented from this protest and dozens have been injured.
People in Ecuador didn't like the removal of the fuel subsidies as well as austerity in general. They lasted from October 3 to October 14 and the fuel subsidies were restored.
Protests in Nicaragua began on April of 2018. They were in response to social security reform (cutting benefits and raising taxes), the proposed Nicaraguan canal, and alleged authoritarianism by President Ortega (in the form of restrictions on media outlets and police brutality). So far, 325-568 died, 2,800+ were injured, and 600-1,500 were detained.
The people in Chile seem to have been disatisfied with inequality in general. The boiling point was the hike in transit fares. Although the fares were soon removed, the protests still remain with demands of reforms in education and healthcare, raising the minimum wage, and the resignation of President Pinera. In response to the protests, a few regions declared a state of emergency and have instituted curfews. The protests started in October 14 and 26 have died, 11,564 were injured, and 6,362 were detained.
Peru has experienced protests in bursts with the current one dating back to the end of 2018. It seems to be in response to political instability.
Argentina has experienced protests due to President Macri's conservative policies. They blame him for the current financial troubles and the country will have a new president within a few days.
Colombia has experienced protests in response to corruption and austerity. They are also demonstrations in favor of peace negotiations with the communist militants. Curfews have been instituted in Santiago de Cali and Bogota. So far, there have been 4 deaths, 533 injuries, and 500 detained.
As you may notice, most of these protests are against corruption and/or fiscally conservative policies. However, there have been at least two leftist governments affected by these protests. In Bolivia, there was a referendum in 2016 to allow President Evo Morales to run for a third term. The referendum failed but the Supreme Court threw out the results, saying that they were rigged, allowing Morales to run again. When the 2019 elections came around, Morales won but it was alleged that they were rigged. This led to protests from October 21 to November 10 on which Morales resigned when the military sided with the protesters. However, Morales's supporters (as well as many other leftists) decried all of this as a military coup and western meddling. Pro Morales protests are ongoing. Morales is currently in exile. Many of you already know about Venezuela's protests. From January 10 to February, 500 have been injured and 956 (77 being children) have been detained and by March, 107 people had died.
Could we be seeing a Latin American Spring or will these protests dissipate?