Hello, and welcome to the Latin America Weekly newsletter! In this issue: Guatemala’s president-elect will face a corrupt establishment. A tycoon’s son throws a curveball in Ecuador’s election. And how the cyclical weather pattern El Niño will affect Latin America’s economies.
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Arévalo wins in Guatemala, but governability questions lie ahead
Guatemalans voted for change as the leader of the country’s largest political party, Sandra Torres, was defeated by left-wing former diplomat Bernardo Arévalo, who campaigned on promises to fight corruption and survived a last-minute onslaught from the judiciary.
Results. Pollsters got it right for once, after underestimating libertarian economist Javier Milei in Argentina’s primaries and dark horse Daniel Noboa in Ecuador’s first round vote.
- After a full preliminary count, Mr. Arévalo won 58 percent of ballots, winning in 17 of Guatemala’s 22 departments and taking a decisive 75 percent of the vote in the capital.
Controversy. The result would seem to end one of the most controversial elections in recent history, with four presidential candidates banned from running and Mr....