The Latin American Report # 355

Ecuador

The country's National Assembly approved last Sunday a law proposed by Carondelet, which enables private investment in electricity generation from renewable sources. The initiative aims to install capacity to multiply 10 times the amount of clean energy, amid a severe drought—the worst in 60 years—that has knocked out the water-based electricity system. The legislators do not believe that the law will solve the problem, accuse previous administrations of a lack of foresight and technical incapacity, and criticize other emergency policies of the current administration—such as the hiring of power barges that “do not even comply with environmental regulations and operational parameters required by the sector”—, but voted in favor of President Daniel Noboa's proposal “so that he is not excused in non-existent blockades”. The authorities have had to apply a strong rationing plan that involves up to 14 hours a day of blackouts in different time slots to face the 1,000 megawatts deficit in the daily supply. The government expects the crisis to be resolved in December.

Meanwhile, the country continues to be mired in a highly complex crisis of violence linked to drug trafficking, even though the Army continues to be mobilized in internal security tasks in response to emergency regimes decreed in certain regions. Last Friday, a prosecutor who was concentrating his efforts on sensitive cases such as political assassinations and others associated with organized crime was murdered. Ecuador was the Latin American nation with the highest homicide rate last year, close to 50 per 100,000 inhabitants. All the bloodshed in recent years has frightened thousands of residents in this no longer peaceful South American nation, most of whom have fled to the United States “to escape the lawlessness”. Last year, a presidential candidate was even killed there; the (Colombian) hitmen linked to the event were killed in prison. The dynamics have weakened the public's perception that a better future is possible in the northwest of South America. “Extortion, kidnappings, death threats. So many things... Years ago, everything was good there,” says a fisherman who emigrated at the end of 2023 from a fishing village located in the city of Manta, the third most violent in the world.

Another high-ranking Cuban government official is dismissed

After the surprise departure of a deputy prime minister earlier this year, who was also serving as minister of Economy, yesterday, Tuesday, the dismissal of another deputy prime minister who had previously been minister of communications was reported. He was a rather opaque and nondescript official to my taste, but in practice, he was what is known as “a rising star”. The Cuban government's jargon for reporting his departure from power was rather murky, as it referred that the now former official committed “errors in the performance of his duties”, an expression that is being formalized as an alternative to referring directly to the probable involvement of high-ranking officials in acts of corruption.

Cuba continues facing a humongous crisis that has it in groggy mode 24 hours a day, while this Wednesday the electricity generation deficit during peak demand hours was expected to be 1,400 megawatts, between thermoelectric plants that broke down and lack of fuel. An important component of the crisis, in addition to the accumulated governmental inefficiency, is the economic encirclement policy imposed by Washington, which was once again overwhelmingly denounced this Wednesday at the United Nations. In an unprecedented collateral event, President Javier Milei expelled Foreign Minister Diana Mondino from his cabinet after Argentina voted in favor of the Cuban position, a historic dynamic regardless of the political force dominating the Pink House.

And this is all for our report today. I have referenced the sources dynamically in the text, and remember you can learn how and where to follow the LATAM trail news by reading my work here. Have a nice day.