Ecuador president Rafael Correa. (Photo: Cortesia Andes)

During his inauguration ceremony, Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa outlined a number of policies the Alianza País (AP) government plans to implement during his second term in office. Having been re-elected in February with 57.17% of the votes he will preside over the country until 2017.

Correa stressed the need for infrastructure investment and stated that Ecuador “belongs to the people and not to small elite groups.” Eradicating poverty was also high on the agenda and the president said that overall poverty in the country had already been reduced considerably and ban on child labour was imposed, which has reportedly prevented half a million being sent to work.

“There is no doubt that our country is moving in the right direction, towards the good life, both socially and economically. Ecuador has one of the most dynamic economies,” said the head of state.

The swearing in of Correa was attended by the Cabinet and the Military High Command. Heads of state from other Latin American countries also attended including Bolivia’s Evo Morales, Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela, and Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia.

The ceremony began with the raising of the Ecuadorian flag followed by the national anthem. Gabriela Rivadeneira, the President of Parliament, gave a speech after taking Correa’s oath.

This is the second consecutive term of Correa, who first became president in 2007, although two years later he reformed the Constitution and was sworn in for a period of four years, which ended today. His party, AP, also obtained 100 out of a possible 137 seats in parliament during the assembly elections.

Correa also announced earlier this month that an amended mining bill has been presented to Congress, featuring five key reforms to the existing law in the hope of attracting foreign investors to the country’s mining industry.

A legislative commission is currently being held in Peru against former president Alan García, investigating his management. It was revealed yesterday that the commission has officially recommended an parliamentary trial against García, due to corruption committed during his second term as president.

Alan García

The committee is investigating the management of social programmes controlled by García, who was president of Peru for two terms, from 1985 to 1990, and from 2006 to 2011. García is accused of the mismanagement of ‘Agua para Todos’, or ‘Water for All’, an accusation that if confirmed in Congress would prevent him from running in the next presidential elections. García has criticised the commission brought against him as a ploy to get him out of the running for the 2016 presidential race, and slated the commission as having “no legal or political value”.

The commission recommended in a close vote to investigate the former president, and the process will now continue to Congress. Then, if approved by two thirds of the 130 members of the Peruvian legislature, García will be disqualified from holding public office again.

During the commission, García labelled the proceedings as a smokescreen to cover the resignation of minister of foreign affairs Rafael Roncagliolo, which he believes to have been “an order by the Venezuelan government”. Leader of Peru’s National Unity party Lourdes Flores criticised yesterday’s resignation as a “huge sign of weakness” from current President Ollanta Humala for taking into account the criticisms against Roncagliolo by Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro.

However, the official statement from the Peruvian government remains that Roncagliolo “departed the Cabinet of Ministers due solely to his health problems”. Eda Rivas Franchini has since been named as minister.

Venezuela’s opposition leader Henrique Capriles speaks to supporters in Caricuao. (Photo: Globovision)

Though Nicolás Maduro has already sworn in as the new president of Venezuela, defeated opponent Henrique Capriles continues to contest the result.

“On 14th April Venezuelans and presidents of Latin America were lied to,” stated the opposition leader yesterday. Capriles said that if he is denied to access the poll books, he will not participate in a “joke audit” of the results.

A week ago, Venezuela’s National Electoral Council (CNE) announced it will carry out an audit of 100% of the votes in presidential elections, as had been demanded by Capriles. However, the CNE did not agree to review voters’ signatures and fingerprints.

Capriles said yesterday the deadline he had set for the CNE to announce details of the audit has passed, and now he plans to take the case to the country’s Supreme Court. “Our next step will be challenging the polls, we will revert the election result.” Capriles emphasised. “The opposition is demanding the enforcement of laws. Maduro and his allies stole the elections. The votes that CNE announced were not the votes meant for Maduro.”

Maduro’s presidency has already been accepted and recognised by international observers, including The Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) and the Organisation of American States (OAS).

President Maduro justified his tight victory in the elections, saying that the 14th April result still did not reflect the true level of support he has. Many of them, according to Maduro, did not attend the elections, because “they are still deeply sad over Hugo Chávez’s death.”

President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner had earlier presented the government’s judicial reforms. (Photo courtesy of CFK Facebook)

The government is considering modifying its judicial reform bill based on suggestions made in a open letter sent by the Supreme Court to Congress last week.

Agustín Rossi, Frente Para La Victoria (FpV) deputy, today said that the governing party was ready “to make some modifications to the proposed reforms in the Magistrates Council,” adding that the contents of the letter had been analysed in a meeting with President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner last night.

The letter included concerns made by some judges that the planned reforms could “paralyse” the judicial system, while also outlining potential problems with the plan to designate judicial employees that pass an initial exam via a national lottery system.

The letter will be included in today’s debate over the reforms, with Rossi stating that “this throws out the idea that the government is not ready to listen to the proposals of other sectors.”

Rossi described the opposition’s move to pressure indecisive lawmakers to vote against reform as the Congress session approaches as “a horrible scenario”. “We are very calm, we feel that the political climate under which we come to the debate is the not the best but we trust we can drive forward the three bills,” he added.

Venezuelans support acting president Nicolas Maduro in Caracas on April 11th, 2013.

Hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans turned out in support of acting president Nicolas Maduro and his opposition challenger Henrique Capriles yesterday evening, as both candidates wrapped up their respective campaigns before Sunday’s elections.

Maduro, leader of the Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela (Psuv), closed his election campaign in Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, by singing the national anthem before rebuffing claims that the revolution is dead. “The liberals believe the revolution is lost, that because [Hugo] Chávez is dead his message is no longer alive. If I am elected on 14^th April this nation will remain free and independent,” he told crowds.

Former bus-driver Maduro also said, “I have been touring 23 states without rest, I have come to talk to the people, I have come to tell the truth. My only ambition in life is to ensure that Venezuela remains socialist, to make sure that Chávez’s work was not in vain.” He also accused the opposition of conspiring to create unrest around election day.

During his speech, Maduro outlined his party’s proposals including the Plan de la Patria, a tactical vision over six years handwritten by Chávez. Part of the plan is the promise of new housing and improved utility services. Dealing with corruption and bureaucracy also ranks highly with Maduro pledging to “prosecute corruption heavy-handedly and without mercy”.

40-year-old Capriles, leader of Movimiento Primero Justicia (MPJ), who lost a presidential election to Chávez last year, concluded his rally in Barquisimeto in Lara state at the same time as Maduro’s event. He touched upon a theme of unifying a polarised Venezuela, telling crowds: “I don’t want to be the president of just one group. I’ve said it before and I want to reiterate it. I want to be president of all Venezuelans.”

Capriles also promised to end special favours for those who are “plugged in” to those in power, a reference to friends of party leaders who are accused of gaining easy access to social benefits such as newly built houses while others remain on waiting lists.

Opinion polls suggest Maduro has a significant lead over Capriles going into Sunday’s ballot.

Colombia’s president, Juan Manuel Santos, last week declared that his administration will not allow for the Tayrona National park on the Caribbean coast to be converted into an ecotourism resort.

In a statement to local media, Santos said that he “will not allow environmental licensing” for the tourism companies who seek to further develop the National park, situated in the north of the Magdalena region.

The president then took to Twitter to announce that “conservation of the park” is their top priority.

The protected territory has been the subject of a heated debate in recent weeks between tourist companies who wish to turn “the jewell of the Colombian Caribbean” into a centre of ecotourism with seven star hotels and those who feel the need to protect and preserve the land and the rights of indigenous peoples.

Thousands of people took to the streets today to demonstrate their support of Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez, who is still hospitalised in Cuba receiving cancer treatment. Chávez was supposed to be sworn in today for his fourth term as president of Venezuela but the Supreme Court announced yesterday that the ceremony would be postponed.

The demonstration in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, was attended by leaders from 20 other countries such as presidents Jose Mujica of Uruguay, Evo Morales of Bolivia, and Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua, prime ministers and foreign ministers from the Caribbean, as well as foreign ministers Hector Timerman from Argentina and Ricardo Patiño from Ecuador.

This week, Vice President Nicolás Maduro said that Chávez was medically advised not to attend the inauguration ceremony. He is still receiving medical treatment in Cuba after a complex operation on 11th December.

His absence was a first in Venezuelan history since democracy was introduced in January 1958. This 10th January is the date specified in the constitution for the start of the Venezuelan presidential 2013-2019 term. Chávez was reelected with 55% of the vote on 7th October.

There are no reports of a possible return date for Chávez and no information about if he will be able to resume his work.

Henrique Capriles, central opposition spokesman, said yesterday in a press conference that Chávez delegates should start acting towards addressing problems like crime, inflation and food shortages.

President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner came out strongly against the Argentine Justice system after the ruling that acquitted all the suspects accused of human trafficking.

“Last night something very ugly happened. There is a divorce between society and justice, I couldn’t believe it when I was told,” said Fernández in a public speech this afternoon at the inauguration of a medicine production plant.

Cristina Fernández de Kirchner

“We are going to initiate a democratisation of the Judicial Power. Humbly, I believe the time has come for each of the States powers to take care of the things that are happening. I pledge to start a democratisation of the Judiciary,” she added.

Already in conflict with certain judicial decisions taken in recent weeks, namely the extension of the injunction in the Clarín case, and the rejection of the “per saltum” mechanism by the Supreme Court, Fernández continued attacking the judicial branch questioning, “what other office is guaranteed for life?” Seemingly paving the way to what might become a drastic reform of that branch of government. She also stated “when there is money involved no matter how much noise you make they just don’t care”.

Also today the Supreme Court reacted to the news of the Marita Verón verdict by releasing a statement that called on judges to do their best to fight human trafficking.

“Following the events that took place today that are known by the public, the National Supreme Court, as holder of one of the three powers of the State, makes clear that the fight against human trafficking and the protection of victims of gender violence is a very clear and important institutional decision,” read the statement.

Although it made no direct reference to the actual case of Marita Verón, the statement also called on “all the judges in the country to keep maintaining their maximum efforts to end this crime”.

The Supreme Court could eventually be called to rule on the Marita Verón case if it is appealed.

President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner was today forced to cancel her agenda for the next 24 hours after doctors diagnosed her with low blood pressure.

A medical document was signed by presidential doctors Luis Buonomo, Marcelo Ballesteros and Daniel Fernandez. It read “Today, the President of the Nation, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, was diagnosed with low blood pressure and was recommended total rest and monitoring over the next 24 hours”.

This is not the first time President Fernández has suffered from blood pressure problems. In both April and August of this year the president was forced to suspend activities for a day or two to rest.

Low blood pressure can create a situation whereby certain organs are not receiving sufficient amounts of blood to function normally. It is not a serious or critical condition, but can create difficulties in day-to-day life.

Former Cuban president Fidel Castro is celebrating his 86th birthday today. The man who led Cuba through the country’s revolution and for nearly half a century afterwards will be celebrating out of the spotlight, although there are festivities planned around the Caribbean island state.

The capital, Havana, will see an exhibition of 13 images of Castro taken by photographers like Alberto Korda, which have been artistically modified by a group of local painters. Other provinces will see festivities such as fairs and book presentations, as the Sunday edition of many of the country’s newspapers ran with ‘Happy Birthday Fidel’ headlines.

After governing Cuba for nearly half a century, Fidel handed power to his brother, Raúl, in 2006, who formally assumed the presidency in 2007. Questions over the health of the ex-president remain, as Fidel has not been seen in public for months, and in June he stopped writing ‘Reflexiones’, a series of articles he started writing on an almost daily basis six years ago.