Today, Brazilians celebrate 200 years of independence from Portugal. As part of the celebrations, the heart of Brazil’s first emperor, Dom Pedro I, has been flown in from Porto, set to “be received like a head of state,” notes BBC.

The commemoration of independence, however, is overshadowed for many by fears of political violence. President Jair Bolsonaro, currently trailing in polls by double digits ahead of the October presidential election, plans to hold rallies with supporters today in both Brasilia and Rio de Janeiro. In Rio, he will lead a rally at the famous Copacabana Beach that will reportedly include military parades. This combination of election campaigning with the armed forces is “unprecedented,” says Folha. Many fear violence and unrest by radical supporters during the day’s rally, while the presence of the armed forces is viewed by many as symbolic and threatening, with Bolsonaro having repeatedly questioned the electoral process, celebrated the country’s military dictatorship of the 1960s-80s, and appointed a record number of members of the armed forces to positions in government throughout his administration. Brian Winter, vice president for policy at the Americas Society/Council of the Americas and editor-in-chief of Americas Quarterly, told AP, “Bolsonaro and his supporters have built this up into the most important day of the whole campaign. So he’ll have to deliver some kind of red meat… But everyone wants to know if he’ll cross that line and create a genuine institutional crisis.” Among the preparations for the day, 10,000 police officers have been deployed in Brasilia to curb any potential unrest. (Folha, AP, The Guardian, Bloomberg)

More Brazil

• A new AP explainer details how Brazil’s electronic voting system works and the claims Bolsonaro makes against it.Discussing the 5th edition of the “Face of Democracy” survey, Leonardo Avritzer and Lucio Rennó write at the Washington Brazil Office that “For 59% of respondents, democracy is preferable to any other form of government. And, above all, there is a majority of Brazilians who do not accept that, even in a scenario of serious corruption or increased crime, a coup or military intervention is justifiable. That is, Brazilians want to solve their problems in a democratic environment with the instruments provided by democracy.”

Argentina

• “A self-styled member of a “Kyle Rittenhouse Cultural Center” in Argentina was arrested on Monday after he celebrated a man who pointed a gun at the country’s vice president,” notes Business Insider. (see last Friday’s LADB)

Bolivia 

• Bolivia’s migratory regularization program regularized the legal status of over 1,600 Venezuelans in the country, representing 37.1% of the program’s beneficiaries, reports Proyecto Migración Venezuela. 

Chile

• President Gabriel Boric has reshuffled his cabinet for the first time, including naming “Carolina Toha, an experienced centrist politician who served as mayor of Santiago and as a minister under former President Michelle Bachelet, to replace Izkia Siches as interior minister.” (Reuters, La Tercera)  
  
• Following Sunday’s referendum, “The electoral setback for President Boric gives the legislature—especially the Senate—an opportunity to shape the new process. Even if there is an election for a new constitutional convention, the rules of the game will be heavily tilted to favor professional politicians and experts… If the government and the opposition can hear the popular message that Chile wants a new constitution, not a new country, the country will soon have a new constitution that deepens and improves the market-friendly democratic model that made its history of democratic and economic development over the past three decades the most successful in Latin America,” writes Patricio Navia at Americas Quarterly. (see Monday’s LADB) 

Colombia

• “Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro is urging power sector authorities to explain why electricity prices have risen more than double the inflation rate, especially in the Caribbean region, while water reservoirs of hydroelectric plants stand at high levels,” notes Bloomberg. 

El Salvador

• El Salvador’s state of emergency and war on gangs has led to mass arrests, causing financial distress for many as they take on legal fees and reduced incomes, says Reuters. 

Mexico

• Vanda Felbab-Brown at Brookings explains the foreign policy of the Sinaloa Cartel and CJNG in relation to European cocaine and meth markets. 
  
  
• Two students that were reported missing have been found dead after being detained by the Mexican Navy. “The Mexican Navy has a track record of civilian disappearances in the north of Mexico,” according to Aztec Reports. 

Panama

• The anti-corruption commission created following negotiations over the country’s protests this past summer has been criticized as “insufficient” and “lacking representation,” reports La Prensa. 

Peru

• Harvey Colchado, who leads investigations into corruption by President Pedro Castillo, is now being investigated for an alleged attempted kidnapping, among other charges. At least one of the cases is based on an anonymous tip. (La República, El Comercio)
  
  
• “Peru’s embattled President Pedro Castillo, the subject of six criminal investigations, appeared before prosecutors Monday to respond to accusations that he ran a corruption network from his office,” declaring his innocence on all accounts, says France24.
  
  
• “Peruvian lawmakers on Monday ousted Lady Camones, the head of Congress, just a day after the country’s prime minister publicly demanded her removal over leaked audio that showed her discussing how to use the legislature to benefit her party,” reports Reuters. 

Venezuela

• President Nicolás Maduro wants to grow 100,000 hectares of soybeans in three years in Monagas state, reports El Oriental.

Arianna Kohan y Jordi Amaral / Latin America Daily Briefing
http://latinamericadailybriefing.blogspot