Colombian President Gustavo Petro withdrew a political reform his administration had sent to congress months ago, hours before it was set for a senate commission vote. In a dramatic scene, the President of Congress Roy Barreras tore the printed reform bill, saying the government has three years to create a better proposal. The move is a major setback for the government’s legislative agenda, and for the governing Pacto Histórico’s electoral future. (La Silla Vacía, La Silla Vacía)

Petro said modifications to the reform — removing articles that would have made political campaigns entirely state-funded and creating a system guaranteeing gender parity on party lists — left the overhaul “without progressive issues.” (El País)

Lawmakers cut many of Petro’s original initiatives and added others to the political reform bill, such as allowing members of congress to become ministers. The resulting proposal had the support of traditional parties allied with the Pacto Histórico, but not other members of the coalition, like green bloc and centrist parties, according to El País.

Reforms to the electoral system — creating closed party lists rather than having voters select individual candidates — have been proposed for years, and, in fact, were referenced in the 2016 peace accord with the FARC, reports El País. Mainstream political parties have blocked such efforts in the past,

The withdrawal is the first defeat of a major bill since Petro took office last August, and augers poorly for other bills, like a major pension overhaul and labor reform, the government hoped to pass, reports Bloomberg.

More Colombia

• The number of internally displaced people in Colombia increased significantly last year as several armed groups fought for control in rural areas of the country, according to the Red Cross’s annual assessment. More than 123,000 people had to flee their homes in rural areas last year to escape conflict, a 60% increase from 2021. An estimated 39,000 people were confined in their villages for days or weeks, due to threats from armed groups. (Associated Press)
  
  
• Colombian Vice President Francia Márquez denounced a new attempted bomb attack against her in the Choco department, where she traveled to attend an activity that honored people displaced by violence, this week. (Telesur)
  
  
• The problem with Petro’s approach to “total peace” with Colombia’s armed groups is, in part, procedural, wrote International Crisis Group’s Elizabeth Dickinson on Twitter this week, after Petro declared the end of a cease-fire and peace negotiation with the Gulf Clan criminal organization this week. “The problem was announcing ceasefires before having agreed protocols, monitoring mechanisms, and clear orders for the public force.” (Silla Vacía, see Tuesday’s briefs.)
  
  
• A recent Twitter-feud between Petro and Nayib Bukele, positioned El Salvador’s president opposite Colombia’s in a new configuration of Colombian political polarization, at a time when Colombian conservatives are bereft of a strong leader, reports El País.

Regional

• The spat between Petro and Bukele, showcased the two leaders’ divergent approaches to security. But their policies “face similar challenges,” reports Americas Quarterly. “They both focus on short-term results, and neglect reforms known to meaningfully address violent crime in the long term, such as judicial reform and combating impunity.”

Honduras

• A year after Honduran President Xiomara Castro promised to end open pit mining in the country, the controversial Guapinol mine remains in operation, with the apparent support of military police and the increased threat of repression against opponents, writes Jared Olsen in Baffler.

Regional Relations

• Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will propose a “peace club” with China to mediate an end to the conflict in Ukraine when he travels to Beijing next week, reports the Financial Times.
  
  
• The high-profile tour that is part of Lula’s efforts to repair Brazil’s overseas reputation after his predecessor’s era of diplomatic antagonism and isolation, reports the Guardian.
  
  
• Norway pledged its support this week for Brazil’s efforts to attract additional donor countries for the Amazon Fund, set up to fight deforestation and spur sustainable development. The Amazon Fund was set up with a donation of $1.2 billion from Norway and currently has $5 billion. France and Spain have shown interest in contributing to the Brazilian-administered fund, Britain is studying whether to contribute and the United States signaled its intent to do so. (Reuters)
  
  
• Tensions between the U.S. and China, which have pushed companies relying on Chinese manufacturing to diversify production locations, provide a historic opportunity for North American integration, according to the Economist.

Mexico

• Mexico’s army has dramatically revised upward the number of drug lab raids it says it conducted under President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, according to government data and leaked military documents reviewed by Reuters. Experts say the numbers aren’t credible.

Guatemala

• Facing institutionalized violence from the government and opposition groups, some Indigenous activists in Guatemala have no choice but to flee, reports The Nation. Last year, Global Witness reported that at least 80 environmental defenders were killed in Guatemala between 2012 and 2021. Dozens of other dissident voices have fled, been detained, or are facing judicial persecution.

Argentina

• Argentina’s protracted economic crisis is taking a toll on establishment politicians, and favoring libertarian candidate Javier Milei. Long considered a fringe figure, he is polling 17 percent this year, third behind the country’s dominant coalitions. (El País)
  
  
• Milei’s “Chainsaw Plan,” which would eliminate the ministries of Education, Health, Public Works or Social Development, permit the sale of organs, and civilians to arm themselves, is dramatic, but appeals to voters tired the status quo politicians, rampant inflation, and dramatically high poverty rates, reports Bloomberg.

Paraguay

• Paraguay’s upcoming April 30 presidential election is unusually competitive—and foreign policy-focused, reports the Latin America Brief. The campaign has been marked “by a combination of anti-corruption, anti-incumbent, and pro-China sentiments,” writes Catherine Osborn. “Under new leadership, Paraguay could switch its diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to China and will have to renegotiate a critical energy treaty with Brazil.”

Brazil

• Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed an executive order this week establishing that Afro-Brazilians and Brazilians of mixed race should hold at least a third of some appointed government positions.

Jordana Timerman/Latin America Daily Briefing