Washington: Victories by right-wing parties in key elections and escalating tensions between Venezuela and the US defined Latin America's political and security agenda in 2025.
According to Anadolu Agency, the success of right-wing parties in elections held in Argentina, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, and Honduras signaled a shift in Latin America's political balance.
During the same period, the US decision to raise the reward for information leading to the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to $50 million was among the developments that marked the year. Washington's military buildup in the Caribbean under the pretext of combating drug trafficking significantly increased tensions with Venezuela. US attacks on boats it claimed belonged to drug trafficking groups in the Caribbean, along with President Donald Trump's threats to invade Venezuela, further escalated tensions in the region.
In response, Maduro's message that he could mobilize a militia force of 4.5 million people brought Latin America to the center of global political and security debates over the past five months. High tariffs imposed by Washington targeting Mexico and Brazil, Trump's description of Colombian President Gustavo Petro as 'an illegal drug leader,' the impeachment of Peruvian President Dina Boluarte by Congress, the death of former Uruguayan President Jose Mujica, and Petro's expulsion of all Israeli diplomats from Colombia were among the key developments shaping the region's recent political agenda.
Election results revealed the region's political direction. In Argentina, the ruling party led by President Javier Milei won parliamentary elections. In Bolivia, center-right candidate Rodrigo Paz prevailed, while in Chile, far-right candidate Jose Antonio Kast won. In Ecuador, right-wing candidate Daniel Noboa emerged victorious, and in Honduras, Palestinian-origin conservative candidate Nasry Asfura, backed by Trump, won the presidency.
Nicolas Maduro, who won the July 28, 2024, presidential election with just over 51% of the vote for a third term, was sworn in on January 10 to begin his new term. On August 19, following the US decision to raise the reward for information leading to his arrest to $50 million, Maduro announced that more than 4.5 million militia members would be deployed nationwide. Reacting to the US sending warships and submarines off Venezuela's coast under the pretext of 'fighting drug cartels,' Maduro said on September 1 that 'Venezuela is facing the greatest threat the continent has seen in the last 100 years.'
In Colombia, more than 54,000 people were displaced due to months-long clashes between the National Liberation Army (ELN) and the now-dissolved Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia's (FARC) 33rd Front in the Catatumbo region. A truck bomb attack near a military air base in Cali on August 21 killed six people and injured more than 80. The same day, a helicopter crash following a drone attack in Antioquia killed 12 police officers and injured five.
Brazil's Supreme Court on November 25 ruled that former President Jair Bolsonaro's 27-year, three-month prison sentence for plotting a coup after the 2022 elections was finalized and ordered the start of its execution. Security forces killed 132 people in the largest operation against the Comando Vermelho in the state of Rio de Janeiro. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on June 5 commented on the situation in Gaza, criticizing Israel.
In Argentina, President Javier Milei announced in early February that Argentina would withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO), citing 'deep differences.' Despite the opposition's landslide victory in Buenos Aires provincial elections on September 7, the ruling party led by Milei won parliamentary elections held on October 26.
In Chile, President Gabriel Boric reiterated Chile's sovereignty claim over part of Antarctica during a visit to the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station in early January. A state of emergency was declared on February 26 after a nationwide power outage affected 99% of the country. Far-right candidate Jose Antonio Kast won the presidential runoff, ending four years of left-wing rule.
In Mexico, President Claudia Sheinbaum on February 2 ordered the implementation of 'Plan B' in response to the US decision to impose an additional 25% tariff on Mexican imports. On June 1, Mexicans voted for the first time to elect 881 judicial positions, including members of the Supreme Court and the Electoral Tribunal.
Bolivia endured a difficult year marked by a deep economic crisis and foreign currency shortages, with frequent protests and clashes between demonstrators and police. Rodrigo Paz, a center-right politician who won the country's first-ever second-round election on October 19, ended nearly 20 years of rule of the Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) party.
In Ecuador, 37-year-old Daniel Noboa, who won the April 13 presidential runoff, was sworn in on May 24 for the 2025-2029 term. On July 20, Ecuadorian security forces announced that Jose Adolfo Macias Villamar, known as 'Fito,' the most wanted drug trafficker in the country's history, had been extradited to the US.
In Peru, Nobel Prize-winning author Mario Vargas Llosa died on April 13 at the age of 89. Former President Ollanta Humala was sentenced on April 15 to 15 years in prison for money laundering. Congress impeached President Dina Boluarte on October 10 on grounds of 'permanent moral incapacity.'
In Panama, President Jose Raul Mulino said on January 20 that the Panama Canal belongs to Panama and will remain so, responding to Trump's remarks on taking back the Panama Canal. Paraguay and Uruguay also witnessed significant political and social developments throughout the year.
Former President Jose Mujica, who died on May 13, was buried on May 15 at his farm in Uruguay in accordance with his wishes. In Honduras, Nasry Asfura's presidential victory marked a significant political shift in the country.