BOGOTA, Colombia/ISTANBUL

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.

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.

Immediately afterward, 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.

-Right-wing parties win at the ballot box

Election results clearly 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, 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.

Venezuela

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 Jan. 10 to begin his new term.

On Aug. 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 Sept. 1 that “Venezuela is facing the greatest threat the continent has seen in the last 100 years.”

Stressing that Caracas took US military intervention threats seriously, he said on Sept. 6 that “if Venezuela is attacked, it will move to a stage of armed struggle.”

It was reported that on Oct. 6, amid rising US military activity in the Caribbean, Maduro sent a letter to Pope Leo XIV seeking support.

On Nov. 16, Venezuelan opposition figure and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado called on the military via social media to lay down their arms and refuse to obey Maduro’s orders.

On Dec. 2, Maduro danced to a remixed version of his speech at a party rally, calling on the US for “peace.”

Responding sharply to the US seizure of an oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast, he likened Washington to “Pirates of the Caribbean,” saying: “The masks have come off.”

Recalling Trump’s order to block all sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers, Maduro said on Dec. 18: “It is simply a warmongering and colonialist pretense, and we have said so many times, and now everyone sees the truth. The truth has been revealed, the aim in Venezuela is a regime change to impose a puppet government…turning Venezuela into a colony.”

On Dec. 17, Maduro discussed regional peace and recent developments in a phone call with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. On the same day, Venezuela sent an official letter to the UN Security Council accusing the US of “piracy” over the tanker seizure.

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 of northeastern Colombia.

A truck bomb attack near a military air base in Cali on Aug. 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.

Sen. Miguel Uribe Turbay, considered a right-wing presidential contender for the 2026 elections, died on Aug. 11 after being seriously wounded in an armed attack on June 7, reigniting debates over election security.

Former President Alvaro Uribe was sentenced in early August to 12 years of house arrest for attempting to mislead the judiciary and bribing witnesses.

On Sept. 30, Petro accused Trump of being an “accomplice to genocide” over Gaza. After Trump labeled Petro a “drug leader,” Colombia recalled its ambassador from Washington on Oct. 20.
Petro responded to the inclusion of himself and his family on the US sanctions list by saying: “ We do not kneel.”

Citing US operations in the Caribbean and Pacific, Petro announced on Nov. 12 that communication and intelligence sharing with US security agencies had been suspended.

On Dec. 3, reacting to Trump again targeting Colombia over drugs, Petro said: “Attacking our sovereignty is declaring war.”

Following Israel’s attack on the Global Sumud Flotilla for Gaza, Petro announced on Oct. 2 that all Israeli diplomats in Colombia would be expelled, deepening the diplomatic rupture between Bogota and Tel Aviv.

On Nov. 22, Colombian security forces seized 14 tons of cocaine hidden in containers at a Pacific port in the country’s largest operation in the past decade.

On Dec. 5, a joint statement was signed in Qatar between the Colombian government and the Clan del Golfo armed group to support disarmament and peace efforts in areas under the group’s influence.

- Brazil

Brazil’s Supreme Court on Nov. 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.

The decision reignited debates about democracy and the rule of law in the country.

Security forces killed 132 people in the largest operation in recent years against the Comando Vermelho, one of the country's largest criminal organizations, in the neighborhoods of Penha and Alemao in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

Images of those who lost their lives during the operation appearing in the press sparked international outrage.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on June 5 said: “What is happening in Gaza is not a war, it is a genocide being carried out by a highly trained army, against women and children,” sharply criticizing Israel.

On Aug. 6, Lula said Brazil would mobilize all available means, including applying to the World Trade Organization (WTO), to protect its interests against US tariffs.

The UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) was held in Belem, the capital of Para state, on Nov. 10-21, focusing on the Amazon and the global climate crisis.

Lula approved a law passed by Congress on Jan. 14 that bans cell phone use in elementary and middle schools.

On Dec. 21, he warned that possible military intervention against Venezuela amid tensions with the US could lead to a “humanitarian catastrophe.”
- Argentina

President Javier Milei announced in early February that Argentina would withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO), citing “deep differences.”

A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck southern Argentina on May 2, with no loss of life.

In June, a federal court converted former President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner’s six-year prison sentence and lifetime political ban in a corruption case to house arrest.

Human rights groups filed a criminal complaint in August against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of a planned visit, accusing him of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Despite the opposition’s landslide victory in Buenos Aires provincial elections on Sept. 7, the ruling party led by Milei won parliamentary elections held on Oct. 26.

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 Feb. 26 after a nationwide power outage affected 99% of the country.

Boric said on May 22 that the Israeli government is carrying out “ethnic cleansing in Gaza,” regarding Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip.

A 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck the Drake Passage south of Chile on Aug. 22, with no casualties reported.

Far-right candidate Jose Antonio Kast won the presidential runoff by a 16-point margin, ending four years of left-wing rule.

- Mexico

President Claudia Sheinbaum on Feb. 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.

A tanker carrying flammable materials exploded on Sept. 10, killing 28 people.

Floods triggered by heavy rainfall in five states in October killed 76 people.

In November, Sheinbaum rejected Trump's proposal to send troops to Mexico to fight drug cartels once again.

On Dec. 17, she called on the UN to intervene to prevent possible bloodshed following increased US military presence off Venezuela’s northern coast.
- Bolivia

Bolivia endured a difficult year marked by a deep economic crisis and foreign currency shortages, with frequent protests and clashes between demonstrators and police.

Supporters of former President Evo Morales staged protests throughout the year, blocking highways nationwide, and many police officers were injured.

Rodrigo Paz, a center-right politician who won the country's first-ever second-round election on Oct. 19, ended nearly 20 years of rule of the Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) party, known as a leftist movement in Bolivian and Latin American politics.

On Dec. 10, the Paz administration announced the restoration of diplomatic relations with Israel, which had been severed in 2023 following Israel's attacks on Gaza.

Former President Luis Arce was arrested in December as part of a corruption investigation.

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 and gang leader in the country's history, had been extradited to the US.

On Sept. 16, Ecuador designated Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran’s Revolutionary Guards as terrorist organizations.

In a prison in El Oro state, which often makes headlines due to frequent gang clashes in the country, the lifeless bodies of 31 inmates were found on Nov. 10.

On Nov. 16, voters rejected a four-article constitutional reform package proposed by the Noboa government.

On Dec. 22, in the case of four children who were killed after being detained, 11 soldiers were each sentenced to 34 years and 8 months in prison.

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.

The bodies of 13 miners kidnapped by an armed group linked to illegal mining were found on May 4.

Congress impeached President Dina Boluarte on Oct. 10 on grounds of “permanent moral incapacity.”

Former President Pedro Castillo was sentenced to 11 years, 5 months, and 15 days in prison on Nov. 27 for conspiracy to incite rebellion, while another former President, Martin Vizcarra, received a 14-year prison sentence on Nov. 26 for corruption.
- Panama

President Jose Raul Mulino said on Jan. 20 that the Panama Canal belongs to Panama and will remain so, responding to Trump’s remarks on taking back the Panama Canal.

On April 25, Mulino announced that the migration crisis at the 266-kilometer Darien Gap on the country’s southwestern border with Colombia has ended.

Paraguay

Venezuela and Paraguay announced on Jan. 6 that they had severed diplomatic relations over disagreements regarding opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez.

Uruguay

Former President Jose Mujica, who died on May 13, was buried on May 15 at his farm in accordance with his wishes.

Honduras

In Honduras, Palestinian-origin conservative candidate Nasry Asfura, backed by Trump, won the presidential election held on Nov. 30.