Skimm #2

The Story

On Monday, current the current Paraguayan President, Horacio Cartes, announced that he would not be running for reelection in the 2018 election due to recent riots. The riots were fueled after the President as well as the Senate attempted to amend the constitution that would allow him to run again after his highly criticized term. As a result of these riots, hundreds of people were severely injured and one opposition activist was killed by the police.

What prompted this?

The recent attempt by the Senate/President to amend the constitution was only part of the reason for the riots. Throughout his political career, there have been multiple accusations that he is connected to the drug trade as well as his questionable decisions regarding his businesses.

What’s next?

The country must find an acceptable candidate that will act in the interest of the people, not themselves. The future of Paraguay’s politics lies in the hands of the people, and the must advocate for a President with strong democratic roots that will make serious political changes.

 

What are they fighting for in Venezuela?

On Wednesday, the streets of Caracas and many other cities throughout Venezuela were flooded with protesting the actions of the government. For months, the people have faced shortages of food and instability which started the protests. Shortly after, the protests became extremely violent that results in two deaths. This is the third protest this month that has resulted in multiple deaths at the hands of the Venezuelan police. The reasoning behind the protests is that they want to see an end to oppressive leadership and the rise of a strong democracy.

 

Mudslides in Colombia

Another mudslide in Colombia has claimed seventeen more lives as the rain continues to fall. Two weeks ago, Colombia had a landslide in Mocoa that took the lives of over three hundred people, and on Thursday the toll grew. Recent removal of trees in Colombia has made the entire country vulnerable to landslides because of the heavy rainfall they have received in April.

 

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/04/horacio-cartes-paraguay-170418003731075.html

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/04/19/524708302/venezuela-erupts-in-mother-of-all-protests-as-anti-maduro-sentiment-seethes

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-39642908