Latin America in the Spotlight in 2026

Latin America in the Spotlight in 2026

From Latin America in Focus by AS/COA Online

December 18, 2025 · 32 min · Episode 226

About this episode

This episode discusses the upcoming presidential elections in Latin America and the challenges faced by election observers.

From the Donroe Doctrine to tariff turmoil a rightward electoral tilt, 2025 was a year of shifts for Latin America. Now, with Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Haiti, and Peru gearing up for presidential votes in 2026, more change is on the way. To make sense of what's to come, this episode of Latin America in focus brings back four of our prior guests from across the region: Venezuelan journalist and political scientist Tony Frangie Mawad, Mexican international affairs expert Brenda Estefan, Brazilian journalist and political analyst Thomas Traumann, and Latino and hemispheric digital democracy expert Roberta Braga. Then, in conversation with host Carin Zissis, the OAS’ director of electoral monitoring, Gerardo de Icaza, draws on over a decade of experience overseeing missions in 27 countries to explain the evolving challenges on the ground for election observers, from being victims of increasing political polarization to finding practical ways to leverage artificial intelligence for stronger election processes—as well as what it all means for democracy in the region.

People in this episode

Host: Carin Zissis

Guests: Tony Frangie Mawad, Brenda Estefan, Thomas Traumann, Roberta Braga, Gerardo de Icaza

Topics covered

  • elections
  • politics
  • democracy
  • Latin America

Keywords

  • 2026 elections
  • political polarization
  • artificial intelligence
  • OAS

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Latin America, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Haiti, Peru

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