The Week Ahead: 21-27 April 2025
Welcome to Southern Pulse’s weekly newsletter, where we dive into the major events and headlines set to shake things up in Latin America this week. We’ll keep you updated on key topics we’re watching and events to keep an eye on. If you were forwarded this newsletter, you can subscribe here:
The Week Ahead
This week will see trials against former government officials for corruption in El Salvador and Peru — plus the creation of a committee in the Argentine Congress that will oversee the investigation of the so-called “Libragate” scandal.
Research for this newsletter was supported by Nelson, our AI-powered Latin American research companion. If you'd like to know more about Nelson, click here.
Monday 21 April
Holidays: 🇧🇷 Brazil celebrates Tiradentes Day, which commemorates the execution of Brazilian national hero Joaquim Jose da Silva Xavier in 1792. | 🇬🇾 🇸🇷 🇹🇹 Guyana, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago observe Easter Monday.
🇩🇴 The Dominican Republic will require Haitian immigrants to show legal documents in order to access medical services as President Luis Abinader strengthens migration measures. Abinader announced 15 measures to control irregular migration from Haiti, including the deployment of military personnel to the Eastern border. One of the strictest measures includes requesting Haitian nationals to produce migration documentation (ID, work permit and proof of address) when accessing medical services in the country.
🇦🇷 The Argentine Economy Minister Luis Caputo will travel to the US to participate in the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Spring Meetings. Caputo’s visit takes place days after Argentina eased its restrictions on foreign exchange access and implemented a new exchange rate scheme. The Meetings will update the global economic projections amid the impact on global markets and trade of the escalating tariffs initiated by the Trump administration.
🇻🇦 🇦🇷 Pope Francis, who made history as the first Latin American pope, has passed away in Rome at the age of 88. Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, he was elected as the 266th pope on 13 March 2013. The Argentine government has announced a period of seven days for national mourning in his honor.
Tuesday 22 April
Holidays: 🇺🇾 Uruguay commemorates the ‘Landing of the 33 Patriots’ Day.
🇨🇱 Chile will host in Santiago the annual “Expomin 2025”, the largest mining fair in Latin America. The business fair will take place between 22 and 26 April and will welcome mining industry experts from 30 countries, featuring Finland as guest country. Organizers expect at least 70,000 attendees.
🇨🇴 🇺🇳 A UN mission in Colombia will present a report on Colombia’s progress towards fulfilling the Peace Agreements. The report, which covers the period from December 27, 2024, to March 26, 2025, investigated violence within the country and identified an escalation of conflict in the Catatumbo region. The UN has raised concerns over the lack of government action to mitigate insecurity, noting that the peace agreement signed by FARC in Havana has not been fully implemented.
Wednesday 23 April
🇸🇻 🇳🇱 The trial against Salvadorian soldiers accused of murdering Dutch journalists in 1982, during the country’s civil war, will take place. The Court of First Instance will hold the trial against Colonel Mario Adalberto Reyes Mena, General José Guillermo García, and Colonel Francisco Antonio Morán for allegedly ambushing the reporters during the course of the civil war (1980-1992).
🇦🇷 The Argentine Congress will create a committee in charge of investigating the “cryptogate” affair. The committee will oversee the investigation on the collapse of the “$LIBRA” cryptocurrency – leading to millions of dollars in losses – which President Javier Milei promoted. Congress will also summon two ministers, the head of the Cabinet and the head of the National Securities Commission, to testify. However, President Milei and his sister Karina, who have been linked to the affair, will not be questioned.
🇦🇷 🌎 The foreign ministers of Mercosur countries will meet in Buenos Aires to discuss exempting specific US products from tariffs. The ministers also announced in a joint statement that they will discuss ‘modernizing’ Mercosur. The meeting comes as Argentinian president Milei has pushed for increased bilateral trade between his country and the US, threatening to sideline Mercosur.
Thursday 24 April
🇵🇪 The Peruvian Constitutional Tribunal will review President Dina Boluarte's request to dismiss a constitutional complaint lodged against her by the Attorney General's Office. The complaint concerns Boluarte's alleged responsibility for the deaths of five individuals during the protests from December 2022 to January 2023. Boluarte's injunction aims to prevent a trial against her.
🇩🇴 In the Dominican Republic, the ultranationalist organization, “Ancient Dominican Order”, will hold a rally against Haitian migrants. The nationalist organization will protest the government’s “insufficient measures” against irregular migration, particularly from Haitians. The rally will be held in Santo Domingo.
Friday 25 April
🇨🇴 The Colombian department of Casanare will host the Governor Summit of the National Federation of Departments (FND). The event, which will take place between 25 and 26 April, gathers the country’s 32 department governors and representatives of the national government. The agenda includes debates on agro-industrialization, infrastructure for agriculture, transition toward sustainable tourism, among others.
🇦🇷 The Argentine government will issue a public tender for the concessions of four large hydroelectric projects. The group is made up of the Alicurá, El Chocón and Piedra del Águila hydroelectric plants, located on the border between Río Negro and Neuquén – and Cerros Colorados – in Neuquén province. The concessions for these four plants granted in 1993 expired in August 2023 and have since been provisionally extended by the Argentine state in order to prepare for a call for tenders.
Weekend
Saturday 26 April
🖥️ Nothing pressing for today. If you were unable to attend our recent Nelson webinar, don't forget that you can access it on demand. This will allow you to see how Nelson can contribute to your success in Latin America. You can find the recorded webinar in English by clicking here.
Sunday 27 April
🇩🇴 In the Dominican Republic, workers from the “National People’s Coordination” (CPS) trade union will lead a march in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the April Revolution. The union said the march complements a series of activities including public assemblies in some cities but mostly located in Santo Domingo.
Keeping an Eye On
In this section, we highlight topics or people we will be monitoring during the week.
🇩🇴 Will Abinader’s nationalist gambit endanger the Dominican Republic’s stability?
Until recently, the Dominican Republic was one of Latin America’s few economic success stories. The country boasted impressive GDP growth rates (averaging 5.4% between 2002 and 2022) in a largely stagnant region. It also managed to halve poverty rates in the last two decades, while its politics seemed largely stable. However, that rosy picture threatens to come to an end. A recent economic slowdown, in addition to a rise in ultranationalist sentiment, could undo years of progress. President Abinader – like many conservative leaders around the world, faced with a resurgent far-right – has decided to toughen his rhetoric on migration. He recently announced a slate of stringent migration measures, designed to stymie Haitian migration. However, as we have seen elsewhere, this does little to assuage radicals. In fact, it may embolden them. Ultranationalist organizations, such as “Código Patria” and “Antigua Orden Dominicana,” have already demonstrated their capacity to mobilize anti-Haitian sentiment through public demonstrations and intimidation of human rights advocates. The convergence of economic deceleration, the recent nightclub disaster that resulted in 231 fatalities, and heightened migration tensions create a challenging political environment as the country approaches the 2028 elections — when Abinader cannot seek reelection due to constitutional term limits. Is the Dominican miracle coming to an end, defeated by the twin evils of economic stagnation and far-right extremism? We’ll be keeping an eye on the country's political stability in the coming months.
🇦🇷 How will Argentina’s currency gamble play out?
Is President Javier Milei's bold move to a floating exchange rate band the economic reset Argentina desperately needs, or a risky gamble that could backfire? As of April 12, 2025, Milei has abandoned Argentina's tightly controlled “crawling peg” system in favor of allowing the peso to float within a $1000-$1400 (ARS) peso band against the dollar. This dramatic shift came after the Central Bank burned through $1.8 billion in reserves over just 11 days in March trying to maintain the previous system. With $20 billion in IMF support secured to cushion the transition, the next 90 days will be critical. Watch for immediate market reactions, potential inflation spikes, and whether exporters begin repatriating dollars as hoped. If successful, this could mark the beginning of Argentina's economic recovery; if not, it might trigger another crisis. Either way, with the peso's value, inflation rates, and Central Bank reserves hanging in the balance, we'll be keeping an eye on whether Milei's currency gamble pays off.
Upcoming Events
On 22 April, The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) will facilitate a discussion with central bank presidents from Latin America and the Caribbean to gain direct insights into important monetary and financial trends in the region.
The Center for Strategic & International Studies' Project on Prosperity and Development is set to host the ninth annual Global Development Forum (GDF) on 23 April. This forum will gather experts and key players to explore future opportunities and necessary steps for US engagement with developing and emerging market countries worldwide.
The 55th Washington Conference on the Americas is scheduled for 7 May. The event will include keynote speeches and interviews with cabinet officials and international leaders, along with high-level panel discussions featuring industry experts. Attendance is available in person for organization members, non-members, and invited guests; although registration is required.
Thanks for taking the time to read The Week Ahead. If there's something you think we overlooked, or you'd simply like to share your thoughts, we'd love to hear from you. Feel free to reach out at press@southernpulse.com.
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