Peru opposition lawmakers launch third impeachment attempt against Castillo

The latest in Latin American politics today:

Peru opposition lawmakers launch third impeachment attempt against Castillo

LIMA – Peru opposition legislators presented another impeachment motion against President Pedro Castillo, the third formal attempt to oust the leftist leader since he took office last year, calling him morally unfit for office.

The impeachment attempt comes amid escalating tensions between the two government branches. Castillo has said the legislature is attempting a coup d’etat against him while opposition lawmakers say he is trying to illegally shut down Congress.

Now Peru’s Congress, controlled by right-wing parties, has to decide whether to proceed to an impeachment trial. Lawmakers would ultimately need 87 votes to remove Castillo from office.

It was not clear when Congress would schedule a session to debate the motion.

Venezuela to sign new contracts to boost oil output at joint ventures

CARACAS – Venezuela will soon sign new contracts to boost oil joint ventures between state firm PDVSA and private energy companies, the country’s oil minister Tareck El Aissami said, a move that will benefit U.S. oil firm Chevron.

The U.S. Treasury Department on Saturday authorized Chevron to expand its Venezuelan operations at its Venezuela joint ventures, a move that could help the country boost crude production and exports after almost four years of harsh U.S. oil trading sanctions.

U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration has said sanctions on Venezuela could be eased further depending on the progress of key political talks that resumed this month in Mexico aimed at agreeing to terms of a presidential election and other demands.

Brazil’s Lula courts UK, others to join fund to protect rainforest

BRASILIA – Aides to Brazilian President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva are in talks with Britain, Switzerland and France, seeking donations for an international fund to protect the Amazon rainforest, a bulwark against climate change, a Lula adviser said.

The British embassy said its government was studying the invitation to join the Amazon Fund, which already has about 3 billion reais ($564 million).

The fund, which was launched under Lula’s first administration from 2003-2010, bankrolled conservation projects and counts Norway and Germany as its biggest donors.

Brazil’s primary budget surplus tops expectations in October

BRASILIA – Brazil’s central government posted a better-than-expected primary budget surplus of $5.8 billion in October, Treasury data showed, as federal revenues continued to surprise on the upside.

The Treasury said in a statement the annual primary budget surplus is expected to reach 0.4% of GDP, its first surplus since 2013, helped by booming revenues and the country’s constitutional spending cap.

The cap limits the expansion of public expenses to the previous year’s inflation. President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has promised to abolish it, and his team has requested Congress approve a multibillion-dollar waiver to increase welfare spending next year.

Mexico open to deal with U.S. on GMO corn as farmers demand clarity over ban

MEXICO CITY – Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said he is seeking a deal with Washington after the United States threatened legal action over Mexico’s plan to ban genetically modified (GMO) corn in 2024.

After meeting with Mexican officials on Monday, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said Mexico’s decree could violate the United States-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) trade pact.

Lopez Obrador said the ban was focused on genetically modified yellow corn for human consumption: “Our position is not closed off,” he said. U.S. farmers send about 17 million tonnes of corn annually to Mexico, one of their biggest buyers. (Compiled by Steven Grattan and Sarah Morland Editing by Bill Berkrot and Lincoln Feast)