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Costa Rica sentences man for murdering indigenous leader
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Peru Congress rejects proposal for elections this year
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Brazil's Congress re-elects congressional leaders
Feb 1 (Reuters) -
The latest in Latin American politics today: IMF tells Latin America's wealthy to pay fair share of taxes NEW YORK - Latin America and the Caribbean will face rising poverty and food insecurity in 2023, and trust in government will remain low as long as corruption remains high and the wealthy do not pay their fair share of taxes, the International Monetary Fund said. Latin America's slowing economic growth and high inflation could intensify social unrest, as "many people in the region will see their living standards decline this year," the IMF officials wrote in a blog post. Costa Rica sentences man for murdering indigenous leader
SAN JOSE - A Costa Rican court sentenced a man to 22 years behind bars for the murder of an indigenous leader in a 2020 land dispute, a case that has stoked decades-old tensions between native communities and farmers over disputed territory. The court ruled farmer Juan Varela shot from behind and killed Broran indigenous leader Yehry Rivera in a confrontation over land in the Terraba community. The U.N. has said decades of occupation of indigenous lands by non-indigenous Costa Ricans have led to "systematic violence" by some farmers. Peru's Congress rejects proposal for 2023 elections LIMA - Peru's Congress rejected a proposal to move elections forward to December 2023, despite nearly two months of protests that have left dozens dead following the ousting of former President Pedro Castillo. Within Peru's deeply fragmented Congress, some lawmakers wish to finish their original term, while others want to go further and hold a referendum for a new constitution. Lawmakers will continue debating a different proposal to hold early elections, a key demand of the protesters.
Brazil's Congress re-elects Senate, lower house leaders BRASILIA - Brazil's Congress re-elected the leaders of both chambers, in a key win for leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's legislative agenda. Senator Rodrigo Pacheco drew 49 votes out of the 41 he needed to defeat Rogerio Marinho, an ally of far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro, avoiding a dramatic setback for Lula.
In the lower house, center-right Popular Party (PP) Speaker Arthur Lira was re-elected by a wide margin, after having secured the support of Lula's Workers Party and others in his center-left coalition, along with some of Bolsonaro's allies. (Compiled by Steven Grattan and Sarah Morland; Editing by Bill Berkrot and Sandra Maler)
