The economic growth levels in Latin America are in a recession,  said Peter Tase, a political analyst and expert on Latin American studies in Marquette university in exclusive interview to Eurasia Diary.

Eurasia Diary:  what are reasons of protests in Ecuador and Paraguay?

Peter Tase: The root cause of the violent protests in Ecuador and Paraguay are: the high level of elections fraud, complete absence of transparency, authoritarian presidents, total lack of institutional autonomy and constant drive to violate the rule of law that is set forth and established by the national constitutions in the two South American Countries.

At this time, there is a tragic situation  in Paraguay, the National Senate Palace has been burned to the ground, Rodrigo Quintana, a young political leader of the Radical Authentic Liberal Party from La Colmena - Paraguari, 25 years old, was killed by a police officer in the very early morning hours of Saturday April 1st (at approximately 1:30 AM). Police brutality in Paraguay had reached the journalists and cameraman from Brazil who were trying to do their job. Today the Republic of Paraguay is going through very difficult times, the institutions of the republic are falling apart, the National Senate has been taken hostage by a group of 25 Senators (with a 50+1 majority), from the Colorado Party (ANR), Radical Authentic Liberal Party and from the Frente Guazu Party, who decided to establish a parallel Senate and break the legitimacy of the institutions in Paraguay, at the same time violating the internal ordinance of Paraguayan Congress and the National Constitution of Paraguay. The 25 National Senators of Paraguay are in favor of introducing an amendment in the National Constitution that enables the incumbent Paraguayan President Horacio Cartes to be able to run for a second presidential term in the upcoming general elections that will take place in April 2018.  As of today, the Executive Branch of Paraguayan Government, under the supervision of President Cartes, the leadership of the Yacyreta Hydroelectric Dam (one of the 15 largest hydroelectric dams in the World), have volunteer to use available resources to purchase 20 thousand rubber bullets that could be used by Police Officers against civilian protesters that would gather in the main Plaza of Asuncion, adjacent to the National Congress Palace.

In Ecuador, the triumph of socialist presidential candidate Lenin Moreno, ensures the continuation of public policies that were established and implemented by the outgoing president Rafael Correa, at the same time Mr. Moreno has bolstered the leftist movement in South America, at a time when right wing parties have risen at the helm of power in Argentina and Brazil.   It must be noted that there were mistakes in the counting of the votes and Mr. Moreno's opponent, Mr. Guillermo Lasso has requested the recount of the votes on every ballot box.

Mr. Moreno, was the first disabled vice president of Ecuador; in last Sunday's elections, he secured 51.17 percent of the votes, while Mr. Lasso had earned only 48.83 percent, with over 99 percent of the votes that were counted by the electoral council until Monday afternoon.

 Eurasia Diary: What can you say regarding political and economic situation in Latin America?

Peter Tase: The economic growth levels in Latin America are in a recession, Argentina and Brazil are going through major unemployment crisis and corruption scandals that are harming their respective national economies and are affecting the public finances as well as public works and industrial development.  The high level of drug trafficking and the prevalence of organized crime in some parts of Brazil and Argentina are harming the respective strategies of attracting foreign direct investments in both countries. 

Eurasia Diary: From your opinion, is the United States interested in overturning governments in Ecuador, and other countries of Latin America ?  

Peter Tase: There is no question that the Strategic interests of United States in Ecuador and in the Andean region are seriously affected by the recent elections' results in Quito and of course from the ongoing turmoil in Paraguay. 

by Yunis Abdullayev