Decipher Index

2024 Elections garners the highest PFI this week. Public attention remains on Venezuela’s post-election crisis as the U.S. government calls for President Nicolas Maduro to release data from July’s internationally disputed election to address concerns about its validity. Opposition leader Maria Machado declared the anti-Maduro campaign is ‘stronger than ever’. Meanwhile, Spanish authorities have granted asylum to the main opposition leader, Edmundo Gonzalez. In Mexico, the Senate approved a constitutional amendment that will require judges to stand for election, despite protests and public backlash over concerns it will politicize the judiciary and undermine democracy.

‍Labor and Human Rights is this week’s highest mover. In Brazil, President Lula da Silva dismissed Human Rights Minister Silvio Almeida following reports of sexual misconduct, appointing Macae Evaristo as his replacement. Additionally, Human Rights Watch implicated Venezuelan security forces and pro-government armed groups in killings that occurred during the protests following the internationally disputed election in July. The organization also urged various Latin American governments to enhance protections for Venezuelans and Haitians seeking asylum, which could, in turn, lessen the influx of asylum seekers to the U.S.