Another big step towards relaxing relations between the US and Cuba has been taken as the White House announced on 18 February it would make an official state visit to Cuba, which will be attended by US President Barack Obama and his wife on 21 and 22 March. The announcement follows earlier attempts to re-establish ties between the US and Cuba, that have not had friendly relations ever since the Communist Castro's took over in Cuba. The last time an US President made a visit to Cuba was 88 years ago. The announcement has been criticised in the US by Republicans in particular, that currently dominate both the Congress and the House of Representatives. Marcio Rubio and Ted Cruz, both with Cuban backgrounds, and current contenders for the Republican nomination for the Presidential Elections, stated they would not seek to normalise relations with Cuba as long as it is not a free country.
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The struggle for power continues in Venezuela as the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) stated it seeks to oust current President Nicolás Maduro. The MUD currently dominates the Parliament following earlier Parliamentary Elections in December 2015. Maduro however is continuing his rule by decree after declaring emergency powers earlier in January, something which was not approved by Parliament, but got overruled later by the Supreme Court of Venezuela. The court is composed of members appointed by the current President and former President Hugo Chavez. It did not agree to install several representatives of the MUD before to prevent it having a two-third majority. An impeachment of the President could be asked in a Referendum from April 2016 onwards, 3 years after the installment of the President. 4 million signatures would be needed for this.
Read More Following continuing economic troubles in Venezuela and amidst the political struggle for power in Venezuela, as earlier Parliamentary Elections in 2015 have led to a win of the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD), President Nicolás Maduro has declared ''Economic Emergency'' in the country on 15 January 2016, which would make him keep state controls. The Parliament would have to agree. Venezuela has been in bad economic shape now for a few years and the popularity of both the President and the Socialists which Nicolás Maduro is heading have been declining.
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Following the 49th Summit of Mercosur in the capital of Paraguay, member states signed a joint declaration pledging for strengthening regional integration. The focus was mainly on economic issues, however, the heads of state also pledged to intensify efforts for strengthening democracy and cooperation in the field of human rights protection.
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The Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) won the parliamentary elections in Venezuela on 6 December 2015 with 109 out of 169 seats. Together with 3 representatives of the indigenous communities, they were able to secure a two-third majority for the first time in 16 years. President Nicolas Maduro declared the defeat of his party - the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) - in a televised speech.
The second round of presidential elections in Argentina was won by the centre-right opposition candidate Mauricio Macri. The victory implies an end of the era of the so-called "Kirchnerism" or Peronist governments of Nestor Kirchner (2003-2007) and his wife Cristina de Kirchner (2007-2015).
In Washington, agreements have been concluded between the US and Cuba with regards to cooperation in the conservation and management of protected marine areas as well as on cooperation in the sphere of environmental protection. These were the first bilateral agreements made since the restoration of diplomatic relations between the US and Cuba in December 2014.
On 6 November 2015, the President of Cuba made his first state visit to Mexico. It was the first meeting since bilateral relations between the two countries deteriorated at the beginning of the 21st century. A series of agreements were signed on bilateral cooperation in the areas of tourism, agriculture, education and migration. The countries also agreed that in the near future a visit of Mexican entrepreneurs will be organized in Cuba.
Ministers Luis de Guindos and Jose Manuel Soria visited the Spanish pavilion at the Havana International Fair (FIHAV), the largest trade fair in Cuba. During the visit, agreements were signed for the short-term refinancing of the debt of Cuba with a value of € 201.5 million, as well as several agreements on economy and industry.
