- Left in Latin America Seeks to Regroup
- The Long March of Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party
- Slovenia: Xenophobic Right, Rising Left
- South Africa: Tribute to a Worker Leader
- Mexico: ¡Sí se pudo! (AMLO Wins!)
- Russia: Protest Over Pension Reform
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São Paulo Forum: Left in Latin America Seeks to Regroup
Harald Neuber / amerika21 (Berlin)
[The following is a translation of a report (in German) on the 2018 São Paulo Forum - moderator]
Havana. In the midst of a political offensive, a restoration of neo-liberalism and a renewed US influence in Latin America, progressive parties and organizations have agreed on joint initiatives and strategies at the annual São Paulo Forum in the Cuban capital Havana. “NUESTRA AMÉRICA EN PIE DE LUCHA” read the title of the summit’s final declaration.
More than 600 delegates debated at the 24th Forum of the Latin American and Caribbean Left from 15 to 17 July in the Congress Center of Havana. It dealt with common strategies, but also mistakes made. Participants repeatedly emphasized the unity of the progressive and democratic forces against the increasing power of the political elites.
Heads of state, former presidents, personalities, intellectuals and representatives of social movements from all over Latin America clearly rejected the thesis that the left in Latin America had been defeated or even failed. However, the debates closely examined what has led to the loss of government power: electoral defeat or coups. The third forum of Sao Paulo in Havana, after previous meetings there in the years 1993 and 2001, thus became a place of analysis as well as self-criticism.
In this sense, the final statement adopted on Monday rejected the thesis that all of Latin America is dominated by US-related oligarchies. Nevertheless, strategies were agreed on to curb the advance of the right. Also, they saw the need to strengthen regional integration mechanisms such as the Latin American and Caribbean Community (Celac), to counteract the US-dominated Organization of American States (OAS).
The final declaration emphasizes the solidarity of the member parties and organizations with Venezuela and Nicaragua, despite growing criticism from parts of the Latin American left to the governments there. The political leaderships in both states are currently the victims of internal and external aggression. There was agreement on a classic demand - the condemnation of the US blockade against socialist Cuba.
An important topic was the legal prosecution of political figures of the Latin American left. The demand for an immediate release of the Brazilian ex-president (2003-2011) Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was clearly stated. The deposed successor to Lula, Dilma Rousseff, reported on the verdict against the ex-president, and the political trial that has been criticized by countless lawyers in various events. The other participants from Brazil included the chairman of the Brazilian Workers Party (Partido dos Trabalhadores, PT), Gleisi Hoffmann. Both pointed out that Lula da Silva was being held in custody because the Brazilian right wing was very afraid of a return of the PT to power. Despite his arrest, Lula da Silva is currently leading polls for the presidential election in early October.
The participants very clearly expressed their solidarity with Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega. Nicaragua is currently shaken by a violent wave of protests that has cost more than 300 lives. Government and protesters blame each other. The Havana Forum said: "We reject the intervention and interventionism of the US government through its agencies in Nicaragua, which organize and guide local ultra-rights to overthrow governments that are not in their interests." It also denounced the "one-sidedness of international organizations that are subordinate to the intentions of imperialism, as is the case with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights".
In a Declaration on Nicaragua, participants also condemned "the destabilizing, violent and terrorist actions of the putschist right following the same strategy used in other countries such as Venezuela and refusing to recognize the constitutional order." The right seizes this means "after it has failed with its original intention to overthrow the Sandinista government headed by Comandante Daniel Ortega Saavedra".
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UK: The Long March of Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party
Iain Watson / BBC News (London)
Labour's leadership believe they have overturned what they term "the neo-liberal consensus" and have challenged the efficacy and morality of austerity.
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Slovenia: An Increasingly Xenophobic Right, a Fragmented Centre and a Rising Left
Nejc Slukan / transform! europe (Brussels)
The outcome of the recent Slovenian elections shows a fragmented political landscape, a worrying increase in support for right-wing populism and luckily, an electoral gain for the left’s Levica party.
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South Africa: Tribute to a Worker Leader – Petrus Mashishi
Khanya College / Karibu! (Johannesburg)
This enduring commitment to the working class led Comrade Prez to continue his organising work right up to his last breath.
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Mexico: ¡Sí se pudo!
Daniel Eltringham / London Review of Books
AmLo won so decisively not only because of his stance against corruption, violence and impunity, but also because he was the only candidate to talk about popular sovereignty.
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Russia: Protesters Rally Outside State Duma in Moscow Over Pension Reform
Evan Gershkovich / Moscow Times
Opinion polls have seen Putin’s approval rating drop to below 50 percent for the first time in five years amid dozens of protests organized across the country against the measure.
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