GUSTAVO PETRO: COLOMBIA’S NEW PRESIDENT TAKES OFFICE

On August 7, 2022, Gustavo Petro took office as President of the Republic of Colombia.  This election is historic for multiple reasons: Petro won with the highest number of votes in Colombian electoral history (over eleven million votes); and this is the first time a left-wing candidate has been elected as President in the country. … Read more

CHILE’S NEXT POLITICAL CHAPTER: NEW CONSTITUTION ON THE WAY, AND NEW PRESIDENT

On December 19, 2021, Gabriel Boric was elected the new President of Chile. This is a significant development for the country, and its potential impact on foreign investment is best understood by revisiting the most recent developments in Chile, including the moves to effect Constitutional changes. Over the past few years, Latin American countries have … Read more

Recent merger control developments in Latin America: Focus on Peru

On 14 June 2021, a new merger control regime entered into force in Peru. Merger control laws have been in place in Peru for almost 30 years but these were limited to the electricity sector. The new merger control legislation (Law Nº 31112, approved by the Peruvian Congress in January 2021) has repealed the sector-specific … Read more

The Brazilian New Gas Market

These are exciting times for the natural gas sector in Brazil. Over the past few months, the Brazilian legal framework for the sector has been completely overhauled. Energy companies and those investing in the region should be aware of what the Brazilian government and local players call a “new gas market” and the legislative reform … Read more

The Dominican Republic’s Recent Legislation on Public-Private Partnerships

Public-private partnerships (PPPs) are a widespread tool for collaboration between a government agency and a private sector company and are used to finance large-scale public projects such as transportation networks, renewable energy and/or other infrastructure related projects. The government agency and the private-sector company come together to sponsor and build the project with shared risks … Read more

Ecuador’s Got A New President: Now What?

Following an unexpected electoral victory on April 11, 2021, conservative candidate Guillermo Lasso assumed office as President of Ecuador yesterday. Markets welcomed Lasso’s victory when the election results were announced in April, as sovereign bonds rose to their highest point since September 2020. Lasso’s electoral campaign focused on creating employment through foreign investment, expanding investments … Read more

BOLIVIA RATIFIES THE MAURITIUS CONVENTION ON TRANSPARENCY IN INVESTOR-STATE ARBITRATION

Bolivia has become the seventh state to ratify the United Nations Convention on Transparency in Treaty-based Investor-State Arbitration, also known as the “Mauritius Convention”. State parties to the Mauritius Convention commit to greater transparency in investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) proceedings. Specifically, by ratifying the Mauritius Convention, Bolivia consents to extend the application of the UNCITRAL … Read more