According to Pew Research Center data from 2017, out of a population of over 58 million Latino immigrants in the U.S., 36 million came from Mexico, followed by over 5 million who came from Puerto Rico. The next most important countries of origin (with an immigrant population of around 2 million each) are El Salvador, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic, followed by Guatemala and Colombia with around 1 million each, and finally by Honduras, Ecuador, and Peru, with less than a million immigrants and over 500.000 each.i
These countries are presidential republics except for Cuba, which is defined as a communist state. Cuba created the position of President of the Republic as recently as 2019 (previously, the head of state was the President of the Council of State). Puerto Rico is also unique among this group of countries, since it is a dependent territory of the U.S. rather than a sovereign nation. Interestingly, Puerto Ricans cannot vote in U.S. presidential elections, but they can vote in the presidential primary elections of the Republican and Democratic parties.
Most presidential terms are four years long; Mexico’s president remains in office for 6 years, the longest term among these Latin American nations. Recent 2015 reforms in Colombia eliminated presidential re-election, which is also prohibited in Mexico, El Salvador, and Guatemala. At the same time, reforms in Honduras in 2015 have permitted presidential re-election, which is also allowed in Puerto Rico (for Governor), Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, and Peru (only for non-consecutive terms). An interesting fact is that the current presidents of the Dominican Republic and El Salvador both have Middle Eastern roots (their grandparents emigrated from Lebanon and Palestine, respectively). Only one of these heads of state – the incoming president of Honduras – is a woman.
With regard to the legislative branch, four of these countries have bicameral congresses, while six have unicameral ones. Some unusual aspects of the composition of congresses can be found in Colombia, where 10 seats in the Congress are reserved for the FARC (People’s Alternative Revolutionary Force), as per the terms of the 2016 Peace Accord. In the Dominican Republic and Ecuador, there are seats reserved for representatives of these countries’ diasporas abroad, a rare recognition of the right to political participation of the immigrant community in their home country.
NATIONAL HOLIDAY:
Independence Day, 16 September (1810)
TYPE OF GOVERNMENT:
Federal Presidential Republic
CURRENT CHIEF OF STATE/HEAD OF
GOVERNMENT: President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, elected in July 2018 for a 6-year term. Next elections will be held in July 2024.
LEGISLATIVE BRANCH: The bicameral National Congress (Congreso de la Unión) consists of a Senate (Camara de Senadores) with 128 seats and a Chamber of Deputies (Camara de Diputados) with 500 seats. Senate members serve for 6 years, and Chamber of Deputies members serve for 3 years; the next elections for both chambers will be held in July 2024.
NATIONAL HOLIDAY:
U.S. Independence Day, 4 July (1776); Puerto Rico Constitution Day, 2 July (1952)
TYPE OF GOVERNMENT:
“Unincorporated organized territory of the US” (according to the terminology used by the CIA Factbook), with a local republican form of government
CURRENT CHIEF OF STATE/HEAD OF GOVERNMENT: As a territory of the U.S., the chief of state is President Joseph R. Biden, elected in November 2020 for a 4-year term. Next elections will be held in November 2024. The Head of Government at the local level is Governor Pedro Pierluisi, elected in November 2020 for a 4-year term, with the next elections to be held in November 2024.
LEGISLATIVE BRANCH: At the local level, the bicameral Legislative Assembly (Asamblea Legislativa) consists of a Senate (Senado) with 30 seats and a House of Representatives (Camara de Representantes) with 51 seats. Members of both the Senate and the House serve for 4 years; the next elections for both will be held in November 2024.
NATIONAL HOLIDAY:
Independence Day, 15 September (1821)
TYPE OF GOVERNMENT:
Presidential Republic
CURRENT CHIEF OF STATE/HEAD OF GOVERNMENT: President Nayib Armando Bukele Ortez, elected in February 2019 for a 5-year term. Next elections will be held in February 2024.
LEGISLATIVE BRANCH: The unicameral Legislative Assembly (Asamblea Legislativa) has 84 seat Members serve for 3 years; the next elections will be held in 2024.
NATIONAL HOLIDAY:
Triumph of the Revolution (Liberation Day), 1 January (1959)
TYPE OF GOVERNMENT:
Communist State
CURRENT CHIEF OF STATE/HEAD OF GOVERNMENT: President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermudez, elected in October 2019 for a 5-year term. Next elections will be held in October 2024.
LEGISLATIVE BRANCH: The unicameral National Assembly of People’s Power (Asamblea Nacional de Poder Popular) has 605 seats. Members serve for 5 years; the next elections will be held in early 2023.
NATIONAL HOLIDAY:
Independence Day, 27 February (1844)
TYPE OF GOVERNMENT:
Presidential Republic
CURRENT CHIEF OF STATE/HEAD OF GOVERNMENT: President Luis Rodolfo Abinader Corona, elected in July 2020 for a 4-year term. Next elections will be held in 2024.
LEGISLATIVE BRANCH: The bicameral National Congress (Congreso Nacional) consists of a Senate (Senado) with 32 seats and a House of Representatives (Camara de Diputados) with 190 seats. Members of both chambers serve for 4 years; the next elections will be held in 2024.
NATIONAL HOLIDAY:
Independence Day, 15 September (1821)
TYPE OF GOVERNMENT:
Presidential Republic
CURRENT CHIEF OF STATE/HEAD OF GOVERNMENT: President Alejandro Giammattei, elected in June 2019 for a 4-year term. Next elections will be held in 2023.
LEGISLATIVE BRANCH: The Unicameral Congress of the Republic (Congreso de la República) has 160 seats. Members serve for 4 years; the next elections will be held in June 2023.
NATIONAL HOLIDAY:
Independence Day, 20 July 1810
TYPE OF GOVERNMENT:
Presidential Republic
CURRENT CHIEF OF STATE/HEAD OF GOVERNMENT: President Ivan Duque Márquez, elected in May 2018 for a 4-year term. Next elections will be held in May 2022.
LEGISLATIVE BRANCH: The bicameral Congress (Congreso) consists of a Senate (Senado) with 108 seats and a Chamber of Representatives (Camara de Representantes) with 172 seats. Members of both chambers serve for 4 years; the next elections will be held in March 2022.
NATIONAL HOLIDAY:
Independence Day, 15 September (1821)
TYPE OF GOVERNMENT:
Presidential Republic
CURRENT CHIEF OF STATE/HEAD OF GOVERNMENT: President Juan Orlando Hernández Alvarado, who took office in January 2014, was re-elected and began his second 4-year term in January 2018. Elections took place in November 2021, and Xiomara Castro de Zelaya will be sworn into office on 27 January 2022.
LEGISLATIVE BRANCH: The unicameral National Congress (Congreso Nacional) has 128 seats. Members serve for 4 years; the next elections will be held in November 2025.
NATIONAL HOLIDAY:
Independence Day, 10 August (1809)
TYPE OF GOVERNMENT:
Presidential Republic
CURRENT CHIEF OF STATE/HEAD OF GOVERNMENT: President Guillermo Lasso Mendoza, elected in February 2021 for a 4-year term. Next elections will be held in February 2025.
LEGISLATIVE BRANCH: The unicameral National Assembly (Asamblea Nacional) has 137 seats. Members serve for 4 years; the next elections will be held in February 2025.
NATIONAL HOLIDAY:
Independence Day, 28-29 July (1821)
TYPE OF GOVERNMENT:
Presidential Republic
CURRENT CHIEF OF STATE/HEAD OF GOVERNMENT: President José Pedro Castillo Terrones was elected in April 2021 for a 5-year term. Next elections will be held in April 2026.
LEGISLATIVE BRANCH: The unicameral Congress of the Republic of Peru (Congreso de la República del Perú) has 130 seats. Members serve for 5 years; the next elections will be held in April 2026.
References:
i. Luis Noe-Bustamante, Key facts about U.S. Hispanics and their diverse heritage, Pew Research Center, Washington D.C., Sept.16, 2019: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/09/16/key-facts-about-u-s-hispanics/
ii. All of the information in this article was taken from the CIA Fact book, at: https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/
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