Reforms at risk in Latin America's elections

A busy political season will put recent market-friendly energy changes to the test

On 24 January, Brazilians were transfixed by proceedings in a courtroom in the southern city of Porto Alegre. After nine hours of deliberations, a three-judge panel unanimously upheld a corruption conviction and prison sentence related to the sweeping Lavo Jato scandal for former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, known simply as Lula. The ruling, on top of being a landmark moment in the vast corruption scandal, scrambled the political landscape ahead of elections in October. Leftist leader Lula, who maintains a wide base of support despite the corruption conviction, was planning a bid to return to the presidency and had been leading in polls. The 24 January decision doesn't end those chan