Water Could Be the One Issue That Dominates Upcoming Elections in Latin America Christopher Woody - Business Insider
go to original June 1, 2015

Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto wipes sweat from his brow during a signing ceremony among the Pacific Alliance at the Climate Change Conference in Lima, Peru. (Juan Karita/AP)

This year, tens of millions of voters will go to the polls in several Latin American countries shaken by violence and stuttering economies. But the issue that decides their vote may be as close as the nearest faucet.

In Mexico, Venezuela, and Colombia, governments are preparing for local and national elections as water shortages, droughts, and ineffective water distribution networks compound the adversity already facing their citizens.

In Mexico, elections on June 7 will select the entire lower house of congress, nine state governors, and 17 state legislatures. The embattled president, Enrique Pena Nieto, has received widespread criticism for unpopular economic reforms and continuing violence, and faced accusations of corruption leveled against him and his administration.

Against this backdrop, millions of Mexicans have struggled to secure clean water. Residents of neighborhoods near Mexico City have been refused water supplies, even as shopping malls around them receive a permanent supply.

Throughout Mexico, some 14 million people lack water in their homes, including those near the capital in Mexico state as well as residents of Guerrero state, which has been the scene deadly violence over the last year.

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