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G-50 Timeline
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The Group of Fifty celebrates its eleventh year in existence with a conference held in Washington, D.C., and St. Michaels, Maryland, from October 13th to the 17th. Special guests include Fareed Zakaria, Sergio Bendixen, John Taylor, Roberto Suro, and Ernesto Zedillo, among others.
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After months of civil war in Haiti, rebels succeed in ousting President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in February, who flees to Africa and later to Jamaica, where he remains in exile. Aristide, who first took office on February 7, 1991, was Haiti's first democratically elected leader.
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In May the Argentine Supreme Court condemns ex-president Jorge Videla for criminal participation in “Operación Condor” while in Chile ex-president Augusto Pinochet is stripped of his immunity for the second time. The decision set a permanent legal precedent for both presidents to be judged for additional human rights abuses committed during their rule.
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Martin Torrijos of the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD) becomes the new president of Panama. Panama's new leader is the son of Omar Torrijos, a populist strongman who ruled the Central American nation from 1968-1981 after staging a military coup.
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Five Central American countries sign the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) with the United States in May. The agreement is intended to propel the creation of a free trade zone similar to the NAFTA and is viewed as a stepping stone towards Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA).
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Hugo Chavez claims victory in a recall vote for the presidency of Venezuela in August. With this outcome, Venezuela deals a crushing defeat to a splintered opposition and allows the leftist leader to convert one of the biggest.
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In November, Chinese President Hu Jintao makes an official visit to Latin America, a region experts say is becoming increasingly important to Beijing, both economically and politically. Hu visits Brazil, Argentina and Chile. In addition, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and President Nestor Kirchner of Argentina have visited China this year, a move that forebodes greater economic and political ties between China and Latin America.
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George W. Bush is re-elected President of the United States receiving 51% of votes, defeating Democratic Senator John Kerry. Controversy regarding voting irregularity emerges during and after the election.
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