Uruguay Hosts the Americas' Left as the Panamerican Congress Enters Its Third Year

(From L front row) Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum, Colombia's President Gustavo Petro, South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa, Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Cape Verde's President Jose Maria Neves, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva, and Uruguay's President Yamandu Orsi pose for a family photo at a "Meeting in Defence of Democracy", a meeting of leftist leaders seeking to rally against the threat to democracy from the far right in Barcelona on April 18, 2026. The gathering comes as democratic institutions and values have faced growing threats around the globe from advancing authoritarian and far-right forces in the age of US President Donald Trump. Many of the participants will take part in the first edition of the so-called "Global Progressive Mobilisation" which will be held in the same venue. (Credit: Photo by Oscar DEL POZO / AFP via Getty Images)

Montevideo spent this week playing host to the hemisphere's progressive lawmakers, as the third edition of the Panamerican Congress opened inside the city's Legislative Palace on Friday, running through Sunday. Uruguayan President Yamandú Orsi is welcoming delegations from more than fifteen countries across North, Central and South America and the Caribbean — the largest turnout the young forum has drawn since it began meeting two years ago.

Unlike treaty bodies such as the Organization of American States, the Congress has no binding authority. It functions instead as a recurring gathering where left-leaning legislators compare notes and try to build a common playbook across borders.