Christians mark Holy Week in the region and other top photos from Latin America and the Caribbean

March 27 - April 2, 2026

People around Latin America and the Caribbean marked Holy Week with colorful processions and other traditional displays.

The 69 members of the security forces who died in a military plane crash in Colombia were honored in a solemn ceremony in Bogota.

The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Nimitz docked in the Gulf of Panama.

Bolivia experienced heartbreak as the World Cup qualifying matches ended.

This gallery was curated by photo editor Anita Baca, based in Mexico City.

AP photography: https://apnews.com/photography

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/apnews

FILE - A raccoon is silhouetted against a rising pink moon in the night sky of Panama City, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix, File)

FILE - A quinceanera rides in a vintage car marking her 15th birthday celebration in Havana, Cuba, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa, File)

FILE - Yuneisy Riviaux helps her daughter Edianet with her homework at their home in Havana, Cuba, March 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa, File)

FILE - A supporter of Popular Renewal presidential candidate Rafael López Aliaga, who has embraced the name nickname “Porky”, leans a against a wall alongside his “Porky” costume, in Lima, Peru, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia, File)

FILE - A dead tree stands out amid a lush green section of the Caxiuana National Forest that is used as a control plot for an experiment on drought run by the Esecaflor project in Para state, Brazil, March 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz, File)

FILE - A "gaucho," or cowboy, rides a horse during the Criolla Week rodeo festival, an annual festival held during Holy Week, in Montevideo, Uruguay, April 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico, File)

FILE - Inmates sleep outdoors due to lack of indoor space at the Tacumbu prison in Asuncion, Paraguay, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz, File)

FILE - A Bolivian fans wipes away tears after his country's team loss to Iraq in a World Cup qualifying playoff final soccer match, in La Paz, Bolivia, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Juan Karita, File)

FILE - Photos of soldiers who died on a military cargo plane that crashed in Puerto Leguizamo, are arranged on the steps of an altar before the start of a memorial Mass at a military base church in Bogota, Colombia, March 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara, File)

FILE - A worker points to the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Nimitz docking in the Gulf of Panama, March 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix, File)

FILE - People walk with decorated bird cages during an annual pilgrimage of bird vendors to the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City, March 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo, File)

FILE - Catholic children representing angels pose for photos prior to joining the Palm Sunday commemoration in Santa Cruz Chinautla, Guatemala, March 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo, File)

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) — Slovenia’s parliament on Friday appointed right-wing populist politician Janez Jansa as the new prime minister, in a shift for the small European Union country that was previously run by a liberal government.

Lawmakers backed Jansa in a 51-36 vote in the 90-member assembly. The new prime minister will need to come back to Parliament within the next 15 days for another vote to confirm his future Cabinet.

Jansa's appointment concludes a postelection stalemate in Slovenia after a parliamentary ballot two months ago ended practically in a tie. Former liberal Prime Minister Robert Golob's Freedom Movement won by a thin margin but he was unable to muster a parliamentary majority.

Jansa and his populist Slovenian Democratic Party signed a coalition agreement this week with several right-wing groups. The new government also has the backing of a nonestablishment Truth party that first emerged as an anti-vaccination movement during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The new term in office will be the fourth for the veteran Slovenian politician. Jansa, 67, is an admirer of U.S. President Donald Trump and was a close ally of former populist Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who was defeated in a landslide election last month.

Jansa in a speech listed the economy, fight against corruption and red tape, and decentralization as key goals of the future government. He has promised to lower taxes for the rich and support private education and healthcare.

Critical of the previous government's alleged “inefficiency," Jansa said the new government will turn Slovenia into “a country of opportunity, prosperity and justice, where each responsible citizen will feel safe and accepted."

Like Orban, Jansa was staunchly anti-immigrant during the huge migration wave to Europe in 2015. Also like Orban, Jansa has faced accusations of clamping down on democratic institutions and press freedoms during a previous term in 2020-2022. This led to protests at the time, and scrutiny from the European Union.

Golob in his speech described Jansa as “the greatest threat to Slovenia’s sovereignty and democracy."

Alleging that Jansa had threatened to arrest him, Golob said Jansa's "idea of democracy is that anyone who dares speak a word against you deserves only the worst.”

Jansa, a supporter of Israel, also has been a stern critic of the Golob government's 2024 recognition of a Palestinian state.

The vote on March 22 was marred by allegations of foreign influence and corruption. The around 2 million people in the Alpine nation are deeply divided between liberals and conservatives.

Janez Jansa, center, addresses the Slovenian Parliament during a session in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)

Janez Jansa arrives for a session of the Slovenian Parliament in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)

Janez Jansa addresses the Slovenian Parliament during a session in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)