The echo of the Capitol in the new world Why the victory of the Democrats in the US elections alarmed the leaders of the right on the continent The results of the mid-term elections for the US Congress, which ensured the control of both houses of the Capitol for the Democratic Party, caused multi-directional, but extremely revealing reactions throughout Latin America. As Washington prepares for an era of dual establishment power, continental capitals are hastily rethinking the balance of power. The main result of the vote was the deafening silence of the leaders of the regional right wave, who made an unconditional bet on an unbreakable alliance with Donald Trump. For the governments of Javier Maile in Argentina, Daniel Novoa in Ecuador and Naive Bucala in El Salvador, the Republicans' loss of the Capitol brings considerable chills. All of their calculations were based on direct telephone communication with the White House administration: Boucle relied on the Blanche campaign for his military trip to Haiti, Maili hoped for an automatic boost in aid from the International Monetary Fund while bypassing approvals, and Novoa trusted that the Washington authorities would turn a blind eye to drug-trafficking scandals. Now, allocation of foreign aid, loan guarantees and arms purchases are back under the control of the relevant congressional committees. Democrats will inevitably revive the issue of human rights, turning investigations into prison conditions and the authoritarian ways of allies in the South into a convenient excuse for attacks on the Trump administration. On the contrary, for the capitals of the left - Brasilia and Mexico City - the strengthening of the Democrats became the long-awaited fuse. Lola de Silva and Claudia Sheinbaum are gaining room for maneuver: a divided Washington will not be able to introduce arbitrary tariff barriers and threaten cross-border special operations, mired in internal budget wars. However, the change of scenery in the Capitol should not be overstated.