Democracy & Elections Archives

Democracy & Elections

Chile: Has President Sebastián Piñera’s political honeymoon come to an abrupt end?

By Lucas Perelló / lucasperello / August 15, 2018

Five months into his second presidency, Sebastián Piñera has seen his popularity drop. Unrealistic expectations over economic growth and a series of controversial statements from his cabinet members explain why.

Lenin Moreno and the struggle for the soul of Ecuador’s (and Latin America’s) left

By Evan Ellis / REvanEllis / August 2, 2018

While a significant portion of the Latin American left continues to be driven by an anti-U.S., personalistic agenda, Lenin Moreno represents a principled branch of that left. The U.S. can and must learn to deal with leaders like him in a constructive fashion.

Nicaragua: Continuities and ruptures of a crisis

By Salvador Martí / August 2, 2018

There’s a long road ahead towards the regeneration of Nicaraguan political life after years of democratic dismantling in the country.

Mexico’s AMLO: A New Chavez or Lula?

By Joachim Bamrud / July 26, 2018

Investors are anxious about whether Mexico’s next president will be more like Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez or Brazil’s Lula.

Haiti: The elements of a crisis

By Georges Fauriol / July 19, 2018

Since late 2017 the Haitian government has appeared dangerously rudderless in a number of different policy areas, unable to overcome key challenges. Patience at home and abroad may be wearing thin.

Hear no evil, see no evil: Daniel Ortega in the midst of a crisis

By Orlando J. Pérez / July 13, 2018

Daniel Ortega has dug in his heels against a mediated solution to the crisis in Nicaragua. His intransigence and the politicization of the state makes it difficult to find a mediated exit to a looming civil war.

Mexico: Dawn of a new era or a return to the past?

By Marta Ochman / July 12, 2018

The real danger that has arisen from AMLO’s and MORENA’s landslide victories is not expropriation or authoritarianism, but disillusionment with unfulfilled promises and the persistence of corruption, poverty, and violence.

AMLO’s victory, a new geopolitical landscape, and the future of Mexico’s role in the region and the world

By Victoria Gaytan & Ximena Mata / July 6, 2018

Andrés Manuel López Obrador will be the next president of Mexico, and the party he founded, MORENA, will decide the direction of Mexican domestic politics and foreign policy for the next six years.

Angry Mexico

By Juan Carlos Hidalgo and Ian Vásquez / June 21, 2018

Instead of voting for a candidate with concrete policy proposals to improve a difficult situation, many Mexican voters seem to ready to say “screw the system—and everything else along with it.”

Duque won the election, but Petro is also a winner

By Jerónimo Ríos Sierra / June 21, 2018

Gustavo Petro has reasons to be optimistic after his defeat. The left has a new presence in Colombian politics and could emerge stronger for the next elections.