The Quality of Democracy in Latin America

Maxwell A. Cameron

Poli 332

March 1, 2010

Dimensions

• Electoral

• Constitutional

• Citizenship

Electoral

• Right to vote and run for office

• Clean elections

• Free elections

• Elected officials

Constitutional

• Checks and balances

• Judicial independence

• Civilian control over military

Citizen Participation

• Three generations of rights

• Active participation

• Constitutional change by democratic means

(A) Electoral Democracy at Risk?

Popular leaders, dirty elections

• Hugo Chávez & Alvaro Uribe

• Irregularities in elections

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Venezuela: “Lista Russian”• Comptroller general bans candidates

– Violation of the right to run for office

Colombia: La Parapolitica

• 81 investigations, 32 sentences

• Violence in election process– Paras, narcos, guerrillas

(B) Concentration of Power

Venezuela - Chávez

• No checks and balances. • No judicial independence

• Uncertainty over alternation

Bolivia Morales

Checks and balances

Yes, congress– CA process– Now has majority

No – Weak party system – Emergence of single party

Judicial Independence Threatened in Bolivia

– Constitutional tribunal closed, then stacked– Appointments to supreme court

Ecuador - Correa

• Conflict among branches of power

• Disputes involve the election authority and constitutional tribunal

Colombia - Uribe• 1991 constitution

• Judicial independence

• Re-election threat

(C) Citizens’ Democracies Under Construction

Participation

• Referenda

• Recall

• Initiative by citizens

• Community councils

• Participatory budgeting

Venezuela

Community Councils• 26,000• Presidential commission• Mayors and governors

Bolivia

– MAS as instrument– Agrarian reform– Municipal government– Juridical pluralism

Ecuador

New constitution• Recall, citizen initiative• Participatory budgeting• New civil society organs

– Undermining parties?

PerúParticipation in Law

Ley 26300 (Ley de referendos)– In practice, neglected

• Eg Bagua

Chile

– No participation– Despite Bachelet’s efforts

(D) Constituent Power

– Creating hegemony?

– Overcoming exclusion?

Venezuela

– Chávez’s role– Congress closed– Outcome– Constituent power as permenent process

• Re-election• Consejos Comunales

Bolivia

– Social movement pressure– Congress not closed– No super majority– Negotiation– Hybrid outcome

Ecuador

– Presidential protagonism– Congress displaced– Participatory but not deliberative

• 70,000 participants• Acosta’s resignation

– Limited advances for indigenous

Summary and Conclusions

• Rankings not useful– Election irregularties serious– Constitutional problems pervasive– Participation where representation weak

• Against two regoins – Colombia and Venezuela alike– Perú & Chile not participatory– Bolivia & Venezuela different in CA process