The Left Turn in Latin America
Left leaning leaders began to take power in nations that were staunch conservative strongholds during the late 20th century into the early 21st century. However, it is not a black-and-white image that many view the political spectrum as. Levitsky illustrated the differing types of governing left parties in four different sectors: institutionalized partisan left, movement left, populist machine, and populist left. Left leaning leaders began to take power in nations that were staunch conservative strongholds during the late 20th century into the early 21st century. However, it is not a black-and-white image that many view the political spectrum as.
Levitsky illustrated the differing types of governing left parties in four different sectors: institutionalized partisan left, movement left, populist machine, and populist left. One category that particularly caught my attention was the populist left. The examples Levitsky provided to illustrate this sector are possibly the most synonymous with the “left turn” in Latin America.
In Ecuador, Rafael Correa was a breath of fresh air in a tumultuous time for the executive branch; Ecuador had gone through seven presidents in the 10 years before Correa was elected. His popularity grew out of the fact he was a political outsider, and his approval ratings have been consistently above 50% due to his investment in infrastructure, schools, and hospitals. However, he is not without controversy. His political opponents have accused him of collecting too much power for himself through constitutional changes. He also regularly attacks the media for what he deems as libel; he jailed three executives and a columnist from an opposition newspaper and closed several broadcasting companies that had been critical of him. So despite his quick power grabs and blatant non-belief in freedom of the press, his socialist ideologies and policies have kept him in power and have kept him popular amongst most Ecuadorians.
The election of Fernando Lugo in Paraguay broke a 61-year period in office for the conservative Colorado Party, the party of former dictator General Alfredo Stroessner. Like Correa and Chavez, he was a political outsider as he was a Catholic bishop. It was even more groundbreaking because it had been the first time in the nation’s history that a peaceful transfer of power from one party to another had occurred. Investments in low-income housing, free treatment in public hospitals, and cash transfers were among his left-leaning initiatives. He even refused the presidential salary. Despite his apparent success and popularity, he was impeached and succeeded by his vice president. The Colorado Party would regain power just a few years later. This is related to our discussion of whether Latin America is truly democratic following its years under various dictators. Many in the Latin American community and government viewed Lugo’s impeachment as a coup d’état. Lugo himself maintains he was not given due process and it was a “parliamentary coup.” Perhaps this is an example that Latin American democracy is not yet stable, and that the Colorado Party’s grip on Paraguay is here to stay.
Finally, arguably the most prominent example that Levitsky gives us Hugo Chavez in Venezuela. Up until his death he had championed nationalization and social revolution. His Bolivarian Missions were implemented to expand access to food, housing, education and healthcare. This was coming off the back of high oil profits from the late 1990s to the mid-2000s. While such areas such as literacy, income equality, and quality of life improved, almost everything else faltered. Poverty and inflation rose drastically and shortages became commonplace. After his death in 2013, his successor Nicolas Maduro has not seen different results. Protests have been ongoing since Maduro took power. Just this Sunday, October 23, the Venezuelan government blocked an attempted referendum which resulted in more riots and protests in Caracas. The move was swiftly condemned by the Organization of American States, and Secretary General Luis Almagro stated that “only dictators dent their citizens their rights, ignore the legislature and have political prisoners.”