What’s happening to democracy in Latin America? on Wednesday 16 June 2021, at 16:00-17:30 CEST.
Accusations of creeping authoritarianism are levelled against charismatic leaders in Mexico, Brazil and El Salvador. Colombia is rocked by its worst street protests in years. Extraordinary political polarization and age-old social and ethnic divides overshadow Peru’s presidential election. Independent candidates win support in Chile’s constitutional assembly in a blow to traditional political parties. And all this happens while the region reels from one of the world’s worst outbreaks of COVID-19 and the most severe economic downturn in a century. Why does a region that many thought had made great strides towards robust democratic governance and prosperity suddenly appear mired in political uncertainty?