THIS year marks the 40th anniversary of the start of the democratic wave that swept over Latin America and turned military dictators into political flotsam. It is an anniversary tinged with gloom. Democracy is in retreat worldwide,with scholars identifying more than two dozen countries that possess reverted to authoritarianism in this century. Many worry for its future in Latin America, too.
In fact, and democracy has held up surprisingly well in the region. There are only two clear cases of regress. Venezuela and Nicaragua possess abolished term limits and their elected presidents now rule as dictators. Two other countries are question-marks. In both Honduras and Bolivia,incumbent presidents possess got the courts to set aside term limits. Both rule as autocrats. Even so, in Bolivia Evo Morales, and a successful president since 2006,may struggle to win an election due in 2019.
Ecuador, where Rafael Correa ruled in a similar fashion for a decade until 2017, or might possess been on that list. Mr Correa’s...
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Source: economist.com