The deterioration of democracy in Latin America

The report “The deterioration of the democracy in Latin America.Analysis and proposals” by CEU-CEFAS researcher, Yilian Ayala, analyzes the current situation of democracy in Latin America countries and explains why a new Western conservative coalition with Latin America is necessary.

Democracy in Latin America is on the verge of an expiration date. After the democratic transition of most of the countries in the region in the 1990s -with exceptions such as the Castro dictatorship in Cuba-, this process has never been completed in its full splendor. The young democratic systems, which have taken their political inspiration from the United States and European thinkers, have -and have had since they were born- an enemy at home: Marxism and the radicalism of the left that has been built in Latin America. Hatred of capitalism, the free market, liberal economics and universal principles, such as the protection of the family, are now the “fascist” enemy to be beaten by leaders such as Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, as he himself explained at the São Paulo Forum in 2023.

So, how can this democratic deterioration be halted to prevent the radical left from destroying democracy in the region -with the strategic investment of China- and doing so from within, from within the institutions themselves? The answer lies in the commitment that conservatives must make. It is time to fight the political, cultural and economic battle at the international level.

The aim of this paper is to explain why it is necessary to fight this battle for Latin America, why conservatives should be interested in what is happening in the continent and the most illustrative consequence is the United States with the migration crisis on its border with Mexico. This is just an example: according to data from the U.S. border patrol, in 2022, the year in which Gustavo Petro became president of Colombia, 125,200 Colombians arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border requesting asylum: 20 times more than the previous year. That is the diagnosis of the problem, the solution is an international alliance.

To structure the action plan of this conservative coalition, it is necessary to propose a common agenda, which should, above all, be based on consolidating all democratic institutions and the separation of powers. In addition, respect for religious freedom, freedom of expression and academic freedom must be promoted, as well as the defense of the family as the nucleus of society. Part of the ideological agenda of the Latin American Marxist left has focused its policies on the activity of human beings outside the family and has diverted its meaning through gender ideology. The construction of an egalitarian society, as promoted by Marx, is 8 | Report 05 | CEU-CEFAS transferred to the biological sphere by annulling any difference between a man and a woman. On this basis, the concept of family is altered and replaced by Marxist conventions of personal relations in society.

The other point of the common action plan is economic. The allies must commit to work together to strengthen a system that guarantees market freedom and advocates an austere, efficient and non-clientelist state. The approach of concrete policies to fulfill these objectives that have just been outlined will depend on the peculiarities and needs of each country, but they should be piloted around these general approaches.