Elections Under Attack, Authoritarianism on the Rise in Central America
Autocracy and authoritarianism are on the rise throughout Central America, a region that lies along the main narcotics and migration routes in the Western Hemisphere, and a region that has long been plagued by violence caused by both the drug trade and the U.S.-led “War on Drugs”. Reeling from rampant crime as well as endemic political corruption, the region this year has taken a dramatic turn away from democracy as a series of populist leaders (as well as one indisputable dictatorship) have chosen short-term, and at times draconian, policies to remain in power or win elections.
This week at PWS we spotlight a few of the biggest examples and explain the why’s and how’s of a troubling trend that, at least for now, is only likely to worsen. Guatemalan politics have been long known for rampant corruption, but that corruption has been thrust into international headlines in recent weeks as the country’s Conservative establishment parties have employed myriad legal tactics meant to undermine presidential elections.
After the government banned several candidates before the first-round on June 25, the vote was widely considered a referendum between a handful of right-wing establishment politicians. But Bernardo Arévalo, a social democratic candidate who has run on an anti-corruption platform, surprised analysts and pollsters when he emerged as a dark horse front-runner and qualified for the Aug. 20 run-off against right-wing Sandra Torres.
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