Demonstration in Brasília outside of the National Congress Building against Brazilian government corruption on 15 March 2015. Image: José Cruz / Agencia Brasil, CC BY-2.0.
Although most Latin American democracies are not - as in the past - under the grim threat of possible military coups, it seems evident that the lack of stability of democratic regimes is still a significant feature of the region, which still show the influence of authoritarianism. In general, the impression in Latin America is that the rulers not only do not respond to the expectations of the citizens who elected them, but, when assuming their positions, make an explicit and institutionalized use of the public powers for strictly personal benefit.
Some thinkers have faced the theoretical challenge of analyzing the roots of the fundamental problems of Latin American democracies. Guillermo O'Donnell, for example, points out the fragility of mechanisms of accountability, while Przeworski points to the weaknesses of Latin American democracies as a result of low educational and socioeconomic levels in the countries of the region. It is important to keep in mind that the current Latin American reality can only be understood from a historical social inequality perspective, which was impacted by and has impacted the political models adopted in the region. The result of this construction is a constant widening of the abyss between those in power and those in the streets.
