As democracy erodes, charismatic leaders take advantage of social unrest to consolidate a hybrid model: authoritarian capitalism with a populist face. From Trump to Bukele, passing through Milei and Noboa, a generation emerges that embodies an era where economic stability outweighs democratic values.
Chile welcomed progressive presidents, including Spain’s Pedro Sánchez, under the banner Democracy Always. But is that message consistent with what’s actually happening within each of their countries?
This prolonged election year coexists with growing concern about the course of a democracy that faces a deterioration of the political consensus on which it has been based.
If elections could eradicate corruption and solve the most pressing political and social problems, almost all Latin American countries would be developed.
