What a Year of Referendums Says About Latin American Politics
What a Year of Referendums Says About Latin American Politics
From Peru to Mexico, leaders tasked citizens with making big decisions.
It was a big year for elections in Latin America: There were seven new presidents in total, with voters in Mexico and Brazil bucking the status quo by backing anti-establishment presidential candidates.
That it was also a big year for referendums is no coincidence – while voters vented their frustration with political leadership, politicians themselves looked for ways to distance themselves from the establishment and appeal to voters directly on issues of policy.
In Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico and Peru politicians resorted to a form of direct democracy that, if...
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