Elections in Argentina and Guatemala

Democracy has become the most accepted form of governance over the last three decades across Latin America. However, opinion polls, as we saw in Latinobarómetro’s 2015 publication, find that Latin Americans are the most unsatisfied with democracy in their countries compared with the rest of the world. Public opinion shows a profound distrust of political institutions, and in particular of political parties. In the region, the general perception is that political parties are in decline and highly corrupt.  To be sure, there are other challenges to democracy, including generally weak institutions and rule of law, deep economic inequality, and citizen insecurity.

Guatemala is one of the clearest cases where citizens are showing broad dissatisfaction with political elites. Nationwide protests and the work of prosecutors with the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) forced the resignation of President Otto Pérez Molina a little more than a month ago over a corruption scandal referred to as “La Línea.” Guatemalans are weary of endemic corruption, the legacies of social exclusion, and the history of weak institutions. They began to understand the value of exercising their civic right to protest and to demand change. The La Línea corruption scandal caused many Guatemalans to shift their political support to political “outsider” Jimmy Morales of the Frente de Convergencia Nacional (FCN), who will run against former first lady Sandra Torres, of the Unidad Nacional de la Esperanza (UNE).  The second round of Guatemala’s presidential election takes place this coming Sunday, October 25^th.  Jimmy Morales is widely expected to win the election.