Impact of the outbreak of Covid-۱۹ on democratization process in Latin America

Outbreak of the Coronavirus caused various economic, political and social problems in almost all regions of the world, including Latin America. The region is historically characterized by hyper-presidentialism y militarism so most Latin American countries are deprived of efficient check and balance mechanism to control the executive branch. Kaldor and Vejvoda argue that the absence of political culture is the main hindrance in the search for democratic institutions, rules and procedures. To overcome this obstacle, Mansfiled and Snyder put more emphasis on sequencing or pace of reform where the state becomes so crucial in terms of exercising sovereignty with some degree of legitimacy and effectiveness. The movement toward democratization in Latin America dates back to the ۱۹۸۰s. At that time in many countries of the region, presidents and prime ministers were elected through elections and representative processes. In spite of these initial efforts and substantial democratic advances during four decades, contemporary Latin American democratization suffers from a democratic deficit in the political body of states which has been mainly affected by the outbreak of Coronavirus. A qualitative content analysis of democratization process of the region during the pandemic demonstrates that in Venezuela, El Salvador and Peru, the challenge of population mobility was controlled by the armed forces and judiciary measures. While in countries such as Argentina and Colombia, presidents made appropriate political decisions and increased their popularity, in Brazil and Mexico presidential decisions made Coronavirus as a serious threat to the public health and governance of their countries. In Chile, fundamental political rights, such as freedom of association and expression were limited by restriction measures. Overall, the outbreak of Covid-۱۹ has revealed the significance of the power of political body, mainly the executive branch in Latin America, in management of critical situations and has made more vulnerable the fragile process of democratization in the region.

کلیدواژه ها:

Covid-۱۹ ، democratic deficit ، democratization process ، executive branch ، Latin America