The “Third Wave of Democratization” that swept Latin America in the 1980s and 1990s marked a shift from dictatorships to elected governments, from state-controlled economies to free market systems and, in some countries, from war to peace. Sound political practices, however, have not always kept pace.
International IDEA has placed the issue of electoral reform and its relationship to good governance on the agenda in a number of Latin American countries including Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic.
While elections in Latin America are often recognized as “free”, the issue of “fairness” is up for debate. In the Andean countries, for instance, a crucial debate is also under way about political financing and the influence of organized crime, with IDEA supporting a series of reflections in Colombia, Peru and Mexico.
In Colombia, and in partnership with UNDP and NIMD, IDEA has supported political analysis and debate aimed at ensuring more equitable access to public funding as well as mechanisms aimed at increasing the influence of illicit interests in politics. Similar discussions have been supported in Peru, particularly in the leading up to the 2011 elections.
In Mexico, a country in which a single party dominated politics for seven decades, much progress has been made in holding transparent, equitable elections that allow for parties to alternate in power, but issues such as presidential runoff elections, oversight of pre-campaign spending, and models for congressional representation are being debated.
In Ecuador, the focus has been on defining new electoral rules in the context of the recent constitution building process. After the approval of the new Constitution in 2008, a new electoral and political organizations law project was developed with support from the joint IDEA-NIMD programme in Ecuador: Agora Democratica. The “Code of Democracy” was the result, securing legislative approval and serving to codify the new requirements that all political organizations must comply with in order to be able to participate in the 2013 elections. Additionally, Ecuador's programme has cooperated with the National Electoral Court and National Electoral Council on debating the importance and mechanisms of Direct Democracy and on analyzing different experiences of Electoral Justice.
In the Dominican Republic, the 1994 "Pact for Democracy" ushered in a series of changes aimed at making the political system more participatory, democratic and transparent in areas such as the design of electoral districts, quotas for women and party financing. Recently, a new Constitution has been approved. Now that new constitutional rules have been established, it is time to evaluate the changes and help political institutions adjust to the regulations set out in the new Constitution.
In Chile, at the then President Bachelet’s request, International IDEA began a technical support project in 2006 which prioritized reform of the country’s congressional system. Chile has a unique binomial system that over represents the party with the second largest vote and excludes small parties from Congress. The project has included seminars, public information forums and technical assistance on specific electoral issues. Furthermore, IDEA has joined efforts with several Chilean think tanks and UNDP to work both in the area of political parties and on the implementation of a state of democracy project.
In Costa Rica, a new Electoral Law was approved in 2009. The main contents involved the strengthening of electoral institutions and political parties and promoting active citizenship.
In most of these countries, the current political scenario is conducive to discussing and developing proposals for reform and creating opportunities for dialogue among political parties, politicians, social stakeholders, academics and electoral officials. In Chile, for example, the government authorities responsible for political and electoral reform requested International IDEA’s support for these processes.
“We seek to foster debate and inter-party consensus building through studies, seminars, forums and international events to ensure the broadest possible discussion of these important issues,” says IDEA’s Regional Director Daniel Zovatto.
International IDEA’s work on political and electoral reform receives support from the Institute’s Member States Spain and Norway.
