From November 2005 to the end of 2006 no fewer than 12 of Latin America’s states held important Presidential elections with many others holding equally pivotal legislative polls. Since then the media has painted an image of a continent which has taken a united lurch to the left. The truth is more complex. In a broad sense the recent election cycle did bring a number of left-leaning governments to power. However, the makeup of these different governments varies greatly and the temptation to bracket them all as belonging to a unified bloc often proves misleading.
Latin America is a continent coming out of a century of turmoil and political instability, the tail end of which saw the region ravaged by economic instability and crippling hyper-inflation. It is also a region where the left is often associated with authoritarian regimes and populist administrations that promised much but delivered little. Today with the continent wide adoption of democratic electoral politics the left is being given another chance to prove itself. The new left in Latin America is vastly different to past incantations. The leftist parties in government in states such as Bolivia and Brazil can chart their rise from small indigenous or trades union movements with social justice being the core factor since the beginning. But other governments, like those in Argentina or Nicaragua, are formed from parties with long and controversial histories but who, like the British Labour party, have undergone massive internal reform.
Sandwiching these governments are the two ends of the leftist spectrum in Latin America, namely Chile and Venezuela. Socially, economically, and politically Chile is the most progressive state in Latin America and the one state which can broadly be associated with the European conception of progressive centre-left politics. It has a vibrant civil society with a burgeoning and vocal lower middle class. The state also continues to make significant cuts into poverty figures. At the other end of the scale is the government of Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, a vastly misunderstood entity. Chavez is not as divisive as many Western analysts paint him, and his government have vastly reduced poverty whilst increasing access to health care and basic education. But his meddling with the country’s legislature and constitution hark back to the very worst days of Latin American political history.
One similarity which laces the politics of all of the region’s new leftist governments is social justice and a desire to reduce poverty and inequality within the prism of economic stability. And it is this message which binds the various leftist governments together. Unlike their predecessors they realise that there is a need to work with and exploit the global economy whilst using foreign earnt income to bolster reserves and protect against future volatilities on the global markets. In order to do this many leftist governments in Latin America, Brazil being the most notable example, have displayed a tough hand on monetary policy refusing to be drawn into huge public projects, unlike those who came before them. As a result many left-of-centre governments including that of President Lula da Silva have suffered a painful backlash from their main backers, the poor, who feel more money should be spent now from a leftist government they voted in to support them directly and instantly.
Those on the left who are in charge in Latin America argue that the results of their tenure will not be seen for decades. But the growth in a new middle-class and the gradual decreasing of income inequality does point to some success. Looking at Chile gives a sign at what the rest of the continent could achieve. Unlike other countries, Chile has consistently elected centre-left governments since emerging from the horrors of the Pinochet regime. Today it has the most stable economy in the region and a poverty reduction rate over double that of the continental average.
As for the future of the Latin American left, it is up to the people. Electoral politics have already thrown up several exceptions to the leftist trend. Colombia, Peru, and most notably Mexico have all recently voted for centre-right presidents. Indeed Mexico – a bell weather for the region – which looked set to vote for the leftist candidate Andrés Manuel López Obrador