Former Latin American Presidents: Between Courts and Ballots

• In Event: Leadership in Democratic Transitions

Abstract

This paper examines the political career followed by the 138 former Latin American presidents that left office between the beginning of the last wave of democratization in the region (1978) and 2012. In contrast to the low-profile retirement of American presidents, a large number of former Latin American chief executives remain as prominent politicians. Within the group studied, 56 leaders held formal political positions after leaving office, while 33 remained as influential politicians, and 26 tried to become presidents again. Courts have also been a typical destiny: 53 former heads of state have been sued. I argue that the political prominence and legal disputes that characterize the lives of ex-presidents have negative consequences on regional democracies. Former presidents who remain politically active favor the personalization of politics, prevent the mobility of political elites and reinforce practices such as nepotism, clientelism, and populism. Interviews with 21 former Latin American presidents shed light on the motivations that they have to continue as influential leaders, and the strategies that they follow.

Author

• Ignacio Arana Araya, University of Pittsburgh