In the heat of recent electoral contests, accusations have proliferated among candidates that their opponents are undermining democracy. At the same time, several alarming reports on the state of democracy in Latin America have appeared in recent weeks. This remarkable coincidence seems to be a clear indication of growing concern over democratic governance in the region.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has just released a comprehensive report on democracy and development in the region, with the telling title ‘Democracies Under Pressure’. In its foreword, the report notes that current tensions “are unfolding in a context in which democracies face new and interconnected pressures. Political polarization has intensified. Organized crime and illicit economies have expanded their influence in some contexts. Digital platforms and artificial intelligence are transforming the public sphere and the way people participate in political life”.

At the same time, a special issue on governance conditions in Latin America has been published by the Spanish journal Tiempo de Paz, led by Paquita Sauquillo and Carlos F. Liesa. The publication reviews the structural and contextual trends that shape the foundations of democratic governance in the region. Alongside analyses of the economic situation, security and violence, and increasing migration flows, Marcela Ríos — International IDEA’s representative for Latin America and former Minister of Justice of Chile — examines the state of democracy in the region, caught between resilience and disenchantment.