The contemporary democratic wave in Latin America began three decades ago.
Whereas in some cases it was a rebirth, in others it was an inception: it had a different
start date in each of them. At the beginning of this cycle, the predominant study topic
was the transition of previous authoritarian regimes and the enclaves they frequently
left. Later, several analyses addressed the possibility of democracy to endure: therefore,
studies on “consolidation” proliferated. After all these years something has become
evident. The format of procedural democracy that many people dreamt of or wanted to
take root has not been achieved. An “electoral democracy” diagnosis has spread instead,
which argues that elections are soundly established as the only legitimate means of
access to power; but it also implies that the institutional device considered as a
characteristic of democratic regimes has not developed or remains in an embryonic
stage. In consequence, are these rudimentary or precarious democracies?
We will not present our argument in terms of progress or delay in comparison to the
classic paradigm. The disappointment with the course of democracy or the enthusiasm
about diverse types of direct democracy provide us with data for a research on the
democratic mutation that does not seem to be an exclusive feature of Latin America: on
the contrary, similar processes are taking place in other Western societies.