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Colombia has been dealing with longstanding internal conflicts provoked by both structural and immediate causes. Against this backdrop, the current government led by Gustavo Petro has adopted an innovative approach to deal with increasing levels of violence and the proliferation of armed groups. This article proposes an early assessment of the first year of Petro’s mandate, highlighting the results he achieved as well as the main challenges he is facing.
In 1991, Samuel P. Huntington espoused the concept of ‘democratic waves,’ in which he highlighted the democratisation of Latin America, among other regions, during the so-called ‘third wave.’ However, the rightward shift in politics and the expansion of executive powers for many presidents in the region may signal a reversal that will lead to new illiberal democracies on the continent. President Bukele consolidated his power in El Salvador through a prolonged state of emergency to fight las pandillas, while President Noboa is using the narco crisis to extend military power in Ecuador. In Argentina, President Milei is using the country's difficult economic situation to disempower the Argentinian Congress. This epidemic of autocratisation, also known as democratic backsliding, threatens the survival of liberal democratic values on the continent, casting the region's future in doubt.
