Latin America: Why are voters turning to the right?
Key takeaways
- Far-right populists seem to be on the rise in Latin America after defeating leftist candidates in a number of recent presidential elections.
- In Chile, another extreme-right candidate, Jose Antonio Kast, took the reins from a leftist government in March elections.
- And right-wing populist Javier Milei, a great admirer of US President Donald Trump, has run Argentina since 2023.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Far-right populists seem to be on the rise in Latin America after defeating leftist candidates in a number of recent presidential elections. Why are they so popular? And are they here to stay?
https://p.dw.com/p/5G4PAColombia's president-elect, Abelardo de la Espriella, promised voters he would hit drug gangs and guerrilla groups hard Image: Joaquin Sarmiento/AFPAdvertisement Last weekend, rightwing-extremist candidate Abelardo de la Espriella edged out left-wing opponent Ivan Cepeda to win Colombia's presidential election in a campaign in which the former focused heavily on the nation's security crisis.
In Chile, another extreme-right candidate, Jose Antonio Kast, took the reins from a leftist government in March elections. Kast, who is pursuing cuts to education and welfare while handing out tax cuts to businesses, openly talks about Chile's military dictatorship under General Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990) as something positive.