South and Central America and the Caribbean:
Democracy, à la America Latina
Elections, democracy and breaking with the past were de rigueur throughout Latin America in 2003. Nowhere was this more apparent than in Guatemala. Guatemalans breathed a sigh of relief after former dictator Rios Montt placed a distant third in presidential elections, ending fears of a possible return to power for the man who presided over a horrific wave of violence in the 1980s that left over 100,000 dead. A run-off election between the two front-runners -- former Guatemala City Mayor Oscar Berger and prominent businessman Alvaro Colon -- is set for 28 December.
There was yet another attempt in 2003 to unseat Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez after opposition parties launched an initiative to collect the three million signatures needed to force an early election. Chavez responded by closing the border with Columbia, accusing the opposition of illegally collecting signatures on the other side of the border. Results of the drive to oust Chavez will not be known until early next year.
In October, Columbia's President Alvaro Uribe held a referendum seeking public support for a series of belt-tightening economic reforms he said were needed to stave off a financial crisis. Uribe wound up suffering an embarrassing defeat, however, when the referendum failed to meet the 25 per cent voter turnout needed for the reforms to be enacted.
Voter turnout wasn't even an issue in Argentina when Nestor Kirchner became the new president by default after his competitor, former President Carlos Menem, suddenly withdrew from a scheduled run-off election. Menem was widely seen as the architect of the pro-market reforms in the 1990s that many Argentineans believe led to their country's economic implosion in 2001.
Bolivia also got a new president, though in their case an election wasn't even required. Angered by pro-market reforms and a deal to ship natural gas to Bolivia's historical enemy Chile, tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets of Bolivia's capital La Paz, demanding the resignation of Gonzales Sanchez de Lozada. The embattled president eventually fled to Miami, leaving the reigns of power to Vice-president Carlos Mesa who now faces the unenviable task of trying to pick up the pieces of a broken country.
In sharp contrast to some of its neighbours, South America's biggest country, Brazil, had a standout year in 2003. Walking the ever fine line between pro-market reforms and social development Lula managed to cut inflation and to secure IMF loans, while at the same time addressing staggering unemployment and pursuing his Zero Hunger project.
Lula's balancing act has won him praise both at home and abroad and allowed him to play a leadership role at September's World Trade Organisation meeting in Cancun, Mexico, where a crucial showdown took place between opponents and proponents of globalisation. Much to the joy of anti-globalisation groups the world over, the talks collapsed, sending a clear message that developed countries can no longer unilaterally dictate trade terms to developing countries.
Reviewed by Jaideep Mukerji
