5-18-05, 10:43am
He is the latest winner in an ongoing political shift toward the left in Latin America. On March 1, Tabare Vazquez of Uruguay’s Broad Front-Progressive Encounter Coalition was sworn in, four months after his victory in the October 31 presidential election, to become the country’s first left-leaning head of state in 170 years.
In his inaugural speech, Vazquez stressed equality, freedom, human rights and friendship, and pledged to give his nation a thorough facelift that will focus on production and development. According to a two-year emergency plan, the Vazquez government will annually budget $100 million to address the food, health and educational needs of the nation’s 200,000 households living in poverty.
Regarding international diplomacy, the new president, who is firmly against foreign intervention, put forth the principles of independence, justice, peace and self-determination that will guide his administration. Three hours after his inauguration, Vazquez fully resumed Uruguay-Cuba diplomatic relations by signing a framework agreement on trade with the Caribbean country. He also signed an agreement to enhance economic and trade integration with Brazil, Argentine and Venezuela, whose leaders were present at his inauguration.
Vazquez’s assumption of the Uruguayan presidency is not only a watershed in the history of this small South American nation but also completes a political map in Latin America’s southern cone that differs markedly from the laissez-faire, free market “neoliberal” policies that prevailed in the 1990s. An article in The New York Times pointed out that three quarters of Latin America have installed socialist-oriented governments, with the new Uruguayan president being the latest.
Several years ago, Luiz Inacio Lula de Silva, the current Brazilian President, had predicted that leftist parties would assume power in the majority of Latin American countries within six to eight years. The prediction has become partially true. He was sworn in as Brazil’s president on January 1, 2003. Hugo Chavez, candidate of the Movement of the Fifth Republic Party, began his tenure as Venezuelan president in February 1999. Despite strong challenges, he won a recall referendum last August that will allow him to remain in power until early 2007. In Ecuador, Lucio Gutierrez of the Patriotic Society January 21 was sworn in as president on January 15, 2003. (The Ecuadorean president was removed from office by congress for dereliction of duty in April.) In addition, Chilean President Ricardo Lagos, from the Party for Democracy, and Argentinean President Nestor Kirchner, from the Justicialista (Peronist) Party, who both took office in 2003, are also labeled as center-left politicians by some observers.
Many experts on Latin American affairs agree that the inauguration of the Broad Front government in Uruguay can been seen as a symbol of the consistent strengthening of left-leaning governments in Latin America in recent years and a good example of how they have come to assume power peacefully through democratic elections.
In other Latin American countries, leftist parties are also playing an important role in state affairs as the dominant party or as the major opposition party. For example, the Nicaragua Sandinista National Liberation Front, Mexico’s Democratic Revolution Party, Salvador’s Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front, Bolivia’s Movement Toward Socialism and the National Revolutionary Union of Guatemala have all become the second or third largest party in their respective countries. In Mexico, Colombia and Salvador, mayors of their state capitals are currently leftist politicians. The Nicaragua Sandinista National Liberation Front won a landslide victory in the country’s local elections last November.
The rising influence of Latin American left-leaning politics can also be seen by the influence of regional social movements. The fall of Communist governments in Eastern Europe in the late 1980s and the ensuing disintegration of the Soviet Union severely impacted the Communist movements in Latin America. Some Communist parties in the region have been renamed and some groups were merged with others. But, the Communist parties of Brazil, Chile, Argentine, Peru and Venezuela have weathered the test and have survived after years of reflection and self-adjustment. Some of them have even strengthened. At present, most Latin American Communist parties have been recognized as being legitimate and are allowed to campaign in elections. There are more than 20 politically active Communist political organizations in Latin America.
Moreover, the Sao Paulo Forum and the World Social Forum, initiated by Brazil’s Labor Party and other leftist parties, have gained influence among leftist movements worldwide, becoming the major platforms for left-leaning political organizations to exchange and promote ideas. Amid the rise of new social movements in Latin America, they are playing an important role in adjusting neoliberal policies in relevant countries, safeguarding state sovereignty and independence, and defending national resources and public interests.
Future Prospects
In the last decade of the 20th century, Latin American leaders experimented with neoliberalism as the solution to the problems of poverty, unemployment and underdevelopment. Supported by the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the U.S. Treasury Department, neoliberal economic policies are supposed to promote free trade through the reduction of tariffs, the elimination of subsidies, public spending cuts, privatization of state assets and the devaluation of currencies. However, growing evidence has shown that the prescription has failed to revitalize Latin American economies. The per-capita gross domestic product of Latin American countries plummeted from 1998 to 2003, creating another losing streak for the region after the “lost decade” of the 1980s. Though the regional economy saw a rebound last year, such prominent problems as wealth disparity, distribution inequality and social polarization have remained.
Some Western observers conceded that it was public discontent and disillusionment with the neoliberal policies that have given birth to the leftward-leaning governments in Brazil and Argentine. The defeat of Venezuelan opposition forces to challenge President Chavez, some believe, has demonstrated support and confidence in left-thinking leaders.
In the meantime, a sweeping worldwide anti-globalization campaign that particularly targets Western dominance, as well as the strong critiques of the U.S.-based economic theories practiced in Latin American countries, have added to the influence of leftist parties.
First of all, Latin American leftist parties as a whole stand firmly against neoliberal economic policy and globalization, as well as the establishment of an American free trade area. They have also opposed the U.S. invasion of Iraq, U.S. sanctions against Cuba and the U.S. military presence in Colombia, which they blame for only serving to destabilize the country. They promote a fight against government corruption and for a restoration of public interests.
To maintain social stability, almost all leftist governments of Latin American countries have continued existing neoliberal policies, while paying more attention to poverty alleviation and the eradication of social inequalities. In diplomatic relations, they have distanced from the United States and instead are more enthusiastic to develop relations among Latin American countries, and with the European Union and Asia-Pacific countries.
Latin American left-leaning forces have chosen to strive for state power through democratic elections, in a bid to follow their public aspirations and unite all walks of society. Their more practical campaign pledges, centering on integration of economic development and social justice, have helped expand their base of support. In the next few years, their strength may continue to strengthen, making them the major players on the Latin American political stage and exerting a far-reaching influence on regional political and economic prospects.
However, leftist governments of Latin American countries will inevitably face a series of internal and external challenges, including a mountain of foreign debt, poverty, social polarization, different approval ratings at home and potentially contentious relations with the United States. They are very likely to suffer some setbacks. In addition, their attitudes also vary toward the establishment of a free trade area, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. In this sense, it is still too early to predict the trend of a further political shift leftward in Latin America. Beijing Review
