Argentina may not be alone in South America moving from left to right in the coming days.
A string of leftist leaders across the continent have come under scrutiny in recent months for political scandals, falling poll numbers and economic reverses that, in the case of Venezuela, have produced the world’s second-highest inflation rate after Syria.
Nicolas Maduro, successor to the late populist President Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, has seen his approval rating fall to just 28.2 percent, following months of popular protests driven by high levels of violence, food and consumer good shortages, and an inflation rate in 2014 of 63.4 percent. Mr. Maduro’s government recently announced it will soon start to ration electricity, despite the fact that the country by some estimates has even more proven oil reserves than Saudi Arabia.
Corruption and inflation are also driving factors behind the low approval ratings of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, which fell to 13 percent in March — just five months after the leftist president won a second term. The numbers follow a Supreme Court ruling that allowed prosecutors to investigate several members of Ms. Rousseff’s Workers’ Party for allegations of graft worth millions of dollars.
Continuing scandals at the state-owned oil giant Petrobras and a stumbling economy have even led some protesters to call for Ms. Rousseff’s impeachment.
Recent polling found that in a hypothetical election, only 16.8 percent said they would vote for the Ms. Rousseff’s Workers’ Party, which has run Brazil since 2003.
In Chile, leftist President Michelle Bachelet this week announced plans to amend the constitution after a series of political scandals have shaken trust in what had been seen as one of South America’s most stable democracies.
Ms. Bachelet herself has been rocked by the revelations of corruption, after it was revealed in February that her son and daughter-in-law reportedly were given special treatment in obtaining a $10 million loan from a leading Chilean banker during Ms. Bachelet’s presidential campaign.
Left-leaning parties have enjoyed a run of success in South America in recent years, dubbed by some the “Pink Tide,” but some regional analysts say that could be changing.
“The rapidly declining economic and social conditions in countries like Venezuela should serve as caution for the rest of Latin America,” said Ana Quintana, Latin America analyst at the Heritage Foundation.
“Almost two decades of socialist economic policies have resulted in the Saudi Arabia of Latin America being forced to ration basic items like soap and toilet paper.”
The political shifts are playing out differently in different countries — left-of-center leaders such as Uruguay’s Tabare Vazquez and Ecuador’s Rafael Correa still boast strong poll ratings even as other leaders decline.
Polling from Latinobarometro shows that 73 percent of Colombians, 68 percent of Peruvians, and 73 percent of Chileans said they “trusted the[ir] national government.” All are either rated as “mostly free” or “moderately free” on the Heritage Foundation’s “Index of Economic Freedom,” and enjoy current inflation rates under 5 percent.
Some even see a “continental divide” in Latin America between countries with populist, left-leaning leaders and governments adopting a more pro-market stance.
• Nathaniel Madden can be reached at nmadden@washingtontimes.com.
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