The Spanish version of the 2026 V-Dem Institute Democracy Report is out, and it includes a new section examining the advance of far-right political projects in Latin America.
The new section “How Much Do Institutions and Electoral Governance Matter? Radicalization and the Containment of the Far Right in Latin America” examines three cases in which the far right has gained executive power—El Salvador, Brazil, and Argentina—to identify different patterns in the relationship between political leadership and institutions.
The comparative analysis suggests that far-right governments tend to maintain a problematic relationship with democracy and the rule of law. Far-right leaders often emerge in highly polarized contexts and, in several cases, are associated with declining levels of liberal democracy.
The authors conclude that there is no single far right in Latin America, and the degree and speed of democratic deterioration varies substantially. The impact depends largely on the interaction between political leadership and the institutional architecture it operates in.
According to the authors, the most important lesson is that democracies displaying the greatest resilience in the face of far-right governments are those with effective legislative and judicial checks and balances, together with robust, autonomous, and trustworthy electoral institutions.
Read more in Informe sobre la democracia 2026 ¿El fin de la era democrática?
- V-Dem Institute Democracy Report 2026 authors: Marina Nord, David Altman, Tiago Fernandes, Ana Good God, and Staffan I. Lindberg.
- Authors of the new section on Latin America: Alejandro González Ruiz and Fabián Villalobos-Machuca.
The Spanish translation of the 2026 V-Dem Institute Democracy Report is organized by the V-Dem Regional Center Latin America and the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile — (UC Chile).
