Challenges for Democracy in Latin America

Hopkins Podcast on Foreign Affairs

As the 2022 electoral supercycle in Latin America continues, with key elections in Brazil and Colombia happening soon, much is at stake for democracy in the region. Despite the robust electoral systems throughout most of the region, only a handful of countries qualify as full democracies. What accounts for some of these flaws? What should be done to ensure more stable and sustainable democratic systems in Latin America? To answer these questions and more, we are joined by Dr. Kevin Casas-Zamora. We hope you enjoy this episode of the Hopkins Podcast on Foreign Affairs.

Kevin Casas-Zamora is the Secretary-General of International Institution for Democracy and Electoral Assistance or IDEA and has a political and legal background with a Law degree from the University of Costa Rica, a Masters in Government from the University of Essex, and a PhD in Political Science from University of Oxford. Currently, he is a Senior Fellow at the Inter-American Dialogue, and previously, he held roles such as Costa Rica’s Second Vice President and Minister of National Planning; Secretary for Political Affairs at the Organization of American States; Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution; and National Coordinator of the United Nations Development Program’s Human Development Report. We hope you enjoy this episode of the Hopkins Podcast on Foreign Affairs.

Challenges for Democracy in Latin America