Presidential Impeachment and the New Political Instability in Latin America

This book documents the emergence of a new pattern of political instability in Latin America.

Autorentext

Anníbal Pérez-Líñan is currently an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Pittsburgh. Born in Argentina, Pérez-Liñán has conducted extensive research in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Venezuela. He has published articles in academic journals in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Egypt, Great Britain, Spain, the United States, and Uruguay. His most recent articles have been published in the Journal of Politics, Electoral Studies, and Comparative Political Studies.

Klappentext

Documents the emergence of a new pattern of political instability in Latin America. Traditional military coups have receded in the region, but elected presidents are still ousted from power as a result of recurrent crises. Aníbal Pérez-Liñán shows that presidential impeachment has become the main constitutional instrument employed by civilian elites to depose unpopular rulers. Based on detailed comparative research in five countries and extensive historical information, the book explains why crises without breakdown have become the dominant form of instability in recent years and why some presidents are removed from office while others survive in power. The analysis emphasizes the erosion of presidential approval resulting from corruption and unpopular policies, the formation of hostile coalitions in Congress, and the role of investigative journalism. This book challenges classic assumptions in studies of presidentialism and provides important insights for the fields of political communication, democratization, political behaviour, and institutional analysis.

Zusammenfassung
For two decades, students of presidentialism have argued that extreme executive-legislative conflict ignites military interventions. However, in more recent years many Latin American presidents have been removed from office without democratic breakdowns. This book addresses the emerging paradox of unstable governments in the midst of stable democracies.

Inhalt

1. Institutional crises in presidential regimes; 2. Five cases of impeachment and a presumed madman; 3. Presidential crises and the decline of military intervention; 4. Latin America in the age of scandal; 5. Scandals and the political economy of popular outrage; 6. Building a legislative shield: the institutional determinants of impeachment; 7. Towards a new pattern of political instability; 8. Rethinking Latin American presidentialism.