Dinosaurs, Clinging to Power in Latin America – Splinter

In Latin America there are a group of presidents — political dinosaurs — who have stuck around for a long time because they refuse to give up power. They consider themselves indispensable, yet have no idea how much damage they’re doing to democracy and their respective nations. In Ecuador, President Rafael Correa was in power from 2007 to 2017, but he wanted more. He was already setting himself up to run again in 2021, but in a recent referendum, almost two-thirds of voters in Ecuador said no to Correa, and yes to presidential term limits. Still, I wouldn’t be surprised if Correa made another attempt to return to the presidency, whether by hook or by crook. I interviewed Correa years ago, and he refused to call Cuba’s Fidel Castro a dictator. This is a trait shared by many of these rulers who consider themselves irreplaceable. They seem to think: “If Fidel stayed in power forever, why shouldn’t I?” Read more>>

Share