Elections

Abstract

Abstract This chapter approaches elections in Latin America from a narrow and precise perspective: as a method for deciding who rules. In fact, Latin America has a long history of popular elections, and the main objective is to assess their capacity to define who will rule, that is, whether they function as a mechanism to select leaders. Hence, a crucial indicator in the Latin American experience with the electoral method is the frequency with which those holding the presidency were popularly elected and completed their constitutional term. The chapter underscores the uniqueness of the Latin America experience with the representative government by focusing on the nineteenth century, the moment in which national representative institutions were adopted around the world and elections substituted heredity as the method through which political offices were filled. Focusing on elections for the national executive office allows the comparison of the Latin American and European experiences with the adoption of the electoral mechanism.