Reshaping a region with trust

In Argentina, a new president who promised radical disruption on the campaign trail has taken a more cautious, centrist approach as he starts to govern. In Chile, citizens demanding a new constitution last night rejected the second attempt at drafting one. And in Guatemala, an anti-corruption president-elect is locked in battle with judges and prosecutors trying to block him from taking office next month.

The transitions unfolding from one Latin American country to the next tell different stories – of the moderating effect of democracy, for instance, or the pursuit of healing and reconciliation from harmful pasts. Yet together they weave a more singular narrative of a region restoring trust through civic values.

“Surveys on Latin American youth tell us that many don’t believe in political parties, they don’t believe in political institutions,” Carolina Jiménez Sandoval, president of the Washington Office on Latin America, told El País recently. “But they believe in political participation, which is something entirely different. They, as agents of change, can influence the future of their own stories and the issues that matter to them: the environment, gender equality, etc.”

Voting is the most obvious form of political participation. In Latin America, however, where casting ballots is mandatory in most countries, it is not the most reliable measure of citizen confidence. The latest survey by Latinobarómetro found that only 48% of people in the region support democracy – down from 63% in 2010.

But several trends point to the growing strength and influence of civil society across Latin America. Younger citizens, women, and Indigenous groups are behind gains in equality, access to justice, and the election of candidates promising to boost economic opportunity by rooting out corruption.

That activism underscores one way that trust is built through democratic participation. In countries with low levels of public trust in government and political parties, the World Bank notes, citizens develop more robust forms of social capital to seek change. That explains Chileans’ strong desire for a new constitution yet rejection of drafts that tilted too far in one political direction or the other.

It may also be a reason for President Javier Milei’s more cautious start in Argentina. Since taking office on Dec. 10, he has backed off his more controversial proposals, like shutting down the Central Bank, and appointed experienced centrists to stabilize an economy in crisis.

As Patricio Navia wrote in Americas Quarterly, Mr. Milei may be taking a note from Chile and Colombia, where incoming presidents faced quick public backlash for seeking change too quickly. Argentines elected Mr. Milei “not because they truly believed in his economic program but because they thought the incumbent status quo was untenable,” wrote Dr. Navia, a political science professor at Diego Portales University in Chile.

“Overall, democratic processes and institutions are shifting towards higher citizen engagement and civil society inputs are increasingly being taken into consideration,” said Julia Keutgen, program manager at International IDEA. The effect of increased civic participation is a cultural shift in democratic institutions, she wrote in a blog post for Institut Montaigne, “one that favors transparency and openness and acknowledges the relevance of public opinion.”

Latin Americans are shaping a new era of democracy through engaged skepticism, building trust and equality through self-government and common good.