ABSTRACT
This chapter analyzes a pattern of internal democratization in the selection of candidates in Latin America and compares elites profiles in traditional and new parties. The emergence of new political parties in the region over the last two decades invites reflection on possible differences in candidate selection in terms of political careers, profiles and mechanisms. Despite the difficulty of drawing a broad picture for such a heterogeneous region of the world, in the last decade, Latin America has been tending generally toward more inclusive procedures as a solution to the growing distrust in political parties. Political disaffection and pressures to include the bases in decision-making processes have had a direct impact on intra-party democracy. Anti-establishment discourses, the turn toward the left and the emergence of new leaders have modified Latin America’s party systems as well as its candidate-selection procedures. This work focuses on four paradigmatic cases from Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Costa Rica.
