ABSTRACT
Nearly all of Latin America was swept up in the ‘third wave’ of democratisation
that first emerged in the 1970s. Despite this decisive turn towards democracy,
obstacles continue to block paths towards democratic consolidation across the
region. The 2002 coup attempt in Venezuela and the 2009 successful coup in
Honduras were clear reminders that democracy is not ‘the only game in town’
in the twenty-first century (Przeworski 1991, p. 26). Anxious American policy-
makers routinely fret about anti-democratic forces elsewhere in the region,
expressing particular disdain for the (democratically elected) presidents of
Bolivia, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and (again) Venezuela. In light of these phenom-
ena, there has been much discussion about the probable fates of these unfolding
democratic experiments, with particular focus on the ingredients for building
high-quality democratic institutions. While analysts have tended to emphasise
the role of Latin America’s strong presidents in shaping the quality of democracy,
this article focuses instead on the democracy-enhancing or retarding role of the
region’s parliaments.
