ABSTRACT
This chapter explores how and why political leaders has been institutionalized within the EU and Mercosur. It explains the institutionalization of political conditionality in the EU and Mercosur and answers the question of whether the political conditionality of RIOs matters after all. Democratic clause in Mercosur has so far not been linked with enlargement, but rather with two crises which occurred in Paraguay, when the political conditionality of Mercosur was directly invocated. At the time of the second crisis in Paraguay, triggered by the assassination of Vice-President Argana in 1999, Mercosur already had a democratic clause. The effect of Mercosur political conditionality as an instrument of democracy promotion was positive, but had only a superficial effect to the extent that it contributed to avoiding a coup. Political conditionality and democratic clauses can be considered positive instruments to secure the realization of democratic values of RIO member states and may help deepen democratization.
