Presidential Breakdowns in Latin America

MARIANA LLANOS is a researcher at the German Institute for Global and Area Studies, Institute for Latin American Studies in Germany.   LEIV MARSTEINTREDET is a Ph.D. Research Fellow in the Department of Comparative Politics at the University of Bergen, Norway.

• PART I: PRESIDENTIAL BREAKDOWNS IN LATIN AMERICA: COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVES Introduction: Causes and Outcomes of Presidential Breakdowns; M.Llanos & L.Marsteintredet Presidential Breakdowns and Democratic Breakdowns in Latin America: Similar causes, different outcomes; M.E.Alvarez & L.Marsteintredet Latin American Presidential Resignations and the Role of Congress; A.M.Mustapic PART II: PRESIDENTIAL BREAKDOWNS IN LATIN AMERICA: CASE-STUDIES Minority Governments and Interrupted Presidencies: The Modern Iron Law of Argentine Politics?; Mariana Llanos Failed Presidencies and the Presidential System of Government: The Case of Bolivia; M.A.Buitrago Presidential Breakdowns and the Slow-motion Deterioration of Ecuadorian Democracy; M.Bøe Peru 1990-2000: the Fujimori Legacy on Presidentialism; T.E.Holvik-Skinlo & E.Berntzen Presidential Failure in an Unlikely Case: the case of Carlos Andrés Pérez in Venezuela; A.Mähler The Serranazo: A tale of an Announced Presidential Breakdown; M.C.Bjune & S.S.Petersen The Negotiated Breakdown of the Balaguer Presidency; L.Marsteintredet

"A worrisome proportion of democratically elected presidents in Latin America fail to complete their terms in office. This collection represents a major advance in our understanding of contemporary democracy in the region. Contrary to journalistic interpretations, the authors demonstrate that presidential breakdown is driven more by executive-legislative relations than by popular protests - and also that recent presidential breakdowns are more likely to lead to the reequilibration of a democratic regime than to its demise. In combining creative theory-building with detailed coverage of recent political history, this volume is a major contribution to comparative presidentialism and to the study of Latin American democracy." - Timothy J. Power, University of Oxford"The choice of the term presidential breakdown to conceptually describe the many early presidential exits in Latin America is right on target, as it accurately describes one of the most interesting phenomena in Latin American presidentialism, brilliantly treated by the authors. The detailed knowledge of these breakdown processes, presented from a comparative perspective, is one of the great attributes of this must-read book." - Manuel Alcántara, Universidad de Salamanca