Throughout the 21st century, Latin America has experienced two major waves of leftist governments known as pink tide. The first, which began with Hugo Chávez’s rise to power in Venezuela in 1999, promised a social and economic transformation in the region. However, beyond their progressive rhetoric, many of these leaders ended up mired in corruption, authoritarianism, or economic disasters. Hugo Chávez and his successor, Nicolás Maduro, destroyed the Venezuelan economy while consolidating a dictatorial regime. Lula da Silva and Dilma Rousseff in Brazil saw their governments tainted by the Lava Jato scandal, which implicated a large part of the political elite. Cristina Fernández de Kirchner in Argentina left a legacy of crisis and countless accusations of corruption. Rafael Correa in Ecuador and Evo Morales in Bolivia undermined their democracies by attempting to perpetuate themselves in power. The first pink tide ended because citizens in these countries grew weary of inefficient governments plagued by scandals.
In recent years, a second pink wave has emerged in the region with similar commitments to change and social justice. However, the outlook is more disastrous. Pedro Castillo in Peru lasted less than two years before being ousted for attempting a self-coup. Alberto Fernández in Argentina failed to contain inflation and ended up a puppet of Kirchnerism. Gabriel Boric in Chile arrived with high expectations only to see his popularity plummet after the rejection of his constitutional proposal. Gustavo Petro in Colombia has proven erratic and polarizing, incapable of carrying out his reforms. Others, such as Bernardo Arévalo in Guatemala and Xiomara Castro in Honduras, face internal conflicts that challenge their governments. Meanwhile, the Maduro regime in Venezuela and Ortega in Nicaragua have deepened their dictatorships, demonstrating that the Latin American left has yet to learn from its mistakes.
Instead of a solid political project, this new generation of leftist leaders has repeated the same patterns of corruption, improvisation, and abuse of power that brought down the first pink tide. With governments becoming increasingly weak and uncoordinated, the question is inevitable: are we facing the definitive end of the left as a viable alternative for Latin America?
Faced with the failure, ineffectiveness, and scandals plaguing current left-wing Latin American governments, the rise of the far right and libertarianism seems more constant than ever. Figures like Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil, Javier Milei in Argentina, Nayib Bukele in El Salvador, and Daniel Noboa in Ecuador had the opportunity to reach the presidencies of their respective countries because they presented themselves as an anti-system alternative to the continued institutional rot emanating from the failed rhetoric of the Latin American left. There are only two exceptions to the rule. The first is the Mexican case, which is heading toward a second national hegemony perpetrated by the nationalist leftist agenda of the MORENA party, which has been in power since 2018 and could renew and increase its power in the presidency after the 2024 elections. The second case occurs in Uruguay with the return of the left to power with Yamandú Orsi, apprentice and protégé of the popular president José Mujica.
Taking all of the above into account, it can be determined that, unlike the first pink tide, this second generation of leftist leaders is completely blurred. Those who survived in power, whether through democratic elections (as in the case of Lula) or perpetuated power (such as Maduro and Ortega), clearly have different objectives than the generation of leaders who came to power with the second wave of leftist governments. Clearly, the second tide has not been able to consolidate itself as a strong bloc due to a lack of ideological cohesion and the internal challenges of each country.
The Latin American left has shown, in both pink tides, that it is incapable of building solid and sustainable projects. Its leaders, for the most part, have ended up mired in corruption, populism, or authoritarianism, leaving behind destroyed economies and weakened democracies. The second pink tide, far from being a progressive renewal, has repeated the same mistakes as the first, but with greater friction and fragility.
The region appears to be much more polarized than before. The lack of honest and incorruptible leadership has given way to fragmented societies where political debate has become a war of extremes between left-wing and right-wing populisms. Meanwhile, the democracies of these countries face unimaginable challenges, such as the economic crisis and insecurity. Citizen disapproval has opened the door to an uncertain future.
If the Latin American left doesn’t learn from its failures, it will be destined to remain chained to the same corrupt and controversial politicians who have given it a very poor image. This will open the door to demagogues and populists with an agenda that is supposedly anti-establishment but clearly reactionary and harmful to democracy.
