ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the link between populism and competitive authoritarianism in Latin America. It argues that successful populists push fragile democracies toward competitive authoritarianism because they are political outsiders with little experience with (or stake in) liberal democratic institutions; they earn an electoral mandate to bury the existing elite and its institutions; and they almost always confront institutions of horizontal accountability controlled by established parties. Presidents who prevail in the showdowns gain unchecked control over state institutions, which allows them to skew the playing field against opponents. Almost invariably, the result is competitive authoritarianism. The chapter presents the theoretical argument and illustrates it through an examination of three cases: Peru under Alberto Fujimori, Venezuela under Hugo Chavez, and Ecuador under Rafael Correa. The relationship between populism and competitive authoritarianism should be strongest in cases of full-blown populism.
