Corruption in Politics in Latin America

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Corruption in Politics in Latin America Several videos were shown in class highlighting the corruption within Latin American politics. The videos “Elections in Panama” “Elections in El Salvador” and “A government campaign of harassment and intimidation” all gave a clear look at what really goes on in the so-called Democratic elections of Latin America. Elections in Latin America have always been fixed and fraudulent. The governments use all their will to thwart the elections using many tactics including military terror. There is a threatening military presence at polling places, including the presence of riot troops, security police and defense forces. There is no free media, newspapers for the opposition are shut down and TV stations are fine for selling time to the opposition. No transportation is provided and people are even pulled from their cars and threatened to have their licenses revoked. Tally sheets are fabricated, and “ghost voters” are added. Ballots are burned so there cannot be a recount. Election results are even cancelled and declared “null and void.” All of these are ways that governments in Latin America control their elections. When the Spanish still had control, their government system was categorized by its lack of democracy. The aristocrats maintained power and the people of the land had no say in the running of the country. When the Spanish system was overthrown by the Independence movement, the power was replaced by another small elite: the local caudillos. Caudillo is a Spanish word for the leader who held military and political power on a regional and even national scale. To better understand the way politics are run in this region, one can look at the personality characteristics of the caudillos. They are characterized by their personalismo, machismo and clientelismo. Their personalismo shows their strong personality,
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