Not long ago South America was awash with the so-called “pink tide” of left-wing leaders, riding on the wave of a commodities boom mixed with popular discontent.
Nowadays, all has changed: market-oriented policies are once again the order of the day in Paraguay and Argentina; Brazil’s Dilma Rousseff has been impeached and ousted; Chilean president Michelle Bachelet has historically poor approval ratings; and Venezuela is battling food shortages and extreme polarisation.
Two pink-tide titans are also set to leave office in the short and medium term: in February, Ecuador votes in presidential elections without Rafael Correa on the ballot for the first time since 2007; and after losing a constitutional referendum earlier this year, Bolivia’s Evo Morales won’t be able to stand again in 2019.
