Llegaron para quedarse…Los procesos de reforma a la reelección presidencial en América Latina

Abstract

One of the major transformations in presidential regimes in Latin America is the increasingly widespread adoption of reelection. The key political actor in this process is the President, who initially promotes a Constitutional reform in order to remain in power. The central question asked is: Why some presidents succeed in achieving a more permissive reelection reform, while others fail? To answer this question a comparative qualitative methodology is used in order to identify strategic presidential resources geared towards achieving a reform. The article concludes that the coincidence of resources such as personalistic party control, popular support, and the absence of a congressional majority are some of the conditions that lead to a successful reform.