The Vice-God is Always an Atheist. Paradoxes of the Political Role of Vice Presidents in Latin American Governments
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17533/udea.espo.n71a11Keywords:
Political Institutions, Comparative Politics, Vice Presidency, Governance, Political Instability, Latin AmericaAbstract
This article analyzes the role of vice presidents in times of presidential crisis, combining institutional analysis with a comparative study of cases in which the vice president’s actions and his relationship with the Legislative Branch had an impact on Latin American governance. The analysis answers the questions: Can the vice president be a destabilizing factor in presidential administrations? Which Latin American institutional designs favor the emergence of problematic vice presidents? The result that is intended to be explained is the destabilizing potential of the “disloyal” vice presidents or of the vice-presidential institution itself and their contribution to situations of presidential fall or crisis of governability without falling. The article proposes that in order to analyze the loyal or disloyal behavior of vice presidents (and its consequences) institutional and political factors must be combined. It examines institutional conditions such as rules of succession, re-election, selection and replacement mechanisms, and the assignment of extraordinary functions or appointment to other public offices. It also analyzes political factors related to the structure of the governing coalition, how many seats have a Governing Party, the nature of the coalition, and the trajectory and political relevance of the vice president.
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