Hybrid Regimes in Latin America: The Case of Venezuela

Abstract

The presence of political regimes that respond to an ambivalent nature, between institutions and procedures typical of a democratic system and authoritarian strategies in the exercise of power, is an increasingly prevalent reality. The current crisis of liberal democracy and the authoritarian decline of several Latin American countries, at the hands of democratically elected leaders, invite us to reflect on the particularities and complexities of contemporary political systems. In order to contribute to the debate on these complexities and on the democratic future of the region, this article analyses the characteristics of the Venezuelan case. In the light of the main theories on hybrid regimes and the methodological proposal for classification of political regimes by spanish author Inmaculada Szmolka, the particularities of the regime of Nicolás Maduro are explored. The starting hypothesis is that, despite serious democratic setbacks, Venezuela cannot be classified as a closed authoritarianism. The results of the research show that Venezuela forms a type of hybrid regime, the characteristics of which classify it as a restrictive hegemonic pluralist authoritarianism.

Keywords: Authoritarianism, hybrid, democracy, regime, Venezuela.