Democracies are in flux across the Americas. Throughout the region republics are facing comparable challenges as we witness democratic backsliding amid growing social and economic deterioration. This backsliding is increasingly blurring the lines between the separation of powers while destroying formerly independent institutions. Many political leaders are also now more openly predisposed to resort to popular referendums to bypass constitutional constraints while weakening respect for the rights of minorities. In the extremes, we have also witnessed their questioning of institutions and electoral results.
In this context, the Georgetown Americas Institute is pleased to host a conversation with former Venezuelan lawmaker Julio Borges, who will present his latest co-edited book, Las transiciones de la democracia: entre la libertad y el autoritarismo (2023). The book focuses on recent democratic transitions in the region and presents lessons learned for the future of regional democracy. It features interviews with former presidents and essays by experts which help us reflect upon the direction in which our continent is headed and on the risks faced by the relatively young democracies of Latin America. Joining the conversation will be Juan Miguel Matheus, congressman of the National Assembly of Venezuela, and Paola Bautista of the Institute of Political Studies FORMA, both editors of the new book.
Featuring
Julio Borges is a Venezuelan politician, writer, and lawyer who served as president of the National Assembly between 2017 and 2019. In 1992 he founded the Primero Justicia political party. He was elected into the assembly in 2000, 2010, and 2015. He is a leader of the Venezuelan opposition and now serves as vice president of communication, strategy, and communications of Primero Justicia. He holds a law degree from the Universidad Católica Andrés Bello, a master’s degree in philosophy from Boston College, a master’s in public policy and Latin American studies from the University of Oxford, and holds a doctor in philosophy from the Universidad Santo Tomás de Aquino. In 2018, the government of Nicolas Maduro issued three arrest warrants against Borges that forced him to flee his country.
Paola Bautista de Alemán is a Venezuelan politician and academic, currently serving as the national vice president of political education and programs at Primero Justicia. She is also president of the Institute of Political Studies FORMA. She is the author of several publications, including A callar que llegó la revolución (2014), El fin de las democracias pactadas (2021), and La Patria que viene (2022). Bautista de Alemán is editor of the magazine Democratización and collaborates with Diálogo Político and La Gran Aldea. She holds a PhD in political science from the University of Rostock, Germany.
Juan Miguel Matheus is a congressman of the National Assembly of Venezuela. He is Professor of Constitutional Law at Monteavila University (Caracas, Venezuela). His research is focused on the Constitutional Law of the Democratization and the legal framework of political changes. Professor Matheus earned his JD from Monteavila University and his PhD in Constitutional Law from the University of Navarre (Spain). He is author of many books and articles in the fields of Constitutional Law and Parliamentary Law.
Alejandro Werner is the founding director of the Georgetown Americas Institute and a non-resident senior fellow at the Peterson Institute. He recently completed almost nine years as director of the Western Hemisphere Department at the International Monetary Fund. Prior to that appointment, he was undersecretary of finance and public credit in Mexico’s Finance Ministry and held several positions in that ministry and the Central Bank. He also taught at leading universities in Mexico, Spain, and the United States. He holds a Ph.D. in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a B.A. in economics from ITAM.