Latin America was the scene of mass demonstrations in several countries in 2019.
From Ecuador to Chile, Bolivia and more recently Colombia, a domino effect of social demands have swept through several South American capital cities, fuelled by student movements organised through social networks, Indigenous organisations and political parties.
The demonstrations have resulted in brutal violence, looting, fires, and destruction of infrastructure. The unrest was met with a strong response by police and government forces, which in many cases enforced a state of emergency, curfews and the militarisation of public spaces.
However, unlike the regional uprisings seen across the world where protesters shared similar messages, the triggers for what analysts call, the “Latin American Spring”, have differed from country to country and have affected both right and left-wing governments.
However, there are some base-level similarities; including calls by protesters for an end to corruption, economic hardship and increasing inequality. Here’s a breakdown of the protests:
Indigenous force in Ecuador
In Ecuador, a series of protests and riots erupted between government forces and the Indigenous movement over austerity measures adopted by the administration of President Lenin Moreno, including the elimination of fuel subsidies, which had been in effect for more than four decades.
The fuel subsidy cuts, part of Decree 883, resulted in diesel fuel prices doubling and regular fuel prices increased by 30 per cent.
National protests erupted immediately following the president’s announcement on October 1st, with bus, truck and taxi drivers calling for the abolition of the subsidies. The strike resulted in the crippling of the country’s transport network. All major roads and bridges were blocked in the Ecuadorian capital, Quito.
Ecuadoran President Lenin Moreno Garces. Source: AAP/Ecuadoran Presidential Official
The scale of the protests grew significantly when Indigenous peoples' groups began protesting, along with labour unions and university students.
The first 10 days of protests resulted in at least nine deaths and more than 1,500 injured, including 435 security officers, according to the UN Office for Human Rights.
Ecuadorans began protesting in October when an executive decree came into effect that eliminated the subsidy on the price of gasoline. Source: Paolo Aguilar/EPA
Despite its severity, the crisis was quickly de-escalated, when on October 13, the repeal of the decree was agreed upon by the government and the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) and the demonstrations ceased.
‘Chile Awakened’
The social outbreak in Chile began in October after the government of President Sebastian Piñera announced an increase in public transport fare prices for peak hour metro rides, attributing the move on higher energy costs and a weaker peso.
Although this increase triggered the unrest, for Chileans it was the last admissible straw that deepened the inequalities that divide the ‘haves vs the have nots’.
This gave rise to the “Chile Awakened” movement, which calls for social reform to help the lower social classes manage the increasing cost of living.
A protester kicks a tear gas canister during clashes with police in Santiago, Chile. Source: AAP
The 2019 protests began on October 7 when secondary school students coordinated a fare-evasion campaign in the country’s capital, Santiago. The situation quickly escalated into train station takeovers, violence and widespread vandalism.
Protests spread to cities across the country in scenes not seen since the country returned to democracy following the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990).
The protests then shifted to complaints about low wages and pensions, the price of groceries and university fees, and the enormous inequality between the rich and poor. Demonstrations grew larger in size and scope and calls for the president to immediately resign even spread overseas.
Clashes between protesters and security forces have left dozens dead, and more than 5,000 injured, many of them with serious eye injuries due to the indiscriminate use of rubber bullets by government forces. More than 6,000 people have been detained, and there are reports of alleged torture, which has further aggravated the conflict.
Protesters in Melbourne supporting the demonstrations in Chile. Source: SBS
On October 18, President Piñera declared a state of emergency in the capital which was eventually extended to the north and south of the country. The deployment of the military as part of the government response was the first time such a move was enforced after the country’s change to democracy.
At this time, many videos started to emerge on social media allegedly showing government forces deliberately lighting up fires to infrastructure and supposedly promoting violence.
On October 28, the president reshuffled eight ministries and his cabinet, in a bid to appease protesters. On November 15, most of the political parties represented in the National Congress signed an agreement for a national referendum to be held on April 2020, which will ask Chileans if they want a new Constitution.
The fall of Evo Morales
Protests in Bolivia began on October 23 in the city of Santa Cruz, two days after the incumbent leftist leader Evo Morales was declared the winner of the presidential election, under questionable circumstances.
Claims of electoral fraud were made following the suspension of the preliminary vote count, which showed Morales did not have a lead of more than 10 per cent – the margin needed to avoid a second round.
When the official count was published, Morales appeared to have won by over 10 per cent.
The opposition claimed the vote count was fraudulent, and three weeks of street protests ensued. Three people died and hundreds were injured in demonstrations.
Evo Morales, the former president of Bolivia. Source: AAP
The Organisation of American States (OAS) carried out an audit of the election and reported irregularities in just about every aspect it examined: from the technology used to the custody of ballots, the integrity of the count, and statistical projections.
Morales - a former coca farmer and Bolivia's first indigenous president – had been in power since 2006 and was seeking a fourth term which would’ve taken him up to 2025.
On November 10, the Organisation of American States General Secretariat recommended the first round of the Bolivian elections be cancelled, and called for new elections. Morales agreed.
Soldiers guard the Senkata fuel plant on the outskirts of Bolivia. Source: AP
However, on the same day, the general commander of the Armed Forces ‘recommended’ Morales resigned. He promptly complied and fled to Mexico, where he was granted asylum. The move was criticised and described by many of Morales’ supporters as a military coup.
Opposition candidate Jeanine Añez took over as interim president, which prompted a wave of fresh protests, this time by Morales' followers.
The Colombian ‘cacerolazo’
The current unrest in Colombia does not draw similarities to the waves of unrest that the country has experienced over recent decades. The first of three national strikes took place on November 21 in Bogota, the country’s capital, and in other major cities of the country.
Hundreds of thousands of Colombians demonstrated against the government of President Ivan Duque Marquez and in support of the Colombian peace process.
While mostly peaceful, multiple violent incidents have taken place during the protests, leading to overnight curfews in Bogota and Cali. So far, four people have died and more than 500 have been wounded among civilians, military and police.
Anti-government protesters march in Bogota, Colombia, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2019. Source: AAP
Protests supporting the demonstrations have taken place in Australia, Argentina, Germany, Spain, France, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
The rejection of economic and tax adjustments brought in by the government of President Duque, the request for a larger budget for education and the implementation of peace agreements with the former FARC guerrillas, are some of the demands raised by the National Strike Committee – an organising group comprised of unions, students and teacher organizations, indigenous groups and the opposition.
Source: Ivan Valencia /AP
According to this committee, the government of President Duque prepared a "package" of measures that would cause strong economic and social impacts on workers.
Among them are proposals to eliminate the state pension fund, increase the retirement age and reduce the salary for young people to 75 per cent of the minimum wage, among other measures.
The government has responded by playing down the complaints and refuting the potential effects of these measures.
Colombians protesting in Melbourne. Source: Supplied
Protesters in Colombia are also demanding effective protection measures for Indigenous people and social leaders, who have been the target of a wave of murders in the country over the past four years.
Many cities have staged “cacerolazo” (pot-banging) type protests since November 21, which had previously been unheard of in Colombia, but common in other Latin-American countries.
The National Unemployment Committee, which brings together various disgruntled sectors, held the first exclusive meeting with government delegates in early December, but negotiations ended without agreement.
Precedents in Venezuela and Nicaragua
In these two Latin American countries, protest movements have called for the departure of their leftist leaders, Nicolas Maduro and Daniel Ortega.
To ensure they hold onto power, both governments have used the same strategy.
“They have separated the leaders and opposition parties. Not by the polls, but through decisions of Justice or electoral authority, deceptive and illegal. Ortega did it during the 2016 elections and Maduro imitated him in 2018,” Venezuelan political scientist Luis Salamanca explained to AFP.
Both leaders have "censored the media and strengthened their authority by eliminating counter powers," adds Juan Felipe Celia, of the Atlantic Council analysis centre in Washington.
El Senado de Estados Unidos aprobó endurecer la presión contra el Gobierno de Nicaragua por las detenciones de opositores y precandidatos presidenciales. Source: AAP
The opposition in both countries have accused their presidents of having established "dictatorships”.
For their part, the governments described protesters as “terrorists” and “right-wing coup-makers” financed by the United States.
According to the Observatory of Social Conflict of Venezuela, in the first quarter of 2019, 6,211 protests were recorded, amounting to about 69 daily protests. The country's economy has reached a hyperinflation level of 3,326 per cent and according to the Observatory of the Venezuelan Diaspora (ODV), the exodus of nationals is already close to 5 million spread across 90 countries.
The Venezuelan opposition hoped that the resignation of Evo Morales in Bolivia and his departure from the country would encourage followers to re-group again against Maduro, as seen at the start of 2019 when Juan Guaidó declared himself interim president and was recognised as such by the United States, most countries of the European Union and Latin America.
Venezuelan migrants at the border between Colombia and Ecuador. Source: AAP
But recent demonstrations have been far from massive due to widespread ‘protest exhaustion’ and Maduro's power appears less threatened, at least for now.
