Presidential Recall in Latin America from a comparative perspective

Abstract

Some Latin American countries have introduced presidential recall in the last three decades. This exceptional and spontaneous mechanism by which somebody can remove a servant elected through a popular vote from office before the end of his term aims to broaden participation, empower citizens, and improve the responsibility and accountability of servants. However, the recall faces the challenge of being an instrument serving interests outside of its normative ideal. What are the consequences of holding a recall referendum? Under what conditions can the recall yield better results and be more effective? This paper answers these questions by comparing the presidential recall held in Venezuela, Bolivia, and Mexico. The evidence suggests that the mechanism can have substantial advantages and fulfill its objective when its holding is justified, there is no intervention from relevant political actors, and the institutional design does not hinder or discourage participation.