Challenges To Democratic Consolidation In Ecuador - Space For Opposition And Indigenous Representation Under Rafael Correa And Lenin Moreno

Abstract

ABSTRACT The illiberal democratic trend currently sweeping the world has emerged as a major obstacle for democratic consolidation, leading to its acceptance as the ‘new normal” of democracy. This trend has been successfully reversed in Ecuador, but the country has encountered and still grapples with several obstacles that must be overcome in order to return to the democratic consolidation route. The study focuses on the issues of consolidation, emphasizing the space allotted for participatory democracy by the ruling elite’s. The study examines Rafael Correa’s and Lenin Moreno’s governments in the context of the democratic consolidation framework to determine their strategic actions, behavior, and interests. The scope of the investigation will be limited with the focus made-on the space allowed for the opposition and indigenous community representation, from 2008 to 2021, to determine the extent to which Ecuador’s liberal democratic process is being consolidated.