Abstract

MARQUEZ ROMO, Cristian. Where do Latin American Former Presidents Go? The Way Out of Politics and Post-Presidential Careers in Latin America (1978-2018). Estud. Polit. [online]. 2019, n.55, pp.37-60. ISSN 0121-5167.  https://doi.org/10.17533/udea.espo.n55a03.

Empirical studies based on the careers of Latin American former presidents are practically non-existent. Most of the literature is focused on the development of the political career. Hence, the main goal of this proposal is to fill in this gap. It presents an empirical analysis based on the post-presidencies of eighteen Latin American countries since their transitions to democracy in 1978 up until 2018 in order to explore relevant factors that explain them. Using statistical and documentary methods, we create a typology of post-presidential careers, considering variables related to the individual characteristics of the former presidents, as well as with their previous political careers. The study found that former presidents tend to continue their political careers after their presidential period is over. The study also showed that it is possible to assess differences between those who continue in the public life and those who abandon it; however, even if they retired from public life it does not represent an obstacle for them to keep having political influence.

Keywords : Political Behavior; Public Administration; Political Elites; Post-Presidency; Political Capital; Latin America.

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