Differentiated trajectories in the Latin American center-left

Abstract

This article analyzes the construction process of Latin American center-left parties. It is about the Uruguayan Frente Amplio (FA), created in 1971, and the Frente Para el País Solidario (Frepaso), which emerged in Argentina in the first half of the 1990s. Based on the “method of agreement”, used for binary comparison, the selection of cases is carried out given that both parties share the idea of having emerged in times of crisis and having managed to be an alternative to traditional parties. On the other hand, with the use of the “method of difference” it was possible to contrast the specificities between both cases and warn that the existence of distinctive elements explains trajectories and results that are so different. The comparison between the FA and the Frepaso is carried out, in addition, taking into account the literature on oppositions, in the context of contemporary democracies and, in particular, of Latin American presidentialisms.