Keri Kahn

Hello, Daniel.

Yes, it's been in the last few years.

In some ways, it's part of the natural swings, the power alternations here.

The left had big gains before, but started losing major elections recently, especially in Argentina and in Ecuador last year.

And this year, we saw decades of socialist rule in Bolivia fall, and an ultra-conservative candidate just flipped Chile last month.

Partly it is, but overwhelmingly voters are concerned about crime, violence, and security.

And in the case of Chile, also illegal immigration.

That to me is the significant shift in the landscape here.

When the left took power, the major emphasis back then was economic inequality, social issues, the environment.

Now it's safety.

And the left just has not come through with either effective policies to combat the organized crime violence or credible promises that they're going to do something better.

And the right has really straightforward, tough on crime plans and slogans.

And I'm not commenting on the quality of the right's proposals.

All I'm saying is that they are resonating better with voters.

get tough on crime like those made infamous in El Salvador, the mano dura iron fist policies that are just being emulated everywhere, bringing the military to patrol the streets, build maximum security prisons, toughen sentences, and in many places,

the population is more than willing to curb civil rights to combat that crime.

Also, many just want to crack down on illegal immigration.

Remember, nearly 8 million people have fled the authoritarian rule of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela, and most have stayed here in this region.

And the right has deftly conflated and merged the high crime fears and illegal immigration

Like with the recent win in Chile by the ultra-conservative there, he pledged to build fences, even dig huge ditches along the border, as well as start mass deportations of migrants.