Patterns of Executive Removal and Its Consequences in Democratic Backsliding Countries in Asia and Latin America

Aya Watanabe, Kana Inata and Marisa Kellam

No 1006, IDE Discussion Papers from Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization(JETRO)

Abstract: This study investigates how democratic backsliders in third wave democracies exit office and how their removal shapes subsequent democratic trajectories. Using an original dataset that classifies different types of executive exit in Asia and Latin America, we show that specific exit types are related to differing degrees of democratic backsliding. To explain why some democracies recover after backsliders leave office while others stagnate, we compare Ecuador under Rafael Correa and Indonesia under Joko Widodo. Despite more severe backsliding in Ecuador, democracy rebounded, whereas Indonesia’s recovery remains limited. We argue that elite fragmentation facilitates reversal of backsliding, while elite collusion entrenches weakened democratic institutions and constrains prospects for democratic restoration.

Keywords: democratic; backsliding|executive; removal|elite; fragmentation/collusion|Asia|Latin; America (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-03
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Published in IDE Discussion Paper = IDE Discussion Paper, No.1006. 2026-03

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