In Colombia, the gap between the relatively modern cities and the impoverished countryside splits society into warring camps. In Venezuela, corrupt elites have squandered oil wealth, antagonizing the impoverished majority from the privileged minority. Where there is such profound inequality, democracy runs skin-deep. Elites fear that, in a genuine democracy, the impoverished majority would expropriate their wealth. For their part, the poor have lost faith with nominally democratic institutions that favor the interests of elites.
Surveys show that belief in democracy runs low.
For elites, that can mean a Gen. Augusto Pinochet. For the poor, a Col. Chavez. In Peru, Alberto Fujimori has followed the Mexican model, blending authoritarian rule on behalf of elites with populist handouts for the poor. As Fujimori's popularity wanes, he has borrowed further from the Mexican model by assuming control of the electoral commission. That explains the long delays in the first round of the election, as tally sheets were altered.