Book Review: Why Presidents Fail. Political Parties and Government Survival in Latin America

Presidential failure – that is, the resignation, premature removal or impeachment of Presidents – has been a defining feature of Latin American politics with all but a few countries experiencing at least one such event during the last 35 years. As a result, comparativists and country experts alike have sought to identify the specific determinants of chief executives’ failure, and survival, in the region. One of the most consistent findings in the literature has been that Presidents’ support in the legislature, the size of their ‘legislative shield’, is a key determinant of whether they are able to remain in office or succumb to pressures created by economic hardship, mass demonstrations, or scandals. Surprisingly, however, the varying roles and characteristics of political parties and party systems have only rarely been considered in this context. In this insightful new monograph Christopher A. Martínez seeks to remedy this omission, arguing that political parties do indeed matter for presidential failure and survival.