Benjamin Gedan and Elias French on The Threat to Latin American Term Limits

In our latest episode of the special series producedin partnership with the Journal of Democracy, we discuss the recent article co-authored by Benjamin Gedan and Elias French, entitled “The Threat to Latin American Term Limits” (Journal of Democracy, Vol. 36, No.4, October 2025)

The desire of leaders to remain in office indefinitelyhas haunted democracy since its inception. Politicians have found various ways to circumvent democratic accountability and sideline the people’s will for a change in leadership, from military coups to rigged elections or the installation of puppet leaders. One of the most widely used tools to constrainsuch practices is the establishment of presidential term limits. Many of today’s constitutions impose a limit on the number of times a person can run for office. However, as the Mexican experience with the practice of el dedazo shows, term limits and regular changes in the presidency are no guarantee of democratic turnover. Creative lawyers have often found legalpathways to circumvent such prohibitions. Benjamin Gedan and Elias French explain how, today, the judiciary is increasingly being used to challenge provisions that limit the amount of time individuals can serve as heads of theexecutive. Analyzing cases from Nicaragua, Honduras, Bolivia, and El Salvador, they show how constitutional courts have undermined this key safeguard of democratic survival, often by weaponizing international law and citizens’ political rights.