The Nepotism in the Latin American left in power

Abstract

This article critically analyzes the presence of nepotism in Latin American governments that define themselves as leftists, starting from the premise that these movements -due to their principles of equity, ethics and social justice- should differentiate themselves from traditional practices associated with corruption and favoritism. To this end, the article consists of four parts: the first speculates on hidden messages that Gabriel García Márquez may have left hidden in the content of his masterpiece, and we take the liberty of associating the endogamy/incest of some of his characters with nepotism in the Latin American left in power. Given that these governments consider themselves as Marxists, the second part examines the ideas of thinkers of that ideology, such as Trotsky, Lenin, Gramsci and Ho Chi Minh; regarding family groups, merit, bureaucracy and revolutionary morality, once the left came to power in their respective countries. The third section summarizes various public and journalistic reports related to alleged cases of nepotism and corruption in recent Latin American left-wing governments. It concludes with a fourth section containing final reflections inspired by the analyzed events. The work argues that nepotism is a recurring practice that contradicts the ideological principles proclaimed by these supposedly left-wing governments and contributes to weakening the legitimacy of their political projects by reproducing family networks of power and fostering corruption, as the right wing did previously. It points out that the abandonment of a common practice in former left-wing movements, namely self-criticism, has sidelined an effective mechanism for preventing and punishing harmful practices, such as nepotism and the lack of study of their own thinkers, contributing to the erosion of public trust and the missed opportunities for historical processes of transformation. Therefore, combating nepotism and corruption is essential, as is strengthening public ethics and ensuring a solid foundation in the ideologies they claim to uphold. Selected officials based on merit should be indispensable for preserving the credibility and viability of left-wing political projects in Latin America.