Presidential Impeachment in Latin America

This book pursues a comparative and interdisciplinary approach to assess presidential impeachments in Latin America. Mixing methodologies from legal studies and political science, it provides a novel and comprehensive assessment of some of the most controversial questions regarding the constitutional function of impeachment and its place in the theory of government. Presidential impeachments have become frequent in Latin America, yet they are still largely misunderstood by legal practitioners and the general public. As such, impeachments frequently provide for heated and polarizing debates. The misunderstandings stem from skewed expectations arising from different theories of government, legal interpretation, and presidential impeachment. The empirical evidence and arguments presented here will help to find common ground on these topics and pacify some latent tensions in society and academia. In addition, the book’s case studies cover cases that have been rarely or incompletely addressed in the literature. Some cover events so recent that they have never been analyzed elsewhere. The book proposes reconsidering certain assumptions made about systems of government, which are based on skewed expectations of impeachments. It also draws on new evidence to re-examine existing impeachment theories and develop new ones. By doing so, it offers valuable insights that may guide lawmakers to redesign their own systems, optimizing them to achieve certain goals. It will also acquaint legal practitioners with the strategies of prosecution, defense, and decision-making in connection with impeachments.