"In Latin America, we have democratic dictatorships."

Within the framework of the “14th International Congress of Higher Education University 2024” in Havana, and the Forum “Higher Education and Social Transformation” organized by CLACSO on Tuesday, February 6, René Ramírez, from the National Autonomous University of Mexico, coordinator of the Science, Technology and Innovation Axis of the UNESCO CRES, spoke with CLACSO.tv.

Referring to the current situation in Latin America, the former Minister of Higher Education of Ecuador stated that “in terms of economic and social cycles, we are facing an attack on democracy with recessionary processes and increased inequality and wealth concentration.” He added that “representative democracy cannot coexist with the crisis of accumulation.” According to Ramírez, this generates new processes, which he calls “democratic dictatorships,” in which democratic institutions are used to carry out institutional coups.

Interviewed by Gustavo Lema.

Regional Conference on Higher Education (CRES+5)