아르헨티나는 1983년 민주화를 달성한 후 정의당(일명 페론당)의 메넴의 시대인 1990년대에 걸쳐 민주주의의 민주화가 진행되는 가운데 신자유주의 모델을 강력하게 추진하였다. 그러나 시장지향적 경제 개혁을 추진한 메넴 정권의 정책 실패를 물어 선거에 의해 라디깔당 또는 정의당이 아닌 제 3의 정당(UCR+FREPASO 연합)인 Alianza로 정권이 교체되기도 하였으나 심각한 경제난에 봉착하면서 2001년 말 아르헨티나는 역사상 최악의 사태를 맞았다. 민주주의 자체도 심각한 도전을 받았으나 2003년 정의당의 키르츠네르 정부가 좌파 프로그램을 추진하기 시작하면서 정치 안정과 경제 성장 국면으로 진입하고 있다. 본 논문에서는 먼저 라틴아메리카 좌파 정부와의 상이점, 민주적 좌파의 성격을 보이고 있는 정책 특성과 집권 요인 그리고 정의당의 역사적 특성을 고찰하여 미래를 조명하고자 한다.

This article is focused at the emergence of left government in Latin America during the 1990s~2000s and the case of Argentine. On the one hand, it seeks to explain why the left government has emerged in Latin America and what characteristics they have. On the other hand, it seeks to explain the case of Argentine: political and economic color of the present Kirchner government and the characteristics of the party in power 'PJ'. Over the past decade, the left in Latin America has made spectacular gains. Since the election of Hugo Chávez in Venezuela in 1998, leftist parties or coalitions have won the presidency in Brazil (2002), Argentina (2003), Uruguay (2004), Bolivia (2005), and Chile (2006). In Argentine legislative elections last October, 2005, the success of President Néstor Kirchner’s Justicialist Party—which gained political control of parliament and of Buenos Aires—gave him a mandate to lead his country further in a socialist direction, “advance his populist agenda—and cement his authority”. The election demonstrated both the robustness of Argentina's core democratic institutions and the remarkable strength of Peronism. Between 1983 and 2003 the result of elections hinted at a new rule: non-Peronist candidates could win the Presidency, but they could not govern effectively enough to hold onto it. It is important to understand the mechanisms that provide the Peronists with a comparative advantage in governing national executive, competitive party machine, subnational electoral coalitions and their broader capacity to access and use public resources for electoral gain.

This article is focused at the emergence of left government in Latin America during the 1990s~2000s and the case of Argentine. On the one hand, it seeks to explain why the left government has emerged in Latin America and what characteristics they have. On the other hand, it seeks to explain the case of Argentine: political and economic color of the present Kirchner government and the characteristics of the party in power 'PJ'. Over the past decade, the left in Latin America has made spectacular gains. Since the election of Hugo Chávez in Venezuela in 1998, leftist parties or coalitions have won the presidency in Brazil (2002), Argentina (2003), Uruguay (2004), Bolivia (2005), and Chile (2006). In Argentine legislative elections last October, 2005, the success of President Néstor Kirchner’s Justicialist Party—which gained political control of parliament and of Buenos Aires—gave him a mandate to lead his country further in a socialist direction, “advance his populist agenda—and cement his authority”. The election demonstrated both the robustness of Argentina's core democratic institutions and the remarkable strength of Peronism. Between 1983 and 2003 the result of elections hinted at a new rule: non-Peronist candidates could win the Presidency, but they could not govern effectively enough to hold onto it. It is important to understand the mechanisms that provide the Peronists with a comparative advantage in governing national executive, competitive party machine, subnational electoral coalitions and their broader capacity to access and use public resources for electoral gain.

Latin America, Argentina, Argentine left, Latinamerican left, populism