BREAKING DOWN DEMOCRACY: Goals, Strategies, and Methods of Modern Authoritarians outcome of elections. They need to hold votes to vali- Latin America’s populist movements, which had previ- date their rule, but they also recognize the risk involved, ously made impressive gains across the region. as elections remain a potent instrument of democratic renewal even in deeply troubled societies. Voters in these countries retained faith in the democrat- ic process even after experiencing hardship after hard- The events of late 2014 and 2015 include vivid re- ship, including military rule (Myanmar), civil war and au- minders of the power of the ballot. In Nigeria, Africas thoritarian rule (Sri Lanka), a terrorist scourge (Nigeria), most populous country and largest economy, voters economic collapse and political repression (Venezuela), who ‘wer fed up with eevernmerial eamiplaeendy and economic setback and unaccountable government terrorism, and graft rejected the incumbent president, (Argentina). They prevailed despite, in some cases, an Goodluck denathan, and elected Muhammadu Buhari electoral playing field tilted sharply against the opposi- to replace am ti he arene, a ne me Praucet tion; in other cases, a history of political violence; and in an over e naling wetany In parllamentarye actions or still other cases, apprehensions about what lies ahead longtime opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her . . ws ° when dictatorships give way to normal politics. National League for Democracy (NLD), a remarkable turnaround in a country that until recently ranked Lo. a ; . Some of these voters were also rejecting political among the world’s most repressive. . . ae , figures who had publicly disdained the world’s democ- Voters in Sri Lanka ousted their increasingly author- facies and drawn closer to authoritarian powers like a — : : . Russia, China, and Iran. They were willing to listen to itarian and divisive president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, : in favor of Maithripa