Leonel Fernández Delivers Keynote Speech During Central American Parliament Forum (Parlacen)

Former President Dr. Leonel Fernández delivered a keynote address this past Wednesday where he spoke of the political processes experienced by Latin America in the last decades.

Fernández, who is also President of the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD), spoke during the Third Forum of the XXVI Central American and Caribbean Conference on Political Parties sponsored by Parlacen.  The event was held at Hotel Crowne Plaza in Santo
Domingo, Dominican Republic.

During his intervention Fernández highlighted the 1960s, a decade when the region experienced a series of coups against governments that represented the will of the people through electoral processes.  One of these was the coup carried out against Professor Juan Bosch in the Dominican Republic.

He also revealed that during the late 1970s, specifically in the Dominican Republic, a third wave of democratic
transition swept over Latin America.  These events were influenced by various national and international factors  He specifically mentioned the election of Jimmy Carter as President of the United States.

He argued that contrary to what occurred in South Korea and Taiwan, Latin America’s democratic transition period was not preceded by a period of economic well-being, but as a consequence of the discredited military governments and economic
crises.

On the rise of neo-liberalism former President Fernández explained that during the 1980s – influenced by the conservative revolution headed by Margaret Thatcher in Great Britain and Ronald Reagan in the United States –  the model brought with it the privatization of companies, as well as the loss of influence of the State as the main engine of the economy and opening the way to market forces.

The Forum where former President Fernández spoke
is one of four hosted by Parlacen in the country with the participation of key regional leaders, among them Luis Almagro, Secretary General of the Organization of American States and Duma Rusa, head of the Central American Integration System.

The event is coordinated by Parlacen President Tony Raful, where the Dominican Republic has played an important role in the activity.