What are the differences between the left and right in Central America today?. A debate about the attitudes of political elites and the nature of democracy in Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala

Abstract

This paper analyzes the opinions and attitudes of the main parliamentary groups in Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala on two crucial subjects: democracy and its institutions; and, the relationship between the market and the State. With regard to democracy and its institutions, the paper explores the current perceptions/opinions of political elites on the left and the right with regard to these issues, in countries that recently achived democracy after suffering bloody civil wars. Secondly, the paper outlines the agreements, disagreements, as well as the changes that have taken place within these political factions which, up to today, continue to claim opposing views.