The Role of Young People’s Representation in the Narratives of Latin American Governments During the 21st Century First “Pink Tide”. Lowering of the Voting Age to 16 in Ecuador (2008) and Argentina (2012).

During the first part of the 21st century, the Latin American region observed a political shift to the left in the government in several countries, characterized as the “pink tide”. This new political cycle was also characterized by the presence of strong personalistic leadership in the presidencies that also represented a broad political mobilization, frequently characterized in academic and non-academic debates as populist. One of the elements in the narratives and policies of some of these emerging movements was the promotion of the political mobilization of young people. In this paper, I will analyze the electoral reforms that lowered the voting age from 18 to 16 in Ecuador during the presidency of Rafael Correa in 2008 and in Argentina under the presidency of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner in 2012. Both governments belonged to the same regional ideological orientation, and in both countries, despite the ideological shifts of the following governments and new electoral reforms, there were no further changes regarding the minimum voting age until the present. Drawing on a qualitative strategy based on interviews and document analysis, first, I will analyze the narratives of the proponents and the opponents of the reform during the proposal debate, considering the role that the actors give to young people in democratic societies. I will also address how the different actors interpreted the international and regional framework on childhood and youth rights, and the role that the category of populism and the accusation of strategic manipulation to gain the support of young voters played in the opposition to the reform. Second, I will analyze the trajectory of this reform until the present, focusing on the drivers to keep the minimum voting age without changes, and the implications on democratic participation and young citizens' engagement to the present. With this paper, I expect to bring new insights into the legacies and limitations of the progressive governments' policies inthe LAC region during the first part of the 21st century in terms of the rights of young people, and to the discussion on the conceptual approach to address the so-called “populist” movements and leaderships.