Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing: A Critical Appraisal to Abusive Exercise of Constitutional Powers in Venezuela, Argentina, and Peru
https://doi.org/10.17803/2713-0533.2025.3.33.594-634
Abstract
The c onstitutionalism movement aims to organize a society under the rule of law to protect the human person. For that purpose, constitutions usually establish several mechanisms of checks and balances. However, contemporary authoritarian tendencies refrain from resorting to disruptive institutional changes. Latin American autocrats, in general, no longer seek to implement a constitutional design that aligns with their agenda or aspirations to remain in power. Instead, they aim to use the institutional forms of liberal constitutionalism to undermine the core of democracy. Those autocratic tendencies perform their powers as wolves in sheep’s clothing. This kind of manoeuvre has come to be known as “abusive constitutionalism” and is probably one of the greatest threats to the democratic consolidation of the region. In this article, we will examine three cases of abusive constitutionalism — Argentina, Venezuela, and Peru — where some of the three branches of government respected institutional procedures but undermined one of the core foundations of constitutional democracy: judicial independence.
Supporting agencies: The paper preparation was funded by the External Postdoctoral Fellowship from CONICET: “El constitucionalismo abusivo: un estudio de derecho comparado entre Perú y Argentina” (2023).
About the Authors
L. D. Laise
CONICET, Universidad Austral, School of Law
Argentina
Argentina
Luciano D. Laise, PhD, Staff Researcher
Buenos Aires
G. Manzo-Ugas
Universidad Metropolitana
Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of
Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of
Gustavo Manzo-Ugas, PhD, Professor of Political Constitutional Theory
Caracas
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For citations:
Laise L.D., Manzo-Ugas G. Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing: A Critical Appraisal to Abusive Exercise of Constitutional Powers in Venezuela, Argentina, and Peru. Kutafin Law Review. 2025;12(3):594-634. https://doi.org/10.17803/2713-0533.2025.3.33.594-634
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