This was an election that was meant to cement authoritarian rule and it became a democratic breakthrough.Rachel SchwartzAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Rachel Schwartz is an assistant professor of international and area studies at the University of Oklahoma. Recently, she cowrote an article with Anita Isaacs for the Journal of Democracy called, “How Guatemala Defied the Odds." She also authored a book earlier this year called Undermining the State from Within: The Institutional Legacies of Civil War in Central America.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:33The 2023 Election - 2:46A Weak State - 17:18Democratic Backsliding - 30:53Rejuvenating Democracy - 39:39Key LinksUndermining the State from Within: The Institutional Legacies of Civil War in Central America by Rachel Schwartz"How Guatemala Defied the Odds" in Journal of Democracy by Rachel Schwartz"Guatemala: Resisting Democratic Backsliding in the Least Likely of Places?" by Rachel SchwartzDemocracy Paradox PodcastWendy Hunter on Lula, Bolsonaro, January 8th and Democracy in BrazilJennifer Piscopo on the Constitutional Chaos in ChileMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show