We are united by the dream of a commons democracy, a democracy that redistributes power, expands political inclusion and promotes human rights.
In 2016, faced with a lack of democratic ownership and representation, a group of Latin Americans, “affected by the state of democracy,” created the Latin American Political Innovation Network. Among its members, several people came from innovative exercises, as explained by one of the current coordinators of the Network, the Mexican feminist Susana Ochoa: from Wikipolítica, from pirate parties, from youth parties, from efforts of independent candidates or from social movements.
With a regional, territorial and community perspective, this organization seeks to promote new ways of doing politics in Latin America in the face of the social, political and economic challenges of the region, thanks to social participation, transparency, equity, human rights and environmental protection.
In their manifesto, they recognise and include living ancestral cultures, as well as the importance of the political participation of historically excluded populations such as indigenous or Afro-descendant populations. They point out their commitment to combat inequalities and the risks of monopoly of power by economic, political and organised crime elites, and therefore support and strengthen emerging leaders who seek to change traditional politics. Access to open, decentralised, interoperable and human rights-based digital technologies is also one of their priority axes, as well as the fight against corruption, insisting that: “using an institutional position to serve a closed party system is corruption”.
This network and the issues it defends are more than relevant in the face of democratic challenges in the region, especially due to the loss of political plurality, spaces for conversation or ideas in highly hegemonic or polarized contexts. A few weeks ago its members met in Mexico City. They talked about governance, the left, the Afro-descendant movement, feminism, links with civil society, actions against the climate crisis, a topic that was not so present at the beginning of the creation of the network; although in their manifesto they comment that “Exploiting natural resources as if they were infinite is ecocide.”
Susana explains that the Network is in a new phase with the integration of people and issues such as the inclusion of sexual and gender diversity, which still needs to be strengthened. With meetings, forums, training, education, and publications, the idea is to continue consolidating a common agenda and united responses to structural political challenges.
Although it is complex to open these spaces for decision-making, the Network could benefit from more diversity and plurality to analyze challenges such as the permanent and growing violence in some cases (such as in Mexico) against civil society, journalists, sexual and gender diversity, environmentalists or against nature.
Congratulations on a cross-border exercise that will continue to grow and enrich itself based on convictions.https://redinnovacionpolitica.org/)