Ecuador Votes 2017: What is the Future of the Left in Latin America?

Ecuador voted on Sunday to elect a new president with initial results leaving Lenín Moreno just short of the 40% required for an outright victory over rightwing rival Guillermo Lasso, meaning a run-off will take place.

The results of this election hold a wider significance to the region, as well as globally, with Ecuador viewed as one of the few nation-states with a left-wing ruling government. The turn of the century, in many people's eyes marked the reign of left-wing parties in Latin America. This 'new left', also called the 'pink tide', reached Ecuador, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Peru and Nicaragua, with many of these governments actively backed by Venezuela under Hugo Chavez' Bolivarian Revolution. With this now waning, and with many right-of-centre governments coming to power in recent years, the following questions will also be considered:

- Are we seeing the receding of the pink tide in Latin America?

- What does this mean for the future of the left in the region? Is it simply part of a natural cycle?

- What can be learned from the successes and failures of Correa's leftist government?

- What significance does Trump's presidency hold for Latin America, and the 'alt-right' policies that he has begun to implement?

To discuss all of this we are delighted to welcome: Grace Livingstone, journalist who has written for The Guardian and The Independent, and author of America's Backyard: the US and Latin America from the Monroe Doctrine to the War on Terror; Mark Keller, Lead Analyst for Ecuador, Chile, Bolivia and Haiti at the Economist Intelligence Unit; and chair, Baroness Hooper, a Vice-President of Canning House.