The Left in Government – a Strategic Project? Latin America and Europe Compared

International Conference of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation

Government representatives and civil society representatives from twenty Latin American and European countries met in Brussels from 1 to 4 May 2009.

They discussed how the exertion of governmental power by left forces and the participation of left forces in governments can be used to strengthen post-neoliberal and transformatory movements for a profound change in politics and social development.Up for debates were the conditions, regional actors, key projects and perspectives of the left in government.

Since the late 1990s, a whole range of left forces has come into government n Latin America, and in Europe, the left is participating in several governments, too. With the global crisis of neoliberalism and the financial and economic crisis, the left faces the enormous challenge to contribute to the building of a counter-hegemonic bloc, of a wide social, political and cultural coalition for a solidary society.