![Supporters of Castillo, the former president of Peru, protest what they believe was an attack on democracy, a frightening trend throughout Latin America](https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/latin-america-democracy-populism-castillo-peru-coup-elections-12192022-1.jpg?w=519&h=259&crop=1)
The dispute over Pedro Castillo’s removal as president in Peru is the latest messy transfer of power in Latin America and another instance when regional governments could not agree on a basic interpretation of events. More broadly, the region’s democracies face two related challenges: creeping authoritarianism and election denial.