S. America's era of 'civil coups'

However, experts disagree whether this trend of citizens pressuring vulnerable presidents to leave office early – one could call them "civilian coups" – strengthens or weakens democracy in Latin America.

"I see this as a positive trend," says Robert Pastor, professor of international relations at American University in Washington and director of Latin American Affairs at the National Security Council during the Carter administration. "We're seeing peaceful changes in governments. If an elected official loses his mandate, I think it is good that there is a civilian method to deal with it. As long as the Constitution is followed, this doesn't undermine democracy."

In Venezuela, for example, the Constitution permits a referendum on removing the president halfway through his term. In Chávez's case, that would come in August 2003.

The political costs to countries that remove a head of state without following constitutional procedures are "enormous," says Sergio Berensztein, a political scientist at the Torcuato di Tella University in Buenos Aires. "For example, you are out of the OAS [Organization of American States] or Mercosur [a regional trade bloc] if you officially abandon constitutional order."

But some worry even legal interruptions of power mask deeper problems.

"There is scant and declining confidence in political institutions and leaders," argues Michael Shifter, vice president for policy at the Inter-American Dialogue in Washington. "One can applaud the legality and legitimacy of removing presidents, but this sets a disturbing precedent, and in the long run further erodes public faith in the democratic system."

Ultimately, some say that instead of tossing out individual presidents, Latin Americans should reconsider whether they want any presidents at all.

"Presidential systems require checks and balances and a division of power that buffers the powers and responsibilities of the president," explains Mr. Berensztein. "But we've never had that in Latin America. If the economy goes well ... you see presidents that can do practically whatever they want. But when the economic cycle doesn't play along, the presidents are weakened or even ousted.

"I think it is time to get rid of this scourge of presidents and move to systems that promote dialogue and consensus," he says, suggesting the region try European-style parliamentary systems. "Besides, things have gone so poorly so far. So why not change?"

Meanwhile, the irony of President Toledo's earnest concerns for President Chávez did not go unnoticed in Caracas, Venezuela's capital. "There is an adage," quipped Venezuelan Vice President José Vicente Rangel, "that some see the speck in the eye of another but do not see the plank in their own."

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