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Graph 1.An analysis by countries shows that in Paraguay (39%) there exists the weakest perception of theefficiency of voting. There, 20% of those polled also said elections were clean (the last ones wereheld in 2003) and 31% said there was fraud. The countries of Latin America where people have thestrongest perception of the efficiency of voting are Venezuela and Uruguay, both with 71%, andNicaragua and Argentina with 69%.TrendsBetween November 2005 and December 2006 the region went through its most important electoralperiod of the last 28 years, a period characterized by a major reconfiguration of the regionalpolitical scene. As we have stated, these elections came in a regional context of moderate optimism,despite the democratic process’s shortcomings and the challenges it faces. This optimism stemsfrom the currently strong macroeconomic conditions in Latin America. These in turn coincides witha rise in support for and satisfaction with democracy, and with the fact that no president has had toleave his position ahead of schedule. All of this is added to the importance of elections as themechanism for choosing legitimate rulers and resolving differences democratically. With thispanorama as a backdrop, an analysis of the main features and results of this electoral period allowsonce to identify the following trends.8