Indigenous peoples in Latin America have historically endured institutional exclusion and a lack of voice since the colonial period. From the latter half of the 20th century, due to neoliberal economic reforms, improvements in political opportunity structures, and legal advancements, Latin American Indigenous peoples have increasingly come to view electoral politics as an important mechanism to exercise their political rights and expand their political influence. They choose their participation forms flexibly based on their abilities and motivations. In addition to the traditional political parties, they have participated through ethnic parties and electoral coalitions, or as independent candidates. Through their election platforms, they have shifted the focus from peasant demands to ethnic demands, from material resources to abstract rights, from themselves to the whole society, and from domestic issues to global concerns. After decades of effort, Indigenous peoples have become a powerful political force in many Latin American countries, which not only deepens democracy, social cohesion, and regional cooperation but also offers new perspectives for global governance. However, they also face dilemmas stemming from institutional design, external intervention, and inherent deficiencies. The challenges facing governments and Indigenous ethnic parties have always been how to achieve a transformation from quantitative to qualitative change, and continuously strengthen the capacity of ethnic parties and their representatives to engage in public decision-making while also making political life in Latin America more inclusive and pluralistic.

Latin America;Indigenous peoples;election;ethnic party