The heads of state or government of Spain, Brazil, Colombia, Uruguay and Chili Gathered on Monday they sent a message of unity against the progress of extremisms and authoritarianism in different parts of the world, and promised to strengthen democracy and multilateralism.
The five progressive leaders denounced that democracy is “threatened” in many parts of the world by elements that, as the Chilean president and host of the event said, Gabriel Boric, are “more subtle” than military force, such as “misinformation, the progress of hatred, corruption or concentration of power.”
“We want vibrant and active democracies.” The president of the Republic, Gabriel Boric Font, headed the high -level meeting #Democracias always Together with the leaders of Brazil, Spain, Uruguay and Colombia.
Representatives of Centers of … also participated in the day … pic.twitter.com/ozddrboth
– Presidency of Chile (@presidencia_cl) July 22, 2025
In a joint appearance from the La Moneda Palace, cited by EFEthe leaders urged their progressive colleagues in the rest of the world to create a common front and “go to the offensive” against what the president of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, called “the international reactionary of hate and lies.” The president of Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, described it as “a new anti -democratic offensive.”
Four countries will join the group
Boric announced that the leaders of Mexico, Honduras, the United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa, Denmark and Australia decided to join the International Alliance in Defense of Democracy, according to report.
“Here something big is being born. At a time when democracy is under attack in different parts and from different political sectors, we have an important group of leaders from different countries but with visions that complement each other to defend democracy,” said Buric, after leading the baptized encounter ‘Always Democracy’.
The Chilean president confirmed that the leaders of all these countries will be present at the next group meeting, which will be held in September, in New York, in parallel to the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
“This is not only a symbolic act, but it is a political act that also has concrete proposals both in the field of misinformation and in the fight against inequality,” he added in a statement.
Lula admits the “discredit” of a political system
Lula da Silva admitted that “the political system and parties fell into discredit,” which has strengthened the global ultra -right. “At this time when extremism tries to reissue interventionist practices, we need to act together,” he said.
After a meeting behind closed doors at the Palacio de la Moneda, Lula denounced that the world lives “a new antidemocratic offensive”, and from their point of view, progressive governments must face “with concrete and urgent actions.”
Em defesa da democracy. SEMPRE!
@ricardostuckert pic.twitter.com/4en8VKVHRF
– Lula (@lulaoficial) July 21, 2025
He stressed that during the meeting it was agreed that it is necessary to “regulate digital networks” to combat false information and “return to the State the ability to protect its citizens.”
According to Lula, “the key to a free and plural public debate is data transparency and global digital governance,” as well as insisting on the “strengthening of democratic institutions and multilateralism.”
For his part, the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, said that progressivism has to “light the light when darkness arrives.”
He added that during the meeting the leaders “further deepened our basic and not so basic agreements that have to do with the climatic crisis, artificial intelligence, the peace of the world, redo the multilaterality or defend words as basic as freedom and democracy.”
“Land” democracy
The president of Uruguay, Yamandú Orsi, asked to “land the proposal for democracy to issues that the peoples feel.”
“In the conviction of putting democracy ahead and as the center of future discussion, many more countries will join if the goal is to strengthen this form of coexistence that has such far and so many lives and sacrifices has cost us,” said the Uruguayan president.
“If we are able to do the self -criticism of why democracy sometimes suffers loss of credibility, if we are aware that we are not making all efforts to avoid the growth of the extremes and the loss of confidence in dialogue (…) we can value equality, freedom and democracy as the best way we have found as humanity to live together,” he said.
The meeting in Santiago has aroused criticism in the opposition of the five participating countries for the geopolitical moment in which it is celebrated, in the middle of the commercial war, and because some of those present face complex domestic situations, especially Sánchez and Petro, the Spanish agency underlines.
