Sánchez demonstrates his sympathy with the Latin American left in "defense of democracy."

The Spanish president participated in a meeting with the leaders of Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, and Colombia "in defense of democracy against the rise of hatred and lies."

Democracy has always been the slogan chosen for the first summit "in defense of democracy," held in Santiago, Chile by Spain and four other left-wing Latin American democracies to unite against the rise of the far right and "go on the offensive."

The meeting, held at the Palacio de la Moneda in the Chilean capital, was attended by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and the leaders of Uruguay, Yamandú Orsi ; Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva ; Colombia, Gustavo Petro ; and Chile, Gabriel Boric . After the meeting, the presidents of the five countries in the new alliance expressed their commitment to promoting a platform to defend democratic institutions against the rise of what they consider populist and far-right movements that seek to weaken them.

The summit serves to illustrate Sánchez's rapport with the Latin American left, at a time when some of its leaders have been embroiled in various international controversies and conflicts. This is the case, for example, with Brazilian President Lula da Silva, who has been at the center of a confrontation with Donald Trump in recent days over tariffs, after the US president announced the implementation of a 50% tariff on all Brazilian imports starting August 1.

Sánchez announced that Spain will host a new summit in 2026 for the group of five countries meeting yesterday in Santiago, Chile, to continue advancing the fight against what he called "the reactionary international movement of hatred and lies that puts democracy at risk."

The Prime Minister stated yesterday that the summit served to finalize three lines of joint action within the new alliance of Spanish-speaking left-wing democracies.

First, " strengthening democratic institutions and multilateralism " among progressive countries, in a context where "the traditional right has abandoned historic agreements and succumbed to the far right."

Along the way, Sánchez highlighted the fight against disinformation to which the five countries have committed, "collaborating to ensure that algorithms do not control our opinions."

Finally, the alliance will take a common path to " reduce the inequality that ultimately undermines citizens' trust in democracy" in the face of "a far right that thrives politically on fear and feeds on nostalgia for a past that never happened."

During his remarks following the meeting, host President Gabriel Boric announced that the presidents of Mexico, Honduras, the United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa, Denmark, and Australia will soon join the international alliance "in defense of democracy." For the Chilean president, the creation of the group, which will meet next year in Spain, "is not just a symbolic act, but a political act that also includes concrete proposals," he concluded.