parapolitics

English

Etymology 1

From para- +‎ politics.

Noun

parapolitics (uncountable)

1. (political science) Political practices and arrangements that are unacknowledged and that intend to misinform or obfuscate a hidden agenda.

Derived terms

• parapolitical

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Spanish parapolítica, from paramilitar (“paramilitary”) +‎ política (“politics”).

Noun

parapolitics (uncountable)

1. Collusion or collaboration between politicians and paramilitary groups (referring to the 2006 Colombian parapolitics scandal).
   • 2007 March 22, “The perils of "parapolitics"”, in The Economist‎^[1], London: The Economist Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-03-19:

     And parapolitics risks weakening Mr [Álvaro] Uribe's grip on Congress. A tax reform that would have raised government revenues has been watered down.

   • 2008 April 23, Sibylla Brodzinsky, “Colombia's 'parapolitics' scandal casts shadow over president”, in The Guardian‎^[2], London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2022-09-01:

     Domestically President [Álvaro] Uribe enjoys an 84% approval rating. Most Colombians support him for bringing the country from the brink of becoming a failed state and though the parapolitics scandal is important, "the sense of regaining control trumps everything," said [Michael] Shifter.

   • 2010 April 5, “Colombia after Uribe”, in Los Angeles Times‎^[3], Los Angeles, L.A.: Los Angeles Times Communications LLC, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2020-10-20:

     Right-wing paramilitaries still terrorize rural areas, and political corruption is rife; about one-third of Congress, including many allies of the president, is either accused of or in jail for engaging in "parapolitics" with the death squads.

Further reading

• Parapolitics (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia