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Since the beginning of the 1990s, the allocation of urban services to private companies has multiplied in Latin America. Although this new model for urban governance has sometimes met with resistance at the local level, often resulting in the introduction of certain projects being delayed or even postponed indefinitely, it is rare to see them rejected once adopted. Nevertheless, in two cities, Tucuman (Argentina) and Cochabamba (Bolivia), privatization of water supply and purification services have been cancelled. Following a series of conflicts, local movements in both cities forced a powerful international company to withdraw shortly after signature of the contracts. Beginning with a brief outline of events, this article identifies the common elements and determining factors in these conflicts by analysing the new arrangements and the power games being played in the city councils.