Populismo nos partidos políticos portugueses – Os programas eleitorais de 2019

Abstract

Portugal has been systematically described as an exception to the wave of (right-wing) populism growth in Europe. This article aims to re-examine this claim considering the context of the Portuguese 2019 legislative elections. Drawing on content analysis of party manifestos, we seek to identify, measure, and characterize the presence of populist dimensions in parties’ proposals. Moreover, the article explores the interactions between populist dimensions and other party policies. Our findings suggest that parties’ electoral platforms are highly impervious to the salience of populism, even when considering a radical right-wing populist party that won a seat in Parliament. A positive correlation between the salience of populism and the degree of ideological radicalism has been identified.