Populism and social media in the Iberian Peninsula: The use of Twitter by VOX (Spain) and Chega (Portugal) in election campaigning

Abstract

This article inquiries about the use of Twitter by the two radical right-wing populist Iberian parties, the Spanish VOX and the Portuguese Chega, during election campaigning. Using quantitative and qualitative methodologies, it analyses the tweets posted on their official accounts during the campaign running up to the last general elections held in Spain and Portugal. The results indicate diverging uses of Twitter and differences in their thematic political agendas. VOX chiefly exploits people’s feelings of national unity in the face of Spain’s peripheral nationalism and stirs up fear of illegal immigration. Chega cultivates a sense of insecurity to legitimize its punitive legalistic proposals, such as applying the life sentence and the chemical castration of paedophiles. VOX more frequently employs colloquial and aggressive language. These differences reflect the asymmetric positions of power occupied by the two parties but do not jeopardize the development of an Iberian-inspired radical-right populism.