Are Lula and Bolsonaro populists?

The perspective of populism from the newspapers Folha de S. Paulo and O Estado de S. Paulo in reference to both Brazilian presidents

Abstract

The election of Jair Bolsonaro for the presidency of Brazil in 2019 and the return of former president Lula to the electoral political scene have heated up the debate on populism both in academic literature and in the press. Interpreted sometimes as a political regime, sometimes as a type of discourse, of personality or relationship between the ruler and the ruled, populism has gained multiple meanings. Thus, the aim of this article is to investigate the application of the term by the newspapers Folha de S. Paulo and O Estado de S. Paulo, analyzing 41 editorials that use the notion of populism in reference to Bolsonaro and Lula. Using Content Analysis techniques, the study revealed, among other aspects, that, unlike Folha, Estadão uses the concept of populism more often, referring mainly to a personal/political style, in addition to evoking much more the figure of Lula as a populist. The term appears with a negative charge in both newspapers, distancing itself from a more neutral academic view and being explored as an arena for disputes between the press and the two political leaders.