Answer to Question #292186 in English for Samukelo

Question

Recently there has been an unprecedented rise of populism in the elections of political leaders. Is populism an impediment/hindrance to democracy? Write an argumentative essay stating your position or stance and support it with evidence obtained from the following articles.

Answer 1

Populism offers the promise of democratic renewal, bringing new actors and policies into the political system. But while populist parties in power can make politics more representative, they can undermine accountability when their lack of ability or interest in legislating shifts policymaking to other actors outside the ruling party. Populists in government can also erode the institutional checks on executive power necessary for durable democracy, even in previously resilient advanced democracies, and populist mobilization has precipitated democratic breakdown in the wealthiest democracies to ever revert to autocracy: Turkey, Venezuela, and Thailand. Populists are more likely to have future electoral success in the sub regions that have weaker connections between voters and parties than other sub regions: Central and Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia, the Andes, Central America, and Southern Africa. The weak formal and informal executive constraints in most of these countries would put them at risk of democratic breakdown under populist governments. But they also claim that their constituency represents all of “the people” rather than a portion of a diverse electorate, and seeking to institutionally lock in their temporary political advantage they frequently abuse the power of government to suppress their opponents.