The Centre for the Study of Democratic Citizenship presents :

Why do Latin American Citizens Support Populist Presidents?
Dinorah Azpuru (Wichita State University, Department of Political Science, Wichita, KS, É.U.)

When : January 16, 2026, (3 – 4:30 p.m.)
Where : Thomson House – Boardroom, 3650 R McTavish, Montréal, QC H3A 1X1

Although its emergence in advanced industrial democracies is fairly new, populism has been a historical feature in Latin America. Research on this topic has mostly focused on the characteristics of populist governments in Latin America (the supply-side). Based on regional surveys, my research examines the demand-side of populism: why Latin American citizens support populist presidents. In my research, I examine why Latin Americans voted for and consistently gave high approval ratings to left-wing and right-wing presidents in seven countries between 1999 and 2023. My research focuses on the support for populist leaders, rather than parties, because, unlike parliamentary democracies, the figure of the president acquires particular relevance in presidential systems. In my book Explaining Support for Populism in Contemporary Latin America (2024), I examined the determinants of support for populist presidents in four dimensions: demographic variables, ideological and policy-preference variables, performance variables, and variables related to representative democracy. Based on my empirical findings, I argue that support for populism is a multidimensional issue and that there is a distinction between convenience followers and hardcore supporters of populism.

The Centre for the Study of Democratic Citizenship is funded by the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Société et culture (FRQSC).