Abstract This article analyzes the 2024 European Parliament campaign speeches of Austria’s Herbert Kickl ( FPÖ ) and Hungary’s Viktor Orbán (Fidesz) through a comparative discourse analysis to examine how far-right populist rhetoric adapts to national contexts. Drawing on Cas Mudde’s concept of populism and A. James McAdams’s notion of Far-Right Newspeak, the study identifies key rhetorical strategies: nationalist framing, fear-based appeals, and the politicization of religion. While Kickl targets domestic elites and immigrants, Orbán positions Hungary as a Christian bulwark against “globalist” forces. The analysis shows how both leaders construct moral binaries, normalize exclusionary rhetoric, and redefine democratic norms while operating within formal democratic structures. By highlighting both convergence and divergence in their rhetorical approaches, the piece contributes to the broader literature on populism and provides insights into the evolving role of illiberal populism in reshaping European political culture.

Abstract The article explores the phenomenon of political deification within the framework of religious populism, focusing on the leadership of Narendra Modi in India. Drawing on discourse theory, religious studies, and critical media studies, the paper examines how Modi’s image is sacralized, positioning him as more than a political leader – transforming him into a deity-like figure. Furthermore, by employing the concept of populist darshan, the article highlights how Modi’s visual and rhetorical strategies, amplified by digital media and mass communication technologies, construct a direct and intimate connection between him and the people. The Modi effect, characterized by the projection of an omnipresent and accessible leader, mirrors religious practices, fostering a perception of authority and reinforcing the Modi myth. This fusion of religious symbolism and political rhetoric is central to religious populism, where the boundaries between the sacred and the secular are fluid, and the leader is elevated to an exalted status. The article argues that Modi’s political deification is a powerful tool in consolidating power, offering insights into the intersection of religion, media, and populism in contemporary political life.

Abstract This article outlines three provocations to shake up the comfort zone of populism studies. These are: that populism may have become an anachronism and we should think about moving on; that populism may work better as a term of derision, as democracy was for the ancient Greeks; that we should describe it as a historical phenomenon, something that happened in the mid-twentieth century but is no longer current. So, my suggestion to populism scholars is to drop the term, use it to disqualify opponents, or refer to it as something that happened some time ago.

Abstract There is a tendency to find populist characteristics in all experiences of representation based on personal leaderships which present themselves as outsiders and establish direct communication with the citizenry. This paper seeks to contribute to avoid this conceptual stretching, proposing to start from a concept of a higher level of generality, “immediate politics”, and then differentiate between a populist type and a type that I will call “proximity”. The anti-charismatic or proximity identification is based on the figure of the “ordinary person”, close and empathetic, although without the component of “extraordinary person” implied in charisma, and without the correlate of the construction of a collective subject or People. In short, this paper asks about this kind of “populism without a People” that is also present in contemporary politics.

Abstract This article provides an analysis of the COVID-19 discourse within six European populist parties from Spain, Germany, and France, with the aim of shedding light on the diverse interpretations and presentations of the pandemic by these parties. While most studies focus on right-wing or far-right populism, this study looks at both right and left ideologies paired with populism. By applying the discourse-historical approach of critical discourse studies, we highlight similarities and differences across the right-left political spectrum, as well as variations within and between different countries. The study contributes thus to the existing literature on populism and extends our understanding of the relationship between populist parties and the pandemic beyond right-wing populist parties only. Results, consistent with previous research, show that the host ideology decisively shapes parties’ discourses about COVID-19 and the need to consider alternative perspectives in populism research.

In the international debate on populism, the Argentine political philosopher, Ernesto Laclau, achieved a key epistemological shift, when he ascribed populism to the ways of constructing the political within a logic of articulations, in a dynamic of equivalences and heterogeneities (Laclau 2005). Thus, for Laclau “populism is simply a way of constructing the political”, and the political is always populist (Laclau 2005: 11). In this way, he counteracts the type of consensus that presented populism as a threat to liberal democracy, as well as broadening the field of possible theorists for the debate on populism.