Left-wing populism
Left-wing populism, also called social populism or socialist populism, is a political ideology that combines left-wing politics with populist rhetoric and themes. Its rhetoric often includes elements of anti-elitism, opposition to the Establishment, and speaking for the common people. Recurring themes for left-wing populists include economic democracy, social justice, and skepticism of globalization. Socialist theory plays a lesser role than in traditional left-wing ideologies.
Criticism of capitalism and globalization is linked to unpopular United States military operations, especially those in the Middle East. It is considered that the populist left does not exclude others horizontally and relies on egalitarian ideals. Some scholars also speak of nationalist left-wing populist movements, a feature exhibited by the Sandinista Revolution in Nicaragua or the Bolivarian Revolution in Venezuela. Unlike right-wing populism, left-wing populist parties tend to claim to be supportive of minority rights, as well as to an idea of nationality that is not delimited by cultural or ethnic particularisms. Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, self-described democratic socialists, are examples of modern left-wing populist politicians in the United States. With the rise of Syriza and Podemos during the European debt crisis, there has been increased debate on new left-wing populism in Europe.
Traditionally, left-wing populism has been associated with the socialist movement; since the 2010s, there has been a movement close to left-wing populism in the left-liberal camp, some of which are considered social democratic positions. In the 2020s, left-liberal economic populism appealing to the working class has been prominent in some countries, such as with Joe Biden of the United States and Lee Jae-myung of South Korea, where liberal and conservative parties are the main two parties.
By country
Africa
Burkina Faso
Egypt
Ghana
Libya
Nigeria
, a businessman and outsider politician running with the Labour Party in the 2023 Nigerian presidential election, was seen as a populist politician, gaining the support of much of Nigeria's youth. Before running for President, Obi took part in the End SARS movement, which sought to disband Nigeria's Special Anti-Robbery Squad, or SARS due to its connection to the criminal underworld and its excessive use of force. SARS was disbanded in 2020. Obi's presidential campaign in 2022 and 2023 constantly ran on issues such as economic development, fighting corruption, moving beyond ethnic politics, which have dominated Nigeria going back to its founding, and promoting criminal justice reform. Obi sought to challenge the traditional two-party system, led by the centrist and Buharist All Progressives Congress on one side, and the center-right, nationalist, and conservative-liberal Peoples Democratic Party.South Africa
, the former leader of the African National Congress Youth League, broke away from the center-left African National Congress to form the Economic Freedom Fighters. The EFF are notable for their extreme black nationalism, which has been accused by critics of including anti-Asian racism, anti-White racism, and antisemitism. This also includes radical economic reforms inspired by Marxism-Leninism, including land reform without compensation. The EFF is also extremely anti-West, to the point of actively trying to support Russia's invasion and occupation in Ukraine and has denied the well documented war crimes committed by Russia, as well as the Belt and road initiative within Africa itself. However, the EFF is not socially conservative. In fact, voters for the EFF are the mostly likely of all voters in South Africa to support same-sex marriage, which has been legal since 2006.In the run-up to the 2024 South African general election, former president Jacob Zuma has formed his own political party, uMkhonto we Sizwe. Named after the former paramilitary wing of the ANC of the same name, Zuma has been trying to position himself as supporting a more legitimate version of the ANC. MK, as Zuma's party is also known, calls for deporting illegal immigrants to South Africa, land reform without compensation, and opposition to same-sex marriage, the latter making it in opposition to the ANC on that one particular issue.
Tanzania
Uganda
Zimbabwe
Former dictator Robert Mugabe and his ZANU–PF party are seen as populist by many observers. Mugabe's ideology combined African nationalism with socialist economics and a broad-based appeal to the people. The most notably policies of ZANU–PF are their land reforms.Americas
Argentina
and her husband Néstor Kirchner were said to practice Kirchnerism, a variant of Peronism that was often mentioned alongside other Pink tide governments in Latin America. During Cristina Fernández de Kirchner's time in office, she spoke against certain free trade agreements, such as the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas. Her administration was characterized by tax increases, especially on agricultural exports during the late 2000s commodities boom, Argentina's main export, in order to fund social programs such as the PROGRESAR university scholarships, the universal allocation per child subsidy, a means-tested benefit to families with children who qualified for the subsidy, and progressive social reforms such as the recognition of same-sex marriage.Bolivia
The leadership of Siles Zuazo practised left-wing populism as well as that of former socialist President Evo Morales.Brazil
Lulism is a pragmatic centre-left ideology to the extent that it is called "socialist neoliberalism", but it appeals to a progressive, common-class image and also has populist elements in terms of popular mobilization.Ecuador
, the former President of Ecuador, has stressed the importance of a "populist discourse" and has integrated technocrats to work within this context for the common Ecuadorians. Correa has blamed foreign non-governmental organizations for exploiting the indigenous people in the conflict between the indigenous peoples and the government.Mexico
Former President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, and his party, the Morena, are considered left-wing populist in nature. AMLO has been a politician in Mexico for over three decades. He has been described as many different things, including centre-left, progressive, a left-wing populist, social democratic, and economically nationalist.United States
During the 1890s and 1900s, the People's Party, commonly known as the Populists, was a political party that grew out of a broad, economically left-wing movement, agrarian in nature but formed out of a "coalition of farmers, laborers, and middle-class activists" during a period of intensive labor unrest and economic transformation in the United States. Concerned that the two major American political parties were too beholden to corporate interests and hence inimical to reform, this coalition gave rise to the People's Party by 1892. They cast themselves in opposition to big business, particularly the banks and gold standard, and the political establishment controlled by them. It advocated for government intervention in the economy, such as the government ownership of railroads.Huey Long, the Great Depression-era Governor-turned-Senator of Louisiana, was one of the first modern American left-wing populists in the United States. He advocated for wealth redistribution under his Share Our Wealth plan, which had its roots in the classical left-wing populist movement of Jacksonian democracy, which is related to the radical movement.
Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, self-described democratic socialists, are examples of modern left-wing populist politicians. Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez's populist message tend to place the people in opposition to big business and the very wealthy. Ocasio-Cortez's Democratic primary victory over the establishment Democratic Caucus Chair Joe Crowley, a 10-term incumbent, was widely seen as the biggest upset victory in the 2018 midterm election primaries. The Nation magazine described Ocasio-Cortez as a "new rock star" who was "storming the country on behalf of insurgent populists". Elizabeth Warren is also mentioned as a representative left-wing or liberal populist, and Warren is sometimes evaluated as a social democrat. Joe Biden is usually classified as a political moderate, but his economic policies occasionally have attracted the populist moniker. Sherrod Brown has also been cited as a "left-wing progressive" and populist.
Venezuela
The presidency of Hugo Chávez resembled a combination of folk wisdom and charismatic leadership with doctrinaire socialism. Chávez's anti-establishment stance helped him win the 1998 Venezuelan presidential election. His closeness to Cuba caused problems for Venezuela's relationship with the US. The relationship further soured due to the failed 2002 coup attempt, for which Chávez blamed the US and the CIA. His foreign policy opposed the US and, in a speech before the United Nations General Assembly, he said that George W. Bush was "the devil himself" and that he had left a "smell of sulphur" in the Assembly chamber. He was admired by progressives and popular among his own people, especially the poor. George W. Bush openly supported the Venezuelan opposition, but Barack Obama scaled back the support after his election.Asia
Israel
is a politician who was traditionally associetated with the more left-wing and populistic elements of Israeli politics, especially issues of environmentalism, social justice, and a strongly pro-peace stance to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. She initially got her start in Israeli politics as one of the three leaders, alongside Daphni Leef and Itzik Shmuli, of the 2011 social justice protests. Shaffir became particularly well known for her debate with Likud MK Miri Regev over housing prices on the Israeli television program Erev Hadash. She would go on to discuss the protest movement on tours to the United States, alongside pro-peace Labor Zionist Amos Oz, serving as a keynote speaker for Jewish-American organizations like JStreet.In 2012, Shaffir joined the Israeli Labor Party. She became a member of the Israeli Knesset after the 2013 Israeli legislative election. She became famous for being the MK with the lowest net worth, owning nothing more than her apartment and a car. She worked with the socially liberal, secular, and liberal Zionist party Hatnua, eventually forming the Zionist Union, which would also run in the 2015 Israeli legislative election. By that time, however, she had left and become the leader of the Green Movement, later renamed to the Green Party in 2019. For the September 2019 Israeli legislative election, Shaffir organized various parties together to form the Democratic Union coalition. However, after the 2020 Israeli legislative election, Shaffir lost her seat. During her tenure as MK from 2013 to 2020, Shaffir worked on issued from social justice to defunding West Bank settlements, and from government transparency efforts to LGBT rights.
Yesh Atid is a radical centrist or liberal party. In Israeli politics, "liberal" is not particularly a concept that is distinguished by left or right, but Yesh Atid is evaluated that it has a left-wing populist element in part. They criticize elitism that causes political corruption and demand a position on material redistribution. However, Yesh Atid has an element of economic liberalism simultaneously.
Former Aluf in the IDF Yair Golan has promoted views supporting Leftist Zionism, a two-state solution with Israel keeping some of the settlement blocs, but opposition to total annexation of the West Bank, full separation of synagogue and state as well as ending the marriage monopoly by the Chief Rabbinate, opposing corruption, supporting the 2023 judicial reform protests, supporting LGBTQ+ rights, and creating a fairer economy for all Israelis.