ABSTRACT
The level of political and social polarization that accompanies populist politics points to an active role for those that fall into the category of the “other” as much as those that are considered the “pure people.” Throughout the last 15 years, two main political poles have consolidated in Venezuela, those in favor of the late President Hugo Chavez or Chavistas and those in opposition. Despite their divergent propositions and consequent deep social polarization, the two camps share similarities and in a way each has reinforced the existence of the other through its discursive practices. Moreover, this emergent populist discourse has been greatly mediated by a set of political institutions, redefining the political space in Venezuela. Through process tracing, this chapter investigates the role of the opposition in the consolidation of a populist discourse in Venezuela. Preliminary conclusions suggest that a radical and polarizing response from the opposition served to further radicalize and reinforce the Chavistas’ populist discourse. In time, this transformed the political space from one guided by liberal democratic principles to one run by a populist logic.
