ABSTRACT

This chapter analyzes the characteristics of populism in Romania with regard to the definitions and conceptualizations of populism in the literature in the field. Populism in Romania mimics Western European and Latin American models, whose features have been described extensively by the literature. Romanian populism shares many features with the populism of Western Europe, while displaying some particularities, such as left-right ideological ambivalence, strong religious reactionary discourse, and the absence of Islamophobia. The few references are to the media coverage of populism and to the role that the media play in promoting populist discourse. It offers that recent political and media transformations in Romania seem to have led to a media populism that can be found in TV channels that initially supported certain parties but are now becoming more and more populist themselves that is, they use populist strategies and communication styles for their purposes.