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Populist parties shifting the political discourse? A case study of the Economic Freedom Fighters in South Africa

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 December 2021

Marine Fölscher ,
Nicola de Jager  and
Robert Nyenhuis
Marine Fölscher*
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, University of Stellenbosch, Arts Building, Cnr. Merriman Ave. and Ryneveld St., Stellenbosch7600, South Africa
Nicola de Jager*
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, University of Stellenbosch, Arts Building, Cnr. Merriman Ave. and Ryneveld St., Stellenbosch7600, South Africa
Robert Nyenhuis*
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, California State University, 3801 W. Temple Avenue, Building 94, Room 303, Pomona, CA91768-4055, USA
*
Email: marifolscher@gmail.com
Email: ndejager@sun.ac.za
Email: renyenhuis@cpp.edu
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Abstract

This article examines the use of populist discourse in South African politics. We investigate speeches of leaders from the ruling African National Congress (ANC) and opposition parties, the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF). We find that the EFF consistently employs populist appeals, while both the incumbent ANC and official opposition DA largely refrain. Our longitudinal analysis allows an examination of fluctuation across party leaders and electoral cycles, and illustrates that neither the ANC nor the DA have modified their political discourses in light of a rising populist challenger. However, there is some evidence that the two most dominant parties have reformed their programmatic offerings and behaviour in an attempt to compete with the EFF's popular appeal. The South African case offers important insights into the study of oppositional populism on the African continent, and a window into how major political parties may respond to emerging populist contenders.

Keywords

PopulismSouth Africaoriginal datadiscourse analysispolitical partiesANCDAEFF
Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Modern African Studies , Volume 59 , Issue 4 , December 2021 , pp. 535 - 558
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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