Cuadernos de Ciencias Políticas, Núm. 12 (2025) · 2025
Discursos de disidencia en periodos electorales. Una comparación de las estrategias retóricas de Milei y Petro
This article examines the rhetorical strategies used by Javier Milei and Gustavo Petro during their first electoral contest, with the aim of identifying the presence of populist rhetoric when mobilizing their voters. It is hypothesized that the use of emotional language and references to national identity appeal to the most vulnerable voters. Categories of analysis include antagonistic politics and the populist “them vs. us” distinction, speech acts, and symbols that complement verbalized discourse. The results show that Milei focuses his discourse on opposition to the “political caste”, advocating radical change, while Petro focuses his rhetoric on social inequality, alluding to the most disadvantaged classes. It is concluded that, despite their ideological differences, both leaders employ populist anti-establishment rhetorical strategies to mobilize their electoral bases, demonstrating the adaptation of Latin American populism in the second decade of the 21st century.