Right-wing populist leaders captured the world’s attention in 2016 with the Brexit referendum and then later that year with the electoral victory of donald trump. Today, seven years later, many believe that its time has passed. Trump was defeated in 2020. Brexit has been a failure, and the right-wing candidates fell in the elections in Spain and France. But it’s only half a movie. Giorgia Meloni, of the Brothers of Italy party, has served as prime minister since October.
In Sweden and Finland they have seen the rise of the extreme right; and in Latin America, after the defeat of Jair Bolsonarohis ideas reappear with force in the figure of javier milei. What drives them? The continued decline of traditional political parties in their failure to respond to multiple social problems in times of global crisis. In opposition, many measures taken by these right-wing populist leaders are celebrated beyond their confrontational styles, and trampling on democracy and human rights.
Trump
The tycoon won the United States presidential elections in 2016 as a candidate for the Republican Party, with a campaign focused on a populist and nationalist discourse. The motto “Make America Great Again” landed him in the White House, from where he quickly implemented a series of economic measures what did they look for promote economic growthreduce regulations and encourage investment.
Months after his inauguration came the 2017 Tax Reform, which reduced tax rates for both individuals and corporations. He also promoted a policy of limit government interventionand at the same time a protectionist position was adopted with trade disputes with several countries, especially with China.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Trump administration implemented security measures fiscal stimulus to mitigate the economic impact: aid packages were approved that included direct payments to citizens and subsidies for companies. But his criticism of the quarantines and the numerous deaths in the main cities, in addition to his multiple controversies, cost him re-election in 2021.
Bolsonaro
Elected president of Brazil in 2018, Jair Bolsonaro stood out with his controversial statements and extreme policies on issues such as security and the environment. In the economy, since January 2019, he implemented a series of measures to stimulate growth and a reduction in public spending.
One of the most significant was the approval of a reform of the pension system in October 2019, which changed the calculation rules and retirement age, limiting the deficit of the social security system.
A smooth adjustment that was compensated by the Law of Economic Freedom, which had the objective of reducing bureaucracy and regulations for companies, to which was added the Tax reform: Bolsonaro proposed simplifying the tax system. He also sought a greater commercial opening to encourage foreign investment, and progress was made with the privatization of state companies infrastructure, energy and transport.
In India
Narendra Modi he became the prime minister of India in 2014 and was later re-elected in 2019, after promoting nationalist and economic development policies. His “Make in India” program, which he launched in 2014 to encourage manufacturing and investment in the country, was copied by Trump. The goal was the same: attract foreign investment and promote economic growth.
Modi also pushed through a tax reform (like the ones above), replacing a series of state and federal taxes with a single indirect tax. With strong renewable energy policies (he prioritized the expansion of clean sources like solar and wind); a thriving digital industry and substantive improvements in public health, Modi turned India into a model economy, focused on strengthening relations with East Asian and Pacific nations.
Duterte and Orban
President of Philippines Since 2016, Rodrigo Duterte has been characterized by a tough stance on issues of security: implemented an intense anti-drug campaign, characterized by police and extrajudicial operations that have been criticized for human rights abuses. In his foreign policy, he sought to improve relations with China with a pragmatic approach, and implemented a tax reform to finance development projects and improve public services.
Duterte promoted rural development and social assistance programs to address poverty and improve living conditions in rural areas. Measures celebrated that allowed him to impose a successor.
In Hungary, Viktor Orban, prime minister from 1998 to 2002, and again since 2010, managed to undermine the independence of the powers (he lowered the retirement age of judges) and control the media, restricting editorial independence and favoring groups in the hands of allies. And the country adopted a firm stance against migration and refugees: like Trump, he built fences and walls, straining his relationship with the European Union, which imposed various sanctions on him.
Image gallery
