Abstract
What accounts for the shift from an ideologically structured two-party system to another based on almost purely personalistic appeals? This article contributes to the literature by uncovering the effect of personalism on party system collapse, based on the study of the Salvadoran party system following Nayib Bukele’s rise in 2019. We argue that an ideologically polarized party system, controlled by two traditional parties, exhausted its capacity for ideological differentiation, replacing previous linkages and leaving room for the emergence of a personalistic leader. Moreover, Bukele based his electoral ascent on three appeals that re-centered electoral competition: self-promotion, ideological dilution, and anti-party rhetoric. Based on public opinion data and Bukele’s discourse on public appearances and social media, we empirically analyze the personalistic strategy followed by Bukele and show how it relates to the collapse of the once ideologically structured Salvadoran party system.
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