Populism in Latin America: debate on a conceptual vagueness

This paper reflects about the concept of populism and its impact on democracy and representative politics in Latin America, taking as context the premise of Ernesto Laclau in which he declares that populism is an empty meaning, a performative act that becomes a form of make politics in the region, from particular features that consolidate the phenomenon of populism, but analyzing the ideological and political action differences existing among the leaders in the region may seem populist. On that way, first we present a conceptual travel of the term of populism, people, and democracy and representation. After we make an analysis of populism in Latin America through three representative examples: the new left populism of Hugo Chavez and Rafael Correa; and the neopopulism of Alvaro Uribe Velez. The conclusion of this research is that populism has characteristic features that make a leader think as a populist, but it is not a homogeneous political theory, because within populism there are ideological differences, and aspects of the social, economic and political conditions of each context and country of the region.