Stylistic populist moderation? A study of political performative appeals of populist leaders in Italy and Spain

This article investigates how party-political strategies provide incentives for the moderation or radicalization of populist political style, an area still largely overlooked in existing research. It draws on X posts from leaders of four populist parties in Italy and Spain: Lega, Movimento 5 Stelle, Podemos, and Vox. The article introduces a framework distinguishing populist from non-populist appeals across discursive, socio-cultural, and politico-cultural dimensions. The findings suggest that parties moving from outsider to governing roles tend to moderate, while permanent insiders like Lega show mixed patterns, and support parties like Vox may radicalize. The study also highlights a potential link between political style and ideological orientation, with right-wing populist parties less likely to moderate.