The Radical Conservatism in Peru. The Case of Popular Renovation (2020-2024)

Abstract

The liberal democracies in Europe, the United States, and Latin America have experienced in the last period the advance of radical right projects. In different countries, the radical right is part of the political mainstream, and their positions about diverse issues and proposals are accepted by other political forces. This paper explores the advance of the radical right in Peru, studying the case of ‘Popular Renovation’ (2020-2024) and defining at this organization as a case of radical conservatism. We investigate how the organization tries to represent a population sector in the present political crisis. We recognized the relevant figure of the leader; however, this paper explores the performance of the organization in the parliament with the aim of achieving a better understanding of the study object. The analysis focuses on three topics: the economic model, the memory of the years of political violence (1980-2000), and the defense of family. We argue that ‘Popular Renovation’ tries to represent the population across a discourse oriented to polarize the political sphere, proposing a new version of neoliberalism articulated with the figure of the tutelary authority based on the army forces and evangelical reconstructive churches.