The Argentine consultant Daniel Ivoskus, president of the World Summit on Political Communication, was in Ecuador to present a master’s degree in leadership, which he affirms is the subject that has become fundamental after the pandemic, to build leadership that is not ephemeral in the world. time and that they can build bridges. The also politician (he was a deputy in the province of Buenos Aires) and analyst spoke during his stay about the current political scenario in the region.
How to explain divisions like “the Argentine crack” in our countries?
Argentine society and “the crack” is not very different from what we see in Ecuador, whether you are for or against Correa; in the United States, if you are for or against Trump; in Mexico the dilemma is yes or no López Obrador; in Brazil we are seeing what happened to Bolsonaro and the reappearance of Lula. They all need figures that contrast; when there are, this polarization ends up being a business for either of the two extremes, which is why they radicalize these positions.
The problem we are experiencing today is that there are no nuances, there are no grays, and that ends up being detrimental, because it disables interesting proposals that may come from one side or another. The extremes are businesses so that “the crack” continues to be sustained, and someone from the center cannot appear with them.
And in this scenario, how to break that polarization?
It is difficult, because to break (the polarization) one would have to fall into one of the extremes… (There) something in the middle can emerge. For example, in the case of Colombia it is Petro versus Uribe. Now, if the candidate named by Uribe ends up being third and does not go to the second round, the candidate in the center is the one who can beat Petro. Now, if the dilemma is going to be Uribe or Petro, it is very likely that for the first time in history the left will govern Colombia.
Why do they appear?
They are models of society that generate contrast. This has to do with the campaigns as well and with the decisions when one comes to govern, the construction of the daily majority and the permanent confrontation is a way of political accumulation… in that scenario the political system feeds it (the crack) .
How can this year’s elections in Costa Rica, Colombia and Brazil influence the region?
The question is interesting, because we are starting from an erroneous analysis, in general terms, when we say “the region is going to the left”. I believe that there is a deeper analysis that needs to be done, that the pandemic has not only generated a disaster and an irreparable loss of human beings, but has also hit all governments. (In) the seven presidential elections in which the ruling party lost, it did poorly.
Strong consolidated leaderships have also overcome the logic of parties and ideologies.
What kind of leadership prevails in our countries?
In campaign, campaigns of contrast and consolidation of the electorate. Today: a leader who manages to build from contrast, which is differentiation and different from what more than 50% of the population rejects. Here is the one that capitalizes on that rejection. Then it is connecting, building a communication system, being able to lead that offensive against that contrasting campaign, it is being able to calibrate the message well. And whoever manages to build trust, credibility, reputation based on authenticity and closeness, today in times of uncertainty, like the one we are currently experiencing, clearly has an advantage over the rest.
What requirements are demanded of political leaders after the pandemic?
First of all, lose your fear. The pandemic scared all political leaders… The first lesson is knowing how to manage in scenarios of uncertainty. The second, that we must try to encourage broader agreements. The third, that society commands and not the leaders. The candidates do not order the electoral offer, but the demand, society; and as society changed uses, customs, consumption, needs, priorities, political communication and politics must also change. The one who does not interpret that he must associate what happens in society with his political management and orient himself fundamentally associated with this, he has problems, because he changed society. And someone who works and wants society to accompany him and support him in government, and also when there is an election, he must know how to interpret these changes.
Communication formats also changed. Everything is simpler, priorities have changed, new channels appear… (You must) have a strategy to deal with these processes; but, of course, you have to be everywhere: that leader no longer chooses where they want to talk to you, now society chooses where they want to listen to you… and you have to be in those places, because if you don’t close small hearings.
What associations can be found with the possible results of this year’s elections in the region?
Yes, clearly there are beginning to be geopolitical alliances between sectors that a priori think in common. But someone from the left like Boric won in Chile and condemned the issue of Venezuela. So, everything has nuances and it is very good that it is so, because it seems to me that this will give strength to the region and will not allow anything to happen.
Have the results left by this pandemic made the polarization soften or the opposite?
Quite the contrary. The pandemic has made, especially when there are weak governments, (highlight) who is the most oppositional of all, and to be so you have to make contrast and extreme polarization. For example, let’s take the case of Colombia. It would be difficult for someone who weighs the Duke Government to win the election, because we start from the basis that there is 82% rejection. The further away I am from Duque, the more I am going to collect electorally. There may be the best ideas, but if I say that the Duque government has fulfilled some things that perhaps it has done well, well, I am going to lose votes every day no matter how many good ideas I have.
Unfortunately, extreme polarization can end up winning over good projects with good ideas that are beneficial for a country. That is the challenge facing democracy in the coming months. (I)
Source: Eluniverso
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
