Mapping the Far-Right in Latin America: Organizational Structures and Internal Variation

In recent years, far-right forces have gained increasing prominence across Latin America. In countries such as Argentina, Brazil and El Salvador these forces have come to power and reshaped electoral dynamics, significantly impacting politics and public policy. However, relatively little is known about far-right parties themselves, particularly regarding their internal organizational structures and how these vary across national contexts. This is a significant omission, given that party organization is key to understanding political behavior, institutionalization, and accountability. This paper addresses this gap by offering a comparative and typological analysis of the internal organization of far-right parties in Latin America. Using expert-coded data from the Democratic Accountability and Linkages Project (DALP2), we examine the organizational structures of six prominent parties in the region: La Libertad Avanza, Partido Liberal, Partido Republicano, Nuevas Ideas, Cabildo Abierto, and Renovación Popular. Our analytical approach combines Principal Component Analysis (PCA) with k-means clustering to group parties based on multidimensional organizational similarities. We identify latent profiles that cut across national borders or ideological distinctions, revealing broader patterns of internal variation. Our preliminary findings of organizational patterns challenge the assumption that Latin American far-right parties are merely regional iterations of their European counterparts. In Europe, many far-right parties emerged from established party families and often possess well-defined ideological and organizational traditions. Latin American far-right parties exhibit lean structures, limited civic linkage, and anti-institutional profiles. These findings suggest that organizational minimalism is not a transitional feature but a defining characteristic of certain far-right formations in the region.