abstract
- © 2021 Universidad Complutense de Madrid. All rights reserved.The personalization of politics is often seen as a danger to democratic political institutions. This article proposes an alternative vision, based on the analysis of a case: an electoral campaign in a rural municipality in Mexico. The paper begins with the revision of the conceptual framework on the personalization of politics, to present later the historical and current context to explain why in Mexico there exists a fear of personalization as a strategy of authoritarian leaders. Then, applying a phenomenological approach, the case of the campaign of an independent candidate for the municipal presidency is analysed, showing that personalization can have a positive impact on democratic institutions, rebuilding trust in institutions and a citizen commitment to politics.