Emre IseriMuhammad Auwal AhmadEzgi Su MeteMetin ErsoyErsoy, MetinIseri, EmreAhmad, Muhammad AuwalMete, Ezgi Su2025-10-0620250304-37542163-315010.1177/030437542412911832-s2.0-105002697427http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/03043754241291183https://gcris.yasar.edu.tr/handle/123456789/6946https://doi.org/10.1177/03043754241291183Today many scholars question whether populism has indeed become the zeitgeist detriment of democracies around the globe. This study compares populist discourses in Nigeria and T & uuml,rkiye during their 2023 presidential campaigns. Utilizing Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) it explores how did the victorious presidential candidates employ digital media platforms to disseminate their populist and anti-populist messages? This research reveals that Bola Tinubu's anti-populist discourses mitigated polarization and led to a smooth electoral success in Nigeria. In sharp contrast Recep Tayyip Erdo & gbreve,an's populist discourses exacerbated political divisions in T & uuml,rkiye. It concludes that populism neither universally dominates global trends nor guarantees electoral victory even in polarized Eurasian-African context. Nonetheless whether labeled as populist or anti-populist during electoral campaigns such characterizations do not necessarily translate into corresponding policy actions once in office.Englishinfo:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccesspopulist zeitgeist, populism, anti-populism, critical discourse analysis, T & uuml,rkiye, Nigeria, democracySOCIAL MEDIA, WESTERNPopulismPopulist ZeitgeistCritical Discourse AnalysisNigeriaTürkiyeAnti-populismDemocracyArticle