Mercosur at 30: political ideologies and (de)legitimation strategies

Abstract Mercosur celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2021 in a situation of severe stress, in which the idea of rolling it back from a customs union towards a free trade area was discussed in polarized terms, raising the question about its legitimacy. This article analyses the legitimation strategies pursued by Mercosur member states' presidents and regional bureaucrats to build, maintain, defend and enhance the belief among relevant audiences that the regional organization is legitimate. It focuses on three critical moments in which Mercosur was the object of public debate, namely, the Brazilian currency devaluation in 1999, the accession of Venezuela in 2012, and the current proposal of ‘flexibilization’, and, drawing on secondary literature and qualitative content analysis, argues that the origins of Mercosur agents' discursive legitimation strategies are their political ideologies. Given the strong role of presidents and lack of stronger regional institutions and leadership, Mercosur is left hostage to domestic electoral cycles and vulnerableto undemocratic trends of governments in power.