throwawaynull

I have a serious question, hoping someone can answer thoughtfully.

Why are populism and democracy - in this article and elsewhere - treated as opposites, or at least incompatible?

For me, I understand the definitions as follows:

Populism: "a political approach that strives to appeal to ordinary people who feel that their concerns are disregarded by established elite groups"

Democracy: "a system of government held accountable to the wishes, needs, priorities, interests and voices of ordinary people - typically through representation"

If the populist thesis is that powerful elites, wealthy magnates and corporatists running their country disregard the concerns of ordinary people - couldn't that be true and also democratic at the same time?