The electoral progress of the populist and Eurosceptic right (original) (raw)

The “Big Bang” of the populist parties in the European Union: The 2014 European Parliament election

Innovation: The European Journal of Social Science Research, 2018

A significant number of voters are turning their backs on traditional parties. The stability of European party systems is being defied by a growing number of (new) radical parties, whose presence in the European Parliament has never been as strong as it is now. Faced with the worst global economic crisis of the last 80 years and with growing socioeconomic inequalities, a series of political groups, referred to as populists, have secured almost a quarter of the seats in the European Parliament. This paper aims to highlight some of the reasons why these parties attract so much support and to reach a better understanding, from a comparative perspective, of the profile of these electorates as well as their motivations and aspirations. The analysis is based on the study of microdata (N = 30,064) from the European Election Study 2014 conducted in the EU after the European elections of 2014.

far-Left Euroscepticism in the 2014 European Parliament Elections: A Cross-Europe Comparison

Is Europe afraid of Europe? An Assessment of the result of the 2014 European Elections

This chapter examines the varied performance of far-left-wing Eurosceptic parties in the 2014 European Parliament elections. While the performance of the far-right during this ‘earthquake’ election has been widely discussed, little attention has been paid to the far left, which was also elected on a populist Eurosceptic platform emphasizing national sovereignty. This article examines the result comparatively and makes the following observations: (1) The rise of Eurosceptic populism is not strictly a far- right phenomenon; rather, in certain cases, it has taken the form of a left- right divide between parties which, while split on socio-economic issues, are united by nationalism; (2) The performance of far-left Eurosceptic parties in the May 2014 European Parliament elections is characterised by variation, with significant gains in some cases, but stagnation and even important losses in others; (3) Patterns of support are not clear cut, although the rise was mostly a trend in the European periphery taking the form of protest against the role of the European Union in the context of the economic crisis.

Radical and Populist Eurosceptic Parties at the 2014 European Elections: A Storm in a Teacup?

The integration process has now entered a new and more difficult phase characterised by mass Euroscepticism and the rise of radical and populist parties. Against the backdrop of the economic crisis, Euroscepticism has become increasingly mainstreamed in the sense that it has become increasingly more legitimate and salient, and in many ways less contested, across Europe. The European elections in May 2014 attest to this trend. Claims of the EU’s non-democratic nature and the need for major reforms have become commonplace among mainstream parties, and this context has provided particularly fertile soil for Eurosceptic players. This introduction first briefly examines the complex nature of Euroscepticism before turning to an overview of the success of populist and right-wing Eurosceptic parties at the 2014 elections. Then, it discusses the lack of influence of these parties in the EP despite their electoral success. Last, the articles included in this issue of The Polish Quarterly of International Affairs (vol. 24 n°2) are briefly introduced.

POPULIST INTERNATIONAL: RIGHT-WING POPULIST PARTIES AFTER THE 2019 EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ELECTIONS

2020

Parliamentary elections are a complex issue in parliamentary democracy. In addition to the experience of the first half of the 20th century, Slovakia has a renewed tradition of democratic parliamentary elections since 1990. 2020 is also the year of elections to the Slovak Parliament -the National Council of the Slovak Republic. The article describes a brief history and changes in election rules from 1990 to the present. From the political science point of view, it represents the warp points of the electoral system for the Slovak Parliament. Last but not least, the article deals with interesting and problematic areas of the current electoral system for the Slovak Parliament.

The Rising of the Rightist Populist Parties in Europe

Journal of History Culture and Art Research, 2018

In this study, the rise of the rightist populist parties in the European Union (EU), especially because of the recent economic crisis, is comprehensively examined. In the study, the economic crisis and identity problems in the European Union are analyzed. The results of elections in countries such as Austria and France, and their effect on the EU elections, are subjected to analysis. The current crisis of the EU increasingly engages the people in the member and non-member nations. The European citizens hardly define themselves as EU citizens and they consider the old political movements as elitist and distant to citizens. The identity losses in Europe because of wrong policies caused by Germany and France hegemony damages the EU spirit, and as a result, the nationalist movements are getting stronger.

United in Diversity: A Comparative Analysis of the Voting Behaviours of European Far-Right Political Parties in the European Parliament between 2009-2014

While the rise of European far-right raises many questions, this article aims to contribute to the debate by looking at their voting behaviour in the European Parliament between 2009 and 2014. Although some of the most prominent European far-right parties try to emphasize their differences, this article shows how united they actually are on salient issues. This can be seen from their voting cohesion on economic and monetary affairs and immigration, but also their party programs, election manifestos, parliamentary speeches, statements and media coverage. The article concludes that far-right parties have similar voting preferences on the most salient issues, while existing deviations are mostly caused by country-specific reasons.