The Populist Vs Anti-Populist Divide in the Time of Pandemic : The 2021 Czech National Election and its Consequences for European Politics
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2022 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | JCMS-Journal of Common Market Studies |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| web | article - open access |
| Doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jcms.13413 |
| Keywords | populism; anti-populism; election; Czech politics; campaigns; polarization |
| Attached files | |
| Description | We analyzed the content and consequences of the populist-anti/populist divide in the 2021 general election campaign in the Czech Republic. Even if anti-populist politicians are successful, the long-term effects of their electoral strategy are more worrisome than comforting, especially regarding the stability of political parties and party systems. The main reason lies in the deeply divisive, antagonistic nature of populism which drives the anti-populist reaction into highly polarising ‘confrontation by design’. In the Czech case, a half year after the election, a return to a more moderate, depolarised and policy-oriented political competition does not seem to be a likely outcome of the governing and opposition parties' communications. On the contrary, the unprecedented inflation rates and the migration caused by the war in Ukraine have provided opportunities for both the intensification of ANO's patrimonial protectionist populism and SPD's nativist radical right populism. At the same time, the parties of the SPOLU coalition have launched another campaign against the ANO party built on the party's ‘dark sins'. |
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