Digging into the breeding ground: insights into the electoral performance of populist radical right parties in Central and Eastern Europe

Abstract

Populist radical right (PRR) parties have recently enjoyed significant electoral results in Central and Eastern Europe. Ataka in Bulgaria, Jobbik in Hungary, and the Slovak National Party in Slovakia frame the PRR ideology according to the idiosyncrasies of their context and directly address issues such as ethnic minorities, corruption, and the European Union. This contribution provides insights into the electoral performance of these parties by combining demand-side and supply-side elements. Ultimately, this article suggests that interactions over minority issues and corruption could help explain the electoral performance of these parties.Populist radical right (PRR) parties have recently made important electoral inroads across Europe. The performance of these parties in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) has ultimately paralleled that of similar organisations in the Western side of the continent, hence prompting a better understanding of the PRR phenomenon in post-communist countries. This article specifically focuses on PRR parties in CEE and provides insights into their electoral performance.

United in opposition? The populist radical right’s EU-pessimism in times of crisis

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