Professional paper

Populism in Old and New Democracies: Comparative Analysis of True Finns, Sweden Democrats, ANO and OĽaNO

Maria Kohutova orcid.org/0000-0002-0156-2502 ; Erasmus University Rotterdam
Mateja Horvat orcid.org/0000-0001-8607-7786 ; Stockholm University

Abstract

The article aims to critically assess, through discourse analysis of their respective political programmes, the way populist parties in old and new democracies approach different questions in their societies. The representatives of the old democracies include the Sweden Democrats and the True Finns, while the new democracies are represented by the two Central Eastern European parties – the Czech ANO and the Slovak OĽaNO. The biggest contribution of this paper is the analysis of how these parties in their discourses approach the idea and definitions of the people (populus), the enemy, both as a cultural enemy and the establishment, in addition to critically dissecting their influence on liberal democracy (corrective or threat). The distinction between old and new democracies does not hold its ground anymore because the parties from new democracies are gradually following the same course set by the well-established populist parties, mainly in altering the perspective of the external enemy, currently depicted in immigration.

Keywords

populism; discourse; democracy; old; new; populist parties

Hrčak ID:

204251

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/204251

Publication date:

26.7.2018.

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