Galina Zapryanova
"Populists, Eurosceptics or Both? Explaining the Sources of Protest Politics in the New EU Member States"
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Abstract
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What accounts for the electoral successes of Eurosceptic and populist political parties in Central and East Europe? Citizens in the region have expressed their support for these types of parties during recent elections while, at the same time, aggregate levels of support for EU membership and trust in EU institutions remain high. EU-centered explanations for the growing popularity of these parties have focused on the dissatisfaction of citizens with specific aspects of European integration such as the economic reforms, the perceived loss of sovereignty or the strict requirements regarding protection of minorities. This study proposes an alternative causal explanation by establishing a relationship between perceptions of inadequate government performance domestically and citizens’ growing support for populist and Eurosceptic parties. By choosing to support Eurosceptic parties citizens in the region are, in fact, casting a protest vote against domestic political elites. Thus, Euroscepticism in the new member states, is not directed against the EU but it is rather a subset of the broader populist resurgence in the region and a reflection of the popular disillusionment with mainstream political parties. A public opinion survey from Bulgaria and the Czech Republic, coupled with comparative case studies, is utilized to test these hypotheses.
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