Abstract
Although the literature on populist radical right parties (PRRP) in Western and Eastern Europe has expanded considerably in the last two decades, relatively little is known about the views on nature and the environment of the PRRP in Eastern Europe. This study focuses on the Latvian PRRP “National Alliance” (NA), which has not only been a coalition government partner since 2011, but occupied a ministerial post tasked with environmental policy from 2014 to 2019. This article examines how the NA viewed nature, the environment, and governance for sustainability in the period 2010–2018, and more specifically, whether and to what extent the NA’s vision of nature and the environment was compatible with its sustainable development position. The study employs qualitative content analysis examining the official party literature. The results indicate that the party’s vision embraced the sustainable development position in its declaratory statements on nature and environmental policy. The NA’s views on governance for sustainability demonstrate a strong statist preference, downplaying more participatory approaches, thus departing from the sustainable development governance position.
Highlights
In the last two decades, populist and far-right parties have gained political and social momentum in several Western and Eastern European countries [1,2]
The theme “Environment” was present as a separate chapter in all the political platforms adopted by the National Alliance” (NA) in the period under scrutiny (2010–2018)
In the platform adopted in 2010, the chapter on the environment was among nine chapters in total; in the 2011 and 2012 platforms, one of 12 chapters were devoted to the theme; one chapter was devoted to the environment in the latest version of the political platform, adopted in 2018, which consisted of 21 thematic chapters in total
Summary
In the last two decades, populist and far-right parties have gained political and social momentum in several Western and Eastern European countries [1,2]. The aim is to systematically study one particular PRRP, namely, the NA, and its views on nature, the environment, and governance for sustainability (that is, which actors, institutions, or processes are seen as crucial to achieving sustainable development) The views of this party are relevant to study because is it one of the few PRRP that holds a seemingly pro-environmental position, but it has been a coalition government partner since 2011 and occupied the post of Minister for Environmental Protection and Regional Affairs from 2014 to 2019.
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