Unmet expectations? The impact of the Coronavirus crisis on radical right populism in North-Western and Southern Europe

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article investigates the state of health of the populist radical right in North-Western and Southern European democracies after the outbreak of the pandemic. The research question is whether the Coronavirus crisis represents an enemy or an ally of populist radical right (PRR) parties in these European regions. The thesis put forward is that a priori, based on the copious literature of political sociology and political science on populism, there are four interrelated compelling reasons to argue that PRR parties can benefit from the pandemic. However, I show how the polls and the national elections held during the pandemic suggest the opposite, namely that populist radical right forces have overall found in the Coronavirus crisis a little more an enemy than an ally. Finally, I suggest four remarks on why we are facing this unexpected outcome.