Abstract
Abstract This chapter focuses on the experiences of two Visegrád countries where some leftist parties remained faithful to their traditional economic positions, retained the support of their traditional constituencies, and curtailed the rise of populist right parties. The chapter opens with the case of the Czech Republic. The Czech Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia—a left party that preserved traditional leftist economic policy positions—succeeded in implementing pro-labor policies in alliance with the Czech Social Democratic Party. This helped to keep Czech blue-collar voters on the left side of the political spectrum and limited the populist right’s growth throughout the analyzed period. The chapter also examines Slovakia, where one left party, the Party of the Democratic Left (SDĽ), took part in neoliberal economic reforms during EU accession, while Smer, another leftist party, did not. The SDĽ lost its supporters and disappeared, while Smer was able to attract the support of economically vulnerable voters and limited the share of electorates available for mobilization by the populist right.
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