Populism in Southern Europe

Abstract

This chapter is structured as follows. First, we analyze the evolution of the ideological orientation of populism in the region, discussing the main national and regional factors that explain the rise of these actors. We argue that the rise of populism in Southern Europe largely responds to a crisis of representation and dissatisfaction with the functioning of democracy, especially in the context of the Great Recession (Fernández-García and Luengo 2019; Valencia 2021). In this regard, populist parties that emerged during the double economic and political crisis of 2012–2015 in the region did so with ambitious programs of democratic regeneration. However, the European context following the Great Recession, as well as other domestic factors, has favored the rise of the populist radical right in the region, which is more concerned with sociocultural issues such as national identity, security, and immigration. Second, we compare the proposals and statements of the main populist parties in Southern Europe on democratic matters. The analysis shows that, while there are certain similarities, such as a common agenda of restoring trust in political representatives, the democratic proposals of Southern European populist parties are largely determined by the host ideologies of these actors as well as by contextual factors.