Extreme Right-wing Parties and Democracy

There is a widespread concern that the rise of the
extreme right parties (ERPs) may disrupt democratic
policies in consolidated democracies. The major
source of this concern is ERPs' advocacy for
authoritarian policies and their grievance about
democratic institutions. This study investigates
the urgency of this concern by focusing on the
possible means by which ERPs are able to affect
democratic politics. After determining ERPs and their
comparative vote shares, this study examines the
individual determinants of voting for them with
respect to ideological affinity and political
dissatisfaction. The evidence casts doubt on
influence through actual or potential vote strength.
Therefore the study raises the following question: Is
the absence of vote support in many countries a
consequence of the established parties having
preempted or accommodated the ERPs' appeal by
embracing their political demands? The empirical
results demonstrate that several established
parties have indeed moved rightwards in the last
thirty years in a total of 19 consolidated
democracies. Therefore, the real threat to democracy
has come from the established parties rather than ERPs.