The Evolution of the ‘populist Potential’ in European Politics: From New Right Radicalism to Anti-system Populism

Over the past 30 years, responding to different international, political and economic circumstances, populists have formed, preserved, nurtured and expanded a political identity that is today present in most political systems in Europe. This identity constitutes a ‘populist potential’, in the sense that it is non-ideological and that it wavers between electoral abstention and support for anti-system parties. This article provides a historical overview of the ideological and sociological evolution of the populist identity in Europe and reviews the ways parties of the centre-right have dealt with it in the past. Its conclusion is that practices like coalition building and theme co-optation are not so easy to deploy today, given the non-ideological and anti-system nature of the populist potential.