Far-Right Threats and Democratic Responses in Latin America and Europe

Abstract

This panel generates comparative insights into the growing influence of far-right actors as a threat to democratic resilience across Latin America and Europe, by identifying common patterns, divergences, and points of learning between regions. While these regions differ in institutional design and political history, both face increasingly aggressive forms of far-right populism. The panel highlights how far-right movements challenge democratic institutions, both through electoral success and by reshaping political narratives and weakening mechanisms of accountability. It brings together scholars engaged in cross-regional analyses. Sajuria ana Zanotti question the conceptual foundations of the ‘far right’ classification, proposing an alternative framework for understanding the ideologies of these parties grounded in empirical research across Europe and Latin America. Next, both Melendez and Rovira Kaltwasser focus on the demand-side dimension of this phenomenon. Melendez examines the role of anti-communist attitudes as drivers of far-right party support across a range of Latin American and European countries. Rovira-Kaltwasser examines the role of anti-feminist attitudes by analyzing novel public opinion data from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and El Salvador. Finally, Halikiopoulou sets out a framework for comparing the far-right threat and democratic responses in the two regions.

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