Re-Democratisation in Eastern Europe: Strategies for Reconnecting Citizens and Restoring Democratic Institutions

Abstract

Re-democratisation in Eastern Europe: Strategies for Reconnecting Citizens and Restoring Democratic Institutions** Academic literature on Eastern Europe has been overwhelmingly preoccupied with 'democratic backsliding', the rise of radical right and populist parties, and the apparent illiberal turn in countries previously viewed as being on a secure path to democratic consolidation. However, recent developments—most notably Poland's 2023 election of Civic Platform under Donald Tusk's leadership—signal attempts to reverse illiberal state capture and reconnect citizens with democratic institutions. The Baltic states have also demonstrated resilience against far-right populism, whilst Slovakia's return to populist governance after a brief liberal interlude highlights the fragility of democratic repair. This panel examines strategies for mending democracy in Eastern Europe, focusing on how political actors, civil society, international democracy promotion actors, and citizens themselves work to rebuild trust in democratic systems and effect progressive policy change even under illiberal conditions. We explore the mechanisms through which governments attempt to restore liberal democracy after periods of populist or illiberal rule, addressing both institutional reforms and broader strategies for re-engaging citizens through activism, mobilisation, and electoral participation. The panel investigates how pro-democratic voters navigate electoral choices when faced with threats to democratic values, including whether and under what conditions they trade off ideological preferences to support democratic candidates across party lines. Papers examine the puzzle of successful grassroots activism—including environmental and climate campaigns—that has flourished during periods of right-wing populist governance, challenging assumptions about the conditions necessary for progressive reform. We explore how the framing of campaigns, the circulation of new information and data, and the emergence of new generations of actors and activist strategies enable citizens to reconnect with democratic processes and achieve policy outcomes even in constrained political contexts. The panel also examines the role of external actors—particularly Western political foundations—as "normative repositories" that maintain liberal democratic values during periods of backsliding and actively translate international norms to fit local contexts of state capture and legal restriction. Papers consider what specific actions re-democratising governments have taken to overturn backsliding, what role participatory and deliberative mechanisms play in these processes, and who the enablers (civil society activists, Western foundations, EU institutions, political parties, strategic voters) and spoilers have been. The panel examines how re-democratising states counter both external pressures (disinformation, foreign interference) and internal anti-democratic actors, and what lessons emerge for states still locked into authoritarian paths such as Hungary and the Western Balkans. We also address whether it makes sense to conceptualise 're-democratisation' as a distinct process from initial democratisation, and whether there are specific legacies from the post-1989 transitions—including patterns of civil society mobilisation—that shape contemporary repair strategies.

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