Party Politics Between Old Habits and New Actors

Abstract

Party politics in Europe and beyond is undergoing a fundamental shift, with traditional divisions fading, established party institutions failing, and new political players and repertoires developing. This panel looks at how "old habits" of party competitiveness, organizational practice, and voter alignment interact, coexist, and clash with "new actors" like challenger parties, movements, and hybrid organizations. Contributions employ qualitative and quantitative methods to investigate a variety of contexts and locations in order to determine if current party politics constitute rupture, adaptation, or path-dependent evolution. By systematically examining the interplay of continuity and change, the panel aims to improve our understanding of party system transformation, assess the resilience of traditional parties and party democracy, and identify emerging patterns of political organization in an era of volatility and uncertainty.

Title	Details
Corruption Rhetoric Vs Scandals: How ANO Thrives in the Czech Republic	View Paper Details
“I’d Vote Only to Save the World!” On the First-Round Absentees in the 2025 Romanian Presidential Elections	View Paper Details
Conspiracy-Based Narratives and New Parties in Romania: POT and S.O.S	View Paper Details
Reclaiming “the People”? Tisza’s Counter-Strategy to Orbán’s Populism in Hungary’s New Realignment	View Paper Details