Contemporary political developments pose an intriguing challenge for the traditional relations between states and society. In this context, populism arises as a fashionable concept. Exists, however, a side of populist politics, which has not been properly explored; populism as a conceptual tool for the analysis of relations between party politics and social movements. Contemporary transnational mobilizations against austerity and corruption pose a significant challenge to traditional populist politics over the world. This paper argues that in light of radically decreasing electoral participation and rampantly increasing movement participation, ‘movement politics’ signal the emergence of a new battlefield for traditional populism and a new subject other than the traditional voter. The paper adopts a comparative approach and focuses on the cases of Greece and Spain. It examines the political discourse of the parties Nea Dimokratia and Syriza, and Partido Popular and Izquierda Unida respectively, in regards to the momentous mobilizations of 2011.
