From Backbench to Cabinet: Government Formation with Radical Right Parties in Eastern Europe

Radical right parties have become a significant force in East European politics. They could partake in coalition governments in almost half of the post-Communist EU member states. The paper seeks to answer the question of why some radical right parties enter government while others remain in opposition. This hitherto largely omitted question shall be addressed by conducting a qualitative comparative analysis (QCA), including eight East European EU member states and several potential determinants of coalition formation, such as party ideology, electoral performance, previous experience in government and the ‘regime divide’. Contrary to the findings of the majority of works on coalition formation in Eastern Europe in general – but concurring with the findings regarding coalition formation with radical right parties in Western Europe – it shall be argued that party ideology, and not just electoral performance, is a significant determinant of radical right parties’ government participation in the post-Communist democracies.