Development of Populism after Joining the Establishment. The Case of SMER-SD in Slovakia

One of key questions regarding populism is what happens to populist parties if they succeed in elections and become parliamentary or even governmental parties. If populists become aware that their profile becomes incompatible with this new situation, several changes may be expected. First, in ideological terms, these parties may drop the populist appeals and seek another programmatic basis. Second, this change may modify the structure of the electorate as different voters may be attracted by the new party`s profile. Finally, populists may seek to transform internally and build a structure resembling classical parties. This paper studies Slovak party SMER–SD and its pathway from a populist outsider to the core of establishment. It analyzes the party`s shifts in three areas – ideology, voters (using national election studies and ESS) and internal organization. Findings show that populists may successfully modify their original profile if they find it dangerous for their further ambitions.