Lately, populism appears to have taken centre stage in discussions on politics be it the academic community, the media or the public in the European Union. Moreover, scientific preoccupation with populism – predominantly its right wing manifestation – has to a large degree resonated with warnings of current or pending rise in election results of populist parties in the past decade. The reality is somewhat complex - while right wing populist parties have gained foothold in several EU countries, an overview of their election results shows oscillations in electoral support. From the late 1990s when the majority of EU populists started gaining parliamentary seats to the elections held in the last four years, the most influential amongst them (such as Front National, Lega Nord, Freedom Party of Austria or Vlaams Belang) have had notable success but have also experienced conspicuous failure. I will argue that their success or failure to win over voters hinges on two important factors: the threat potential of (perceived) crisis and the organizational structure of the party. The first, external factor is greatly influenced by the media and the manner of interpretation of a potential crisis as well as the scope and frequency of reporting. This is especially notable concerning questions of immigration, security and economic stability. The second factor is internal and crucial not only for the party's electoral success but also for its longevity and resilience. Organizational strength and centralization proved crucial in the survival of parties such as Front National and Freedom Party of Austria when faced with leadership change or external pressure. Centralization also enables a substantial element of control over the political message broadcasted to the public in a unified way and without dissenting voices. Populism presents itself as a response to a perceived crisis which the populist parties generate, escalate or accentuate. This response consists of (symbolic) empowerment of the people through the (actual) empowerment of the leader/party and it is thus crucial that the message sent to the voters be consistent and decisive. Empowerment of voters is, in the view adopted in this paper, the primary reason behind the success of populist parties especially in some EU member countries where growing Euroskepticism is based on the argumentation that citizens have been deprived of their democratic rights to weigh in on key decisions.
