From Competition to Polarisation in Central Europe: How Populists Change Party Systems and How Democratic Backsliding Changes the EU

For two decades after the collapse of communism, scholars tended to identify a trend of democratic progress on the part of post-communist states joining the European Union (EU). While it was evident very soon after 1989-91 that many post-communist states were simply transitioning from one form of authoritarian regime to another, scholars expected that states fortunate enough to become credible future EU members would eventually become EU compatible liberal democracies – and their membership in the EU would only strengthen them. Today, echoing trends in the wider transatlantic world, the narrative of progress appears dead, replaced by democratic backsliding – and sliding toward authoritarianism. For several post-communist states, the dynamics are remarkably similar: Dismantling counter-majoritarian institutions is accompanied by polarization of the party system as political competition shifts to issues of identity, and populist parties take positions defending “the people.” It is especially jarring that early standard bearers of democratization in the region – Hungary and Poland – are leading the way (Vachudova 2015). In this paper I show how polarization goes hand in hand with democratic backsliding in Hungary and Poland; how this is playing out somewhat differently in the Czech Republic; and how how ruling populists in all three states treat the EU and Russia. In conclusion, I consider the consequences of this populist and illiberal turn for the European Union, and for democratization in the Western Balkans.