New Trends in Far-Right Politics: Senior Government Office, Ideological Expansion, and Extraparliamentary Activism

What are the key developments of far-right party politics in the 2020s? Klaus von Beyme and Cas Mudde have identified four distinct waves of far-right politics in western Europe and beyond since 1945. In the early 21st century, the fourth wave of the far right was marked by processes of mainstreaming and normalisation. This article proposes the emergence of a fifth wave of far-right politics, defined by three interrelated developments: First, far-right parties not only win (relative) majorities in elections but increasingly hold leading positions in national and subnational government. Second, they have diversified ideologically, expanding their collective identities and issue agenda beyond xenophobic nationalism and anti-immigration politics. Third, far-right parties increasingly rely on extraparliamentary activism, mobilising on the streets and building their own ‘civil society’ infrastructure. Given the growing political power of far-right parties, it is essential to understand not only how they transform the (former) mainstream parties of the political centre, but also how far-right parties themselves are able to transform democratic politics as such. Beyond the ideational focus of the mainstreaming/normalization perspective, this article also incorporates office and organizational aspects.