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Populismens fall och fortlevnad: En jämförande studie av politisk utveckling i Polen och Ungern 2010–2024

Kruusmägi, Olivia LU and Josserand, Tiffany LU (2025) STVA23 20251
Department of Political Science
Abstract
In recent years, Europe has witnessed a significant rise in populism, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe. This paper investigates how changes in the electoral systems have enabled or hindered the consolidation of populist power in the two cases of Hungary and Poland. Despite similarities in their historical and political backgrounds, Hungary has seen a successful consolidation of populist power under the national conservative party Fidesz, while Poland’s populist Law and Justice party (PiS) lost its parliamentary majority in the 2023 election. Using a comparative case study and the theory of democratic backsliding, this study analyzes reforms such as gerrymandering, shifts from proportional to majoritarian systems, and how... (More)
In recent years, Europe has witnessed a significant rise in populism, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe. This paper investigates how changes in the electoral systems have enabled or hindered the consolidation of populist power in the two cases of Hungary and Poland. Despite similarities in their historical and political backgrounds, Hungary has seen a successful consolidation of populist power under the national conservative party Fidesz, while Poland’s populist Law and Justice party (PiS) lost its parliamentary majority in the 2023 election. Using a comparative case study and the theory of democratic backsliding, this study analyzes reforms such as gerrymandering, shifts from proportional to majoritarian systems, and how manipulation of electoral thresholds have contributed to different outcomes in the two countries. The findings suggest that constitutional changes to Hungary’s electoral system, such as the the shift to a majoritarian system and redrawn electoral boundaries, have created advantages for the ruling party and enabled a populist rule. Poland’s more proportional system and fewer structural changes have in contrast limited its ruling party’s consolidation of power. Therefore, institutional changes to electoral systems have played an important role in enabling a stronger populist dominance and a greater democratic backsliding in Hungary compared to Poland. (Less)
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author
Kruusmägi, Olivia LU and Josserand, Tiffany LU
supervisor
organization
course
STVA23 20251
year
type
L2 - 2nd term paper (old degree order)
subject
keywords
Populism, Hungary, Poland, democratic backsliding, electoral systems, executive aggrandizement, illiberal democracy, institutional change.
language
Swedish
id
9190330
date added to LUP
2025-08-07 17:02:16
date last changed
2025-08-07 17:02:16
@misc{9190330,
  abstract     = {{In recent years, Europe has witnessed a significant rise in populism, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe. This paper investigates how changes in the electoral systems have enabled or hindered the consolidation of populist power in the two cases of Hungary and Poland. Despite similarities in their historical and political backgrounds, Hungary has seen a successful consolidation of populist power under the national conservative party Fidesz, while Poland’s populist Law and Justice party (PiS) lost its parliamentary majority in the 2023 election. Using a comparative case study and the theory of democratic backsliding, this study analyzes reforms such as gerrymandering, shifts from proportional to majoritarian systems, and how manipulation of electoral thresholds have contributed to different outcomes in the two countries. The findings suggest that constitutional changes to Hungary’s electoral system, such as the the shift to a majoritarian system and redrawn electoral boundaries, have created advantages for the ruling party and enabled a populist rule. Poland’s more proportional system and fewer structural changes have in contrast limited its ruling party’s consolidation of power. Therefore, institutional changes to electoral systems have played an important role in enabling a stronger populist dominance and a greater democratic backsliding in Hungary compared to Poland.}},
  author       = {{Kruusmägi, Olivia and Josserand, Tiffany}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Populismens fall och fortlevnad: En jämförande studie av politisk utveckling i Polen och Ungern 2010–2024}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}