(iPoster) The Right Leader: Generational Leadership Change and Rising Far-Right Parties

• In Event: Poster Session: Posters on European Politics, Advanced Industrial Societies, & Post-Soviet Politics
  In Poster Session: Poster Session: Posters on European Politics

Abstract

This paper investigates how intergenerational leadership change influences support for far-right parties, focusing on European Union member states from 1999 to 2024. Using a matched case comparison approach, I assess changes in electoral support, rebranding strategies, and demographic appeals following party leadership transitions. Generational leadership changes are defined as those involving leaders at least 15 years younger than their predecessors. Cases include the French National Rally (RN) and Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ) as generational change examples, compared with same-generation and no-change cases from Belgium and the Netherlands respectively. I argue that generational changes allow far-right parties to destigmatize and expand their base without significant ideological shifts by altering visual identity, appealing to non-traditional voter groups, and demonstrating professionalism. I apply qualitative coding to party manifestos and media reports to analyze shifts in branding, visual representation, and rhetoric. Findings highlight how generational change can facilitate rebranding, signaling a break from a controversial past while broadening the party’s appeal, while relatively new far-right parties (e.g., the Dutch PVV) may not require a leadership change to embrace these strategies. This research contributes to understanding how historically stigmatized parties can gain mainstream traction and reshape the political landscape.

Author

• Grant McCoy Durow, University of California, Berkeley