Left and right populism in Spain within the context of the party system transformation: Vox and Podemos

For many years, right-wing populism was considered irrelevant in Spain. The recent success of the Vox party, first at the regional and then at the national level, is clear evidence that the transformation of the Spanish party system continues. Moreover, right-wing and left-wing populism (represented respectively by the Vox and Podemos parties) coexist today in the context of its increasing fragmentation. The article attempts to answer the question why two types of populist parties emerged in Spain, what are the key differences between them and what place they occupy in the country's party system. The research intention involves identifying the main characteristics of right and left populism based on the analysis of the latest scientific literature and the subsequent assessment of the prospects of the Vox and Podemos parties. The factors of their electoral successes are determined; it is assumed that the territorial factor plays a special role in the differentiation of Spanish populism. The study uses the methods of comparative analysis and social constructivism, and populism itself is considered within the framework of an ideational approach. Based on the results of the study, the characteristics of left and right populism in Spain were determined on the example of the Vox and Podemos parties. It was concluded that the case of Spain is of particular interest in the European context, as it allows one to study the electoral successes and prospects of both left and right populists. The role of the territorial factor in delimiting left and right populism was emphasized.

1. Art D. Inside the radical right: The development of anti-immigrant parties in Western Europe. Cambridge: Cambridge university press, 2011, 272 p.

2. Aslanidis P. Is populism an ideology? A refutation and a new perspective. Political studies. 2016, N 64, P. 88-104.

3. Baranov N.A. Revival of populism: European experience and Russian practices. Vest-nik (Herald) of Saint Petersburg university. Series 6. Political science.International relations. 2015, N 3, P. 25-36. (In Russ.). EDN: UXWWXJ

4. Bolin N. New party entrance - analyzing the impact of political institution. UMEA working paper, Political science. 2007, N 2, P. 1-20.

5. Calzada I. Metropolitanising small European stateless city-regionalised nations. Space andpolity. 2018, N 22(3), P. 342-361. DOI: 10.1080/13562576.2018.1555958

6. Casals X. The people against the Parliament. The new populism in Spain, 1989-2013.Madrid, Spain: Pasado y Presente, 2013, 396 p. (In Span.).

7. Cordero G., Montero J.R. Against bipartyism, towards dealignment? The 2014 European election in Spain. South European society and politics. 2015, N 20 (3), P. 357-379.

8. Halla M., Wagner A.W., Zweimuller J. Immigration and voting for the far right. Journal of the European economic association. 2017, N 15 (6), P. 1341-1385. DOI: 10.1093/jeea/jvx003

9. Huber R.A., Schimpf C.H. On the distinct effects of left-wing and right-wing populism on democratic quality. Politics and governance. 2017, N 5, P. 146-165.

10. Gianolla C. Populism, a Thread and a Chance. between demagogy and participation. Societa Mutamento Politica. 2017, N 8(15), P. 327-352. DOI: 10.13128/SMP-20862

11. Golder M. Far right parties in Europe. Annual review of political science. 2016, N 19, P. 477-497. https://. DOI: 10.1146/annurev-polisci-042814-012441

12. Ivaldi G., Lanzone M.E., Woods D. Varieties of populism across a left-right spectrum: the case of the front national, the Northern League, Podemos and Five Star Movement. Swiss political science review. 2017, N 23 (4), P. 354-376. https://. DOI: 10.1111/spsr.12278

13. Jagers J. Walgrave S. Populism as political communication style: an empirical study of political parties' discourse in Belgium. European journal of political research. 2007, N 46, P. 319-345. DOI: 10.1111/j.1475-6765.2006.00690.x

14. Katsambekis G. The populist surge in postdemocratic times: theoretical and political challenger. The Political quarterly. 2017, N 88(2), P. 202-210.

15. Kharitonova O.G., Kudryashova I.V. Political regimes and regime changes in the foam of the populist wave. Political science (RU). 2022, N 1, P. 224-244. http://www.10.31249/poln/2022.01.10 (In Russ.). DOI: 10.31249/poln/2022.01.10(InRuss.) EDN: ZYVFTG

16. Khenkin S.M. Catalan conflict yesterday and today. Actual problems of Europe. 2015, N 1, P. 117-138. (In Russ.). EDN: TUEONT

17. Knigge P. The ecological correlates of right-wing extremism in Western Europe. European journal of political research. 1998, N 34 (2), P. 249-279. DOI: 10.1111/1475-6765.00407 EDN: ETUMXJ

18. Kis N. Anti-politics, populism and political psychology.Comparative politics. 2018, N 2, P. 83-92.

19. Kurakina-Damir A.A. Changing the electoral landscape of Spain (2015-2019). Ibero-American notebooks. 2020, N 8 (2), P. 19-30. 10.46272/2409-3416-2020-8-2-19-30 (In Russ.). DOI: 10.46272/2409-3416-2020-8-2-19-30(InRuss.)

20. Makarenko B.I. Populism and political institutions: a comparative perspective. Vestnik of public opinion. 2017, N 1-2 (123), P. 8-23. (In Russ.).

21. March L. Radical left parties in contemporary Europe. Abingdon: Routledge, 2011,288 p.

22. Marcos-Marne H. A tale of populism? The Determinants of voting for left-wing populist parties in Spain. Political studies. 2021, N 69(4), P. 1053-1071. DOI: 10.1177/0032321720950215

23. Mudde C. The populist Zeitgeist. Government and opposition. 2004, N 39, P. 541-563. DOI: 10.1111/j.1477-7053.2004.00135.x

24. Mudde C. Rovira Kaltwasser C. Exclusionary vs. Inclusionary populism: comparing contemporary Europe and Latin America. Government and opposition. 2012, N 48 (2), P. 147-174.

25. Mudde C. The far right today. Cambridge, UK: Polity press, 2019, 160 p.

26. Norris P. Measuring populism worldwide. Party politics. 2020, N 26 (6), P. 697-717. DOI: 10.1177/1354068820927686

27. Oskolkov P.V., Tevdoy-Burmuly A.I. European right-wing populism and nationalism: on the relationship of functionality. Vestnik (Herald) of Perm university. Political science series. 2018, N 3, P. 19-33. (In Russ.). EDN: VBEVAW

28. Otjes S., Louwerse T. Populists in parliament: comparing left-wing and right-wing populism in the Netherlands." Political studies. 2015, N 63 (1), P. 60-79. DOI: 10.1111/1467-9248.12089

29. Pogorelskaya S.V. "Forever Yesterdays": right-wing populism and right-wing radicalism in Western Europe. S.V. Pogorelskaya. World economy and international relations. 2004, N 3, P. 51-63. EDN: OWMSIF

30. Polk J., Rovny J., Bakker R., Edwards E., Hooghe L., Jolly S., Koedam J., et al. Explaining the salience of anti-elitism and reducing political corruption for political parties in Europe with the 2014 Chapel Hill Expert Survey Data. Research and politics. 2017, N 4 (1), P. 1-9.

31. Priester K. Wesensmerkmale des Populismus. Aus Politik und Zeitgeschichte. 2012, N 5-6, P. 3-9.

32. Rama J., Cordero G., Zagorski P. Three is a crowd? Podemos, Ciudadanos, and Vox: the end of bipartisanship in Spain. Frontiers in political science. 2021, 3:688130, 16 p. DOI: 10.3389/fpos.2021.688130 EDN: LXIYOF

33. Reif K. Schmitt H. Nine second-order national elections - a conceptual framework for the analysis of European election results. European journal of political research. 1980, N 8 (1), P. 3-44.

34. Rodrik D. Populism and the economics of globalization. Journal of international business policy. 2018, N 1 (1-2), P. 12-33. DOI: 10.3386/w23559

35. Rooduijn M., Van Kessel S., Froio C., Pirro A., De Lange S., Halikiopoulou D., Lewis P., Mudde C., Taggart P. The PopuList: An overview of populist, far right, far left and Eurosceptic parties in Europe. The Populist. 2020. Mode of access: https://popu-list.org/about/(accessed: 11.03.2022).

36. Sartori G. Party and party systems: A framework for analysis. ECPR Press, 2005, 368 p.

37. Schulte-Cloos J. Do European Parliament elections foster challenger parties' success on the national level? European Union politics. 2018, N 19 (3), P. 408-426.

38. Sola J. Rendueles C. Podemos, the upheaval of Spanish politics and the challenge of populism. Journal of contemporary European studies. 2018, N 26 (1), P. 99-116. EDN: YDTKLB

39. Kuznetsov A.V. (ed.). The Trump Phenomenon. Moscow: INION RAS, 2020. 642 p. Yakovlev P.P., Kurakina-Damir A.A. (eds). Spain in the new national and international reality. Moscow: ILA RAS, 2020, 225 p. (In Russ.).

40. Turnbull-Dugarte S.J. Explaining the end of Spanish exceptionalism and electoral support for Vox. Research and politics. 2019, N 1-8, 8 p. DOI. EDN: FQNVMJ

41. Turnbull-Dugarte S.J., Rama J., Santana A. The Baskerville's dog suddenly started barking: voting for VOX in the 2019 Spanish general elections. Political research exchange. 2020, N 2:1, 22 p. DOI: 10.1080/2474736X.2020.1781543 EDN: LWVNGA

42. Vampa D.Competing forms of populism and territorial politics: the cases of Vox and Podemos in Spain. Journal of contemporary European studies. 2020, N 28 (3), P. 304-321.DOI: 10.1080/14782804.2020.1727866

43. Weinstein G.I. European Populism at the End of the 2010 s. World Economy and International Relations. 2018, Vol. 62, N 3, P. 29-38. (In Russ.). EDN: YTHIDY

44. Zarzalejos J. Populism in Spain: an analysis of Podemos. European view. 2016, N 15(2), P. 183-191. DOI: 10.1007/s12290-016-0408-4

45. Баранов Н.А. Возрождение популизма: европейский опыт и российские практики // Вестник Санкт-Петербургского университета. Серия 6. Политология. Международные отношения. - 2015. - № 3. - С. 25-36. EDN: UXWWXJ

46. Вайнштейн Г.И. Европейский популизм в конце 2010-х // Мировая экономика и международные отношения. - 2018. - Т. 62. - № 3. - С. 29-38. EDN: YTHIDY

47. Гуселетов Б.П. Трансформация партийно-политической системы в странах Евросоюза в посткризисный период (итоги) // Современная Европа. 2017. - № 3. -С. 154-156. EDN: ZBMDYT

48. Испания в новой национальной и международной реальности / отв. ред. Яковлев П.П., Куракина-Дамир А.А. - М.: ИЛА РАН, 2020. - 225 с.

49. Куракина-Дамир А.А. Изменение электорального ландшафта Испании (2015- 2019 гг.) // Ибероамериканские тетради. - 2020. - № 8 (2). - С. 19-30. -. DOI: 10.46272/2409-3416-2020-8-2-19-30 EDN: MUTNDQ

50. Макаренко Б.И. Популизм и политические институты: сравнительная перспектива // Вестник общественного мнения. - 2017. - № 1-2 (123). - С. 8-23. EDN: YKKMIH

51. Медушевский А.Н. Популизм и конституционная трансформация: Восточная Европа, постсоветское пространство и Россия // Полития. - 2018. - № 3. - С. 113-139. EDN: YNRAPR

52. Осколков П.В., Тэвдой-Бурмули А.И. Европейский правый популизм и национализм: к вопросу о соотношении функционала // Вестник Пермского университета. Серия "Политология". - 2018. - № 3. - С. 19-33. EDN: VBEVAW

53. Осколков П. В. Правый популизм в современном Европейском союзе: формы и тенденции развития: дис.. канд. пол. наук. - М., 2019. - 206 с. EDN: AESEXD

54. Погорельская С.В. "Вечно вчерашние": правый популизм и правый радикализм в Западной Европе // Мировая экономика и международные отношения. - 2004. -№ 3. - С. 51-63. EDN: OWMSIF

55. Феномен Трампа: монография / под ред. А.В. Кузнецова. - М.: РАН. ИНИОН,2020. - 642 с. EDN: CIMATV

56. Харитонова О.Г., Кудряшова И.В. Политические режимы и режимные изменения в пене популистской волны // Политическая наука. - 2022. - № 1. - С. 224-244. DOI: 10.31249/poln/2022.01.10 EDN: ZYVFTG

57. Хенкин С.М. Испания: проблемы консолидированной демократии в историческом контексте // Сравнительная политика. - 2018. - № 9 (1). - С. 124-135. EDN: YRIDRB

58. Хенкин С.М. Каталонский конфликт вчера и сегодня // Актуальные проблемы Европы. - 2015. - № 2. - С. 200-213. EDN: TUEONT