Pure Populism Does Not Work. the Anti-Corruption Discourse and Ideological Transformations of Formerly New Anti-Establishment Parties in Central and Eastern Europe over Time

This paper tries to explain why some new anti-establishment parties establish themselves as important political players while others disappear very soon after their initial success. It argues that their strategy of using anti-corruption rhetoric framed within a broader anti-establishment discourse works only as long as the new party cannot be considered a part of the establishment itself. Once in government, the party has either to increase its voters’ trust in the political system by leaving the anti-establishment discourse aside and expressing more genuine anti-corruption claims or it has to redefine the term establishment (European Union, economic elite, intellectuals) in order to sustain the support of dissatisfied voters. The latter is only possible when the party is moving away from its formerly non-ideological and centrist position.