The quest for intra-party democracy in populist right parties: an ethnography of the 'Alternative for Germany'
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Abstract
European populist right parties have been the subject of numerous academic studies, providing competing arguments about their appeal and success. Parties like the Alternative for Germany (AfD) have been perceived as short-lived outlets for protest voters, frustrated with the failure of mainstream parties to address issues of immigration and law and order, or as temporary byproducts of rapid and destabilizing economic change. However, such explanations overlook other roots and development of populist political movements. This dissertation focuses on the organizational dynamics in the AfD, a party which has achieved something that had eluded the radical right in Germany – a federal electoral breakthrough. Before the 2017 Bundestag Election, no populist right party has managed to pass the threshold for parliamentary representation on the federal level – a failure that can be attributed to Germany’s strong political culture of containment and civic confrontation of far right movements through large protests and anti-fascist activities. Drawing on original data from fieldwork observations and in-depth interviews with AfD party members, the research presented in this dissertation argues that the Alternative for Germany does not follow the path of hierarchical and centralized decision-making structures, typical for the radical right parties. Indeed, I show that the AfD exhibits organizational features of intra-party participation that are mostly associated with the left and populist left party family. I examine the impact of internal democratic structures and grassroots activities on the party’s ability to rally a diverse range of supporters, empower the grassroots in the decision-making processes on manifesto development and candidate selection, and discourage centralization of power in the hands of the federal leadership. The findings of intra-party democratic dynamics in the AfD can serve as an important addition to the broader literature on party organization, and specifically how populism may influence party structures. Parties that conduct their internal affairs in a 'democratic way' are able to persuade voters that they have an internal democratic ethos, instead of being entirely controlled by political elites, whether their political agenda is inclusionary or exclusionary. The perception that the 'demos' governs party decisions may add to the party's credibility as a potential government participant, and in the case of the AfD, fight off Nazi stigmatization and social exclusion.
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Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International