Getting Elected in the Age of Protest: The Mobilization of European Populist Parties examines how populist parties across Europe disrupt established political systems and redefine ideological alignments. Focusing on four cases – the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ), the UK Independence Party (UKIP), the Alternative for Germany (AfD), and Italy's Five Star Movement (M5S) – Getting Elected in the Age of Protest explores their strategic maneuvers and impact on European politics in the 21st century.
Combining the supply and demand sides of politics and using the spatial theory of electoral competition, Karen Umansky and Itai Sened explore how these parties operate in multidimensional political spaces. By leveraging issues, such as immigration and the EU, they challenge traditional party systems and attract disillusioned voters. Employing the “legitimate” enemy strategy, these populist parties frame politics as a battle against internal and external threats, forcing party realignment and reshaping European political spaces.
Using the uncovered set concept to track changes in political competition, the authors reveal how populist parties exploit electoral volatility and policy preferences to destabilize liberal democracies.

Karen Umansky is researcher and lecturer at the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences at the University of Potsdam.

Itai Sened is professor and Dean Emeritus of the Faculty of Social Sciences at Tel Aviv University.