Proportional Representation and the Fortunes of Right-Wing Extremist Parties

This article examines the relationship between electoral systems and extremist political parties. Focusing on the West European parties of the extreme right, it first investigates the extent to which district magnitude and electoral formula - the two main dimensions of electoral systems - influence...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:West European politics 2002-07, Vol.25 (3), p.125-146
Main Author: Carter, E. L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Conservatism
district magnitude
Election law
Elections
electoral formula
Electoral Systems
Extremism
extremist political parties
Government and politics
Legislative Apportionment
Political Parties
Political science
Proportional representation
Radicalism
Right and Left
Right Wing Politics
Right-wing parties
Rules
Voting behaviour
Western Europe
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Summary:This article examines the relationship between electoral systems and extremist political parties. Focusing on the West European parties of the extreme right, it first investigates the extent to which district magnitude and electoral formula - the two main dimensions of electoral systems - influence the scores of these parties. It then considers the overall impact of the disproportionality of the electoral system. The article concludes that whilst proportional electoral systems do undeniably make it easier for extremist parties to gain legislative representation, there is absolutely no evidence to suggest that they promote extremism. Instead, the share of the vote going to extremist parties appears unrelated to the type of electoral system employed.
ISSN:0140-2382
1743-9655
DOI:10.1080/713601617