Article
The 2019 EU Elections: Moving the Center
Journal of Democracy
(2019)
Abstract
The 2019 European elections brought the transformation wrought by the so-called “refugee crisis” of 2015–16 deeper into the heart of EU institutions. Right-wing Euroskeptics took between a quarter and a third of the seats in the European Parliament, with populist radical-right parties making the biggest gains. But the strengthening of the populist radical right is only the most visible aspect of a more fundamental transformation of European politics—a transformation whose elements also include shifting voter priorities, a sea change in mainstream-party agendas, and the growing influence of Hungarian premier and “illiberal democracy” booster Viktor Orbán.
Keywords
- European elections,
- 2019 European elections,
- far right,
- refugees,
- refugee crisis,
- Victor Orban,
- European Union
Disciplines
Publication Date
October, 2019
Citation Information
Mudde, Cas. “The 2019 EU Elections: Moving the Center.” Journal of Democracy 30, no. 4 (2019): 20–34.
Creative Commons license
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons CC_BY International License.