Not fond of democracy and politically discontent individuals. Assessing regime-related determinants of the vote for VOX
Authors
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Lisa Zanotti
Universidad Diego Portales
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5515-3686
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José Rama Caamaño
Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM)
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3990-1696
Abstract
This paper aims to analyze the relationship between the populist radical right and support for democracy examining the case of VOX in Spain. The case of VOX is particularly puzzling since it does fit in the definition of PRRPs but in its discourse, radicalism is much stronger than populism. Moreover, the party presents idiosyncratic features that affect the determinants of its vote. Nationalism is often expressed through allusion to the pre-democratic period in Spain without explicitly adhering to Francoism. The main results of this study are two. First, evaluating VOX discourse, especially its electoral manifesto, we found that its leaders recurrently allude to pre-democratic Spain both in terms of issues and symbols. Second, we show that those who display less support for the democratic regime are more likely to vote for VOX instead of other political forces in the last election. We also found that authoritarian values, political discontent and the romantic idea of a glorious past, interact with regime support and help explain the vote for VOX. Even if a comparative study is necessary to further assess this relationship, this article can give a first clue that building on their country's authoritarian past, some PRRPs are more successful in mobilizing those who are less committed to democracy.
Keywords:
VOX, Democracy, Past, Authoritarianism, FrancoReferences
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