Explaining the Electoral Failure of Extreme-Right Parties in Estonia and Latvia

Abstract

Extreme-right political parties have achieved significant electoral success in Europe in recent years. This paper considers why this electoral success has not been replicated in contemporary Estonia and Latvia. The paper begins with a discussion of the necessary background conditions for the success of extreme-right movements, finding that they do largely exist in Estonia and Latvia. The paper then moves on to map the rising levels of extreme-right mobilisation among both titular and Russian-speaking parts of the population. We examine two hypotheses to explain the electoral failure of extreme-right parties: (1) The institutional hypothesis argues that the party and electoral laws check extreme-right party electoral success; (2) The competition hypothesis contends that political parties lack the membership and traditions that act as constraints on party behaviour. As a result, mainstream parties are free to adopt the radical rhetoric of extreme-right movements and parties.

Keywords:

• Baltic states
• Estonia
• Latvia
• extreme-right parties
• elections
• political parties

Notes

¹ The Latvian Human Rights Office first reported an increase in physical and verbal attacks on minority groups (race, ethnic, sexual) in 2005 (Valsts Cilvēktiesību Birojs, 2005). The Latvian Ombudsman's office, which replaced the Latvian Human Rights Office in 2007, reported a continued rise in attacks in 2007, particularly physical attacks of a racist nature (Latvian Ombudsmans Office 2008). In April 2007, Estonia experienced its first riots since the restoration of independence in 1991.

² The Chancellor of Justice (Õiguskantsler) is an independent official appointed by the parliament who inspects the conformance with the constitution of state institutions.

³ Lācis sang: “We'll hit those reds again and again, and then those green-greys again and again …” (“Mes sitisim to sarkanos arvien, arvien, pec tam tos zili-pelekos…”).

⁴ Ansip was expressing the common Estonian belief that the corpses belonged to those Soviet soldiers who had been court-martialled for looting since there had been no actual military action anywhere near Tallinn in 1944.