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One of the most significant changes in modern Western European party systems is the birth and growth of radical right parties. These parties have demonstrated considerable power in setting political agendas, impacting the overall dynamics of multiparty systems. In some systems, radical right parties have even managed to become feasible government coalition partners. The literature speaks of a normalisation process of parties previously thought of as extreme. Numerous scholars have sought to delineate the characteristics of the electoral segment voting for radical right-wing parties, as well as account for how mainstream parties have responded to the emergence of these new political actors. Yet, to date, we lack a systematic and detailed understanding of political parties’ considerations in this normalisation process. Across three independent papers, this dissertation offers a comprehensive analysis of such party internal contemplations.

Drawing on experiences from Sweden, the dissertation employs qualitative research methods involving a concept operationalisation and application, a small-n comparison, and a within-case study. Until the Sweden Democrats entered the Riksdag in 2010, Sweden represented an exception where no radical right-wing party had gained a durable position in national parliament. In their early days in the Riksdag, the Sweden Democrats were conspicuously ostracised by the established parties. However, since the party passed the electoral threshold, they have fortified their electoral support, as well as secured a position as a formalised support party of the national government. This dissertation analyses these developments from both the perspective of the Sweden Democrats and that of the established parties within the political system. By doing so, the dissertation generates three key contributions.

First, the dissertation offers a novel way to consider pariah party status as well as demonstrates the usefulness of the suggested operationalisation, using the Sweden Democrats as an empirical example. Specifically, I argue that we should conceive of pariah status in terms of two continuous dimensions involving a party's coalition potential and legislative cooperation potential. Second, the dissertation establishes the importance of social relations in interparty dynamics. By examining local level decisions to (not) govern municipalities together with the Sweden Democrats after the 2018 election, the dissertation distinguishes social relations as a matter of (dis)satisfaction, (in)appropriate behaviour, (dis)trust, (un)familiarity, and leadership. Third, the dissertation illustrates how candidate selection processes can serve as a strategic tool in facilitating integration. This, by examining how the Sweden Democrats conceive of the ideal candidate for representation, depicted as a matter of balancing six core traits: adaptability, stability, trustworthiness, social capacity, firmness, and familiarity. Together, these contributions not only aid in comprehending the complexity of radical right normalisation but also improve the conditions for future research.

 

Keywords: political normalisation, inter party dynamics, intra party dynamics, radical right parties, the Sweden Democrats.