world view Why illiberal politicians are winning Populist politicians—a diverse bunch that include business tycoons, academics and even comedians—are winning elections in Europe and beyond. Jan Zielonka discusses the reasons underlying the rise of populism and how liberals must appeal to the younger generation and regain Credit: Robert voters’ trust. Gardziński

he latest populist hero, Thierry Baudet, weak at present. They are winning because desert liberals and search for alternatives, is a former Dutch academic from the the liberal order is in tatters. If we want however untested and controversial they Tprestigious University of Leiden. His to understand the illiberal turn, we need may be. This was painfully clear in last new party, the Forum for Democracy, won to study the record of the centre-right week’s European elections, especially in the regional elections in Holland in March. and centre-left parties that have governed such important countries as Italy, the Baudet speaks a sophisticated language Europe and the United States over the past United Kingdom and France. with frequent references to philosophy few decades. All these parties formally Is the liberal project doomed? Much and literature, he dresses smartly, and he subscribed to the basic catalogue of liberal depends on liberals’ ability to regain voters’ even plays piano. Yet he knocks the elites, values, but the practical realization of these trust. So far, their efforts to accomplish this migrants, environmentalists and Eurocrats, values was full of flaws. aim have been disappointing. Some liberal speaking in apocalyptic tones, promising politicians adopted a soft populist stance easy solutions for Europe’s complex Even the fagship of the to thwart the illiberal tide. The leader of problems. He resembles Emmanuel Macron the centre-right Austrian People’s Party, in style, but Matteo Salvini (the Italian liberal project, the European Sebastian Kurz, gradually embraced a Deputy Prime Minister) in substance. Union, has become a symbol populist rhetoric and formed a government ‘Populist’ politicians have always been with the FPÖ, the extreme-right party led part of democratic life, but only recently of austerity, stagnation by Heinz-Christian Strache. The coalition have they started to win elections and and confict. government did not last long because form their own governments. They include Mr Strache was embarrassed by a secret some tycoons who obviously know how The list of these flaws is long and recording in which he was seen offering to make money—Donald Trump the depressing. Inequalities have increased public contracts to a woman alleged to be most prominent among them—as well as dramatically over the past few decades, the niece of a Russian oligarch. Not only did a Czech billionaire, Andrej Babiš. Some tax evasion has became widespread and Mr Strache lose his job, but Mr Kurz was of them, like Beppe Grillo or Volodymyr cuts to social spending have been painful. ousted by MPs following the fallout from this Zelenskiy, are charismatic and funny; Democracy has increasingly become video. Flirtations with illiberal politicians are they are professional comedians after all. oligarchic. More and more decisions have politically toxic, and soft populism is not a (Grillo’s Five Star movement came first in been shifted from parliaments to unelected remedy for combating populism proper. the last Italian parliamentary elections and bodies such as central banks, constitutional To bounce back, liberals need to Zelenskiy won the presidential elections courts and the European Commission. comprehend and admit their past mistakes; in Ukraine). Some are former academics, Elections failed to generate genuine policy they need to get rid of the politicians while others are professional politicians. changes: power alternated between the same responsible for these mistakes, and they need Viktor Orbán has been Hungary’s Prime parties with similar programs and led by the to offer a liberal vision which is attractive Minister for 13 years already. He clearly same troupe of politicians. Liberal foreign to young people. The younger generation knows how to win elections. They all mirror policies were also full of flaws. Countries tends to look forward rather than back and distinct cultures, reflect local concerns have been invaded with no UN mandate and therefore liberalism cannot be a device for and propose different programs. It is hard prisoners have been tortured. Autocrats such maintaining the status-quo and preserving to put Viktor Orbán, Thierry Baudet and as Colonel Gaddafi of Libya or Ben Ali of the interests of those in power. Liberalism Beppe Grillo in the same category. However, Tunisia have been embraced, while human should be a force for social progress and they are united in their criticism of liberal rights campaigners have progressively been technological innovation. This is chiefly an elites and their long record in office. They abandoned. Even the flagship of the liberal intellectual rather than political challenge and either mock liberal ideals or have a different project, the European Union, has become a it calls for the involvement of scientists. ❐ vision how to handle free trade, cultural symbol of austerity, stagnation and conflict. tolerance, religious neutrality, human rights, None of this is fake news. These are Jan Zielonka diplomatic multilateralism and European widely known facts pointing to the liberal University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. integration. At the centre of their critique record in office across the entire Western e-mail: [email protected] is the liberal notion of democracy with all world. Populists may well utilise these the measures protecting minorities and facts for their own partisan aims, they may Published online: 31 May 2019 institutional checks-and-balances. demonise some aspects of the liberal legacy https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-019-0635-1 Populists may well form a special group and they may lack credible alternatives to of politicians, but they are not superhuman. the liberal project. That said, one should Competing interests They are winning because liberals are not be surprised that voters have begun to The author declares no competing interests.

888 Nature Human Behaviour | VOL 3 | SEPTEMBER 2019 | 888 | www.nature.com/nathumbehav