Sol Popülizmin Avrupa’daki Geleceği: Podemos ve Syriza Bağlamında Bir İnceleme

Year 2024, Volume: 11 Issue: 2, 815 - 839, 25.07.2024

Vildan Meydan

https://doi.org/10.30626/tesamakademi.1333652

Abstract

Bu çalışma, sol popülizmin merkez Avrupa’ya sirayetini Yunanistan ve İspanya özelinde, Podemos ve Syriza hükümetleri bağlamında incelemektedir. Bu doğrultuda çalışma, tarihsel süreçte sol popülizmin iki ülkede yükselişe geçtiği ve ardından iktidarı kaybetme ile sonuçlanan süreci ele almakta, bu bağlamda sol popülizmin başarısızlığının sebeplerini sorgulamaktadır. Bu çerçevede çalışma Podemos ve Syriza’nın İspanya ve Yunanistan’da başarıya ulaşan ve kısa bir süre sonra ise düşüşe geçmesine neden olan politikalarını incelemektedir. Çalışmanın temel amacı, sol popülizmin vadettiği politikaların gerçekleştirilmesinde, partilerin iktidara geçmesi durumunda başarılı olup olmadıkları sorusunu ve dolayısıyla Avrupa’da sol popülizmin geleceğini Podemos ve Syriza örnekleri üzerinden incelemektir. Avrupa’da önemli etkilere sahip 2008 ekonomik krizinin gerek İspanya gerekse Yunanistan siyasal sistemlerinde sol popülizme hızlı bir ivme kazandırdığı görülmekle birlikte, mevcut siyasal yapıya bakıldığında iki ülkede de sol popülizmin etkisini kaybetmeye başladığı ortadadır. İspanya ve Yunanistan’da sol popülist parti ve liderlerin vadettiği ekonomik iyileşme gerçekleşmemiş, bu başarısızlık sol popülizmin yarattığı momentumun kaybolmasına neden olmuştur. Bu kapsamda çalışma, sağ popülizmin etkinliğini koruduğu Avrupa’da sol popülizmin popülerliğini kaybettiği, bununla birlikte halihazırda yaşanan ekonomik problemlerin sürmesi halinde eski etkinliğine dönme olasılığının da bulunduğu sonucuna varmıştır.

Keywords

Podemos, Syriza, sol-popülizm, Avrupa

The Future of Left Populism in Europe: An Examination in the Context of Podemos and Syriza

Abstract

This study examines the spread of left populism to central Europe in the context of the Podemos and Syriza governments in Greece and Spain. In this regard, the study examines the historical process in which left populism rose in two countries and subsequently resulted in the loss of power, and in this context, questions the reasons for the failure of left populism. In this context, the study examines the policies of Podemos and Syriza, which were successful in Spain and Greece and caused their decline after a short time. The main purpose of the study is to examine the question of whether parties are successful in realizing the policies promised by left-wing populism if they come to power, and therefore the future of left-wing populism in Europe through the examples of Podemos and Syriza. Although it is seen that the 2008 economic crisis, which had significant effects in Europe, gave a rapid acceleration to left populism in the political systems of both Spain and Greece, when looking at the current political structure, it is obvious that left populism has begun to lose its influence in both countries. The economic recovery promised by left populist parties and leaders in Spain and Greece did not materialize, and this failure caused the momentum created by left populism to disappear. In this context, the study concluded that left-wing populism has lost its popularity in Europe, where right-wing populism maintains its effectiveness, but there is a possibility of returning to its former effectiveness if the current economic problems continue.

Keywords

Podemos, Syriza, Left Wing Populism, Europe

References

• Abts, K., and Rummens, S. (2007). Populism versus democracy. Political Studies, 55(2), 405-424.
• Al Jazeera. (2023). New Democracy Party wins landslide victory in Greek elections. Access date: 08.12.2023, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/6/25/greece-votes-in-parliamentary-polls-for-second-time-in-five-weeks.
• Berberakis, S. (2023). Çipras Partisinin liderliğinden Nazım Hikmet’in dizesiyle istifa etti. Access date: 27.07.2023, https://www.bbc.com/turkce/articles/c2xky3enk62o.
• Canovan, M. (1999). Trust the people! Populism and the two faces of democracy. Political Studies, 47(1), 2-16.
• Edles, L. D. (1998). Symbol and ritual in the new Spain: The transition to democracy after Franco. Cambridge University Press.
• Errejón, Í., and Mouffe, C. (2016). Podemos: In the name of the people. London: Lawrence and Wishart Limited.
• Fischer, L. (2015). From Papandreou to Tsipras. What can the history of Greek populism tell us about Syriza’s election victory? Access date: 24.11.2022, https://www.jacobinmag.com/2015/09/tsipras-syriza-pasok-papandreou-austerity-elections-populismpodemos/.
• García, G. L. (2016). A Spanish Yes, We Can! Against the two-party system: The development of political party Podemos. Anali, 13(1), 83-99.
• Grigoriadis, I. N. (2018). Democratic transition and the rise of populist majoritarianism: Constitutional reform in Greece and Turkey. Palgrave Macmillan.
• Huber, R. A., and Schimpf, C. H. (2017). On the distinct effects of left-wing and right-wing populism on democratic quality. Politics and Governance, 5(4), 146-165.
• Kioupkiolis, A. (2016). Podemos: The ambiguous promises of left-wing populism in contemporary Spain. Journal of Political Ideologies, 21(2), 99-120.
• Kioupkiolis, A., and Katsambekis, G. (2018). Radical Left Populism from the Margins to the Mainstream: A Comparison of Syriza and Podemos. In Ó. García Agustín and M. Briziarelli (Eds.), Podemos and the New Political Cycle: Left-Wing Populism and Anti-Establishment Politics. Palgrave Macmillan.
• Krastev, I. (2007). The Strange Death of the Liberal Consensus. Journal of Democracy, 18(4), 56-63.
• Markou, G. (2017). The Rise of Inclusionary Populism in Europe: The Case of SYRIZA. Contemporary Southeastern Europe, 4(1), 54-71.
• Martín, I., and Urquizu-Sancho, I. (2012). The 2011 General Election in Spain: The Collapse of the Socialist Party. South European Society and Politics, 17(2), 347-363.
• Mavrogordatos, G. (1984). The Greek Party System: A Case of Polarized but Limited Pluralism. West European Politics, 7(4), 156-169.
• Mavrozacharakis, E., Kotroyannos, D., and Tzagkarakis, S. I. (2017). Mediterranean Left-Wing Populism: The Case of SYRIZA. European Quarterly of Political Attitudes and Mentalities, 6(2), 40-54.
• Medina, I., and Correa, P. (2016). The 2015 Spanish election: The Times They are A’changing. Regional & Federal Studies, 26, 407-417.
• Moffitt, B. (2017). Liberal Illiberalism? The Reshaping of the Contemporary Populist Radical Right in Northern Europe. Politics and Governance, 5(4), 112-122.
• Mouffe, C. (2000). The Democratic Paradox. London: Verso.
• Mudde, C. (2004). The Populist Zeitgeist. Government and Opposition, 39(4), 541-563.
• Mudde, C. (2017). Syriza: The Failure of the Populist Promise. Palgrave Macmillan.
• Müller, J. W. (2000). Popülizm Nedir (Onur Yıldız, Trans.). İstanbul: İletişim Yayıncılık.
• Müller, J. W. (2014). The People Must be Extracted from within the People: Reflections on Populism. Constellations, 21(4), 483-493.
• Nestoras, A. A. (2015). The Gatekeeper’s Gambit: SYRIZA, Left Populism and the European Migration Crisis. Institute of European Democrats, Working Paper.
• Özdemir, C. O. (2017). Öfkeden Umuda: İspanya’da Popülist Siyaset ve Podemos. Mülkiye Dergisi, 41(1).
• Pappas, T. S. (1998). Making Party Democracy in Greece. Palgrave Macmillan.
• Pappas, T. S. (2013a). Populist Democracies: Post Authoritarian Greece and Post Communist Hungary. Government and Opposition, 49(1), 1-23.
• Pappas, T. S. (2013b). Why Greece Failed. Journal of Democracy, 24(2), 31-45.
• Pappas, T. S. (2014). Populism and Crisis Politics in Greece. Palgrave Macmillan.
• Powell, C. (2016). Revisiting Spain’s transition to Democracy. In S. Florensa (Ed.), Building Democracies In The Light Of International Experiences: A Critical And Demanding Challenge For The Arab World. Barcelona: Institut Europeu de la Mediterrània.
• Ramalho, T. M. (2023). Podemos and Syriza, The End of an Era? Access date: 08.12.2023, https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/podemos-and-syriza-the-end-of-an-era/.
• Rendueles, C., and Sola, J. (2018). The Rise of Podemos: Promises, Constraints, and Dilemmas. In Ó. García Agustín and M. Briziarelli (Eds.), Podemos and the New Political Cycle: Left-Wing Populism and Anti-Establishment Politics. Palgrave Macmillan.
• Stavrakakis, Y., and Katsambekis, G. (2014). Left-wing Populism in the European Periphery: The Case of SYRIZA. Journal of Political Ideologies, 19(2), 119-142.
• Stevis-Gridneff, M. (2019). Greek Elections: Prime Minister Loses Re-Election to Center Right. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/07/world/europe/greek-elections-results.html.
• Urbinati, N. (1998). Democracy and Populism. Constellations, 5(1), 110-124.
• Venizelos, G., and Stavrakakis, Y. (2022). Bound to Fail?: Assessing Contemporary Left Populism. Constellations, 30(3), 290-308.
• Weber, M. (1946). From Max Weber: Essays in Sociology (H.H. Gerth and C. Wright Mills, Trans.). New York: Oxford University Press.
• Yıldırım, Y. (2022). Avrupa’da Sol Popülizmin İktidar Deneyimi: Syriza ve Podemos. Ankara Üniversitesi SBF Dergisi, 77(3), 537-557.
• Yılmaz, Z. (2017). Popülizm, halk ve demokrasi: Temsili demokrasinin Açmazları ve Radikal Demokratik Bir Popülizmin İmkânları. Mülkiye Dergisi, 41(1), 33-66.
• Zakaria, F. (1996). The rise of illiberal democracy. Foreign Affairs, 76(6).