Mainstream Populism in Romania: Social Democratic Inclusionary Populism as Response to European Exclusionary Populisms

In this paper, I will take a look at what 2016 meant for democracy in Romania, and more specifically at the electoral success that the Social Democratic Party (PSD) has enjoyed in both the local elections and the general elections. I argue that, despite being the largest political party in Romania, the PSD has used populism to solidify its political position. In constructing its populist discourse, the PSD references three key components: (1) the popular vote of the many, the poor, and the powerless, (2) the struggle against the elite that controls key (unelected) judiciary institutions in Romania, but also against the rich international elite that is trying to influence the public sphere by manipulating the media and the citizens, and (3) the protection of the general will, which they believe must manifest itself through referendums on key identity issues, such as the referendum on the constitutional definition of the family. In the end, after defining the characteristics of the populism practiced by the PSD, I will argue that this ensures the supply side of populism. This will help to argue why Romania is one of the few countries that do not have a relevant extreme right-wing populist movement, a country not too unfamiliar with such movements.