The Ideological Link on Foreign Policy: The Case of French National Front: 2011-2015

Abstract

The French National Front is the prototype of radical right parties opposing multi-cultural society. The Party's first remarkable electoral success came in the 1984 election for European Parliament. Since then, the party is one of relevant actors to party competition in France. The early analyses probing reasons behind the party's electoral success embrace protest-voting approach. Subsequent analyses, however, highlighted the possibility of ideological-link between the party and its supporters. Driven by significant role of Europeanization in shaping electoral preferences, this article suggests that the ideological-link between the party and its supporters is likely to revolve around the issue of Europeanization.