Centrist populism

Centrist populism is a form of populist approach to politics that does not rely on political ideologies, but also criticises the political establishment, while not being extremist. It is personalistic and anti-corruption oriented, while it also moderately criticises aspects of liberal democracy. Usually found in Central and Eastern Europe, it tends to be less supportive of the European Union, while avoiding nationalist, anti-Western, and anti-capitalist positions. Similar concepts to centrist populism include centrist anti-establishmentiarism, anti-establishment reformism, and valence populism.

Centrist populism emerged in Europe in the 1990s, with early examples being the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia. It later became more prominent in the early 2000s, particularly in Bulgaria and the Baltics. A third wave in the rise of centrist populism came after the 2008 financial crisis. Other prominent centrist populist parties include the National Movement for Stability and Progress in Bulgaria, Direction – Social Democracy in Slovakia, Labour Party in Lithuania, and Politics Can Be Different in Hungary. Political parties such as the Hungarian Fidesz and Polish Law and Justice were centrist populist before they shifted towards right-wing populism.