Competitive crisis and contagion effect

The introduction of primaries for leaders’ selection in Spain

Authors

  • F. Ramón Villaplana Jiménez Université Catholique de Lille

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18042/cepc/rep.200.08

Abstract

In this paper we address the possible explanations for the changes in the models of leader selection processes of Spanish political parties, which are concentrated in a short period of four years, between the summers of 2014 and 2018. From a historical-empirical approach, we analyse the behavior of the four main parties of the system for that period, considering that they incorporate organizational innovations to improve their electoral performance. The competitive crisis is proposed as the cause of the introduction of primaries in the four cases, although less serious in the case of Ciudadanos. This is identified by observing the high levels of ideological overlap between the two pairs of parties (PSOE-Podemos and PP-Ciudadanos) and the possible impact of three other factors. The information collected on the four parties is complemented by interviews with prominent party executive board members during the study period. Finally, a contagion effect is considered plausible in the case of Ciudadanos and PP, once the other two major parties have already held primaries.

Published

2023-07-06

Issue

Section

ARTICLES