Asymmetric Party System Fragmentation

Extant literature has arguably overlooked the impact of authoritarian ideological legacies on the shape of party systems in newly-established democracies. Most - if not all - autocracies are not ideologically neutral, but can be ascribed to ideological “brands” (Left/Right). These, in turn, serve as powerful heuristic cues in party competition. Combining insights from signaling theory and mnemonic politics, we argue that party elites in new democracies will try to distance themselves from the previous dictator’s ideological side in pursuit of legitimacy and in line with a spatial competition framework. Consistently, we show evidence of asymmetric fragmentation in the party systems of both former Left- and Right-Wing regimes, with fewer parties located on the dictator’s side. This difference persists in time, waning as party systems consolidate. Our analysis shows how such an escape from the stigma has substantive implications for the average ideological slant of the party system and its polarization.