Democratic dissatisfaction, the far right, and party brand activation: lessons from the breakthrough (and downfall) of the Dutch New Social Contract

Far-right parties have been on the rise in European democracies. Their calls for a fundamental reorganization of democracy along nativist and people-centric lines have resonated with a growing share of voters who are dissatisfied with the political status quo. Other parties have predominantly responded to these developments by coopting the far right’s position and rhetoric – typically with no substantive electoral success. What else can parties do? This paper offers new insights in response to this question by investigating the breakthrough of Nieuw Sociaal Contract (New Social Contract, NSC) in the 2023 Dutch parliamentary election. Although NSC failed to sustain its success and missed re-election in 2025, its breakthrough offers broader lessons on how to respond to the far right. Drawing on evidence from the party’s manifestos and survey analysis, we show that NSC appealed to voters who are dissatisfied with the political status quo and supportive of stricter immigration policies – segments of the electorate inclined toward far-right parties – without reproducing far-right narratives. Instead, NSC integrated these positions within a platform highlighting technocratic trust and communitarian values rooted in Christian democratic thought. NSC’s breakthrough thus illustrates how dormant ideological traditions can be reactivated as constructive responses to contemporary public grievances.

极右翼政党在欧洲民主国家中呈崛起之势。它们提出沿本土主义、以民众为中心的路径对民主进行根本性重构的主张，获得了日益增多不满当下政治现状的选民的认同。其他政党大多通过吸纳极右翼的立场与话术来回应这一态势，但通常并未取得实质性的选举成果。政党还能有何作为？本文通过研究2023年荷兰议会选举中新社会契约党（Nieuw Sociaal Contract，NSC）的崛起，为解答这一问题提供了全新视角。尽管该党未能延续胜势，并在2025年的连任选举中失利，但其崛起仍为应对极右翼势力提供了更具普适性的经验启示。本文依托该党竞选纲领与调研分析的相关证据，证明新社会契约党在未复刻极右翼叙事的前提下，吸引了两类选民：一类是不满当前政治现状的选民，另一类是支持更严格移民政策的选民——而这两类选民正是倾向于支持极右翼政党的群体。相反，该党将这些立场融入了以技术官僚信任与植根于基督教民主思想的社群主义价值观为核心的竞选纲领。由此，新社会契约党的崛起表明，沉寂的意识形态传统可被重新激活，成为应对当代民众不满的建设性路径。