The impact of populism on European constitutional systems. A comparative study

Adopting a comparative constitutional perspective, we will focus on how European Constitutionalism has been impacted by populism. We believe that populists adopt a pragmatic approach that is often determined by the specific needs of their country. Accordingly, populist electoral manifestos may differ significantly and often the only common element is the centralisation of power mainly through the capturing of constitutional bodies. By adopting a dynamic approach, it is actually possible to place populists on a spectrum spanning from a liberal democratic state to an authoritarian state. Despite the fact that not all manifestations of populism are threats to democracy and constitutionalism and that different populist forces interact in their own ways with constitutionalism, there are common elements that contribute to the formation of an alternative constitutional imagery that unsurprisingly revolves around the centrality of the people, the real people.