University of Lincoln
Browse

The ‘electoral presidentialization’ of Silvio Berlusconi and Boris Johnson: Chaos, controversy, and lost chances

Download (224.75 kB)
Version 3 2024-11-25, 17:27
Version 2 2024-08-19, 13:46
Version 1 2024-07-22, 10:59
journal contribution
posted on 2024-11-25, 17:27 authored by Mark BennisterMark Bennister, Ben Worthy

 This article tests Poguntke and Webb’s (2005, 2013) theory of ‘electoral presidentialization’  through a comparison of Silvio Berlusconi and Boris Johnson. Johnson and Berlusconi were particular examples of ‘electoral presidentialization’, where dominance lies in power as an  election ‘winner’ and ‘mediatised leader’. This is highly contingent and reliant on continuous  validation; these two leaders failed to translate electoral ‘autonomy’ into concrete and  lasting change. Utilising the three presidentialization ‘faces’ we identify three crucial weaknesses. First, their  own electoral and mediatized focus created a pressure to permanently campaign and  generate conflict, driving a ‘politics of spectacle’ that distracted from the politics of  governing. Second, the centrality of their personality left them exposed to personal scrutiny,  which increasingly focused on corruption, wrongdoing, and irregularities. Third, despite  electoral command, their ‘presidentialized’ style rested on fragile party and coalition  dynamics, leading to volatility and internal conflict  

History

School affiliated with

  • College of Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities (Research Outputs)
  • School of Social and Political Sciences (Research Outputs)

Publication Title

British Journal of Politics and International Relations

Volume

26

Issue

4

Publisher

SAGE Publications

ISSN

1369-1481

eISSN

1467-856X

Date Accepted

2024-06-17

Date of First Publication

2024-08-02

Date of Final Publication

2024-11-01

Open Access Status

  • Open Access

Usage metrics

    University of Lincoln (Research Outputs)

    Exports

    RefWorks
    BibTeX
    Ref. manager
    Endnote
    DataCite
    NLM
    DC