Regionalist populism in Croatia: The case of the Croatian Democratic Alliance of Slavonia and Baranja – HDSSB

Abstract

A crucial component in the strategies of regionalist parties in their promotion of regional self-government is a clear differentiation of the region from the central state at both societal and elite levels. This chapter introduces the concept of populism derived from the ideational approach to the phenomenon, relating its components to the basic tenets of regionalism. The strategy applied by HDSSB in striving for regional differentiation is often labeled “populist”, not only by domestic politicians and media but also in the international scholarly literature. The pure and virtuous people are contrasted with a corrupt and self-serving elite who have betrayed the will of the people. A defining programmatic feature of regionalism is the pursuit of some form of regional self-government. The credibility of a regionalist party’s drive for more extensive self-government crucially depends on a clear differentiation between the region and the central state at societal and elite levels.