The 2015 Migration Crisis and Mainstream Left-wing Parties' Positions on Immigration

Undoubtedly the question of immigration is currently a divisive political issue in Europe, on both national and Union levels, particularly following the 2015 intense influx of migrants fleeing armed conflicts in the Middle-East. How these recent influxes of immigrants and refugees impacted party politics in Europe? Considering that the literature does not offer conclusive explanations for mainstream left-wing parties' strategies towards immigration issues, this research analyzes the effect of the 2015 migration crisis on mainstream left-wing parties' attention to and stances on immigration. Using the data of the Comparative Manifesto Project (MARPOR), this research tests two main hypotheses: firstly, whether the 2015 migration crisis increased the saliency of immigration for mainstream left-wing parties, and secondly, whether the crisis induced a negative shift in the stances of these parties on immigration. The sample comprises eighteen political parties from thirteen European countries. The results are consistent with the first hypothesis, showing that the saliency of immigration in the studied parties' manifestos significantly inflated after 2015. The study finds that several mainstream left-wing parties adopt increased anti-immigrant stances in the wake of the 2015 migration crisis. Powered by TCPDF..