Oftentimes, the founders or long-time leaders of a successful party are almost mythical figures in the eyes of newer members. And while their intra-party popularity and their kind-of-unquestionable position in the leadership can obviously contribute to the success of the party, it can backfire in the long run. Founders can easily be the main obstacle to the party’s renewal – so it is necessary to have internal processes that prevent the founders from staying in leading positions if the party is losing popularity. Here’s how.
The myth of infallibility
Maybe the most important thing founders need to understand is that eventually, all parties need significant renewals to stay relevant. Even if we look at the past few years, politics is changing significantly. Voters face an entirely new set of problems: a global pandemic, rising inequality, growing influence of social media algorithms, or a more and more depressed younger generation, to name a few.
Even if founding a successful party is one of the hardest things in the world, staying relevant in a rapidly changing political environment might require a different set of skills. Politicians who joined the party later might have a better shot at transforming the party when needed, especially because they have less of an emotional connection to the party’s founding ideas and ideology.
Recognising the need for renewal
In the first few years of a newly founded party, it makes sense to make a leadership change harder, as a new party’s most important goal is to establish a clear political profile in the eyes of voters, which requires staying consistent. The party’s faces and its main messages should not change significantly, as it takes years to even reach the necessary political recognition to do basically anything else.
But after the first few years, founders should consider loosening up the party’s charter, making it easier for newer members to apply for leadership positions. Doing so can bring newer perspectives to the leadership, as thinking outside the box is much easier for those who were observing the party from the outside. New members with new ideas can also have the effect of making founders more aware of changes in the political environment, as they have to adapt fast to win votes within the party.
Case studies: successes and failures
One good example is Sebastian Kurz, who, at the age of 30, was able to win the party’s presidency. The party’s charter and his skillful manoeuvring made it possible to completely rebrand the struggling ÖVP, comfortably winning the 2017 election. Although he later had to resign due to a corruption scandal, his story shows that ÖVP’s establishment embraced the change instead of holding Kurz back, which led them to success.
Another instructive example is how France’s Les Républicains got scared of opening up the party’s leadership process, which eventually contributed to their disastrous result in the 2022 presidential elections. In 2017, the party held a US-style primary election to elect its candidate for chancellor, but the winner of the contest, Francois Fillon later got caught in a corruption scandal, which made it that much easier for Emmanuel Macron to become president in 2017.
Les Républicains drew the wrong conclusions, ditched the idea of a primary election, and elected their next candidate for chancellor in an internal process. Not realising that they are not the popular party they used to be, they missed out on a chance to make themselves interesting through a primary election, and to include their voters in choosing the direction of the party. The result is clear: their candidate, Valérie Pécresse did not even reach the 5 percent threshold, and the once-dominant party continued its road to complete irrelevance.
Lessons for political party founders
It’s clear that if a party is structurally unable to renew itself when necessary, it’s game over. There are at least four lessons for founders to make sure their party does not end up on that path.
Embrace change as an opportunity
Party founders should view the inevitable leadership and ideological renewal in the party not as a threat, but as an opportunity for growth and revitalisation, even in successful times. If founders can handle unexpected leadership renewals and minor ideological shifts when the party is successful, that gives them a better chance to respond well to much larger, but necessary changes in harder times.
Mentor emerging leaders in the party
Founders shouldn’t just wait for the next set of party leaders – they should actively look out for and mentor them. It is in the party’s interest, as mentoring new talents shows the whole party that change is always possible. And it is also in founders’ self-interest: through mentoring, they can pick who they think is best for the party’s future.
Involve voters if your party struggles to gain attention
The example of Les Républicains shows how a once-great party can fall into complete irrelevance in a relatively short time. But nothing prevented them from involving voters in choosing their candidate for president, injecting some actual excitement into an intra-party political contest. So when your party is in a bad situation, don’t just think of new leaders and ideological shifts – think of involving your voters and sympathisers.
Make the party leadership seem less threatening
The circle of founders and party leaders can be intimidating for newer members, but even to mid-level members who only have a professional relationship with them. It is the founders’ and political leaders’ job to make sure they seem accessible – as well as their position.
