Populism and Constitutionalism

In this chapter, I will first give an overview of the recent debate on populism and constitutionalism. Second, I will argue that in order to understand the populist reaction to contemporary liberal-constitutional democracy, constitutionalism as an ideal and practice needs to be put in a historical-comparative perspective. Third, populism itself needs to be understood as a multifaceted phenomenon, and the suggestion is that the relation of populism with constitutionalism can be explored on at least four dimensions: inclusion – exclusion; past-orientation – future-orientation; reformism – constituent power; and national – transnational outlook. In the fourth part, I will explore these dimensions in what could be identified as the two main forms of populism – left- and right-wing populism – and will provide various examples of “really existing” populist constitutionalism.