What Europe’s comeback politicians can teach American voters
A second shot at power can mean too much of the same
All political careers end in failure, but some politicos decide to ignore the memo. In Europe a caste of national leaders booted out of office have made their names by eschewing retirement and returning for a second (or third) stint in power. Such encores seem to defy electoral logic: why would voters plump for a candidate they had previously sent packing? A phenomenon that could once be dismissed as a mere European electoral curio may hold lessons for American voters as they ponder whether to send one former White House resident back to his old haunts. Alas, looking at what some of Europe’s returnees have wrought will do little to soothe those who fret that a second coming of Donald Trump might make the first one seem like a time of wise and moderate governance. The track record of rebooted politicians is not all grim. But a fresh shot at power offers unwelcome opportunities for boomeranging rulers to subvert the system.
Explore more
This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “The Lazarus effect”
Europe August 24th 2024
- The mysterious middlemen helping Russia’s war machine
- The Kremlin is close to crushing Pokrovsk, a vital Ukrainian town
- Turkey’s asset-price boom is good for some but terrible for most
- How Italy’s Mezzogiorno is benefiting from a flood of EU aid
- After decades of decline, Poland’s population seems to be increasing
- The rebuilding of Berlin’s Pergamon Museum is 40 years behind schedule
- What Europe’s comeback politicians can teach American voters
Discover more
Emmanuel Macron shows off the gloriously restored Notre Dame
Five years after it was gutted by fire, the cathedral is more beautiful than ever
Ursula von der Leyen has a new doctrine for handling the hard right
The boss of the European Commission embarks on a second term
Marine Le Pen spooks the bond markets
She threatens to bring down the French government, but also faces a possible ban from politics
The maths of Europe’s military black hole
It needs to spend to defend, but voters may balk
Ukraine’s warriors brace for a Kremlin surge in the south
Vladimir Putin’s war machine is pushing harder and crushing Ukrainian morale
Vladimir Putin fires a new missile to amplify his nuclear threats
The attack on Ukraine is part of a new era of missile warfare