List of issues > Series «Political Science and Religion Studies». 2026. Vol 57
The Politicization of Immigration as a Factor in the
Transformation of Party Systems: A Comparative Analysis
of the United Kingdom and France
Author(s)
M. R. Lesnykh
, T. R. Lesnykh, E. V. Popova
National Research Tomsk State University, Tomsk, Russian Federation
Abstract
This paper explores the conditions under which the politicization of the immigration issue
triggers structural transformations in party systems of mature democracies (the United Kingdom and
France). The authors analyze how the migration crisis becomes an instrument of issue entrepreneurship for right-wing populist forces, namely Reform UK and the National Rally (Rassemblement National). The findings demonstrate that amidst the programmatic convergence of mainstream parties,
immigration emerges as a destabilizing factor of the existing party system as extra-systemic actors
link it to other societal cleavages. A comparative analysis of electoral statistics and indices of the
effective number of parties reveals that distinct institutional designs predetermine various scenarios
of systemic transformation. In the UK, the first-past-the-post system fosters a latent fragmentation
effect, threatening a sudden collapse of the traditional Conservative-Labour duopoly. Conversely, the
French two-round voting system has facilitated the gradual emergence of an instable tri-polar structure. The study finds that the mainstream parties’ strategy of co-opting anti-immigrant rhetoric does
not neutralize the threat posed by challenger parties and it legitimizes their agenda, thereby accelerating the erosion of established political orders.
About the Authors
Lesnykh Mikhail Romanovich
Laboratory Assistant, Department
of World Politics
National Research Tomsk State University
36, Lenin ave., Tomsk, 634034,
Russian Federation
e-mail: lesnyhmikhail@outlook.com
Lesnykh Timofei Romanovich
Laboratory Assistant, Department
of World Politics
National Research Tomsk State University
36, Lenin ave., Tomsk, 634034,
Russian Federation
e-mail: lesnyhtimofey@outlook.com
Popova Evgenia Vladimirovna
Candidate of Sciences (Political Science),
Associate Professor, Department
of Political Science
National Research Tomsk State University
36, Lenin ave., Tomsk, 634034,
Russian Federation
e-mail: iam.e.popova@yandex.ru
For citation
Lesnykh M.R., Lesnykh T.R. Popova E.V. The Politicization of Immigration as a Factor in the Transformation of
Party Systems: А Comparative Analysis of the United Kingdom and France. The Bulletin of Irkutsk State University. Series Political Science and Religion Studies, 2026, vol. 57, pp. 48-64. https://doi.org/10.26516/2073-3380.2026.57.48 (in Russian)
Keywords
immigration, party systems, issue entrepreneurship, challenger parties, Great Britain,
France, electoral systems.
UDC
329.8, 329.1/6
DOI
https://doi.org/10.26516/2073-3380.2026.57.48
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