Conservative defections defeat populists

A disciplined moderate from an incumbent populist party can unseat an entrenched illiberal leader by highlighting corruption and service failure while keeping popular security and migration stances. Defections that credibly combine anti‑corruption messaging with preservation of salient hardline policies can reassemble the governing centre without a progressive surge. — This reframes anti‑populist strategy: winning back voters may require conservative, not progressive, alternatives that neutralize populist strengths while exploiting its failures.