Elite hysteria boosts far‑right momentum

When mainstream institutions and high‑profile elites publicly treat a rising party as an existential threat (scare covers, warnings of investor flight, threats of nonrecognition), the reaction can validate the insurgent’s anti‑establishment pitch and increase turnout or sympathy for that party. Media spectacle, institutional threats, and protest threats together create a feedback loop that can accelerate a fringe party’s electoral climb. — If true, democratic actors should weigh whether alarmist public responses to extremist‑adjacent parties reduce or increase political risk, changing how governments, journalists and civil society should act ahead of pivotal votes.