Elite‑voter cultural gap predicts party shifts

When political elites across mainstream parties cluster on culturally liberal positions while a large share of voters prefer more restrictive or conservative positions, that mismatch creates an opening for new or populist parties to realign the party system. The article illustrates this with German survey data (Bundestag members vs voters on immigration circa 2013) and links the gap to the later rise of the Alternative for Germany. — If elite–voter misalignment is systematic, it helps explain the growth of populist parties, pressures on mainstream parties to reposition, and the erosion of democratic legitimacy.