ABSTRACT
In recent years, much attention has been paid to the growth of extreme right electoral activity in Scandinavia. In Norway and Denmark, populist right parties have provided support for minority governments after national elections in 2001. In Norway, the increased acceptance of the Progress Party can to some extent be explained by the party’s apparent move towards the centre ground. Most notably, the party has toned down its anti-immigration rhetoric. The Danish People’s Party, on the other hand, has shown no signs of de-radicalization, and appears to have gained its increased legitimacy via other parties and the electorate accepting its political agenda. Immigration was a key issue in the 2001 campaign, and after the election the new centre-right government introduced several measures to tighten immigration and asylum policy (Qvortrup 2002a,b). In both Denmark and Norway, therefore, two parties previously treated as pariahs by the other parties, gained unprecedented positions of legitimacy and influence.
