Abstract
Numerous authors have written on the broad normative costs that may emerge from party banning – in that party bans can erode the very democratic norms they seek to protect. However, there is limited empirical research on what types of costs emerge from party banning, and how they emerge. This thesis endeavors to answer the questions: what are the political costs of banning anti-democratic parties incurred by mainstream parties in liberal democracies? Given these costs, what are the potential negative outcomes for both mainstream parties and democratic institutions in liberal democracies? This thesis examines these questions by using process tracing of news stories and electoral outcomes in Germany and Belgium following attempted bans to evaluate the political ramifications of party banning that lead to dangerous systematic outcomes. From this analysis, this thesis finds that party bans increase the media coverage, public awareness, and issue salience of anti-democrats, making them more politically popular and legitimate. From these findings, this thesis highlights that party banning can be counterproductive, and that mainstream parties should be careful when handling anti-democrats in the political arena.