Two‐Dimensional Political Competition and Europarties as Cleavage Mediators in the 2024 European Parliament Elections

Abstract The emergence of novel cleavages in European politics has led to the development of political competition based on a two‐dimensional model. Despite acting as mediators between the different cleavages represented by their national party members, Europarties remain largely overlooked in the study of cleavage politics. By interpreting the manifestos presented by Europarties for the 2024 European Parliament elections through discourse analysis, this study investigates the interplay between the two dimensions of political competition at the supranational level. In doing so, the article contributes to the literature on political cleavages at the European level by offering a preliminary empirical perspective on Europarties' intermediary role in EU party politics. The findings highlight the intertwined and interdependent relationship between the two dimensions of political competition at the European level, unveiling how the discourse of the Europarties simultaneously integrates Rokkanean and novel cleavages whilst navigating national diversity and projecting supranational programmatic coherence.