Extant literature has arguably overlooked the impact of authoritarian ideological legacies on
the shape of party systems in newly established democracies. Most, if not all, autocracies are
not ideologically neutral, but can be ascribed to ideological ‘brands’ (Left/Right) that, in turn,
serve as powerful and essential heuristic cues in party competition. Building on insights from
the literature on mnemonic politics and ‘successor’ parties, we argue that party elites in new
democracies will try to distance themselves from the previous dictator’s ideological side in
pursuit of legitimacy and consistently with a spatial competition framework. Consistently, we
show evidence of asymmetric fragmentation in the party systems of both former Left- and
Right-Wing regimes, with fewer parties located on the dictator’s side. This difference persists
in time, waning as party systems consolidate. Our analysis shows how such escape from the
stigma has substantive implications on the average ideological slant of the party system and on
its polarization.
