How Do Voters Evaluate Performance in Opposition?

Abstract Recent scholarship on retrospective voting has shown that when they go to the polls, voters evaluate not only incumbent performance, but also performance of parties in opposition. So far, however, these studies have been able identify how The answers a unique open-ended question included Belgian electoral survey 2019 provide new insights into voters' minds. First, this study investigates what think about party's Second, it tests whether hold opposition responsible for state affairs country. results show are most concerned with parties' competence scrutinizing government and providing constructive criticism, dislike unconstructive overly negative Furthermore, accountable their country, albeit lesser extent than parties.