Introduction [Opposition parties in European legislatures. Conflict or consensus?]

There are many types and forms of opposition in modern societies and the day-to-day usage of the word encompasses a wide “variety of developments” (Blondel, 1997, p. 462). However, as opposition has evolved, it has become mainly associated with the institutionalisation of political conflict (Rokkan, 1970) together with the rise of modern democracy. The present volume, therefore, focuses on the specific form of opposition carried out by political parties within parliament, that is, parliamentary opposition.