  This study examines the relationship between ambiguity and the ideological
positioning of political parties across the political spectrum. We identify a
strong non-monotonic (inverted U-shaped) relationship between party ideology
and ambiguity within a sample of 202 European political parties. This pattern
is observed across all ideological dimensions covered in the data. To explain
this pattern, we propose a novel theory that suggests centrist parties are
perceived as less risky by voters compared to extremist parties, giving them an
advantage in employing ambiguity to attract more voters at a lower cost. We
support our explanation with additional evidence from electoral outcomes and
economic indicators in the respective party countries.
