Right, Left or Both? - Analyzing Populist Frames in the National Consultations of Viktor Orbán’s FIDESZ Party between 2011 and 2023
(2024) STVM23 20241Department of Political Science
- Abstract
- Viktor Orbán’s FIDESZ is often referred to in academia as a right-wing populist political party. However, stemming from Hungary’s history of being dominated by outside powers and having been under communist rule for fifty years, this thesis argues that the nature of FIDESZ’s communication strategy could be heavily influenced by left-wing populist ideals. This thesis seeks to investigate populist arguments used in national consultations, which are referendums periodically sent out to each household via post, asking the opinions of people on the newest social issues on the party’s agenda. The questions in the consultations are often manipulated in a way that they would deliver the desired result through which the party can legitimize its... (More)
- Viktor Orbán’s FIDESZ is often referred to in academia as a right-wing populist political party. However, stemming from Hungary’s history of being dominated by outside powers and having been under communist rule for fifty years, this thesis argues that the nature of FIDESZ’s communication strategy could be heavily influenced by left-wing populist ideals. This thesis seeks to investigate populist arguments used in national consultations, which are referendums periodically sent out to each household via post, asking the opinions of people on the newest social issues on the party’s agenda. The questions in the consultations are often manipulated in a way that they would deliver the desired result through which the party can legitimize its political actions. The narratives used in consultations show a nuanced picture of the ideological characteristics of FIDESZ’s communication strategy. The research question is thus the following: What is FIDESZ’s ideological profile in its communication in national consultations between 2011 and 2023? The theoretical framework of this thesis applies the ideational approach to populism to formulate the hypothesis used in answering the question. Through qualitative content analysis of the populist frames used in national consultations, the findings illustrate how the party applies both left-wing and right-wing populist narratives almost equally in national consultations. This indicates that FIDESZ uses narratives in national consultations regardless of their ideological components, focusing only on framing social issues in a way which would result in popular support from society. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9152406
- author
- Szabó, Anna Dorina LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- STVM23 20241
- year
- 2024
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- Hungary, FIDESZ, populism, framing, national consultations
- language
- English
- id
- 9152406
- date added to LUP
- 2024-07-18 13:56:55
- date last changed
- 2024-07-18 13:56:55
@misc{9152406,
abstract = {{Viktor Orbán’s FIDESZ is often referred to in academia as a right-wing populist political party. However, stemming from Hungary’s history of being dominated by outside powers and having been under communist rule for fifty years, this thesis argues that the nature of FIDESZ’s communication strategy could be heavily influenced by left-wing populist ideals. This thesis seeks to investigate populist arguments used in national consultations, which are referendums periodically sent out to each household via post, asking the opinions of people on the newest social issues on the party’s agenda. The questions in the consultations are often manipulated in a way that they would deliver the desired result through which the party can legitimize its political actions. The narratives used in consultations show a nuanced picture of the ideological characteristics of FIDESZ’s communication strategy. The research question is thus the following: What is FIDESZ’s ideological profile in its communication in national consultations between 2011 and 2023? The theoretical framework of this thesis applies the ideational approach to populism to formulate the hypothesis used in answering the question. Through qualitative content analysis of the populist frames used in national consultations, the findings illustrate how the party applies both left-wing and right-wing populist narratives almost equally in national consultations. This indicates that FIDESZ uses narratives in national consultations regardless of their ideological components, focusing only on framing social issues in a way which would result in popular support from society.}},
author = {{Szabó, Anna Dorina}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Right, Left or Both? - Analyzing Populist Frames in the National Consultations of Viktor Orbán’s FIDESZ Party between 2011 and 2023}},
year = {{2024}},
}