Electoral Political Communication in the Post-Communist Hybrid Regime – The Case of Serbia 2020

Abstract

This study analyzes the 2020 Serbian election campaign in the context of institutional conditions of competition in a hybrid regime, comparing it to the regime of Slobodan Milosevic. The authors explore how electoral communication articulates social problems and solutions, and examine the impact of new information and communication technologies on political communication in hybrid regime. Taking into account the specific configuration of the public sphere inherited from the period of Milosević’s rule and the comprehensive application of persuasive techniques, the authors come to several findings regarding electoral communication in Serbia: first, the election campaigns have not reified as a platform for addressing key political and identity issues; second, the development of new information and communication technologies and new means of promotion widen opportunities for propaganda, making hybrid regimes more resilient to internal pressures for democratization; and, third, given the institutional context in which electoral communication takes place, the question arises as to whether, in the institutional context of hybrid communication, one can speak of political marketing as opposed to merely a commercialized variant of political propaganda. The study is based on in-depth interviews with experts, public polls, researchers, and campaign managers.