Normalizing far right party rhetoric: the impact of media populist frames and coverage on the electoral prospects of far-right parties in the case of Cyprus

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article tries to identify the links between media and politics within the context of far-right politics. Populism provides such a conceptual link. In this article, we ask whether the way some media frame certain discussions, which are considered privileged issues for the far right, facilitates the diffusion of their narrative and ideas and thus normalizes their rhetoric among the population and improves their electoral prospects. We also examine the way the far-right party itself frames the same issues in order to identify whether there is a match between the two frames. Our case study is the Greek Cypriot far right party, ELAM. We argue that the populist representation of these particular issues by the media and the way the party positions itself on these same issues has facilitated the normalization of their political rhetoric, thus enabling it to penetrate into the mainstream political space and increase its electoral potentials.