Target the enemy: explicit and implicit populism in the rhetoric of the Hungarian right

Abstract

ABSTRACT In contemporary years, right-wing populism has emerged as a widespread political phenomenon in Europe. In Eastern Europe, especially in Hungary, right-wing populism is not only a growing political communication style but a part of the mainstream ideology. This paper aims to compare Hungary’s ruling conservative-right wing party, Fidesz, and its leader Viktor Orban’s public speeches in terms of populist rhetoric. This study scrutinizes both the Facebook posts of the government during the 2018 campaign stage and the Hungarian prime minister’s public speeches from a very similar period. This study tries to characterize the two entities’ populist communication styles and the topics they stressed in their messages by measuring and analyzing the Explicit and Implicit Populist dichotomies in the relevant databases. Our results reveal possible correlations between specific words, like ‘War Terminologies,’ emphasis on antagonist entities, the issue of ‘Immigration,’ and references to collective identity in the ruling party’s and its leaders’ populist rhetoric. The political actors above aim to convince their supporters of their capabilities and rights to protect and rule Hungary, a prominent example of right-wing populist political communication.