New enemies and "illiberal" rule of law? : A discourse analysis of populist rhetoric in Hungary

Sammanfattning: How does political power affect populist rhetoric? The research on populism has failed to describe the difference in discourse between populist parties in opposition and in government. The previous academic debate has consisted of two fundamental areas of focus; definitions that are centered around identity formations, and the political or societal effects of populism in power, referring to issues related to democracy and rule of law. This study argues that populist rhetoric contains both elements and should therefore be studied as such. It aims to increase the understanding of how populism is expressed before and during governance, and how this differs. Using rule of law as an analytical measuring instrument and tools and theories from discourse analysis, Fidesz, the ruling party of Hungary, is examined by qualitative text analysis. The study finds that the idea of “us” as the people and “them” as the elite survives with populism in power, where “them” as the elite no longer consists of domestic political opponents, but rather international political opponents and organizations. Further it finds that the values connected to rule of law are abandoned in favor of a more technical meaning.