CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2016
| Author | Olah, Noemi |
|---|---|
| Title | Electoral Strategies of the Left in the Era of Democratic Backsliding: Analyzing the campaign of the left-wing opposition in 2014 Hungary |
| Summary | The hollowing and backsliding of democracy has aroused the interest of scholars concerned about the future of democratization. Newly established democracies are especially endangered by these trends as even the most successful countries of the transition in Central Eastern Europe, such as Hungary, are now facing authoritarian tendencies. However, the rise of the right-wing government dismantling the democratic system in Hungary only followed the landslide electoral defeat of the left-wing government in 2010. This suggests that democratic backsliding in Hungary and the collapse of the Left are two sides of the same coin. Furthermore, the national elections in 2014 could have been an opportunity for the Left to change the right-wing government and return to the path of democratization. In my thesis I highlight how oppositional political parties attempt to reengage the public to enhance democratization after their defeat in 2010 and as potential challengers of the nondemocratic government in 2014. Based on a quantitative and qualitative content analysis of the speeches of leading left-wing politicians during the campaign I find that the central thematic focus of their campaign is the incumbent right-wing Prime Minister and not their own initiatives. In addition to the content analysis I also conducted interviews with campaign managers and reconstructed the strategic considerations behind the campaign. I conclude that the parties of the opposition in Hungary see the reengagement of the voters and the reestablishment of democracy as a technical issue and not as value-based challenges that might guarantee the consolidation of democracy in Hungary. |
| Supervisor | Oana Lup |
| Department | Political Science MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2016/olah_noemi.pdf |
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