Samenvatting

This study aims to investigate the differences and commonalities in the degree and level of populism among the contemporary parliamentary political parties in Slovakia before the 2020 general elections. Using the methodological model introduced by J. Jagers and S. Walgrave, the research features content analysis performed on the speeches and Facebook posts of the party leaders two months before the elections. The selected methodological tool requires a mixed research approach, relying on both quantitative and qualitative data. Furthermore, the literature review revisits the three major theories relevant for the study of populism and selects the most appropriate one. For this, populism is defined, according to J. Jagers and S. Walgrave, as a political communication style that refers to the people. The findings indicate that the degree and type of populism in Slovakia differ as expected. The only party that fits the criteria of ‘complete populism’ is ĽSNS, followed by Sme Rodina and OĽANO as only partial populist parties. The three remaining parties, SaS, Za ľudí and SMER-SD, are classified as empty-populists as they resorted to populist discourse only occasionally. The study concludes that the methodological and theoretical frameworks require revision in order to accommodate the components of the Slovak political realm. The recommendations suggest addressing the conceptualization of other political communication style in order to provide for a comparative environment.