CROSSROADS OF POPULISM-THE CASE OF THE 2020 LOCAL ELECTIONS IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
The aim of this paper is to explore the content of populist discourse in the case of the Municipal elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2020. This is done through critical discourse analysis of the relevant political actors in Bosnia and Herzegovina, drawing on the populist logic approach to populism. The analytical sample consists of interviews with the political leaders of major Serbian and Bosniak parties, as well as some of the more prominent politicians. To be more precise the paper analyzes discourse of: Bakir Izetbegović, Milorad Dodik, Nermin Nikšić, Predrag Kojović, Elmedin Konaković, Branislav Borenović, Draško Stanivuković, Nebojša Vukanović, Srđan Mandić, Bogić Bogićević and the High representative Valentin Inzko. Selected interviews were held during the Municipal elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina, i.e., the months of October and November 2020. My analysis showed that all actors express one or multiple forms of populism, the most common of them being national populism and pro-state populism. Furthermore, the journalists carrying out the interviews expressed populist discourse, particularly the TV hosts of N1 and Face TV.