Framing the Freeze: Civic Platform and Tisza Party Discourses/Strategies on the Rule of Law Conditionality

Pro-democratic opposition parties in Poland and Hungary face the challenge of communicating EU actions against democratic backsliding, yet little is known about their framing strategies. This article asks how Poland’s Civic Platform (2022–2023) and Hungary’s Tisza Party (2024–2025) framed the EU’s rule-of-law-related financial sanctions ahead of critical parliamentary elections, and what similarities or differences emerge between their strategies. By investigating statements from Polish and Hungarian party officials in two online newspapers (Telex and Onet) as well as social media, the paper explores their discursive strategies through two primary frames: a normative frame emphasizing democratic principles and an economic frame highlighting national interests, illuminating how opposition parties navigate the political risks of EU actions against backsliding. The article seeks to understand how factors like voter polarization, party establishment status, and electoral timing shape communication strategies. The core hypothesis suggests that established parties in polarized contexts may lean towards normative framing, while newer parties might prioritize economic pragmatism.