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New parties as conspiracy entrepreneurs: political messages and party communication in the case of Romania.

Europe (Central and Eastern)
Political Parties
Narratives
Dragoș Șamșudean
Babeş-Bolyai University
Dragoș Șamșudean
Babeş-Bolyai University

Abstract

In the last decade conspiracy theories rooted in fake news, misinformation and disinformation worked as an important resource for parties and politicians in post-Communist countries. While several research highlights the presence of conspiracy-based narratives within discourses of both parties and party leaders, very little is known about the new parties. This study aims to identify and show how new parties exploits conspiracy theories in order to construct narratives to communicate in Romania. The narrative analysis uses party documents and media statements of party leaders and members during 2024 and 2025.