The dynamics of the political landscape fundamentally affect the discourse of political actors, which in turn influence how individuals view both state institutions and interpersonal social relations. There is a direct connection between how political discourse is shaped and social polarization, especially in states where an effervescent dynamic of the political environment is found. This polarization manifests itself as intellectual divergence (different views on certain issues) and affective polarization (structural antipathies towards others or towards institutions), which affects democratic processes by eroding standards like reasonable discussion and instilling distrust in institutions and fellow citizens.
This study assesses how political discourse in Romania contributes to societal polarization and shapes the conditions for social disintegration and cleavages. Based on the existing work on affective polarization, elite cueing and mediated communication, this research tries to explain how political actors, mainstream media and digital platforms frame identity, blame and national belonging and how these particular narratives translate into “us vs. them” boundaries across partisan, socioeconomic and generational lines.
The analysis is based on public discourses and debates, social media posts and comments generated by main political actors between 2024 and 2025 in the context of the presidential elections and their aftermath. By using content and discourse analysis we focused on recurring discursive mechanisms, moralization of politics, delegitimization of opponents, conspiracy and anti-elite narratives, securitization of social issues and strategic ambiguity that was used to intensify perceived threats and reduce cross-cutting dialogue.
Main findings show that the political discourse played a strong role in terms of increasing polarization and reduced social cohesion, being less about ideological competition than about emotional hostility, status resentment and perceived disrespect. All these had significant effects on civic participation, acceptance of democratic procedures and willingness to cooperate with political opponents.
