Populist Electoral Rhetoric in the 2025 Czech Parliamentary Elections

Abstract

The political leaders have always had a special mission to realize its intentions in a certain period. And these periods were crucial for society. Most often, this happened in acute periods - wars, military conflicts, changes in political regimes. And, of course, populism played a significant role in this process, which was present in the political rhetoric of the elite and its charismatic leaders.

One of the key features of the phenomenon of populism is the high level of personalization of political activity, the close connection between the spread and level of influence of a populist movement and the personality of its leader. This feature is not, of course, unique to populism, as charismatic leaders can rise to prominence by advocating value systems that are far from populism of any kind - conservative, for example, or by making a career within influential organizational structures with a strong tradition, such as the church. However, for a populist movement, charismatic leadership is almost always a necessary element. On the other hand, in the context of open, public political struggle, populist techniques and rhetoric become a powerful and sometimes necessary tool. A successful case is the parliamentary elections in the Czech Republic and the use of populist rhetoric during the 2025 elections.