Functions of the Word “Democracy” in Right-Wing Populist Discourses; the Case of the Rassemblement National in France

The Rassemblement National underlines that democracy is a fundamental principle of the French Republic. The literature argues that this is a symbolic discourse rooted in a strategy of “normalization”. I aim to further revise this assumption by asking the question: is “democracy” only a symbolic term, a strategic argument or - and this is the hypothesis that I intend to demonstrate - is the word “democracy” also ideologically loaded? In other words, it be argued that “democracy”, in populist discourse, corresponds to a symbolic argument as well as a very specific ideological corpus? I will study the term “democracy” by carrying out a lexicometric analysis before combining it with a critical discourse analysis. I will then deal with different functions of the term “democracy” while highlighting some of the tensions in its rhetoric.