Resumen de References to Westminster as an instrument of anti-parliamentary political rhetoric in Serbian parliamentarydebates 2001-20

Uros Ugarkovic

• This article identifies and analyses a particular rhetorical strategyemployed by populist actors in Serbian parliamentary debates duringthe period between the years 2001 and 2020, more specifically, theSerbian Radical Party (SRS) and its offshoot, the Serbian ProgressiveParty (SNS). The strategy consisted of proactively endorsing andinvoking the Westminster Parliament with the aim of supporting theirown, often anti-parliamentary, argumentative positions. Drawing onthe tradition of rhetorical political analysis, this article analysesstrategic references to the British Parliament made by the populistagents in order to support arguments and proposals that contradictthe core principles of parliamentarism, namely, the principles offree mandate, parliamentary sovereignty, parliamentary scrutiny ofthe executive, and free and fair deliberation. This article aims tocontribute to the literature examining the interplay betweenpopulism and parliamentarism by shedding light on its rhetoricaldimension, which adds another layer of complexity to, and helps usgain a more nuanced understanding of, the relationship betweenthese two contentious political phenomena