Communicating Values in a Complex Society – a Frame Analysis of Addresses of Political Leaders in the Campaign for 2018 General Elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Political identity always reflects one’s values. The overall rhetoric of a political actor aims at depicting a worldview that resonates with her/his voters. This paper focuses on the campaign for the 2018 General Elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Given its political structure with two entities, 14 parliaments, and a three-member presidency to mention a few of the complexities, Bosnia and Herzegovina greatly struggles with functionality. In an environment with three ethnic groups and their respective representatives, communicating group-specific values is paramount objective for politicians. This paper analyses speeches delivered at pre-election gatherings of political parties on the level of the entity of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The aim is to analyze direct addresses to voters and subsequently shed light onto political messaging. Lakoff’s concept of frames will be utilized to get in-depth insight into the values, messages, and ideas political leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina share with the public.