Kovidokratija u predizbornom procesu – analiza narativa o pandemiji u funkciji zarobljavanja države
Covidocracy in the pre-election process – an analysis of the pandemic narrative as a function of state capture

Author(s): Srđan Hercigonja
Subject(s): Civil Society, Governance, Public Administration, Government/Political systems, Security and defense, Electoral systems, Welfare systems
Published by: BCBP Beogradski centar za bezbednosnu politiku
Keywords: COVID-19; Serbia; elections
Summary/Abstract: The crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic exposed authoritarian tendencies in Serbia, both in the state and in society, making visible the scope and momentum of state capture. The extent to which this process of entrapment took off can best be seen by the way in which institutions and bodies made decisions during the management of the pandemic, as well as what decisions they made. 26 months have passed since the first case of infection with the corona virus in Serbia and since the introduction of a state of emergency that lasted for two months. From that period until today, decisions were made with the aim of suppressing the spread of the virus, but without respecting the opinions and advice of experts in this field (epidemiologists, virologists and immunologists). Decisions were made depending on the political interests of the ruling elite. For the first year and a half since the outbreak of the pandemic, the central narrative imposed by the government is that the state and society are at war. All the elements of the discourse about war were noticeable in the statements of public officials, including experts - there is an enemy that must be defeated (the virus), emergency measures such as curfews are adopted, the story of doctors as fighters on the front line is imposed, and allies are also chosen in that war. The narrative about the war as the dominant discourse of the fight against the epidemic gave legitimacy to the holders of the highest public offices to make the most important decisions in the management of the pandemic - this is exactly what allowed the President of the Republic or the Prime Minister to make and communicate the most important decisions regarding this "war", while experts and experts placed themselves on the margins in the decision-making process. Finally, the highest officials were invited to declare victory in the war, and the ruling party declared victory over the pandemic twice, and always before the elections - the first time in May 2020, and the second time in March 2022. However, during the fall of 2021, the narrative about the war as dominant in the context of the pandemic was replaced by silence and silence, the story about the pandemic was marginalized, which was especially evident in the period before the elections in April 2022.

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