Beyond the Duopoly: An Analysis of the Discursive Strategies of the Actors of the Centre in the 2024 European Elections.

Our paper explores the digital narratives of Italian political actors during the 2024 European elections, focusing on those commonly referred to as 'Centre' actors, who do not align along the 'left-right' ideological axis. Polarisation is often studied in terms of sharp opposition, as described by McCoy et al. (2018) and Sartori (2005), with politics understood as a clash between 'Us vs Them'. However, our focus on the actors at the Centre, who do not fit into a clear duopoly, reveals a discursive complexity peculiar to the Italian political landscape. Investigating the dynamics of polarisation beyond ideological extremes allows us to explore how Centre actors contribute to fragmenting or mediating political tensions without openly taking sides. McCoy and Somer (2019) argue that polarisation emerges from the alignment of social and political fractures, simplifying the complexity of politics into sharp divisions. Centre actors operate in a context where such dynamics are less pronounced. However, their ability to attract support depends on managing diversified positions and responses to the electorate's demands. By analysing posts on X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook between 24 May and 10 June 2024, we will study how these actors use discursive strategies that fall within polarisation without being directly linked to the political extremes. McCoy and Somer's (2018) theories will help us interpret these dynamics in contexts that do not strictly follow the 'dual' model. A particular focus will be placed on the issue of post-truth and populism, phenomena that can also emerge in the narratives of centrist actors in a less obvious but significant way. Due to their intermediate position, we argue that centrist actors can influence political balances and create new polarisation forms that are less tied to traditional alignments.