| dc.description.abstract | The unanticipated and abrupt outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 rapidly shifted the political opportunities for the family of parties residing on the far right of electoral politics. Prior to the pandemic, these parties had experienced mainstreaming and advancement, gaining ground in several countries. This thesis, accordingly, examines the impact of the pandemic on the Alternative for Germany (Alternative for Deutschland, AfD), by investigating how the party changed its framing strategies of political issues before and outer the outbreak. By analysing the evolution of the AfDs framing strategies, this research seeks to uncover how the party met the challenge of the pandemic. This thesis builds on research on the far right and the postulation that demand and supply must be analysed together in order to analyse party agency. In addition, the thesis sheds light on the agency of far-right parties in the pandemic, recognizing their active role in shaping discourses. By utilizing a frame analysis of Facebook posts, this thesis is situated within the realm of far-right party research, providing insights into how far-right parties strategically employ framing techniques to communicate their messages and engage with their audience, with the goal of achieving resonance and mobilization. The empirical analysis in the thesis demonstrates that the AfD adapted its frames to the pandemic by bridging its former anti-immigration sentiment to the pandemic. Furthermore, the thesis highlights the important strategy of the AfD in framing the pandemic as a domestic, political crisis, using populist elements to frame the government as incompetent and itself as a defender of freedom and rights. It becomes evident in the thesis, however, that despite the agency of the AfD, aligning its frames with the pandemic, the nature of the crisis shifted discursive opportunities away from the core of the far right, and their framing as a result received mixed responses. This difficulty, however, does not entail a permanent shift, and the thesis points to the survival of far-right parties by maintaining their core issues as best they can. | eng |