Delineating the discursive (de) legitimation strategies outlined by Spanish politicians in their no-confidence motion speeches

The present study explores the discursive (de)legitimation strategies enacted by three Spanish politicians, viz., Pablo Iglesias, Pedro Sánchez, and Santiago Abascal, within the context of a no-confidence motion speech against the governing parties in the Spanish Congress in 2017 (Popular Party), 2018 (Popular Party), and 2020 (Partido Socialista Obrero Español). Using the output of a keyword search, a qualitative analysis of the concordances where these words are used is conducted to unveil the appeals most frequently employed to justify the need to file the motion and provide reasons to evict the incumbent party. Findings point to interindividual differences regarding the appeals used. Iglesias heavily relies on altruism to present his group’s project as an alternative and on implicit authorization via referencing sources that support his claims to gain the audience’s credibility. Sánchez legitimizes his actions by rationalizing his reasons for filing the motion and conveying – via implicit authorization – that the motion is triggered by the need to uphold constitutional principles. Abascal, on his part, relies on the negative association of the out-group with lexis of a moralizing nature that challenges their credibility and reputation via direct appeals to Sánchez and Iglesias while appealing to emotions and the rationalization of the motion in terms of freedom.