Presidential Election Campaign Research Articles

Evolution of Brazilian Democracy: Unveiling Election Dynamics in Political Issues, Negativity, and Acclaim

In recent years, Brazil, as the world’s fourth-largest democracy, witnessed the dominance of polarized and symbolically charged electoral campaigns on social media, culminating in the election of a populist political figure in 2018 and his subsequent defeat in 2022. Extensive research has indicated that political campaigns often sidelined substantive policy proposals in favor of negative and divisive issues. However, a critical gap remains in the absence of temporal investigations contrasting the prevalence of negativity and acclaim campaigns on social media platforms during elections. This study addresses this gap by examining associations between political issues and negative and acclaim campaigns across two Brazilian electoral campaigns. Drawing upon a sample of messages posted on Twitter (n = 1,191) during the presidential elections of 2018 and 2022, our study reveals associations between substantive political issues, such as education and health, and acclaim campaign strategies, while the divisive issues of Covid-19 and corruption are associated with negative campaign strategies. Moreover, the results suggest that gender policy is related to both acclaim and negative messages since it is a polarizing issue in Brazilian politics. Our study also shows an increased negativity trend, with the 2022 presidential election campaign more likely to be negative than in 2018. By conducting a temporal analysis of Brazil’s political context, our study sheds light on the evolving dynamics of political communication in the age of social media, contributing substantially to the literature on negativity in political campaigns.

Perspektif Islam Tentang Dinasti Politik (Studi Kasus Isu Dinasti Politik Tahun 2023-2024)

Dynastic politics is a phenomenon that is currently being discussed by Indonesian people amid the 2024 presidential election campaign. This dynastic politics became a trending topic after the Indonesian president's son ran for vice president. The importance of finding a balance between political stability and justice is a major concern in addressing this issue. There are efforts from several elements of society and political activists to advocate for political reform that creates a more transparent and fair system. Therefore, the study of political dynasties that occurred in Indonesia needs to be studied more deeply. The article aims to describe and analyze the issue of political dynasties in Indonesia with a focus on the Islamic political context. This research is a qualitative literature review research with a phenomenological approach to research phenomena that are currently occurring. This research includes an analysis of the historical, structural, and ongoing social impacts of political dynasties within the framework of Islamic politics. The results of this research show that the issue of dynastic politics in Indonesia in 2023-2024 presents complex challenges, especially when viewed from an Islamic political perspective. By understanding these dynamics and seeking solutions that are in line with the principles of justice and democracy, Indonesia can steer itself toward a more inclusive and sustainable political system. In dealing with the issue of dynastic politics, aspects of accountability and transparency become a significant focus from an Islamic political perspective. These principles are considered crucial in protecting power and ensuring political action is by Islamic values. Through this research, it is hoped that it can open people's views to raise calls for political transformation and reform that reflects Islamic values ​​and leads to more just, transparent, and participatory political governance.

Political Revenge? Downgrading Indonesia’s KPK From Hero to Villain

The importance of Indonesia’s Corruption Eradication Commission (Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi [KPK]), has once again been brought into focus during the 2024 presidential election campaign period when politics and corruption collide. This article suggests that legislative and political actions since 2019 to the KPK’s purpose and structure severely limit its capacity and independence making it susceptible to greater political interference and coercion. The KPK was established by Law 30/2002, as a response to and recognition of rampant corruption throughout the governmental, political and public sectors, business communities, and society in general, which became common practice during President Suharto’s New Order Regime. The KPK’s commission encompasses conducting investigations, indictments, and prosecutions. However, in late 2019, the People’s Representative Council enacted amending legislation to weaken its authority and ability to operate independently. Crucial legislative changes included creating a government-appointed supervisory body overseeing the KPK’s internal operations and changing KPK employee status from independent agents to public servants. These two provisions alone seriously weaken the KPK’s autonomy and create the risk of turning it into a politically controlled auxiliary state agency. In some respects, KPK has become a victim of its own successes, having achieved convictions of senior ministers, politicians, government officials, and business leaders, which in turn has produced enemies. Without political protection, the KPK faces the prospect of not only becoming, in essence, a nonentity but also facing further deterioration of its credibility and authority.

French political symbolism and identity construction

The present study examines how the language of political symbolism operates within the framework of identity construction. It focusses on the themes of sovereignty during the 2022 French presidency of the European Union and the national presidential election campaign. On the basis of Conceptual Metaphor Theory, it suggests that, apart from purely linguistic features, extra-linguistic factors are also essential in order to convey a global view of symbolic rhetoric. The analysis is conducted according to an overall 6-tier model of figurative origins involving the parameters of personal background, political context, cultural history, reference, conceptual metaphor and linguistic metaphor. By applying the parameters of the model, it is proposed that the core of political argumentation in the corpus analysis is based on national symbols and the conceptual mapping they embody. The basic hypothesis of the model assumes that a politician attempts to portray the symbolisation of unity in accordance with his or her political background and personal biography. A political narrative is thereby created within the current political context using predominant symbols in cultural history. An over-riding factor is the role of referential points which may determine divergence in conceptual mapping. These features then lead to the construction of conceptual metaphors which can take on a particularly hyperbolic structure in the ensuing linguistic metaphors. The implications of the study highlight the important role of symbolism in political debate, its interaction with conceptual metaphor, the relevance of extra-linguistic factors portrayed by the 6-tier model, the link between cultural history and hyperbolic linguistic structures and political divergence in similar symbols.

Особености на невербалната комуникация в кандидатпрезидентски дебати в България през 2016 г

Abstract::The performance of successful non-verbal communication in political and communication campaigns is necessary. The activities in election campaigns and in the television debates in particular are to be performed in several aspects: in macro-aspect the body language and the non-verbal communication is a process of creating a successful image for the needs of politics, business and social life, and it can be improved; in micro-aspect – through non-verbal communication as a new form of social distribution and inequality. The object of analysis is a television presidential candidates’ debate which took place in 2016. The goal is non-verbal communication codes used in the television debate to be outlined. The task is to identify the convincing impact of the non-verbal signs in the presidential election campaign. The hypothesis is that non-verbal communication combines with verbal communication and is an integral part of the preparation and implementation of the televised debates, of the pre-election rhetoric and contributes to persuading the television audience and to building the image and reputation of the presidential candidates. The methods applied are: theoretical review, media monitoring, case analysis through the perspective of verbal and non-verbal means. Keywords: communication campaign, nonverbal behavior, presidential election, débat, body language.

Реторичен анализ на предизборния дебат между Еманюел Макрон и Марин Льо Пен (3 май 2017 г.)

Abstract: The article includes results of rhetorical analysis of an election debate between Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen, which was part of the presidential candidate campaign in France in 2017. The research subject is significant in terms of rhetoric, in particular presidential and presidential candidate rhetoric in France, and the traditions of debate in the 21st century media environment and political culture. The hypothesis is that the debates during the 2017 presidential election campaign in France are an important event that contributes to the construction of the individual political image, recognition and reputation of the French presidential candidates, and that the rhetorical skills of the opponents play an essential role in the presentation of concepts, causes, vision of governance in a national and European context. The rhetorical analysis is on the debate between the two contenders for the presidency, Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen, which took place on 3 May 2017 in Studio 107 and which was broadcast by French media and social networks. It focuses on verbal, non-verbal means and argumentation in the debate and on the rhetorical features of media and public communication. The conclusions are based on a study of the political, social, cultural, media and communicative context in France; on the analysis of the scenario, the format, the debate hosts; and on the individual characteristics of the participants’ rhetorical and communicative behaviour. Keywords: debate, presidential rhetoric, presidential candidate campaign, media, argumentation, Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen. Rhetoric and Communications Journal, issue 58, January 2024

A critical discourse analysis of some selected 2019 Nigerian presidential election campaign advertisements on social media

Political campaign advertisements are one of the mediums where the electorates hope to get the right information to help them make a choice before an election. The study explored the lexico-syntactic patterns, discourse strategies and how they were used to create ideologies in the 2019 Presidential campaign advertisements. The study adopts the theoretical framework of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) by Van Dijk called socio-cognitive model and his (2000) model on principles that express ideological stances. Five campaign advertisements were purposively selected for analysis from the following social media platforms: Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter and also the following media outlets punch.com, nairaland.com, to mention but a few. The campaign advertisements chosen featured the two major candidates, Atiku Abubakar of the PDP (Peoples Democratic Party) and Muhamadu Buhari of the APC (All Progressives Congress) in the 2019 Presidential elections. The study revealed that the campaign advertisements chosen used discourse markers that emphasized ideologies like; APC is a haven for corrupt Nigerians, Atiku is a thief, Buhari and Atiku do not care about the poor, Buhari is incorruptible, are among other ideologies that the campaign advertisements tried to portray. The study submits that discourse was negative especially in the presentation of the ‘out group’ (the political opponents) and that the ideology of the text creators was a very strong force in all the texts analyzed. Therefore, the electorates need to be more critical in reading these presidential campaign advertisements before forming their opinions and taking actions, in order to deepen our democracy.

Propaganda Pemberitaan Jokowi pada Pemilu 2014 di Majalah Tempo dalam Perspektif Ideologies And Power

Tempo magazine is one of the media that is in the line of 'loving' Jokowi. Tempo Magazine doubled Jokowi in the 2014 election as a modest man and a hobby of blusukan. This is based on the total duration, frequency, and tendency of the object of the news to Jokowi. Jokowi's image, which was initially positive, especially during the 2014 presidential election campaign, immediately changed after Jokowi became president in the news of Tempo Magazine. This was proven by Tempo Magazine supporting Jokowi during the 2014 presidential election because it was based on his ideology that Prabowo Subianto was a human rights criminal. In the 5-11 August 2013 edition of Tempo Magazine, they gave the title “Suddenly Jokowi” with a picture of Jokowi singing in pause. This tendency is a form of the failure of Tempo Magazine to become a balanced media. Tempo magazine chose issues, used angles, and published 11 out of 20 total Main Reports using the glittering generalities propaganda technique. The theory used is from Branston and Stafford (2003: 117-133) namely marxist approaches, post-marxism and critical pluralism, and discourses and lived culture. The relevant concepts are mukhtalif, kabilah, dan al-hadarah. Tempo Magazine's reporting sparked polarization, as seen from the concentration in political currents and ideology. The existence of this news as a political message that is more effective in raising issues to the public.

Propaganda Pemberitaan Jokowi pada Pemilu 2014 di Majalah Tempo dalam Perspektif Ideologies And Power

Tempo magazine is one of the media that is in the line of 'loving' Jokowi. Tempo Magazine doubled Jokowi in the 2014 election as a modest man and a hobby of blusukan. This is based on the total duration, frequency, and tendency of the object of the news to Jokowi. Jokowi's image, which was initially positive, especially during the 2014 presidential election campaign, immediately changed after Jokowi became president in the news of Tempo Magazine. This was proven by Tempo Magazine supporting Jokowi during the 2014 presidential election because it was based on his ideology that Prabowo Subianto was a human rights criminal. In the 5-11 August 2013 edition of Tempo Magazine, they gave the title “Suddenly Jokowi” with a picture of Jokowi singing in pause. This tendency is a form of the failure of Tempo Magazine to become a balanced media. Tempo magazine chose issues, used angles, and published 11 out of 20 total Main Reports using the glittering generalities propaganda technique. The theory used is from Branston and Stafford (2003: 117-133) namely marxist approaches, post-marxism and critical pluralism, and discourses and lived culture. The relevant concepts are mukhtalif, kabilah, dan al-hadarah. Tempo Magazine's reporting sparked polarization, as seen from the concentration in political currents and ideology. The existence of this news as a political message that is more effective in raising issues to the public.

The Comparative of Media Framing in 2019 Presidential Election Campaign

As is common knowledge, the euphoria of the election from one period to the next is a breath of fresh airfor the mass media crews to favor each other when reporting on events surrounding the campaign, includingthe presidential election. The fact information is worth selling, and a news report that is eagerly anticipatedby the public because it is a way of addressing the demand for information on the requirements of the peopleon specific people or groups of people who become newsworthy. National newspapers have a significantrole in establishing the reality of the campaign coverage of each Presidential Candidate (Capres). Theobjective of this research is to examine how Republika and Media Indonesia newspapers framing theircoverage of the 2019 Presidential Election Campaign between Joko Widodo and Prabowo Subianto throughnews articles published from 15 March to 31 March 2019. The method utilized in this study is qualitativeapprove a constructivist paradigm. The utilized theory is framing with the Zhong Dang and Pan Kosickimodel. The results demonstrated that there were ideological differences between Republika and MediaIndonesia, despite the fact that the ideology, editorial content, and ownership of the Republika newspaperdid not change during the 2019 presidential election campaign, when Mr. Eric Tohir was named campaignchairman for the presidential clone Joko Widodo. There appears to have been a shift in the delivery andframing of Joko Widodo's campaign coverage since 2014. And secondly, the prestige of political leaders.

Features of the Presidential Election Campaign of 2022 in the Republic of South Ossetia

The article is devoted to the analysis of the presidential election campaign of 2022 in the Republic of South Ossetia. The author aimed to identify the features of the last election campaign, which made it possible to understand and explain its results, which led to a change of power in the RSO. In this paper, the author used a behavioral approach and a method of situational political analysis, which makes it possible to compile a multifactorial picture of the features of the presidential campaign. The conducted research of the presidential campaign allowed the author to explain the reasons for the departure of the incumbent president and the coming to power of the opposition in the conditions of the seemingly effective internal policy of the party in power.

There is no capitalist conspiracy and the rich are not all‐powerful

There is no capitalist conspiracy and the rich are not all‐powerful

The red lipstick movement: exploring #vermelhoembelem and feminist hashtag movements in the context of the rise of far-right populism in Portugal

ABSTRACT During the 2021 Portuguese presidential election campaign, far-right candidate André Ventura insulted the feminine presentation of left-wing candidate Marisa Matias, linking her use of red lipstick to a perceived lack of professionalism and implied sexualization. The Portuguese public reacted to this insult by launching the feminist hashtag movement—#VermelhoEmBelem (translated as #RedInBelem), which quickly became one of the few national feminist hashtag movements to reach widespread visibility, receiving national and transnational support. This article offers a critical analysis of the #VermelhoEmBelem movement, grounded on a direct unstructured observation of the cross-platform hashtag—mainly across Twitter and Instagram—complemented by an analysis of news articles about the movement. By focusing on #VermelhoEmBelem, this article explores the relationship between feminist action, gendered discourses, and far-right populist politics. It foregrounds how gendered insults can generate a wave of feminist solidarity and anti-fascist sentiments, which was reified through online self-representations of people of various genders with their lips painted red. Yet, it highlights how hashtag movements can encompass significant tensions—mobilising both widespread support and sexist backlash, carrying the potential for symbolic and consciousness-raising impact, while having limited impact on the results of the Portuguese elections the movement derived from.

The Mirage of Issue-Based Politics in Africa. A Case Study of Kenya’s Presidential Election Campaigns from 2013-2022

Political analysts have often described elections in Africa as nothing but an ethnic census. However, the results of the 2022 Kenyan presidential elections showed members of the most populous ethnic group (Kikuyus) overwhelmingly vote against a member of their own ethnicity and sitting President. This raises the question: Is issue-based politics finally the main determinant of Kenyan presidential elections? Since the 2022 presidential elections is a fairly recent event, there is scant information on this supposedly new phenomenon. This study uses a combination of quantitative data, such as the outcome of the presidential elections and subsequent analysis from election observers and non-governmental agencies, and qualitative data, like opinion pieces from political scientists, politicians, academics, and the fourth estate. The research examines voting patterns of the largest ethnicities in Kenya for the past five elections in a bid to highlight any major changes in the voting patterns to justify claims of Kenyans embracing issue-based politics. The study reveals that although the Kikuyu voted against the candidate endorsed by one of their own in the 2022 presidential elections, what they were doing was voting against a candidate from an ethnicity they have always rejected. It confirms that although the results of the 2022 presidential elections seem to suggest otherwise, Kenya’s electorate has a long way to go in terms of embracing issue- based politics and making it a reality.

ПРАКТИКА ЗАСТОСУВАННЯ ВИБОРЧИХ ТЕХНОЛОГІЙ ПІД ЧАС ПРЕЗИДЕНТСЬКИХ ЕЛЕКТОРАЛЬНИХ КАМПАНІЙ В УКРАЇНІ

The work carried out a systematic study of the practice of using electoral technologies during presidential campaigns in Ukraine. The concept of electoral technologies as a tool to influence public opinion has been analyzed. The peculiarities of electoral technologies development in Ukraine during the period of independence have been highlighted and analyzed in stages. It is claimed that in the context of modern society digitalization, the approach to the use of technology in electoral campaigns is changing significantly. An important place in the recent electoral (presidential and parliamentary) campaigns was played by the latest electoral technologies, including the use of social networks. The advantages and disadvantages of their implementation have been outlined. Despite the tendency to use the latest electoral technologies, traditional electoral technologies (talk shows, debates, etc. ) remain quite effective. The «dirty» electoral technologies that were used during the presidential election campaigns in Ukraine have been detailed. Among them, the most popular were: «double» technology, «clone», «revolutionary» technologies, «bribery of voters», image-building, disinformation technologies, fakes (deep fake), etc. It should be noted that the technologies of «performance» and theatricalization of the election process played a rather important role in the successful conduct of the presidential election campaign. It is noteworthy that the effectiveness of the applied electoral technologies depends on human and material resources, the qualities of the leader himself and the team of specialists.

Analyzing the polls of the US 2020 Presidential Election Campaign: A New Perspective

Analyzing the polls of the US 2020 Presidential Election Campaign: A New Perspective

Donald Trump, the Resistance, and the Queering of Democracy

“He’s the grizzly bear in the room,” said Republican Newt Gingrich, describing then-candidate Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential election campaign. He’s not normal.” Taking as a starting point David Halperin’s claim that “queer is by definition whatever is at odds with the normal, the legitimate, the dominant,” this article explores what happens when Donald Trump meets antinormative queer theory, on the one hand, and the feminist resistance, on the other. I demonstrate that when queer is tightly tethered to an antinormative imperative, it takes an extremist like Trump to reveal its problematic implications. This article is a call to reread queer historically and politically, create theory that is grounded in activist work, and interpret what queer means by virtue of what activists do when they use this term.

Rhetorical analysis of two motivational speeches in Croatia

The paper examines two motivational speeches delivered by presidential candidates Zoran Milanović and Kolinda Grabar Kitarović during the 2019 presidential election campaign in Croatia. The emphasis is on the use of rhetorical operations and ideology-related vocabulary as a means of persuasion, as motivational speech aims to persuade an audience. The research begins by asking two research questions: RQ1) What principles of strategic communication do presidential candidates use to persuade audience to take a desired course of action? and RQ2) What incentive elements and rhetorical devices are used by each speaker to address the public? To answer the questions, two models of political discourse analysis are used: the persuasion and the lexical-argumentative model. The analysis is based on three hypotheses: H1) Motivational speech, as part of epideictic rhetoric, implements elements of persuasion, direction, intensity and persistence and involves not only linguistic, but also personal and psychological factors, H2) The characteristic structure of elements of incitement includes the use of positively and negatively charged words and phrases to reinforce the feeling of (non-)belonging to a group, and H3) Possible differences between motivational speeches are not gender specific, as both motivational speakers are career politicians with different political affiliations. Within the framework of two models of analysis, 20 excerpts representing 134 speech utterances are selected from each speech. The results show that (i) both motivational speakers use a variety of persuasive tools to attack the opponent(s), introduce electoral policies, legitimize their political positions, or define the ideological groups of belonging and (ii) there are both similarities and differences in the rhetorical design of the speeches analyzed, uncovering various patterns of judgment about political reality.

«REPUBLICANS» AMID THE NEW SOCIO-POLITICAL REALITY

The article examines the problems faced during the presidential and parliamentary election campaigns of 2022 by the largest party of the right camp in France – the «Republicans» party. The paper emphasizes that the «Republicans» faced the tasks of both ideological equipment and the search for a recognized leader by all. A study of the actions of the «Republicans» candidate for president V. Pekress allows us to conclude that under the influence of a combination of structural and conjunctural factors, she could not become a figure capable of mobilizing right-wing voters and going beyond her political camp. She lost the battle for the center-right and right electorate to her competitors – President E. Macron and the leader of the right-wing populists M. Le Pen. Analysis of the results of the parliamentary elections showed that although the «Republicans» halved their presence in the National Assembly, thanks to the new alignment of political forces, characterized by the absence of an absolute majority in the pro-presidential bloc, a group of «Republicans»” found themselves in parliament as an arbitrator and gained new opportunities to influence the lawmaking process, which was deprived in the previous legislature. The author comes to the conclusion that the project of the «independent right center» suffered a crushing defeat in these elections, and the «Republicans» in the course of parliamentary practice can follow the path of actually turning into the right wing of the pro-presidential coalition.

Propaganda and Political Memes on Social Media in the 2019 Indonesian Presidential Election

Political memes colored the 2019 Indonesian presidential election campaign on social media. Political memes have become one of the propaganda strategies to influence public opinion to gain political support from the public before the presidential election. This study aims to analyze and understand political memes as a medium of political propaganda in the 2019 Indonesian presidential election. This study uses critical discourse analysis to uncover the meaning behind the text. The data collection technique uses documentation in the form of political memes of the two presidential candidates, both in images and political symbols scattered on social media in the January – March 2019 period. Furthermore, the data will be analyzed using Fairclough's critical discourse analysis model to find out the meaning of the text. This study indicates that social media plays an essential role in political communication in the 2019 presidential election campaign. Social media is a cheap and fast means of spreading political memes that reach potential voters widely and massively. Through political memes, Joko Widodo often talks about having links with the Indonesian Communist Party. Meanwhile, Prabowo Subianto is often spoken of by his political opponents as a supporter of the caliphate in Indonesia. These political memes are used as political propaganda to construct or deconstruct political presidential candidates' discourse and build or damage the reputation of presidential candidates to influence public opinion.