Katia Mihailova University of National and World Economy, Department of Economic Sociology
E-mail: k.mihaylova@unwe.bg
DOI: 10.55206/NDXH8776
Abstract: 2021 is a record year for election campaigns, as two out of a total of 4 are early campaigns for parliamentary elections. Our democratic history shows a predominance of early election campaign for parliamentary elections – 8 out of 13. This fact puts forth the hypothesis of the early election campaign as a specific political chronotype, that determines the future of society. The object of the article is political communication in this chronotype. The focus is put on two rhetoric decisions that determine the tone of the campaign and the meanings the candidates define as socially significant – the promise they make about the type of campaign and the slogans through which they express their collective assessment of the state of society and their ideological and political aspiration. The aim is to derive markers for construction of communication in an early election campaign for early parliamentary elections. It is expected that in a time of political agony when society and voters need a positive key, the promises for a positive campaign will increase. The hypothesis was verified through media monitoring. It is assumed that the “we – they” opposition, usually used in the communication in regular election campaigns as well as the adherence to dystopian discourse will be replaced by innovative rhetoric forms in a positive key. The hypothesis is tested through a content analysis of political slogans in the 2021 early campaigns.
Keywords: political communication, slogan, dystopic discourse, positive campaign, early election campaign, chronotype.
Rhetoric and Communications Journal, issue 53, October 2022