Storytelling in Online Political Communication during the Presidential Elections Campaign in Romania
Storytelling in Online Political Communication during the Presidential Elections Campaign in Romania

Summary/Abstract: The second voting round of the Romanian presidential elections, that took place during 2-16 November 2014, was strongly influenced by the debate surrounding the diaspora vote. The political class was divided between politicians who tried to ignore this issue and those who considered that the government limits the exercise of a fundamental right. This paper examines if politicians used strategic narratives and storytelling techniques during the second round of the campaign. The primary objective is to investigate the discourse of the main five candidates who received the highest number of votes after the first tour of the elections. A derived objective is to determine if these narratives stimulated the quality of political debate and the interaction between citizens and politicians. Using pragmatic discourse analysis, the present study investigates the main subjects discussed during the second voting round. The investigation also focuses on the controversy surrounding diaspora vote. Results show that politicians cultivate strategic narratives and storytelling techniques in order to support their campaign objectives and to enact their own definition of the situation.

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