Features of the Election Campaigns: The Cases of 2012-2016 Georgian Parliamentary Elections

Abstract

Political parties and candidates worldwide are paying more attention to the election campaign during the election cycle. The pre-election campaign is usually aimed at mobilizing the voters. Therefore it is necessary to communicate with the electorate to get the desired information to the target group in a form acceptable to them. Political communication and public relations assume the use of different approaches. However, selecting the appropriate communication strategy through which the voter will be mobilized as much as possible by the election subject is necessary. This paper examines the factors being developed to mobilize voters in Georgia. The research aims to determine what mechanisms and specific political promises are used by Georgian political parties to maximize the number of voters during the pre-election campaign. At the same time, Georgia is in the transition phase of democracy. The paper defines the specific factors that are emphasized during the planning of the pre-election campaign, such as personal, ideological, or other factors. Based on the research aims, the paper's objectives are: Critical review of existing academic literature and applied research related to the issue, As well as the collection, collection, and analysis of existing secondary data. At the same time, the task of the paper was to collect and analyze primary data and to define a conceptual framework tailored to the local situation in the field. Based on the goals, I also studied and analyzed what specific factors are emphasized in the pre-election programs, advertisements, and slogans of Georgian political parties; which of them is more priority for the parties (personal/ideological and other factors). Accordingly, based on the aims and objectives of the paper, the research questions are: 1. How do Georgian political parties maximize votes in the pre-election period? 2. What factors characterize pre-election campaigns in Georgia as a country in the transition phase of democracy? The hypotheses of the paper are: Georgian political parties try to maximize votes by focusing on social policy; In Georgia, as a country in a transitional stage of democracy, the character of the pre-election campaign is personified; The leading theory of the research is the "Rational Choice Model" by Anthony Downs.". Downs's model assumes the essence of individual decision-making, which means providing the maximum based on achieving the principle of utility. The theoretical framework of my paper is also the theory of Anthony King, which explains the importance of the role of the Personalities/leaders in the campaign planning process. Jesse Tatum's theory is also critical in the theoretical context, as he has studied the experience of Georgia in particular - the period after the Rose Revolution. The paper uses a qualitative research method. Specifically, the methodology includes 1. Analysis of secondary sources and literature, which means the study and analysis of scientific literature related to the research topic. 2. Analysis of documents: studying and analyzing the programs, slogans, and advertisements used by the parties during the pre-election campaign in the 2012-2016 parliamentary elections. 3. Collection and analysis of primary data, which includes interviews with experts and study of their positions on the research issue. Concerning the research issue, the paper uses the type of non-probabilistic sampling - targeted or evaluative sampling. I studied the parties that overcame the 1% threshold in the parliamentary elections during 2012-2016 years. At the same time, I used targeted evaluation sampling in my research process to select competent individuals and experts for the issue. I surveyed ten parties and interviewed six experts. According to the research, the pre-election campaigns in Georgia are clearly personified, and the maximum number of votes is obtained simultaneously with an emphasis on social policy. Accordingly, Georgian political parties can be considered market-oriented; they are entirely focused on offering society the product they want. In the pre-election process, left-wing ideas and social policies become a priority for almost all of them. The research also showed that Georgian pre-election campaigns are characterized by attacking opponents and presenting their negative side.