Assessing the Effectiveness of Political Parties’ Communication Strategies in Electoral Performance A Case of Select Political Parties in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
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Date
2021-10
Authors
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
Daystar University, School of Communication. Nairobi
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of communication strategies used by select political parties in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) during the 2018 general election and the effect of the strategies on electoral performance. The study targeted political leaders, national officials, political and communication strategists of the People’s Party for Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD) and Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) political parties in the DRC. The target population was 152 respondents. Stratified random sampling technique was used in coming up with 61 respondents and a questionnaire was used to gather the data. The data was presented in form of narratives, graphs, charts, frequency distributions, and tables, The study results showed that political parties used various communication strategies, where 72.4% indicated persuasion, 65.5% indicated grassroots campaigning, 62.1% indicated propaganda, 48.3% indicated narrowcasting, while 36.2% indicated micro targeting. The communication platform that was mostly employed during campaign was television and radios, as indicated by a mean of 3.95; while Facebook was the most common social media communication platform, as indicated by a mean of 3.93. The study concludes that political parties’ communication strategies have a positive effect on electoral performance in the DRC. Further, the study concludes the political parties in the DRC used various strategies, including grassroot campaigns, persuasion, micro targeting, and propaganda, during campaigns. The study recommends that political parties should not only communicate during the election period but should also be accountable to their voters or electoral base on a daily basis and that election of communication platforms should be evaluated based on user needs and information type.
Description
MASTER OF ARTS
in Communication
Keywords
Political Parties’ Communication Strategies, Electoral Performance, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Citation
Munguakonkwa, C. N. (2021). Assessing the Effectiveness of Political Parties’ Communication Strategies in Electoral Performance A Case of Select Political Parties in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Daystar University, School of Communication. Nairobi