A Dramatistic Analysis of Rhetorical Strategies of Albania Election 2009

This paper examines the communication strategies during the 2009 Albanian Parliamentary election, revealing influences in the direction the country takes; and differences of rhetorical choices between the two coalitions’ leaders. Twenty-four speeches analyzed were held during the campaign, by the leaders themselves, in twelve districts of the country, the first section of the paper is a description of the situation necessary to understand their rhetoric, the perceived character of the leaders, and the issues discussed. After a summary of the transition rhetoric, the situation in the country, the region, and the European Union issues conclude the first section of the study. The second section is the methodology and the findings of the analysis of the artifact, consisting of five main themes generated from the analysis of the speeches. The analysis of the themes is based on the crossing of Burke’s Dramatism as “philosophy of language” with Weaver’s concepts of rhetoric, culture, and ultimate terms. The third section is the pentad analyses of both leaders Berisha and Rama, which will be employed to discover the rhetoric's motives and Weaver’s ultimate terms as an expression of the ultimate values and worldview of the rhetoric. The effect of their rhetorical choices and the differences between these choices will be discussed in the fourth section, followed by conclusions, limitations of this study, and suggestions for future research. The rhetoric of 2009 parliamentary election in Albania proved that rhetoric marks the beginning and/or the end of an era. Economic and social changes alone are not enough to mark that transition.