Abstract

This study applies the Functional Theory of Political Campaign Discourse (Benoit 2014) to the final televised debates for presidential elections in Romania, in November 2014, December 2009 and December 2004, in a comparative manner. Using a functional analysis, this study examines the relationship among between the three discursive functions of televised debates, acclamations, attacks and defenses, and the two topics, policy and character. Our research confirms the results obtained in previous studies (Drăgan 2015, 2016) and could suggest a political communication culture focused more on attack rather than on defense strategy. We explain that the functional analysis of political discourse can be regarded as an instrument that helps us diagnose the discursive behaviour of social actors during televised debates, the civilisation of dialogue in the local political life. From this standpoint, this study is a plea for the reconfiguration of dialogue in dialogic interactions in the Romanian public space, for the construction of an authentic dialogue, where normality and the deliberative aspect should be considered discursive rules. Finally, this study addresses cultural limitations of this theory and directions for future research.