Visual frames and persuasion strategies in debates and televised conversations of presidential candidates in the 2012 Egyptian elections

After the Egyptian revolution on the 25th of January 2011, the existence of presidential elections in the true sense became one of its most important achievements, and the presidential elections became the focus of attention of the Egyptian people and the local and international media, as it is a unique experience that Egyptians have never experienced before.
The Egyptian presidential elections were characterized by great momentum, as the competition was between a large number of candidates divided between the religious movement, the civil current, and the current that represented an extension of the rule of military figures in Egypt. Television channels appeared strongly in covering the events of presidential campaigns and in conducting dialogues with candidates, to build specific mental images for each candidate, in terms of his positions on different issues, and his personal characteristics by revealing his campaign strategies to persuade voters to vote for him. Hence, the research aims at analyzing the media discourse frames of the most prominent Egyptian presidential candidates, as well as the foundations of the persuasive strategies they adopted to reach that position.