Abstract
The debate about extending the presidential term limits in Rwanda first emerged in 2015. A common public perception today, as framed in the media and official political communication narratives, endorses President Kagame with the competence to protect the country and provide order to the country’s way of life. However, critical perspectives have dismissed these narratives as the ‘rhetorical politics of persuasion’. A discourse analysis of selected texts in the New Times identifies discourse frames that are seeking to shape people’s attitudes and choices in favour of the third term. The motives that the newspaper has for excluding opposing views and allotting excessive space to the ‘politically correct’ elite are not clear, but what is evident is that the majority of Rwandans are satisfied with Kagame’s reign.
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Notes
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Rwanda is neighbour to Burundi (south) and Uganda (north-east), whose presidents, Pierre Nkurunziza and Yoweri Museveni, have overstayed in power.
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Jjuuko, M. (2018). Framing the Debate on ‘Kagame III’ in Rwanda’s Print Media. In: Mutsvairo, B., Karam, B. (eds) Perspectives on Political Communication in Africa. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62057-2_10
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62057-2_10
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