Political
parties use the electoral campaign period to promote their programmes and
confront the views of other political actors. Campaigning allows citizens to
get a better understanding of the different political options and decide who to
vote for. During the campaign period, political parties use different
strategies to reach voters and seek their support. They organize political
rallies and parades and display promotional materials and media advertisements in
order to increase their profile and visibility. Media appearances are
particularly important as it is well established that media debates are
important vehicles for winning popular support.
Nevertheless,
unequal media access—especially as between women and men and between ruling and
opposition political parties— provocative messages and appearances, and
aggressive campaigning and actions can and does lead to outbreaks of election-related
violence, including gender-based violence, and in many different contexts.
