Issues,Images,and Strategies in 2000 International Elections

In the 1st year of the second millennium, the world paid witness to presidential election campaigns in numerous countries worldwide. For the first time ever in Spain's democratic history, a center right party, the Popular Party, won the election by an absolute majority. During the presidential campaign in 2000, the People's Republic of China also celebrated a first: the first time an opposition party beat the Kuo Ming Tang, the incumbent political party. In Russia, the people voted in their second ever democratic election and proved that expenditures for political advertising were not a popular trend during this important transition period. This article will examine major trends in each of the aforementioned countries; all of these trends were noted by individuals who personally witnessed these historic elections and who are intrigued by the political communication dynamic. The goal is to better understand the distinct strategies, venues, and techniques evident in the global presidential campaigns under study.