An Analysis of the Manipulative Technologies of the Presidential Election Campaign in Ukraine in 2019

The article analyses the specifics of the presidential election campaign in Ukraine in 2019, with an emphasis on the use of manipulative PR technologies. The research was based on sociological reports, news clips, journalist investigations, YouTube videos, billboards, and interviews. The authors used the institutional method when they focused on the activities of political institutions. The real nature of man, their individual qualities, character traits, typical mechanisms of psychological motivation formed the basis for the application of a psychological approach. The historical approach allowed establishing the features of the electoral presidential campaign of 2019 in comparison with previous similar campaigns. The sociological method allowed revealing the dependence of current politics on society. A comparative approach assumed an examination of various ways of implementing the existing political technologies and psycho-manipulations. The authors' concept is based on the idea that the first sign of the formation of a civil society is the separation of state and civil spheres of society. Then the apparatus of state power and the civil society interact through modern democratic mechanisms (elections, referendums, rallies, petitions). The factual analysis proves the use of administrative resources in the election campaign. The examples confirming this fact are given. However, the authors come to the conclusion that the traditional matrix of administrative resources' application failed in Ukraine. The article points out the role of the so-called technical candidates, of scandalous journalist investigations, of media and communications (television, social networks, YouTube video hosting) in the election campaign. The study thoroughly analyses the problem of using such psycho-manipulative techniques as emotional impact, voters' intimidation, their direct bribing, the use of neuro-linguistic programming. The authors prove the fact of using labeling and manipulating the results of opinion polls. The Ukrainian experience of using stylistic tools for creating billboards, the so-called Aesop's language, is considered. The authors conclude that the issues of history, language, relations with Russia, the war in the Donbass, as well as candidates' philosophical position, sexual orientation, alcohol and drug addiction were used in manipulating the voters' consciousness. According to the authors, voters had the opportunity to display political initiative, and the ruling elite was limited in its ability to determine the vector of social development and implement the chosen policy. It is concluded that the presidential power in Ukraine becomes controlled by the voters, and the gap between the government and society that is typical to the Ukrainian political system is overcome. All this testifies to the formation of a civil society and the separation of state and civil spheres.

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