Communication politique et séduction à travers la Déclaration de politique générale du Premier ministre Idrissa Seck à l'Assemblée nationale le 03 février 2003

2.2.2 Process of legitimation

This exceptional mediatization allows, not only to hold in breath the televiewers, but goes beyond, in what it highlights, in its format, as much as in its content, a process of legitimation of the future speaker. This process of legitimation is pressed on mechanisms of polishing of the public image of the Prime Minister, and mechanisms of conditioning of the audience.

2.2.2.1 Mechanisms of polishing

The polishing of the image of the Prime Minister, via television, can be analyzed by means of the concept of effect of framing. The effect of framing presents, according to Gerstlé,  two aspects :

On the one hand, the media construction of information contributes to its public configuration (...) In addition, media construction directs the public charge, the causal attribution of the problem. (Gerstlé 1999 : 24)

Thus, the media bludgeoning whose Declaration of policy was the object, sets it up, not only with the row of event, but the intensity of which it profited, of the weeks before its beginning, hides the concern badly, for the media in general, those of the public utility in particular, to make of it a source of stakes which is explained with difficulty. Indeed, the conditions of its vulgarizing hardly missed. It was D `access the third Declaration of general policy of a Prime Minister in less than three years.^35(*) Then, the configuration of the French National Assembly, strongly dominated by the coalition of origin of the Prime Minister, did not leave any doubt about the approval of its « roadmap ».

The only innovation, it was that which was going to make the statement, namely Idrissa Seck itself. In the fact testifies that no Declaration of front general policy, and even after his, received such a treatment on behalf of the media.

Moreover, it is to be stressed that the reports in connection with the event are more centered on the person of the Prime Minister that on the two institutions (the Executive and the Legislature) to which the event is indebted. Indeed, the special page of before event is in majority devoted to Mr Idrissa Seck intui personæ. It is thus of the sequence relating to its childhood, its course school of more « brilliances », of testimonys of those which knew it before etc

In short, we can retain, firstly, that the effect of framing confers on the Declaration of general policy a stake objectively little justified, and that it tries to justify, by presenting it like such at the eyes of the public opinion. Secondly, the effect of framing directs « the public charge », it « causal attribution » of this stake on the person of Idrissa Seck. The general impression which emerges, it is the primacy of the actor on the action ; the preeminence of the agent of the ritual on the ritual itself. All things which are confirmed within sight of the process of legitimation from which the Prime Minister throughout the special emission profited.

* ³⁵ There was the Declaration of general policy of Moustapha Niasse in 2000 and that of Mame Madior Boye in 2001.