Abstract:
This study aims to explain a critical discourse analysis (CDA) and critically reveal the 2021 Ethiopian National
Election Campaign through an empirical Selected Debate in Focus. The study of language usage and how
language is seen in discourse analysis are both related to CDA. Here, it is suggested that critical a type of
discourse analysis useful tool for comprehending an increasingly complicated political situation and linguistic
usage in a debating setting in the context of election campaigns. The speaker of the debtor's main discursive
tactic, according to a critical analysis of the data. The ideas of the three political parties can also be referred to
as opposing discourses. As a result, it offers a thorough overview of the key tenets and theoretical underpinnings
of critical discourse analysis, Fairclough’s three-dimensional model, and Formal features: Experiential,
Relational, and Expressive Values. This research uses the theory analysis of critical discourse from Fairclough.
This study uses qualitative methods and employs the case study research technique in terms of design to
describe and analyze data. Stages of data collection include downloading the video of the debate and watching,
listening, transcribing and next reading it into a text. Finally, finding the data and codding the speech into
clauses and sentences and categorizing it. This analysis stage identifies, classifies, analyzes, and makes
conclusions. The study’s issue focused on a political party’s campaign, entitled: ‘‘The Rule of Law and
Development of a democratic system’’ on 21st May 2021 provides a step-by-step account of the processes
involved in conducting critical discourse analysis. The study claims that political parties' discourses could
convey covert perspectives through word choice. Positive portrayals of party members, and negative portrayals
of the opposition parties. The opposition to political parties is antagonistic and bitter towards the current
administration, although they appreciate and support their members and followers. Positive representations of
in-groups and negative representations of out-groups are shared by all three political party members.
Keywords: CDA, Political Parties, Election Campaign Debate, Political Utterance, and Ideology