Semiotics of Elections in Political Caricature of Online Newspaper: A Case Study of 2018 Presidential Egyptian Elections

This study argues that caricatures convey subtle messages that the written word may not be able to communicate. The gestures and signs used by the artists respond to the Egyptian culture and tradition and can get through to the Egyptian imagery. The cartoons used visual expressions of popular images and cultural symbols to effectively convey the journal’s message to readers about current events. It is also apparent that the cartoons focused mainly on the pre-voting stage, critiquing possible candidates, voter's performance and reactions. There was little said about the voting process or the final results. This may reflect the Egyptian political space and its limitations. It should be underlined the prevalence of negativity in the cartoons of Al-Tahrir. Not a single cartoon presented a positive message about the election. This is expected as the journal affiliates itself with the opposition.
The caricature is a popular art that transcends the barrier of culture to reach more people. It is related to issues that concern citizens such as poverty, unemployment, marginalization, politics and society ... etc. The caricature deals with people’s concerns through sarcasm, satire and irony. It is an art that assesses circumstances, tracks problems, and transforms them into a serious debate. There are some key ideas that appear in the Tahrir newspaper but are absent in Al-Ahram newspaper such as the need for the 25,000 signatures to run in the elections, several attempts of many people to participate in the elections and then withdrawing, the general performance of the electorate. Al-Tahrir newspaper criticized all of these situations sharply, by showing the pain of the citizen.
Al-Tahrir Newspaper did not display any positive image of the election and that is because it belongs to the opposition. Also it didn't provide caricature for the final result of the election. On the other hand, Al-Ahram Newspaper did not mention any negative thoughts about the election and only focused on the positive image with enthusiasm. It encouraged people toward political participation considering it the way to achieve democracy and a better future in favor of the nation. The readers are continually desirous of receiving knowledge from the caricature to create their own critical opinion. The cartoons focused on some traditional cultural symbols like the genie and the lamp, the devil, or representing Egypt in the form of an Egyptian farmer.