Legitimation strategies in the Greek paradigm: A comparative analysis of Syriza and New Democracy

This article examines the legitimising discourse of two political parties, New Democracy and Syriza, in their political advertisements filmed for the Greek legislative election in September 2015. It also aspires to suggest a way for multimodal research to stave off the criticism about impressionistic analyses it faces via implementing triangulation. The findings suggest that Syriza exploited the modes of gaze and voice, deployed an emotional discourse and linked the election with the antecedent election and referendum that occurred earlier in 2015. As for ND, its legitimation depended on instrumental rationalisation and nationhood signs to a considerable extent. Finally, triangulation offered converging and complementary findings supporting previous studies that advocate its potential for the provision of valid and reliable findings.