Economic Voting Theory in the Philippines

The study examined how the performance of the politicians influences the voters’ decisions in the elections. The researchers modified Reed’s (1994) performance-based voting model to evaluate the performance of the politicians during their term in office. Since the model is a repeated election framework, the researchers focused on the senatorial elections during the Arroyo to Duterte administration (2004-2019) in the Philippines. The framework was used to determine whether the prospective or retrospective voting theories occurred in the elections and was able to compute for the value of the office of the politicians and evaluate their performance in office. The study showed that the retrospective voting theory occurred more than the prospective voting theory. It also showed that the citizens would vote for the senator regardless of their performance in office.

Public support for Liberia's Weah may ebb further

Significance Fallah was accused of issuing negative test certificates to well-connected individuals to enable them to travel abroad. The scandal is just the latest that has blighted President George Weah’s presidency and comes ahead of senatorial elections and a constitutional referendum set for December. Impacts There is a growing risk of election-related violence in the run-up to the polls. A reset of Weah’s presidential 'clock' via constitutional amendment would cause notable domestic and international disquiet. Endemic public-sector corruption will continue to act as a drag on growth.

Making Fun of Elections

This chapter analyses the third characteristic of Roman political culture, the tension between solemnity and self-conscious reflexivity. It does so on the basis of two letters of Pliny the Younger about jokes that were made during senatorial elections. From his letters it emerges that campaigns for office continued to matter immensely for senators, despite the fact that the balance of power had shifted with the advent of single rule. During the elections the emperor was inserted at the top of the existing hierarchical elite network, rather than that his power was presented as external and inimical to that of the senate. It positioned the emperor in a role of guardian and protector of senatorial values, but at the same time left the senate’s functioning intact. The meaning of the elections should be primarily sought in their social function: they offered the elite a stage for the reaffirmation of their position, both individually vis-à-vis their peers, and collectively to the rest of the populace. Campaigns were a competition about reputation, but this competition would involve a wider group than the candidates alone: it was as much about the position of their high-ranking supporters. In the process, all participants lost much of what constituted their personal characteristics. Given the emphasis on reputation and stability, senators increasingly positioned themselves primarily as senators, rather than as individuals. The corollary was that self-reflective humour should find no place within the curia.

Examining Citizens’ Impressions of Negativity During U.S. Senate Campaigns

Chapter 6 presents the results of a national survey experiment conducted during the 2014 senatorial elections that validates central elements of the tolerance and tactics theory of negativity. First, people with low levels of tolerance for negativity are more likely to see incivility in negative messages and view negative messages as less usefulcompared to citizens who tolerate negative campaigning more easily. Second, the importance of tolerance for negativity holds up, even when controlling for important political predispositions, such as party attachment and attitudes about the issues. These findings demonstrate that tolerance for negativity is different from people’s partisan and policy profile. Third, the importance of tolerance for negativity is critical during the throes of the campaign as well as after the campaign has ended and all votes are tallied. These results indicate that tolerance for negativity is not a transient phenomenon active only during electoral campaigns.

The Impact of Incumbent Scandals on Senate Elections, 1972–2016

In recent decades, a growing body of literature focused on the effects of scandals on congressional elections. The studies concluded that scandals decrease candidates’ vote totals, and that certain types of scandals have a more deleterious effect than others. Virtually all of these studies focus on House elections. The obvious differences between the two chambers calls into question the applicability of these findings for Senate elections. This study examines the impact that incumbent scandals had on senatorial elections from 1972 to 2016. Scandals are categorized based on the nature of the transgression in order to determine if the type of scandal made a difference. The results reveal that senators seeking reelection while confronting a scandal suffered a 4% decrease in the popular vote. Scandals involving political misdeeds, financial improprieties, and controversial statements hurt incumbents the most. Scandals also attracted challengers who spent more money against the incumbents.

Nigerian ruling party will feel strain from Buhari bid

Subject Buhari re-election bid Significance Ending several months of speculation, President Muhammadu Buhari announced last week that he intends to contest for a second term in the presidential elections scheduled for early 2019. The 75-year-old leader’s announcement came amid growing internal divisions within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) party, between those in support of the party chairperson, John Odigie Oyegun, and those backing the APC’s ‘National Leader’, Bola Tinubu. Separately, the government and the Senate (upper house) are in dispute over a proposed change to the electoral timetable that would see the presidential contest take place last, potentially undermining Buhari's ability to influence gubernatorial and senatorial elections. Impacts The electoral timetable dispute is likely to lead to subsequent legal challenges. The main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) will try to expose APC divides and negotiate with component parts of its coalition. Public concern will grow over the independence of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of next year's polls.