THE election arena is no stranger to manifestos which help the political parties to market their agendas to potential voters.
Every topic presented depends on a party’s ability to communicate information in terms that potential voters can understand. The candidate acts as a means for communicating this platform to residents and potential voters in their respective competitive zones.
By this definition, a manifesto is a written statement addressed to the public regarding the views, objectives, and goals of a political party, especially in an election campaign. Thus, the manifesto can be viewed as a vehicle for the political party’s election-time “reach” with potential voters.
This written and physical document can also be understood as a political party’s “promise” to assume responsibility for the delivery of services in the future (if it wins).
Political parties contesting in every election, whether national, state, or local, now consider the drafting of a manifesto crucial and obligatory.
Political parties must also be adept at presenting their manifestos in an attractive and easy-to-read manner so that the messages they contain can be quickly understood.
The three essential components of a campaign are the candidates, the political parties they represent and their manifestos.
Manifestos are crucial for evaluating the strategies and capacity of political parties to provide services to prospective voters. Each candidate is responsible for highlighting these to the voters.
The content of a manifesto should be based on reality, not rhetoric. It is doable and achievable in the sense that it can be executed with the consolidated fund.
It must be comprehensive, encompassing all areas of social and economic political growth during a specified timeframe. Prioritise the people’s interests by highlighting their wellbeing when campaigning for each of their stated demands. This is significant because voters will select candidates who can convince them with the existing platform.
We do not want this manifesto to be nothing but a string of empty promises. The content of the manifesto should also be straightforward, with a message that can be clearly understood by all levels of society.
The effectiveness of a manifesto depends on the candidate’s intelligence and originality in communicating its message. The candidate’s use of the pronoun “we” to convey the meaning of this manifesto is significant and should be highlighted since it demonstrates collaboration and understanding within political parties and aims to win support from future voters.
The writing of a manifesto can take many months before a mutual understanding is reached. Before it is launched, a manifesto will have undergone a number of processes, including the identification and analysis of existing problems, as well as the formulation of strategic plans to ensure that its implementation is carried out in the most efficient manner possible for the benefit of all socioeconomic groups.
The parties naturally hope that the candidates will be able to convey in the most effective manner possible the content of the manifesto so that it may be understood and approved by future voters.
Candidates must be aware that manifestos focus on fighting for the rights of the people by giving priority to their demands and desires. This will ensure the victorious party is able to carry out its promises and that the country’s prosperity may be shared by everybody.
