Election Analysis

The Franklin Times -

The election is over and the analysis game has begun. What did the 2008 election reveal?

1) The Power of Organization: If the 2008 election proved anything, it was that the parties who were most committed to organization and campaign spending performed better than the parties who didn't. The LLP and the FDRP ran the most organized and disciplined campaigns, explaining why they garnered almost half of all votes cast.

2) The unpopularity of the war: exit polls showed a common theme throughout the eastern states of the nation, massive disapproval of the military operations in Iraq. PM Sexton's commitment to maintaining troops in Iraq certainly cost the conservatives seats. Sexton's FCP had been surprising competitive in many urban areas in 2007, but another year of war fatigue created an environment in which the FCP heir the FDRP was unable to hold swing urban seats.

3) The rise of the Left: the three leftist parties (the LLP, LFP, and the FMP) were able to dominate in the heavily populated east erasing many swing seats held by conservative members. These three parties will constitute 58% of the new national assembly, showing strong support for the left-of-center policies.

4) The power of the FDRP: it is clear that if LLP Party Leader Gentry is able to form a leftist coalition, the FDRP will become the lead opposition party. The FDRP dominated in the western states and clearly emerges as the most powerful conservative party. Yet, the lack of other active conservative parties may have hurt the FDRP's ability to control the political debate. With three viable leftist parties, the political debate seemed to favor their views with the FDRP pushed into a voice in the wilderness.

5) The power of the Internet: those parties most active in posting to the NEC and UPA blog were more successful on election day. It is clear that many voters (especially young voters) receive political news and views through the Internet. Those parties who utilized this resource saw greater success.