The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) wants all candidates to adequately explain their platforms or manifestos to voters during this campaign period.
It said instead of crowd pulling, which is somehow unavoidable in politicking, it would be wise for presidential, senatorial and representative candidates as to provide enough explanations on their platforms to voters of what they have done, and will do, if elected as President, Senator or Representative.
ECOWAS Head in Liberia, Josephine Nkrumah, told state-owned broadcaster (ELBC) that candidates at every level in the ongoing canvassing for votes during these electioneering period should explain enough about their manifesto or platform adequately.
She said candidates should develop and provide enough public education about their platform or manifesto to voters, which shall stand as reference that if elected, you shall do those things in accordance with what you told the electorates.
Nkrumah noted that manifestos or platforms are important tools in campaigning for elective public offices globally, because voters want to know the candidate and what he or she has in stock for their votes, in terms of policy in their constituent, among others.
She indicated that manifestos help bring the voters and candidate closer, in terms of knowing the issues for which the candidate wants their votes and for which they should or will give their votes to the candidate of their choice during these electioneering exercises.
Before the start of the campaigning last Saturday, August 5, both local and international community have been urging candidates in the ongoing campaigning, whether presidential, senatorial, or representative to conduct themselves on “issues-based” politics, and not hate language (speech).
It is based on the above that ECOWAS is reechoing candidates to provide voters or electorates with enough or adequate explanation of their manifestos or platforms to the people during the ongoing canvassing.
But what are political party platforms and why are they important? Political party platforms are a series of declared principles and policies designed to give voters a sense of what the candidates believe in, the issues they think are important, and how if elected, they would address them.
Platforms are an important communicative tool to voters. They are a statement by which parties assert their strengths and demonstrate their principles to their base supporters, as well as to other voters.
Voters tune in to platform statements as a way to infer the policy positions of candidates and parties.
In countries with a programmatic political party system, where parties campaign on the basis of a platform, it can be beneficial for these platforms to be analyzed. It is not unusual for opposition parties to make campaign promises in opposition that they realize are untenable when they form government.
Providing all parties with the opportunity to cost their policy platforms in advance of an election can lead to better public policy.
This practice allows parties to develop clearer and more feasible platforms for the election. When these parties form government, they are also in a better position to implement more practical policies from the outset.
Meanwhile, a manifesto is a published declaration of the intentions, motives, or views of the issuer, be it an individual, group, political party, or government. A manifesto usually accepts a previously published opinion or public consensus or promotes a new idea with prescriptive notions for carrying out changes the author believes should be made.
It often is political, social or artistic in nature, sometimes revolutionary, but may present an individual’s life stance. Manifestos relating to religious belief are generally referred to as creeds or confessions of faith.
