View source for Election promise

{{Short description|Promise or guarantee made by a candidate}}
{{Globalize|article|USA|2name=the United States|date=December 2013}}

{{Political campaigning}}

An '''election promise''' or '''campaign promise''' is a [[promise]] or guarantee made to the public by a [[candidate]] or [[political party]] that is trying to win an [[election]].

Across the Western world, political parties aren't highly likely to fulfill their election promises.<ref name="Thomson 527–542">{{Cite journal|last1=Thomson|first1=Robert|last2=Royed|first2=Terry|last3=Naurin|first3=Elin|last4=Artés|first4=Joaquín|last5=Costello|first5=Rory|last6=Ennser-Jedenastik|first6=Laurenz|last7=Ferguson|first7=Mark|last8=Kostadinova|first8=Petia|last9=Moury|first9=Catherine|date=2017-07-01|title=The Fulfillment of Parties' Election Pledges: A Comparative Study on the Impact of Power Sharing|journal=American Journal of Political Science|language=en|volume=61|issue=3|pages=527–542|doi=10.1111/ajps.12313|issn=1540-5907|url=https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/59403/1/Thomson_etal_AJPS_2016_The_fulfillment_of_parties_election_pledges.pdf|doi-access=free}}</ref> In the United States, platform positions offer important clues as to the policies that U.S. parties will enact. Over the past 30 years, Democratic and Republican [[Member of Congress|congresspeople]] voted in line with their respective party platforms 74% and 89% of the time, respectively.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web|url=https://www.vox.com/2016/7/12/12060358/political-science-of-platforms|title=We asked 8 political scientists if party platforms matter. Here's what we learned.|last=Stein|first=Jeff|date=2016-07-12|website=Vox|access-date=2016-07-19}}</ref>

== Fulfilling promises ==

A 2017 study in the ''American Journal of Political Science'' found that for 12 countries (Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States) found that political parties fulfill their promises to voters to a considerable extent:<ref name="Thomson 527–542"/>
<blockquote>Parties that hold executive office after elections generally fulfill substantial percentages, sometimes very high percentages, of their election pledges, whereas parties that do not hold executive office generally find that lower percentages of their pledges are fulfilled. The fulfillment of pledges by governing executive parties varies across governments in ways that reflect power-sharing arrangements. The main power-sharing arrangement that impacts pledge fulfillment distinguishes between single-party governments and coalitions, not between governments with and without legislative majorities. We found the highest percentages of pledge fulfillment for governing parties in the United Kingdom, Sweden, Portugal, Spain, and Canada, most of which governed in single-party executives. We found lower percentages for governing parties in Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Bulgaria, Ireland, and Italy, most of which governed in coalitions. Pledge fulfillment by U.S. presidential parties lies at the higher end of coalition governments, which suggests that U.S. presidents are more constrained than governing parties in single-party parliamentary systems, but less constrained than most governing parties in multiparty coalitions.{{long quote|date=April 2025}}</blockquote>Other research on the United States suggests that Democratic and Republican [[Member of Congress|congresspeople]] voted in line with their respective party platforms 74% and 89% of the time, respectively.<ref name=":02"/>

=== Examples of broken promises ===
{{more citations needed section|date=July 2015}}
*The [[Liberal Party (UK)|British Liberal Party]]'s pledge to cut army spending, before embarking on the [[HMS Dreadnought (1906)|Dreadnought]] [[arms race]] with [[Germany]].
*The [[British Labour Party]]'s 1945 pledge to set up a new ministry of housing.
*[[Australia]]n Prime Minister [[Bob Hawke]], in 1987, said that "by 1990 no Australian child will be living in poverty"
*[[George H. W. Bush]] promised not to raise taxes while president during his [[1988 United States presidential election|1988 campaign]]. This was best remembered in a speech at the Republican National Convention when he said "Congress will push and push...and I'll say [[Read my lips: no new taxes]]".<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=sOkxAAAAIBAJ&sjid=PuUFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1182%2C1989963 How Headline Writers Read Bush's Lips], Reading Eagle, July 5, 1990, p.9.</ref> After a recession began during his term and the deficit widened, Bush agreed to proposals to increase taxes. Although not the only broken promise concerning taxes, it was by far the most famous.
*In 1994, upon entering [[Politics of Italy|Italian politics]], media tycoon [[Silvio Berlusconi]] promised that he would sell his assets in [[Fininvest]] (later [[Mediaset]]), because of the [[conflict of interest]] it would have generated, a promise he repeated a number of times in later years, but after 12 years and having served three terms as [[Prime Minister of Italy|prime minister]], he still retained ownership of his company that controls virtually all the Italian private TV stations and a large number of magazines and publishing houses, which have extensively been used in favour of his political party.
*[[Australia]]n Prime Minister [[John Howard]] in 1995 that the [[Goods and Services Tax (Australia)|GST]] would "never ever"<ref>[http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/columnists/howards-a-lesson-for-second-coming/story-e6frg7ex-1111117342505 John Howard's a lesson for second coming], The Australian, August 30, 2008.</ref> be part of [[Liberal Party of Australia|Liberal]] policy (the tax package was not implemented that term but was put to the Australian people at the next election in 1998 that re-elected Howard)
*During the [[2000 United States presidential election|2000 U.S. Presidential election]] campaign, [[George W. Bush]] said, "If we don't stop extending our troops all around the world in nation-building missions, then we're going to have a serious problem coming down the road. And I'm going to prevent that."<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/01/09/60minutes/main592330.shtml| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040113035155/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/01/09/60minutes/main592330.shtml| url-status=dead| archive-date=January 13, 2004| author=Rebecca Leung| title=Bush Sought 'Way' To Invade Iraq?, O'Neill Tells '60 Minutes' Iraq Was 'Topic A' 8 Months Before 9-11| work=CBS News| date=January 9, 2004}}</ref>
*In Ireland, [[Fianna Fáil]]'s 2002 election promise to "permanently end all hospital waiting lists" by 2004 and to "create a world class health service" through reform and expanding healthcare coverage with "200,000 extra medical cards".<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.oocities.org/socialistparty/paperarticles/Nov02-AntiCuts.htm| title = Campaign against McCreevy's Cuts}} </ref>
*When asked about the issue of [[carbon tax]]ation, [[Prime Minister of Australia|Prime Minister]] [[Julia Gillard]] responded by saying "There will be no carbon tax under the government I lead. What we will do is we will tackle the challenge of climate change."<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EyW7oFk6n8 | title=Julia Gillard did not lie about Carbon Tax (There is No Carbon Tax in Australia) | website=[[YouTube]] }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.heraldsun.com.au/blogs/andrew-bolt/sunday-age-publishes-fake-quote-excusing-gillards-lie/news-story/cc988acbbeeece092e62750aff2d14bb|title = Sunday Age publishes fake quote excusing Gillard's lie|date = 30 June 2013}}</ref> In February 2011, Gillard then announced a [[carbon price|carbon pricing]] mechanism in order to secure a minority government. This has been construed by some as being a broken promise, with debate centering on whether or not a fixed price leading into a trading scheme can be called a 'tax'.
*Before the [[2011 Irish general election]], the then Labour Party leader [[Eamon Gilmore]] infamously said "[[Frankfurt's Way or Labour's Way]]" in reference to the EU/IMF deal. After being elected to power the party went on to accept the deal.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.independent.ie/opinion/columnists/fionnan-sheahan/fionnan-sheahan-looks-like-its-going-to-be-frankfurts-way-after-all-26718653.html|title=Fionnán Sheahan|date=April 2011 }}</ref>
*Former U.S. President [[Barack Obama]] vowed repeatedly during the 2008 election to close the [[Guantanamo Bay detention camp]] in Cuba, but the prison remained open the entirety of his Presidency and remains so {{as of|2023|August|lc=y}}.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/23/politics/guantanamo-bay-obama-prison-closure-plan/| author=Kevin Liptak| title=Obama gives Congress Guantanamo closure plan| publisher=CNN| date=February 23, 2016}}</ref>
*In the [[2010 United Kingdom general election|2010 election]] to the U.K. House of Commons, the [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrat Party]] candidates took a pledge to oppose any increase in [[Tuition fees in the United Kingdom|university tuition fees]] and campaign for their abolition. After forming a [[Cameron–Clegg coalition|coalition government]] with the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Tories]], 21 of 57 Liberal Democrat MPs voted to increase the fees.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2010-12-09 |title=Tuition fees: How Liberal Democrat MPs voted |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11964669 |access-date=2025-01-25 |work=[[BBC News]] |language=en-GB}}</ref>
*During the [[2015 Canadian federal election|Canadian federal election in 2015]], [[Justin Trudeau]] promised to replace the [[First-past-the-post voting|first-past-the-post]] electoral system before the next federal election. He later rescinded this promise.
*[[President of the United States|President]] [[Donald Trump]], as a candidate in the [[2016 United States presidential election|2016 presidential election]], promised that he would [[Imprisonment|imprison]] [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] nominee [[Hillary Clinton]] over her [[Hillary Clinton email controversy|email controversy]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/09/politics/eric-holder-nixon-trump-presidential-debate/index.html|title=Trump threatens to jail Clinton if he wins election|author=Gregory Krieg|website=CNN|date=10 October 2016|access-date=2017-04-23}}</ref> most notably during the [[2016 Republican National Convention]] and the [[United States presidential debates, 2016|second presidential debate]]. After becoming [[President-elect of the United States|President-elect]], Trump announced he would not actually charge Clinton with any wrongdoing.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38069585|title=Trump team won't pursue charges against Hillary Clinton|date=2016-11-22|work=BBC News|access-date=2017-04-23|language=en-GB}}</ref> The Trump Administration did not take any action against Clinton.
*In the [[2019 United Kingdom general election|2019 general election]] in the United Kingdom the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]], led by [[Boris Johnson]], pledged in their manifesto to not raise the rate of income tax, [[VAT]] or [[National Insurance]]. In September 2021, Johnson announced that National Insurance would be increased by 1.25 percentage points from April 2022 to raise money for the [[National Health Service]] and social care.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.itv.com/news/2021-09-05/social-care-funding-talks-ongoing-as-tory-grandees-blast-national-insurance-hike|title='Absolutely nobody' will challenge National Insurance hike to pay for social care, says minister|author=ITV|website=ITV News|date=6 September 2021|access-date=17 September 2021}}</ref>
*In the [[2023 Turkish general election|2023 parliamentary and presidential elections]] in Turkey the [[Justice and Development Party (Turkey)|Justice and Development Party]], led by [[Recep Tayyip Erdoğan]], pledged in their manifesto to provide tax exemption for the acquisition of mobile phones and computers for youth in higher education for once without giving details of whether it will apply to imported or domestic products. In August 2023, [[67th cabinet of Turkey|Erdoğan's cabinet]] announced that tax exemption for the acquisition of mobile phones and computers for youth would only encompass products produced or assembled in Turkey and have a price cap.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.chip.com.tr/haber/ogrenciye-vergisiz-telefon-plani-ilk-detaylar-belli-oldu_159152.html|title=Öğrenciye vergisiz telefon planı: İlk detaylar belli oldu|author=CHIP|website=CHIP Online|date=29 August 2023|access-date=1 September 2023}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Consent of the governed]]
* [[Mandate (politics)]]
* [[Manifesto]]
* [[Read my lips: no new taxes]]
* [[Social contract]]

==Notes==
# {{note|plan}} {{cite book|author=Parmet, Herbert S.|title=The Devil We Knew: Americans and the Cold War|publisher=Little Brown & Co|date=December 1989|isbn=978-0-19-509377-3|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/devilweknew00hwbr}} p.&nbsp;116 "Nixon didn't invent the phrase, which originated with a reporter looking for a lead to a story summarizing the Republican candidate's (hazy) promise to end the war without losing. But neither did he disavow the term, and it soon became a part of the campaign. When pressed for details, Nixon retreated to the not indefensible position that to tip his hand would interfere with the negotiations that had begun in Paris."; {{cite book|author=Parmet, Herbert S.|title=Richard Nixon and His America|publisher=Little Brown & Co|date=December 1989|isbn=978-0-316-69232-8|url=https://archive.org/details/richardnixonhisa00parm_0}} Stated evidence suggests that Nixon never used the term, and that it actually came from a question by a voter at a New Hampshire campaign stop.
# {{note|easy}}{{cite news|title=Nixon: Vietnam Shows Need for 'New Diplomacy'|date=March 20, 1968|publisher=Cedar Rapids Gazette (Iowa)|page=62}}
# {{note|magic}}{{cite news|title=Nixon Plans to Unfold Peace Plan When He Campaigns Against LBJ|author=Morin, Relman|date=March 14, 1968|publisher=Press Telegram (Long Beach, Cal.)|page=10}}
# {{note|RN}} {{cite book |author=Nixon, Richard |title=RN: The Memoirs of Richard Nixon|year=1978|publisher=Grosset & Dunlap |isbn=9780448143743|url=https://archive.org/details/rnmemoirsofricha00nixo |url-access=registration }} p.&nbsp;298
# {{note|admit}} {{cite book |author=Coleman, Fred |title=The Decline and Fall of Soviet Empire : Forty Years That Shook The World, From Stalin to Yeltsin |publisher=St. Martin's Griffin|year=1997|isbn=978-0-312-16816-2}} p.&nbsp;203
# {{note|gimmick}} {{cite journal |author=Anderson, Terry |title=Review of Johnson, Nixon, and the Doves |journal=The American Historical Review |year=1990|volume=95|issue=3|pages=944–945|doi=10.2307/2164514 |last2=Small |first2=Melvin |jstor= 2164514}}
# {{note|174}} {{cite book |author=Small, Melvin |title=Johnson, Nixon, and the Doves|publisher=Rutgers University Press |date=April 1988|isbn=978-0-8135-1288-4}} p.&nbsp;174; {{cite book|author=Zaroulis, Nancy and Gerald Sullivan|title=Who Spoke Up? American Protest Against the War in Vietnam, 1963-1975|publisher=Doubleday|year=1984|isbn=978-0-03-005603-1|url=https://archive.org/details/whospokeupameric00zaro}} p.&nbsp;217
# {{note|162}} Small p.&nbsp;162
# {{note|179}} Small p.&nbsp;179
# {{note|hand}} {{cite journal |author=Strauss, Robert S.|title=What's Right with U. S. Campaigns|journal=Foreign Policy |date=Summer 1984|volume=55|issue= 55|pages=3–22 |doi=10.2307/1148378|jstor=1148378}}
# {{note|1900}} See [[1900 U.S. presidential election#Misleading Philippine War claims by the Republicans|U.S. presidential election, 1900 Misleading Philippine War claims by the Republicans]]
# {{note|166}} Small, p.&nbsp;166; {{cite book |author=Riegle, Don|title=O Congress|publisher=Doubleday|year=1972}} p.&nbsp;20; {{cite book |author=Kalb, Marvin and Bernard |title=Kissinger|publisher=Hutchison|year=1974}} p.&nbsp;120; {{cite book |author=Hersh, Seymour M.  |title=The Price of Power: Kissinger in the Nixon White House|url=https://archive.org/details/priceofpower00hers  |url-access=registration  |publisher=Summit Books|year=1983 |isbn=978-0-671-44760-1}} p.&nbsp;119
# {{note|abc}} {{cite web |author=Solomon, Norman |title=A New Phase of Bright Spinning Lies About Iraq |publisher=Common Dreams |date=December 22, 2005 |url=http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1222-37.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051224060149/http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1222-37.htm |archive-date=December 24, 2005 }}
# [https://www.storifynews.com/the-most-controversial-political-campaigns-in-world-history/ The Most Controversial Political Campaigns in World History]

==References==

<references />

{{Media manipulation}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Election Promise}}
[[Category:Election campaign terminology]]