Electoral success chances boosted by experience rather than spending

The budget spent by politicians during a local election campaign only affects their chances to a limited extent, whereas their record as a politician and their place on the electoral list are much more important, Metro reports. Hanne Muermans, a student in applied economics at Hasselt University, studied the link between the budget politicians spent during their campaign and the number of preference votes they ultimately achieved. “Electoral expenditure turns out to only have a 10% influence on the result,” said Muermans. “However, if when a candidate was already holding a political mandate – either at local, provincial or federal level – their chances of electoral rose by for 18% percent ". The place occupied by a candidate on his party’s electoral  list is the second-most defining factor. Candidates who are either top (‘list-pullers’) or bottom (‘list-pushers’)  see their chances of success improve by 16%. Personal characteristics have no influence whatsoever, it turns out. "The age and gender of a candidate have no influence on the final outcome,” says Muermans.