Attributes of a winning candidate
By Christopher Mapani
A CANDIDATE is indispensable to winning an election. In this article, I examine the place and essential attributes of a candidate in an election campaign.
Everyone is now a politician but with a shorter lifespan
Gone are the days of carreer politicians like late Daniel Munkombwe. 1991 marked the turning point with the emergence of the Movement for Multiparty Democracy. Teachers, trade unionists, police officers, soldiers, civil servants, student leaders and pastors metamorphosed into politicians. Consequently, everyone is now potentially a politician.
Competition for political office has thus become fierce, thereby shortening the lifespan of politicians. You need not look further that how political figures have changed since 1991. Yesterday’s big heaters are barely recognisable today.
Types of candidates, image and persona
Political campaigns are essentially promotional activities in which the candidate is the product. A candidate will either be an insider or outsider and will represent change or continuity. You must be clear which candidate you are. Being a continuity candidate is often daunting as voters are likely itching for change.
Like product marketing where the most popular product may not necessarily be the best, a winning candidate is not necessarily the most suited. It comes down to how the candidate packages and positions himself – the image he/she creates. Everything a candidate says and does is filtered through this image.
Cultivate your own turf. Levy Mwanawasa, for example, positioned himself as the corruption crusader, Anderson Mazoka the man to develop Zambia while Michael Sata was the poor people’s voice. Further, a candidate ought to be seen as the embodiment of the views and aspirations of the electorate.
A candidate’s persona and ability to bond with voters and attract broad appeal is equally critical. Thus, minor things like a firm handshake, looking people in the eye and being respectful, can make a difference. Importantly also, a political opponent should be distinguished from an enemy. Few make this distinction. Failure to do so can be devastating to a candidate’s persona and ultimately the campaign.
Be consistent and resilient, flip-flopping is disastrous
A candidate should exude confidence, have a firm grasp of the issues and have the courage to defend his beliefs. One lacking in conviction will likely flip-flop. Flip flopping has been the political graveyard of most promising candidates. John Kerry, George W. Bush’s challenger for the US Presidency, could not shake off the tag of a flip flopper having kept contradicting himself on whether he voted for or against the Iraq war.
Changing positions and u-turning is bound to portray you as weak and unreliable. If you must change positions, do so smartly. Politicians have been known to change positions without the electorate noticing.
Otherwise, the electorate ought to know where you stand, at least on the issues defining the campaign. What is important will be determined by the issues underlining the election. A candidate equally needs inner strength and character – capable of taking a punch and rising up. To borrow from former US President George W. Bush, a candidate should have gravitas. You should master how to rise from defeat.
Define and know how to sell yourself and deal with attacks
To be successful, one should know how to talk about oneself. The challenge is often in striking the balance – avoiding being seen as blowing your own trumpet but wanting people to know who you are and capable of. While others may speak for you, you are your chief salesman.
The worst mistake a candidate can make is to let the opponent define him. But don’t underestimate any opponent, no attack should be left unattended. However, responses should be proportional to the perceived strength of the opponent. Further, you should be skilled at playing both offence and defense but priorities offence.
But know how to attack. Avoid ‘shooting blanks’, be a ‘bomb thrower’ or ‘human grenade’. By this we don’t mean being derogatory, however. If anything, the most effective attacks are those devoid of insults. You should nonetheless respond in such a way that opponents think twice before attacking.
That said, you should respond rather than react. A reaction relies on simple hair trigger emotions while a response is measured. If mishandled, attacks can reduce the strategy to shreds and end a campaign. Hence the need to have a way of disarming opponents. For example, former South African President Jacob Zuma could disarm opponents by laughing at himself.
Be exposed, inspiring and develop the ability to remain calm under pressure
Master emotions. Anger, for example, can kill an election campaign. Successful politicians know how to deal with challenging situations. For instance, Abraham Lincoln had the reputation for remaining unfailingly calm, clear-headed and concise no matter the situation. This was a man who faced the prospect of the US disintegrating.
In this era, a candidate equally needs broad basic understanding of issues. However, everything will amount to nothing if a candidate is not inspiring. How a candidate treats people is equally critical. You should be relatable, it’s the more reason candidates kiss babies.
Create a persona of electability
While modern voters may be more attuned to candidates with a youthful appearance, it doesn’t necessarily mean being younger in age. Benny Sanders, Hillary Clinton’s challenger for the Democratic Party nomination for US President, was able to appeal to the youth despite being older than Hilary and being a well-known ‘socialist’ in a predominantly capitalist society.
But you should be trustworthy, hence credible. Hillary Clinton, for example, struggled with trustworthiness as voters felt she was hiding something. Credibility in-turn raises the question of electability. More crucially, are you electable over your opponents? Thus, avoid the impression that you are saying things merely to win votes.
Also learn to read people and situations. Your speech and actions should align with the electorate. In particular, politicians like Donald Trump or late Michael Sata can detect anger and disappointment and exploit it.
Being determined, the question of age and inexperience and visioning
Brigadier General Godfrey Miyanda and Elias Chipimo are undoubtedly among the smartest politicians of their generation but remained on the fringes largely for not being ‘hungry’ enough. General Miyanda would go into hibernation after an election. I bet he was much more ‘presidential’ than Michael Sata but lacked Sata’s single-mindedness to become president.
Sometimes inexperience is exploited to discredit a candidate. Whereas some managerial and leadership experience has value, one need not necessarily be ‘experienced’. Moreover, not all experience is good. Tony Blair, who had never held a ministerial position, became British Prime Minister and, save for the decision to go to war with Iraq, was a fairly successful prime minister who went on to win three terms. Narendra Modi of India was not even a Member of Parliament. It all comes down to how you make the case for election.
Finally, voters want a visionary.
Conclusion
Political campaigns are essentially a game with winners and lose. Those with the right players and strategy are bound to emerge victorious. In due course, God willing, we will examine other aspects of election campaigns.
The author is a lawyer and a citizen who wants the nest for our country.
For comments and feedback: chris.mapani@gmail .com
