ABSTRACT
This chapter begins by reviewing the results of public opinion polls between the 1993 and 1996 elections. First, it analyses candidate votes, asking what candidate characteristics systematically attracted or repelled voters. Next, the chapter analyses electoral returns by district, asking what types of districts were favourable to particular parties and what kinds of elections produced higher or lower turnout. It summarises the statistical findings and offer an interpretation of 1996 election. Who won the 1996 election? The most important answer to this question is those candidates who got the nomination in the district where they were strongest, who were best able to construct co-operative relationships with candidates who had just retired from their district, and who had plenty of money to spend. Most of the action in 1996 was at the level of candidates.
