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{
    "id": 270079,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/270079/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 362,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Dr. Khalwale",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 170,
        "legal_name": "Bonny Khalwale",
        "slug": "bonny-khalwale"
    },
    "content": "Allow me to mention something on the effect of opinion polls on us, the practicing politicians. Opinion polling has a direct effect on politicians. What it does is that it ends up reducing politicians from being leaders to becoming followers. It is expected that if Dr. Kilemi Mwiria goes to Tigania with his presidential candidate, he goes there as the leader and tells the people why his candidate of choice should be the one who should be voted for. However, the effect of opinion polls on a politician like Dr. Kilemi Mwiria is that when he sees that the candidate he wants to sell to the electorate is so much of an underdog in the opinion polls, then he ceases being the leader to lead the people and show them why this man is not an underdog but then he follows the opinion polls and follows the voters saying and fearing that, maybe, he might be booed on the podium or that the unpopularity of the candidate he wants to sell will wrap on him so that he ends up losing votes. An example is this because these are very practical issues. Presidential candidate “X” has a following in Saboti Constituency and Presidential candidate “B” has a following in Saboti, but because of the opinion polls, the candidate in Saboti then decides to play it safe - hon. Wamalwa – then says: “If I support “A”, I will lose the voters of “B” and vice versa.” So, he says: “I have come before you; I want to be an hon. Member of Parliament but huko juu as far as the top is concerned, the decision is yours;” because he is afraid – thanks to public opinion polls – to be a leader. He has decided to follow the people whereas the hon. Member of Parliament knows very well who, between these two is the best candidate but because of the opinion polling effect on him, he fears to be a leader and ends up being a follower."
}