Election Pledges, Democratic Representation, and Voting

Election pledges are a key topic in democracies, as well as in both public and scientific debates. They constitute an integral part of the representative relationship between political parties and citizens. There is kind of a “natural expectation” that electoral promises are meant to be kept. Especially before elections, the public and media show a high interest in parties’ election pledges and their performance in fulfilling or breaking their promises.