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South Pacific Independent News Network · 08-24-2020, 11:02 PM

Year 18 | 24 August 2020

REAL NEWS
PANDA SURGES IN LATEST PM POLL
Gale Weathers | News Editor

A recent TSP News/The Lampshade Post poll has shocked the region, with Panda surpassing all three establishment candidates to a comfortable 9-point lead over the closest competitor.

The poll, which was conducted right after the recent prime ministerial debate and has a ±2 margin of error, shows Panda leading with 37% of voter preferences, followed by Prarie with 28%, Islands with 20% and Qaz with 8%. These standings represent a significant shift from the last pre-debate poll, which had Prarie in the lead with 34%, Islands and Qaz with 20% and 10% respectively and Panda with 12%. In addition to pulling support from all candidates, Panda also gained most of the previously undecided voters, a group that dropped from 19% in the pre-debate poll to only 7% in the latest poll.

Renowned psephologist Jake Cobalt, whose website FiftyPlusOne rates TSP News/The Lampshade Post as an A+ pollster, says that the drastic change is most likely the result of the poor public perception of the debate. The same poll also found that 67% of the public disliked the debate, the most frequent reason being its lack of policy detail and comprehensive answers. Cobalt says that, by declining to participate, Panda avoided being associated with that dislike and may have also projected an image of professionalism that the other candidates forsook. Cobalt also says that, with undecided breaking for Panda, "it's very difficult, though not impossible, for the other candidates to keep mounting a credible challenge".

The Panda campaign agrees with Cobalt. In a recent press conference, a spokesperson for campaign has said that "Councillor Panda declined to participate in the debate because he is too busy couping the reg...I mean, doing the people's work, and the people have noticed that". Panda supporters, all wearing black and white hats, have been holding an impromptu rally at the historic LadyRebels Square, holding up signs in support of their candidate and decrying the other candidates, whom they call the "Establishment Troika". Other campaigns do not seem bothered by the poll; the Prarie campaign released a statement today saying that "Deputy Chair Prarie is focused on making his case to the region and is confident that the people will see who the truly qualified candidate is".

The next post-debate survey, from Glentown University, is expected to be published tomorrow.

The South Pacific Independent News Network (SPINN) is an independent news organisation established in 2003 with the goal of providing good, insightful and timely commentary on regional events for the citizens of the South Pacific. This publication is satirical and does not necessarily reflect the facts or the views of the Editorial Board. Content is published via pseudonyms. The SPINN is not associated with the Government of the South Pacific.