Political parties in India have taken the freebie route often to woo voters. Their gifts and poll promises have ranged from laptops,TVs and grinders to gold thalis and free food grain. Freebies in election manifestoes cant be part of a free and fair poll process,the Supreme Court recently said,directing the Election Commission to frame guidelines on them. As the EC looks at examples of other countries,it may be interested in these: UNITED KINGDOM In January 2013,Prime Minister David Cameron announced that the Conservative manifesto for the next election will have a promise to hold a referendum on European Union membership FRANCE President Francoise Hollandes poll promises included: * Cancelling 29 billion euros worth of tax breaks for the rich * Salary cut by 30% for the president and ministers GERMANY Angela Merkels campaign promises for a third term include: * Billions of euros in welfare spending * Higher pensions. Estimated annual cost of Euro 6.5 billion * Childrens allowance of Euro 7.5 billion * Cap on spiralling rents in major cities ITALY Silvio Berlusconi wooed voters with a cash refund on a controversial tax introduced by outgoing premier Mario Monti. He promised to scrap the unpopular IMU property tax. In February,a probe was ordered into an election letter to millions of Italians signed by Berlusconi about the IMU property tax rebate. It was alleged that Berlusconi's promise to roll back IMU and refund 4 billion Euros to voters amounted to bribery UNITED STATES Politifact.com,which tracks party promises,compiled a list of more than 500 promises made by Obama in his first presidential campaign with this status report: 35 per cent kept,11 per cent compromised,13 per cent broken,12 per cent stalled and 27 per cent in the works * Among those broken are: Failure to close Guantanamo detention centre and inability to repeal Bush tax cuts for high-income Americans * Among those he kept are: Reform relief like No Child Left Behind * In the 2012 presidential race,Newt Gingrich made a far-fetched promise: a moon base by 2020 KENYA In the March 2013 elections,the now-ruling Jubilee coalition promised: * Laptops to each of Kenyas 7.8 million school children. Cost of $1.1 billion,at $200 per laptop * Free milk for every primary school-going child. Cost $74.4 billion,at $1 a litre and once-a-week distribution PAKISTAN In the May 2013 elections,Nawaz Sharifs manifesto promised: * Riding on the success of Shahbaz Sharifs laptop scheme,the PML-N manifesto vowed to give laptops to students in public universities on merit * Jobs for 3 million youth ZIMBABWE With polls on July 31,President Robert Mugabes ZANU-PF promises: * Transfer to local entities of at least 51 per cent controlling equity in all existing foreign-owned businesses * Church leaders to get farms and houses if they ensure ZANU-PF victory * Regulation of land acquisition. Will pay full and adequate compensation for lands acquired. Plans to grab land in areas surrounding major cities to build houses also revealed MALAYSIA Ruling coalition Barisan Nasionals April election manifesto promised: * Car prices lowered by up to 30 per cent for the next five years * Raising annual handout for poor households from $164 to $392 * 1 million low-cost homes * 3.3 million jobs COMPILED BY POOJA SHARMA
