It has been said that challenger parties are like bees: once they have stung the system, they die.
ON THE face of it, tonight's television debate between the leaders of the five main "challenger" parties (Labour, the UK Independence Party, the Greens, the Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru) worked well for David Cameron.
David Cameron was accused of trying to pretend that he was not invited to the debate between five challenger parties, after turning down efforts by the broadcasters to get him to attend more than one.
One Labour strategist said the party just did not think it worth going all-out in Rochester and Strood when just two byelections prompted by incumbent MPs have ever been won by challenger parties.
Ed Miliband has accused David Cameron of applying to be prime minister and then failing to turn up for the job interview before Thursday night's BBC leaders' debate which will only feature the challenger parties.
Writing for the Spectator on the threat of Ukip, he said the success of past challenger parties such as the SDP and the Greens was "only due to Labour's weakness".
Now the challengers' party, which was started in 1999 in response to Mr. Mugabe's increasingly autocratic rule, finds itself in a precarious position.
Benoit split the speeches into those given by "incumbents" (presidents seeking a second term) and "challengers" (party nominees attempting to win the presidency).
Challenger charisma: The challenging party's candidate is not charismatic or a national hero.
Challenger charisma: The challenging-party candidate is not charismatic or a national hero.
