Enderronian federal election, 1982

A federal election was held in Enderron on Saturday 16 October 1982 to elect the 125 members of the 10th Enderronian Parliament.

The incumbent third-term Social Democratic Party government, led by Prime Minister James Thorpe, was re-elected with a slightly increased majority, defeating the opposition United Party, led by Mike Behrens.

The governing Social Democratic Party had a troubled third term in government. The prime ministership changed twice; Calvin Rhinehart, who had served as Prime Minister since 1970, lost the party leadership in May 1979 and was replaced by Treasurer William Watt, who was assassinated in November of the same year and succeeded by Thorpe. The government also had to deal with the impacts of the 1979 oil crisis and the subsequent economic recession. However, by mid-1982 the economy had returned to growth and voters remained generally supportive of the Social Democrats' progressive platform, and there was minimal appetite for a change in government. Thorpe was personally popular, and maintained a relatively quiet and unassuming image. At age 41, he was at the time the youngest person to be appointed prime minister, and represented a generational change in the Social Democrats' leadership.

The opposition United Party had been led by Mike Behrens since the resignation of Martin Crowley in March 1979, and had seen a shift in its policies which was considered more centrist than usual. In a change to previous party policy, the United Party presented an economically liberal platform focused on job creation and financial deregulation.

By the start of the election campaign, the Social Democrats and United had been virtually neck-and-neck in opinion polling for two years. A number of gaffes by Behrens and United Party candidates enabled the SDP to gain momentum in the final weeks of the campaign, and the government prevailed and even slightly increased its majority.

The right-wing Enderron National Party, led by George Sanders, took advantage of the increasing dissatisfaction with both major parties among rural voters, and won eight seats (a gain of five); this remains the National Party's best result in terms of proportion of seats in parliament. In particular, the party gained the support among traditionally conservative voters who disliked the United Party's newfound fondness for economic liberalism. The United Party ended up winning zero seats in Northern Enderron, marking the only time a major party was completely shut out of an entire region.

The Conservative Party lost its sole seat when the electorate of Lowe, held by future leader Jonathan Bowen, was abolished in a redistribution and Bowen was unable to win in the nearby electorate of Eltham.

As of 2022, this is the most recent election where the Social Democratic Party won a seat in modern-day Avalon.

Results
Independents: Frank Blackburn, Maxwell Lee

Seats changing hands

 * Chung'an, LS, won by the Social Democrats at the previous election, was won by United in a 1981 by-election. The margin listed above is the by-election margin.
 * Port William, WS, won by the Social Democrats at the previous election, was won by an independent in a 1981 by-election. The margin listed above is the by-election margin.
 * Wellington, WE, won by the Social Democrats at the previous election, was won by United in a 1979 by-election. The margin listed above is the by-election margin.