So, this "tightrope walk" gives politicians a free pass to lie to voters about what they intend to do once they're in office? How is that fair? No one is able to make an informed decision that way.

How can deceiving citizens possibly improve the quality of leadership in any country, democratic or otherwise? It's called manipulation and that's what you do when you don't want the other party to have a choice in the matter. It's what you do when you want to seize control.