Complex sentence: The Values Party contested five elections (1972,1975,1978,1981 and 1984); despite strong showings in 1975 and 1978 it did not gain seats under the first-past-the-post electoral system in use at that time.
Split into simpler sentences: The Values Party contested five elections (1972,1975,1978,1981 and 1984). Despite strong showings in 1975 and 1978 it did not gain seats under the first-past-the-post electoral system in use at that time.