2580 Republic Election

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The 2580 Federal Republic Election was the XXXXth election for the Republic and the first general elections ince the outbreak of the 2568 Zzenddi War.

Overview

The Terran Republic was founded with the promise of an elected lower chamber, the General Assembly and a partially elected upper chamber, the Senate. In addition, the General Assembly would then elect the new President
The Republic had 20 member worlds at the start of 2550, each holding elections for its seats in the both chambers.

Parties

There were a large range of political parties standing the election, including several parties which were standing on just one world. The major political parties were:

• Gurava (GUR) -a left wing radical party with a strong pacifist and environmentalist message. Gurava preach that the Republic should be a place of learning and peace
• Social Democratic Party (SDP) -a centre-left party that proposes a “Big tent” left wing platform of state intervention and the construction of a welfare state.
• Vishnu Elpis (VE) - a centrist party formed from the merger of the Valtinist party (VE) and the old Centrist Party. Has a socially liberal but fiscally conservative, hawkish agenda.
• Valiant Party (VAL) -a somewhat conservative, pro military agenda, considered pro-corporate. The merger with Destiny moved the party away from the far-right
• Ravenheart (RHC) - a conservative Valtinist Party with a strong anti-AI platform. Expected to do well on Nova Terra but perhaps not elsewhere.
• Isolationist Party (ISO) -A conservative party that propose that the new Republic remain out of foreign policy entanglements. Favors the creation of a strong military

SDP / LIBRARIUS MERGER

In February of 2580, it was confirmed that Librarius had formally merged into the SDP.

JOINT LISTS

During the 2580 only one joint-list was agreed. The Isolationist Party agreed to form a joint list with the Republican Centrist Party. Most political pundits cited the right-ward move of Valiant as the primary reason that the Isolationists made the move.
The SDP and Gurava did not agree a joint list in this election, though no specific reason was cited.

Campaign Finance Rules

The Republic banned parties with no "vested interest" in the Republic from raising and donating money for political parties. The Emergency Delegates sent before the election set up a campaign finance board (RCFB) which was given broad oversight powers.
New tougher laws on campaign finance had been passed during the Noah Averssen administration which gave the Attorney General more powers to deal with campaign finance violations.
The regulations introduced in by the Isolationist Party made it illegal for parties, including corporations outside the Republic to donate to the campaign. It also set a limit of 4 billion adjusted dollars per campaign in the General Assembly and 2 billion at a planetary level.
In 2559, Vishnu Elpis introduced a new campaign finance law that would limit total spending during a ten year term to five billion adjusted dollars. This was voted through the General Assembly and then subject to a legal challenge on behalf of Valiant.
The legal challenge saw the bill referred to the Senate, which was then delayed by filibusters and procedural road-blocks to prevent the bill from becoming law in time for the 2560 election.

General Assembly

Each member world would be assigned seats in the General Assembly based around its population, with proportional representation then deciding how the seats would be allocated. A party required a minimum of 5% of the planet's vote to be considered for a seat, any votes to parties with fewer than 5% would then be discounted.
AS the General Assembly appeared the most powerful chamber and has the power to elect the President, most political pundits expected the General Assembly election to be the most competitive election.

Senate

As of 2530, all Senate seats in the Republic were democratically elected, though new member worlds retained the constitutional option to make one of them appointed

President

The President of the Republic is elected by the General Assembly, with a candidate requiring a majority of the votes in the assembly to be confirmed.
In 2560, President MyAnna Wolf announced that she would run for President on the Valiant party ticket.

Candidates

• Governor Alana Largo (SDP) former journalist and political staffer to Senator Darlene Kaufman. Defeated Governor Nurih Safin at the contentious 2580 SDP convention. Considered a progressive but not a firebrand.
• Katherine Ferrero (GUR) former civil rights lawyer, lecturer and Attorney General of the Republic under President Meagher. Known for her integrity
• Senator Cal Bashear (RCP) former corporate lawyer and senator. Charismatic and slick. Defected from Valiant when the RCP was formed.
• Vice President Lucinda Maizeland (ISO) former businesswoman, broker and then GA Rep. Served as Treasury Secretary under President Groff and then VP under President Loke.
• Rep Jordi Klain (RHC) former businessman and then radical reactionary GA rep. Famous for his clashes with the Unity cabinet.
• Alexander Ashpool (VAL) the contreversial former margrave and intelligence secretary. An explosive, conservative candidate, campainging to "lock up" those implicated in the intel released after the Dhaka agreement.
• Henrikk Tremlow (IND) a venture capitalist, running on a somewhat populist centre-right politician preaching a need for "radical change" and to found "The Second Republic".

The Campaign

The 2580 campaign was largely dominated by the post-war enviroment, with the conservative party's citing the failure to prepare by the left-wing party's. The left wing party's largely tried to keep a positive tone during the 2580 campaign.

Vishnu Elpis Don't Run

In a surprise move, the Vishnu Elpis party confirmed that it would not nominate anyone for President in 2580 and would instead support "a candidate who offers the most positive and unifying vision for the Republic and its people".
The move was decried by some of VE's opponents but largely seen by the public and the pundits as "statesmanlike".

The Dhaka Agreement Papers Released

Early into the campaign, all the intelligence data to do with the Zzneddi was released over the objections of the intelligence community. This resulted in wide spread protests, riots and even blood shed and seperatist sentiment was hugely boosted by the release of the documents.
The release also hit the left wing party's, with Gurava seeing their numbers crater from 17% to 8%.

The Nova Terra Confrontation

Alexander Ashpool, during a campaign visit to Nova Terra, confirmed that his own personal troops from Sanctuary, the Aegis, who were on Nova Terra to help with rebuilding who remain there to help protect the secular community on Nova Terra. He also pressed his birthright on the planet, a move that was seen by many as deeply destabilzing.
In the end, Alexander Ashpool confirmed his troops would leave the planet when the construction work was finished.

The Maizeland Leak

Another contreversial moment in the campaign was the revalation that Vice President Lucinda Maizeland had been recorded one more than one occasion saying that she "was only a heartbeat from the Presidency" and making other statements that were seen as deeply disturbing, including making those comments to a serving military officer.
This revalation hit the Isolationist Party campaign and took them off message and most pundits agreed that it meant that Vice President Maizeland was no longer a credible option to be President.

The Results

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY

In April of 2560, the results were confirmed:

1. Social Democratic Party (SDP) -18%
2. Republican Centrist Party (RCP) -16%
3. Ravenheart (RHC) -15%
4. Gurava (GUR) - 14%
5. Vishnu Elpis (VE) - 13%
6. Valiant (VAL) - 12%
7. Isolationist Party (ISO) -12%

THE SENATE

The 2560 senate saw a number of new senate seats introduced by new member worlds, all of which were competitive electoral battlegrounds.
The final result of the election was:

1. Vishnu Elpis (VE) - 13 (get gain of 3)
2. Social Democratic Party (SDP) -11 (net gain of 6)
3. Isolationist Party (ISO) -11 (net gain of 1)
4. Valiant (VAL) - 7 (net gain of 1)
5. Gurava (GUR) - 5 (net loss of 1)
6. Ravenheart (RHC) -5 (net gain of 4)
7. Independent (IND) - 3 (no change)
8. Republican Centrist Party (RCP) - 2 (net gain of 1)
9. Tyr First (TYR) - 2 (no change)
10. Frelsi Vanheim (FRE) -2 (no change)

MAJOR RACES

On Gaia, Isolationist floor-leader Senator Gabriel Fayn lost his seat to Eskar Brogann (RHC) The SDP won a clean sweep of both of Nova Terraa's senate seats, taking out Ravenheart's longest serving senator, Elise Renan. Voshon Graham (VAL) won a senate seat on traditionally liberal world of Fort Pitcairn. Spencer Joynes (SDP) won a senate seat on the tradtionally conservative world of Lightning Point. Ravenheart swept both of Prospero's senate seats, with the first two Jaradino elected to the senate in 2580.
Caurell (RHC), Annie Osborne (GUR) and Adler Berg (FV) were the youngest senators, at 35 at the time of being sworn in.

GUBERNATIONAL RACES

Earth

The incredibly divisive and expensive campaign between Major Tiberus Corvo (VAL) and Anya Divakar (SDP) on Earth drew in a huge amount of resources, press commentary and bitter attacks between the two candidates.
After a close race, Major Corvo was elected Governor of Earth.

St Lawrence

Initially dominated by Ravenheart, the late entry of Treasury Secretary Pierce Moreland (RCP) appeared to reshape the campaign, though a contreversial attack against Secretary Moreland did take the wind out of his campaign somewhat.
In the end, Secretary Moreland was comfortably elected as the new Governor of St Lawrence, though Ravenheart won a bare majority in the planetary legislature.
Nova Terra After more than 40 years or Ravenheart control, the SDP won the governorship under Caesey Hannigan who won in a close result and completed a clean sweep of the planet-wide offices under SDP control.

Campaign Finance

TOTAL SPENDING -61 billion adjusted dollars

Coalition Talks

Coalition talks saw the SDP speak to the various conservative and moderate party's to form a coalition. The SDP also spoke to Gurava and Valiant but in the end, the SDP were able to form a coaltion with the Republican Centrist Party, Isolationists and Vishnu Elpis.

The New Government

• Vice President - Branwyne Swayne (SDP)
• Treasury Secretary -Sharlto Sorenson (RCP)
• Attorney General Gabriel Fayn (ISO)
• Foreign Secretary -Hayley Rush (SDP)
• Defence Secretary - Danicca Wool (VE)
• Interior Secretary -Annette Hagan (SDP)
• Intelligence Secretary -Hutton Banks (IND)
• Chief of Staff to the President - Harriet Kingsley (SDP)