NationStates Jolt Archive

At least four parties to compete in next election

The oddity (http://ns.goobergunch.net/wiki/index.php/Contemporary_politics_in_Ariddia) that was Ariddia's one-party democracy is no more. No longer will Ariddian voters be left to choose between a single candidate and... nothing else, as was the case during the last Prime Secretarial election. Over the past months, three new political parties have sprung into being, all intending to take part in both the Prime Secretarial and Parliamentary elections three years from now.

The first to join the long-standing Democratic Communist Party (DCP) has been the Ariddian Blank Party (ABP). Modelled after the Blank Party of West Ariddia, it was founded to advocate pluralism for its own sake, as a first step towards renewed multi-partyism, and called upon any voters critical of DCP policy to vote ABP in the upcoming 2139 general elections. It does not, however, advocate any specific policy of its own.

The ABP's call, however, may already be redundent. Its birth was closely followed by the founding of the Ariddian Isles Reunification Party (AIReP). A single-platform party, it presents itself as a pressure group in favour of re-unification (http://ns.goobergunch.net/wiki/index.php/Ariddian_reunification_flag) of the Isles, possibly on a federal model.

Finally, and most recently, we have the Confederalist Communalist Party (CCP). Although it shares the DCP’s core values, the CCP nonetheless opposes the government’s long-standing tradition of strong political centralisation, and argues that a more representative, more genuinely communist society would be achieved through radical devolution of authority down to the smallest local levels. This would mean granting almost complete autonomy to the existing village and city district community decision centres.

Current Prime Secretary Nuriyah Khadhim (http://ns.goobergunch.net/wiki/index.php/Nuriyah_bint_Rashad_Khadhim) has welcomed the birth of these new parties, applauding the "evolving vitality" of Ariddian society, ideas and political debate.

Zwangzug supports this movement towards diverse political parties. Its government would prefer to see the Democratic Communist Party remain in charge: however, that may not be an accurate depiction of national sentiment as much as the result of the process of elimination. More specifically, both the AIReP and CCP are seen as inferior choices (though the CCP is held in somewhat higher regard). The ABP's pluralistic ideals, however, are the most highly regarded, at least at the moment. However, it is believed that having such a party in charge would be detrimental to the overall stability of Ariddia, a situation that Zwangzug would overwhelmingly find negative.

Political commentators also inquire as to how the Parliament is elected. It appears as if (http://ns.goobergunch.net/wiki/index.php/Ariddian_government_and_judiciary#The_People.E2.80.99s_Prime_Parliament) Ariddian voters vote for a list of candidates: are seats in Parliament then distributed proportionally to voting results?

Political commentators also inquire as to how the Parliament is elected. It appears as if (http://ns.goobergunch.net/wiki/index.php/Ariddian_government_and_judiciary#The_People.E2.80.99s_Prime_Parliament) Ariddian voters vote for a list of candidates: are seats in Parliament then distributed proportionally to voting results?

Indeed so. Representation in Parliament is entirely proportional, and determined solely on the national level (rather than different areas electing their own local representatives to the national Parliament).

Early poll predictions suggest that the DCP would retain a fairly slim absolute majority of seats after the next election. Should the DCP obtain fewer than 50 seats (53 are predicted at this stage), it may have to form a ruling coalition with another party. Such a situation has never yet occurred in the lifetime of any Ariddian alive today.

OOC: I just found this out now, Democracy with only one party *giggles* *tagged for sng*

IC: The Republic of Telik sees the return of multi-party elections as good sign towards a much more free country.

The free state of Na~ovi congratulates the country of Ariddia to return to a culture of political discussion even if that means that there is actually specuation about the outcome of elections.

The official government in Sike had more important local issues, like the high amount of rejistani provinces which see themselves as no longer represented by them and act as if being independent states.

OOC2: yeah, this posting while not being quite serious does reflect the situation in Rejistania atm

Candidates chosen for next year’s election

With next year’s presidential and parliamentary elections potentially the most interesting in several decades, there has been a higher than usual amount of political debate in Ariddia. Each party has selected and announced its candidate for the presidential campaign, and regular polls keep voters interested and guessing at the final results.

62 year-old Nuriyah Khadhim (http://ns.goobergunch.net/wiki/index.php/Nuriyah_bint_Rashad_Khadhim) will be seeking re-election as the candidate of the Democratic Communist Party. She is campaigning on the theme of continuity, and on high levels of general public satisfaction with her past mandates as head of State. Comrade Khadhim has also promised that she would take into consideration all suggestions made by other parties for her policy during her hypothetical next term.

51 year-old Richard Wright is standing as the candidate of the Ariddian Blank Party. Some members of the public had expected the ABP to withdraw upon the institution of multi-partyism, but Comrade Wright has stated that his party is and “should remain a legitimate democratic option”.

46 year-old Michèle Martinez is the candidate of the Ariddian Isles Reunification Party. She has family in West Ariddia, and is pressing for negotiations to begin in earnest towards reunification of the Ariddian Isles. Recognising that hers is a single-issue party, she states nonetheless: “It’s a very important issue. Our nation has been torn apart for a hundred and twenty-eight years. Ariddians yearn to be one again.”

44 year-old Fabien Sel is standing for the Confederalist Communalist Party, which, perhaps, is the party campaigning for the most radical form of change to the country’s political institutions. One of his campaign slogans has been “Onward towards communism!”. He states: “Ariddia has evolved and advanced enough as a society to be ready now for political decentralisation, and a more authentic form of communalist democracy”.

Lastly, the Party for Democratic Harmony, which sprang up five months ago, has elected 39 year-old Éric Koh as its candidate. The PDH appears as a by-product of multi-partyism, and is another single-issue party. It argues that the Council of Secretaries (Ariddian_government_and_judiciary#The_Council_of_Secretaries) (Cabinet) should reflect the diversity of political parties in Ariddia, instead of being composed solely of members of the winning party. In a televised debate, responding to the PDH’s suggestion, Fabien Sel agreed that his Cabinet would contain “up to 40%” of non-CCP ministers, while Nuriyah Khadhim said her Cabinet would “possibly contain some non-DCP members. But I already have a skilled, dedicated and efficient Council of Secretaries, so I’m not going to make a pledge on giving positions to other parties”. The PDH has also suggested a form of preferential voting, so that each voter might select several candidates with an order of preference.


Latest polls

Election for Prime Secretary

Nuriyah Khadhim (DCP): 62.8%
Fabien Sel (CCP): 27.2%
Michèle Martinez (AIReP): 4.5%
Éric Koh (PDH): 3.4%
Richard Wright (ABP): 2.1%

Election for the People’s Prime Parliament

DCP: 64.2% (64 seats)
CCP: 25.9% (26 seats)
AIReP: 4.6% (4 seats)
PDH: 2.8% (3 seats)
ABP: 2.5% (2 seats)

Under Ariddian law (http://ns.goobergunch.net/wiki/index.php/Ariddian_government_and_judiciary#The_People.E2.80.99s_Prime_Parliament), a proposal in Parliament is only adopted if it is approved by 75% of MPs (i.e., at least 75 MPs out of 99). If the polls are correct, “minor parties” may obtain enough seats to form significant pressure groups.

Whatever happens, as shown on the projected graph below, a winning DCP would therefore need support from at least some CCP MPs, giving the latter significant leverage to push their own policies:

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/1072/2139projectionbys1.jpg

http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/5531/pinalogonewsmob1.jpg

ELECTION NIGHT 2139

Dupré: “…and if you’re just joining us, for this very special election evening, here’s a recap of the results. I’m Mélanie Dupré (http://ns.goobergunch.net/wiki/index.php/M%C3%A9lanie_Dupr%C3%A9).

Nuriyah Khadhim (http://ns.goobergunch.net/wiki/index.php/Nuriyah_bint_Rashad_Khadhim) of the Democratic Communist Party has been re-elected Prime Secretary, for what will be her fifth consecutive term. She received 65.1% of the vote, enough to be elected immediately, without any need for a second round… but it’s also her lowest result ever. This is due of course to there having been five candidates in the running, instead of just one five years ago. Fabien Sel, the candidate of the Confederalist Communalist Party, came second with 29.1%.

Here are the full results once more, for the Prime Secretarial election:
Nuriyah Khadhim (DCP): 65.1%
Fabien Sel (CCP): 29.1%
Michèle Martinez (AIReP): 3.8%
Éric Koh (PDH): 1.3%
Richard Wright (ABP): 0.7%

Comrade Khadhim’s re-election comes as no surprise to anyone, but the crucial election was the Parliamentary one, which as you know took place today at the same time. And here’s a reminder of the results:
DCP: 62.1% (62 seats)
CCP: 28.8% (28 seats)
AIReP: 5.9% (6 seats)
PDH: 2.0% (2 seats)
ABP: 1.2% (1 seats)

And this is perhaps the biggest event of the evening, and indeed the biggest political event for many years: the Democratic Communist Party has fallen short of the 2/3rds majority it would have needed in order to control Parliament. As you can see on the graph coming up on your screen.

http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/5968/2139ox2.png

With me is Angelic Nettles (http://ns.goobergunch.net/wiki/index.php/Parliamentary_Channel) to comment on these results. Angelic?”

Nettles: “Yes, thank you, Mélanie. Well, as you said, this is a major change in Ariddian politics. The DCP is now going to have to contend with an Opposition powerful enough to block its intended legislation if it wants to. The DCP would have needed 67 seats in order to control Parliament, and has only 62. It’s been a long time since Ariddia has witnessed such a situation.”

Dupré: “What is this going to mean, in practical terms? Surely we’re not going to see a deadlocked Parliament?”

Nettles: “No. I think it’s safe to say there’s little risk of that. All the parties agree on major issues, and there’ll be almost unanimous consensus on a majority of policies. The Opposition, if we can call it that, will be aiming to work with the government, not against it. No, what this means, simply, is that the smaller parties –and especially the Confederalist Communinalist Party– are now in a relatively strong position to foist at least some of their suggested policies onto the DCP. We have a situation where the DCP cannot ignore the smaller parties.”

Dupré: “Let’s look again at the main policy advocated by each party, and that party’s strength. The CCP oppose Ariddia’s government centralisation, and argue in favour of devolution of power down to the smallest local levels. Are they likely to obtain that?”

Nettles: “Well, we have to bear in mind that the DCP has won this election, so the CCP isn’t going to be the party controling government. On the other hand, I think it’s extremely likely that this issue is going to become a very pressing one indeed for the government. There are going to have to be talks between Khadhim and Sel’s party. And I do think it’s likely we’re going to see some change in the way government functions, within these next fives years. With even greater autonomy at the local level than we already have. There’ll be some sort of referendum, certainly.”

Dupré: “Now the Ariddian Isles Reunification Party. Are they likely to be heard?”

Nettles: “With only six seats, AIReP are very much sidelined. So anything could happen here. Still, Comrade Khadhim isn’t going to want to ignore such a clear message from almost 6% of the electorate: Many Ariddians do feel very strongly about reunification. Strongly enough to deprive the DCP of six vital seats. And it’s worth bearing in mind that if the DCP has some sort of Parliamentary coalition with AIReP, they’ll have an absolute majority, and it’s the CCP that will become sidelined. But I don’t think anyone is going to want to sideline anyone else completely.”

Dupré: “Well, there’s a lot more to say about these questions, but I’m being told Prime Secretary Khadhim herself is going on air live, so let’s stop and listen to our newly re-elected Prime Secretary.”

Khadhim: “Comrades, ladies and gentlemen, my fellow Ariddians. Before anything else, I’d like to thank you all for putting your trust in me yet again, so that all together we may continue the policies we all hold dear, and preserve and strengthen our Social Republic, our way of life, our fundamental values. As always, I will try my utmost best to live up to the trust and confidence you have expressed by voting for me.

As you all know, our Parliament now is different from what it was yesterday. Over a third of you have chosen to elect to Parliament representatives of new ideas. These ideas will be spoken and heard in Parliament, with all the support you have given them. Not one Ariddian’s hopes and beliefs, values and concerns will be marginalised or ignored. Our national Parliament will be the living expression of a new diversity among us. I believe the discussions that lie before us can be a source of strength for our society.

Over a quarter of you have expressed in the strongest possible terms your desire for a new structure of government in our society, in which local communities will have a more significant level of autonomy to implement local policies of their own devising. I have heard that message loud and clear. I will be meeting with Comrade Fabien Sel very shortly, and we will be discussing this very issue.

The diverse parties within our Parliament will, in keeping with some of our dearest traditions, seek meaningful co-operation, discussion, and ultimately consensus. It is my belief that in a genuine and confident democracy such as Ariddia, with an informed, educated and intelligent population, fundamental decisions should be the product of as wide a consensus as possible. For this reason, I promise you now that any proposal on political devolution within our Social Republic will be submitted to you all via referendum.

A great number of you have used your vote to communicate your overriding concern and hope for the re-unification of these Ariddian Isles. This is an issue which has long been dear to my heart. Of course we cannot unilaterally decree that Limea no longer constitutes a separate, sovereign State. But I can tell you that my government will be in close and continuous talks with the government of West Ariddia, with the aim of securing, within the next five years, the first steps towards some meaningful form of reunification.

I will be announcing the composition of the Council of Secretaries within the next few days. All together, government and people, we will continue to work hard to do what we all agree is best for all Ariddians.

Thank you very much. Are there any questions from the press?”

Khadhim announces "government of national unity"

Prime Secretary Nuriyah Khadhim today announced the composition of the new Council of Secretaries (http://ns.goobergunch.net/wiki/index.php/Ariddian_government_officials_and_diplomats). There are few changes, save for the introduction of two new positions.

"David Lumber, of AIReP, joins the government as Assistant Secretary for Reunification," the Prime Secretary told the press. "And John Taylor, of the CCP, is Adviser on Governmental Decentralisation."

Comrade Khadhim underlined the fact that the different parties are more alike than not, and keen to work together within the same government.

"Our guiding principle will be consensus," the newly re-elected head of State explained. "And reunification and decentralisation will be two of the issues we intend to discuss, both within the government and with the people of this country as a whole. I've already met with the West Ariddian ambassador, and I look forward to meeting President Paon very soon. We'll be discussing the possibilities for reunification. Of course, we can't reasonably expect West Ariddia to renounce its sovereignty in the near future. But there are other concrete steps that can be taken towards some meaningful form of reunification.

Regarding decentralisation, local authorities and community discussion centres are invited and encouraged to formulate proposals on how devolution of government may further be implemented... if you're in favour of decentralisation, that is. Nothing will be done without the consent and active participation of the Ariddian people."