NationStates Jolt Archive

LEBLANC WINS
Young Social Democrat to take the reins of the nation

CIELON, Cielonia - In a shocking upset in Cielonia's federal election, Social Democratic Party candidate Lucien Leblanc was elected Grand Duke in a landslide 41% victory.

Until last month the polls had showed Liberal candidate and incumbent Grand Duke Francis St. Marie at 31% of the vote, ahead of Leblanc's 26%, Conservative Jean-Jacques Takei's 30%, and Cielonian Alliance Tetsumaru Yasai's 11%.

However, St. Marie's support began to plummet after the Liberals threatened to commit troops to defend the breakaway Urusian state of Klement, only to back down in the face of conflicting commitments from Malkyer and Calpe.

Most analysts believed that voters would swing their support to Takei in favor of his strong-on-defense platform. However, this proved not to be the case, as Liberal and Social Democratic framing had succeeded in painting Takei and the Conservatives as war-mongering ideologues with a hostile agenda.

Leblanc's support mushroomed in the weeks leading up to the election in spite of consistent smears by conservative groups, targeting him for being "effeminate" and unashamedly bisexual. When the dust finally cleared, the results showed a victory for the Social Democrats of 15 percentage points: Leblanc 41%, St. Marie 26%, Takei 21%, Yasai 11%, Other 1%.

As well, the Social Democrats picked up sweeping victories in the Grand Council, holding 51 of 100 seats. The Liberals hold 20, the Conservatives hold 18, the Alliance holds 7, Independents hold 3, and the Libertarian Party holds a single seat. The unlikely swing gives the Social Democratic Party the first majority government since the unification of the seven duchies into Cielonia.

At age thirty-six, Leblanc is the youngest Grand Duke or Duke elected in Cielonian history, yet his platform is an ambitious one, built heavily upon greater social spending, benevolent foreign policy, and the promise of democratic reform - namely shedding the "outmoded" Grand Ducal system and transforming Cielonia into a modern parliamentary democracy.

Leblanc promised to hold a citizens' referendum if elected, allowing the people to choose whether or not to institute his proposed democratic reforms.

Thus far Leblanc has not been available for comment, but aide Yumiko Satou has announced that the new Grand Duke will be holding a press conference at 8:00PM Cielonian Standard Time, where he is expected to deliver his acceptance speech.

-----off-screen

So that was it.

Francis St. Marie stood at the window of the Ducal Chambers at the Duca Palatia, still wearing the grey suit he'd worn while watching the election results come in in the lounge - minus the suit coat, which lay on the bed. He'd suspected that this day would come after the Klement nonsense. In a way the aging politician was glad it had come down to this; he was nearing his mid-sixties and was probably due for retirement anyway, and better that a good Social Democrat succeed him than a right-wing nutjob like Takei.

But still, he'd miss the view from here.

A light knock on the door caused him to blink, drawing his gaze away from the lush greenery of the Acropolis and the skyline beyond. He turned, adjusting his glasses and letting out a breath. "Come in."

The door slowly opened, and a slender figure emerged into the dim room. Though nearly thirty years younger than Francis, Lucien was still an inch or two taller, his figure almost femininely graceful, sunfire-yellow hair artfully tousled. The young man's pale grey suit was pristine as always.

Clasping his hands at his waist, the Grand Duke-elect bowed slowly to the older man. "I came to thank you, your Grace, and to apologize."

Francis blinked at that, slightly taken aback. "What... do you mean?"

The smile on Lucien's face was gentle but apologetic. "I mean in spite of everything that happened, you still won, in a way. Without you the duchies would never have been united, and without you we would never have been able to get the country off the ground. Regardless of the outcome of the election, the country has lost the leadership of a true hero, and for that I'm sorry... if it helps, it's nothing personal."

Slowly the older man came forward, inclining his head slowly, his eyes were slightly misted. "Every man has his time, your Grace," he said softly. "Mine came and went. I can only pray that you will treat the people with the same respect as I tried my damnedest to."

"I won't let you down, your Grace."

"I know you won't."

Lucien blushed a little before leaning forward, gently kissing each of Francis' cheeks - a gesture more ceremonial than affectionate, though it was difficult to tell. "Thank you," he whispered simply before stepping back and bowing once more, then quitting the chamber.

Francis gazed after him, letting out a slow breath.

Sure, his time had come and went... but at least it hadn't been in vain, and at least those who followed him would not let his efforts fall to waste.

----off-screen

"Does this suit make me look too sallow?"

On the massive front stairs of the Duca Palatia, a speaker from the Board of Elections entertained the crowd gathered to hear the first speech by the new Grand Duke. Inside the doors, however, the man himself was busy dealing with butterflies in his stomach. Lucien Leblanc's black suit contrasted well with his pale skin, touched faintly by bronze. His tie was baby blue, the same hue as his large, surprisingly innocent eyes. A slim man with the figure of a ballet dancer, he looked ten years younger than he actually was, his perpetually unruly red-blonde hair almost feminine in appearance.

Suffice it to say he'd polled high in the 'OMG he's totally bishounen' fangirl demographic.

"It's perfect, your Grace," Baroness Yumi Keitou assured him with a smile.

"Probably not so perfect, but..." With a light breath Lucien rose from the chair, tucking his hands into his pockets. While he had no problem speaking to crowds, there was still a certain nervousness there. Blame it on the fact that he'd never actually run a country before... or even a political party.

It was something of a miracle that Lucien had even been elected. Formerly the chief executive of a telecommunications company, he'd resigned to run for the House of Counts under the Social Democratic Party banner and had been elected Count of South Namioto, half of a large city on the northwestern coast of Cielamon. He served for three years and had introduced the Equal Marriage Act to allow homosexual marriages under the law - as he himself was unashamedly bisexual, the issue had always been of importance to him. Despite opposition from Conservatives the Act had passed into law.

When the election was called Lucien had thrown his name in for the Social Democratic nomination but had expected to come in a distant second to party Grand Council leader Akira Tsuda. However, Akira surprised everyone by stepping out of the race and endorsing Lucien, resulting in the youth winning the nomination. And then the federal election...

An aide peeked in from a side door. "It's time, your Grace."

Lucien swallowed softly, nodding once. And with that he strode to the door and stepped out.

----Televised

"...And with that, ladies and gentlemen, I yield the floor to his Grace, the Grand Duke of Cielonia," said the somewhat frumpy elections supervisor, resulting in a huge round of applause from the near five thousand gathered at the foot of the Duca Palatia's Grand Staircase.

The applause heightened as the man stepped aside and the door opened. With a warm smile Grand Duke Leblanc stepped up to the podium at the head of the stairs, resting a hand upon it. The young head of state appeared calm and composed as he made a minute adjustment to the microphones.

"Citizens of Cielonia, members of the Council and the House, and to all those listening across Asia and the world," Lucien began, his voice light and musical without sounding too feminine. "Before I get too far into this speech I want to give my thanks to a man who is ultimately responsible for all of us being here. It's an honor to follow in the footsteps of Francis St. Marie, a man who has proven himself to be a true national hero. Without his influence we would be not one nation but seven, still tied up in foolish infighting and bickering. It will be a tall task to live up to the legacy left by this great man despite the disappointing end to his government, but I promise all of you that I will do my best and more."

A round of applause followed.

"The world is changing. It was barely a century ago that everybody KNEW that man would never fly, that calculations could only be done on paper or in one's own mind, that the stars were too lofty a destination for us to reach. Yet look at how far we have come. Not only do we take to the air, but we do so in aircraft capable of shattering the speed of sound. Not only do we have computers to run such calculations for us, but we may send words, sounds, and images thousands of miles with the touch of a button. Not only have we sent men into space, but man has set foot on the soil of the moon, visiting another world entirely. The world is changing. Progress is inexorable, and we must move along with it, we must adopt it, we must embrace it and use it to better ourselves and the world at large, lest we find ourselves left behind."

"How can we call ourselves progressive when even a small portion of our people live without a roof to cover them or food to eat, languishing in poverty? How can we call ourselves progressive when good Cielonians are forced into bankruptcy by overwhelming medical bills? How can we call ourselves progressive when we sacrifice even the smallest of workers' rights for the sake of economic progress? And how can we call ourselves progressive when we continue to cling to a system of governance whose minutiae passed out of fashion centuries ago?"

"This nation made a lot of progress under the watch of my predecessor. But we must not rest on our laurels, assuming that we have done enough. We must remain vigilant, alert to the winds of progress, and we must allow ourselves to move with them rather than against them."

"The people of Cielonia have been kind enough to elect me as Grand Duke, and for that I am grateful. Yet I would be grateful more were you to accept me as your Prime Minister, to move our country into the twenty-first century."

"For a long time now I have promised democratic reform, and with the authority you have given me I plan to make good on my promise. I propose to make Cielonia a true parliamentary democracy - ruled by a Prime Minister and not a Grand Duke, held in check by a House of Commons and not a Grand Council, held further to account by a Senate and not a House of Counts. Let Cielonia no longer suffer the uneven representation of the Grand Council. I propose a House of Commons founded upon proportional representation and the principle of enlightened debate, where the voice of the common man may be heard. It will fall then upon the Senate to verify the legislation passed from the House of Commons, ensuring that it is indeed constitutional and that the law may not be twisted to harm our nation."

"As I promised throughout my campaign, I will put the issue of democratic reform to a referendum. Let every eligible citizen go to the polls, and let them decide the fate of the nation for themselves. Let us not forget that the government exists to serve the will of the people rather than vice versa. I shall not force change upon you if it is clear that you want no part of it."

"While some critics have declared that Cielonia must take a hard stance on foreign policy in order to survive in this world, I don't believe that's true. Let it be known to the world at large that Cielonia is open to diplomatic relations, be they alliances, trade agreements, embassy exchanges, or otherwise. As always we are a nation founded on the ideals of peace with our neighbours, freedom from oppression, and liberty for all men."

"I look forward to the result of the upcoming referendum, but regardless of the outcome I will do my best to govern this great nation with the dignity she deserves. I thank you all, and goodnight."

With that, flashbulbs began to go off as reporters began to babble off a bunch of questions.