NationStates Jolt Archive

OOC: This is going to be the thread I'll be using to cover the Roman Imperial election, which I figure I'll do every 2 RL years. Supposed to be five, but I'm not sure if I have the patience for that...I'll see.

The thread will basically be about the campaigns, but if you want to ask a candidate something and/or write something up yourself about the election, go right ahead. I'll be holding a formal debate as the election date draws near.

Here are a few links for reference:

The Roman Governmental System (www.geocities.com/vicendum/vicendumspotlightrome.html#Government)
The Candidates at a Glance (http://www.geocities.com/vicendum/candidates.html)

IC:

Preliminary Polls put Hartian firmly in the lead
(The Roman Free Press)

The first polls concerning the Imperial election race were released today showing current Emperor Rodin Hartian with a sizeable lead over his main opponents Consul Gn. Valerius Maderia and Rumayyi Emir D.A. Ali al-Tabin. The breakdown is as follows:

Hartian- 51%
Maderia- 26%
al-Tabin- 23%

(Roman Polsters Incorporated)

While the initial numbers may appear insurmountable, they do show that the Emperor's lead isn't as comfortable as many had previously thought. Just last monh- before the declarations of candidature by Maderia and al-Tabin- Hartian enjoyed a 59% approval rating, and while many pundits were predicting a small slump once the election campaign really got underway, none predicted that he would fall below 55% this early in the campaign.

"He's not invincible- we knew that already. However, we didn't anticipate a nine-point drop," said G. Appius Amanus, President of RPI. "The Emperor's numbers are still solid, but the drop may be an indication that Romans are willing to see what the other candidates are like. We are anticipating a tight race because the candidates themselves are solid, so once they're better known the gap will narrow, not widen."

Still, it was small solace to the Imperial camp. Hartian went on the defensive upon hearing the news of the polls, saying that he's "not worried about them" and that the results are "still early". "To panic would be to show fear, and a true leader doesn't show fear," said Hartian from his campaign office at Orleans.

al-Tabin, who has his work cut out for him being third, also said he wasn't worried about the poll. "I knew I'd have to work a bit harder," said al-Tabin, "because I'm a bit more 'unproven'. However, this is only the beginning of a long fight- closer to the date, I'll worry."

Maderia, meanwhile, brushed off the topic of the polls completely. "The only poll I'll listen to is the election. Nothing else matters."

The poll contains a margin of error of +/- 2% 19 times out of 20. 10,000 people were randomly surveyed across the Empire.

Electoral Reform Announced

With several months to go before the Roman election, the incumbent Roman Emperor, Rodin Hartian, announced a bold new electoral reform allowing for the official use of political parties in the Roman elections. The reform calls for an additional 30 members to be elected to the Comitia Imperia (OOC: "Imperial Committee")- or two each from the Dominions, from which the Senate will be derived. The move is designed, as he says, to give "more power to the people".

"The people have charged that the Emperor engages in 'cronyism', and this will end those fears," said Hartian announcing the changes, which will also end the runoff elections and grant the political party with the most seats the electoral victory.

Also included in the announcement were these new provisions:

-The automatic entry of the party leader should the party gain 10% of the popular vote
-The government is guaranteed one year of rule, and that only a vote by the CI may dissolve the government
-The allowance of an "Independent" Emperor, or if someone outside of a political party gains more than 50% of the vote they can become Emperor.
-The CI shall be in session instead of once a month but once a day (excluding otii (OOC: equivalent to weekends, but not necessarily on the actual weekend) for eight months of the year, with two month breaks for constituency reports in July-August and November-December
-The Dominion Prefects, in a move most called for because of time constraints, will not be required to sit on the CI, but will still be allowed to propose laws and a conference including all of the Prefects will be held once a year.

The move isn't expected to change the Imperial race- all of the candidates were already leaders of Empire-wide parties, with Hartian heading The Society of Economic Growth, Consul Gn. Valerius Maderia heading the SPQR Party and Rumayyia Emir D. A. Ali al-Tabin being the leader of the Populist Party, Rome's oldest political party. The parties were going to fund heavily each candidate's campaign, so the only change for them is finding candidates, which should not be hard.

Still, Maderia and al-Tabin were quick to call the move "opportunistic". "It is plainly obvious that Hartian changed the rules to gain votes," said al-Tabin. "(Maderia and I) both wanted a more representative system and we got it now. He's an opportunist, simply put, and that's why he can't be Emperor anymore. Once I get into power I'm going to entrench electoral rights into the Constitution, because this is ridiculous."

"I'm furious," said Maderia. "He's an opportunist- he's trying to undercut my platform. It's obvious that Hartian does not deserve the Imperial throne anymore. It's time for a change. I'm going to put electoral rights into the Constitution so that the Emperor can no longer make these ridiculous, unilateral changes. In fact, I'm also going to introduce the 'primary system' where a year before the election there will be a party leadership convention so that anyone can conceivably become a viable Emperor."

The polls, however, showed no change, as Hartian inched up to 52% while Maderia slipped to 25%. Al-Tabin remained firmly in third at 23%. The pollsters are warning that the full impact of the change has yet to take shape, and that the polls may change accordingly.