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Pacitalia Decides 2006

Polls, election news, candidacy information and party backgrounds. Find it all here!

Latest poll by ABM/Capax

http://kfox.gamehorizons.net/PacitaliaPolls2006.png

[ Margin of error: +/- 2.32%, 18.38/20 ] [ Date of poll: 13th October 2006 ] [ Pool: 5,000 ]

OOC: I would also like to ask that if anyone is voting purely out of their OOC political beliefs that they refrain from doing so, as it is not what the poll is asking. Essentially, your vote counts only if you follow Pacitalian politics regularly and know what has transpired over the last twelve months. So, although the FPD has its faults and needs to get its house in order, it doesn't mean people should be wildly jumping ship for the PSC in this poll - it is not indicative of how popular opinion should be ICly.

From Tempo Passo

http://kfox.gamehorizons.net/psclogo_2006.png
The Pacitalian Social Coalition revealed its new look
Monday morning during a campaign stop in Pomentane,
the homeland of interim FPD leader Albinanda Serodini.
The new, simplistic design turfs the yellow and orange
that were part of the social-democratic party's scheme
in the past, as well as the logo of three people of varying
"degrees" of socialism holding hands in unity.

PSC undergoes visual and political rebranding, moving to the right
Chiovitti says 'the new PSC' is a 'hybrid of economic centrism and social democracy'


Mario Soranino in Saronno

Campaigning in Pacitalia's third-largest city Monday, the Pacitalian Social Coalition's leader, Fernando Chiovitti, revealed the party's new look after a stunning light-display show capped off by raucous chants of the 57-year-old former business tycoon's first name among the 22,300 supporters in attendance at the Constabulario Convenzione di Pomentane.

The crowd gasped in a mixture of surprise and excitement at the 'new direction of social democracy' Chiovitti espoused at the casual get-together in support of the party that will most likely form Pacitalia's next government if opinion polls hold. The supporters' excitement was multiplied when Chiovitti pulled a red silk cord, and a banner with the FPD 'three people, three degrees of socialism' logo fell almost gracefully to the ground to reveal a simple red backdrop with the PSC acronym spelled out in red block letters over a white rectangle.

The party's slogan also changed, the old backdrop's 'When everyone counts, everyone wins' moniker replaced with 'Change. For the common good.' in response to the party's ideological shift to the right and its position as the replacement to an FPD party mired in scandal and disarray.

"Our ideological shift does not mean we are compromising on our social principles," Chiovitti reminded those gathered at the CCdP. "We will continue to defend each individual as a member of the state. We will reintroduce welfare to this country, and we will make sure that every single Pacitalian has health care, education and food on the table! Those simple and attainable human rights should come before all else."

Chiovitti also talked about how the PSC, if elected, would take the initiative in reformulating the country's political system, which has been widely panned as ineffective and outdated for twenty-first century needs in a country such as Pacitalia. The major point of contention is the so-called "golden rule of cabinet", where 90 percent cabinet support is needed to oust the prime minister. That rule prevented the first attempt to remove Sorantanali, though he eventually did fall in August. However, Chiovitti said after the event that he was "unsure whether Pacitalia needs major electoral and political change at this time, or, just some minor tweaking. We'll leave it up to voters to decide how far they want the changes to go."

He added before exiting the stage to meet with supporters, "this is our time, my friends! Together we will bring social democracy back to Pacitalia!"

The PSC leads the FPD 35-31 in opinion polls done by ABM/Capax. It is not a sufficient number to earn majority government status but if the current numbers hold the PSC and Greens may enter a coalition.

OOC: Bump - latest opinion poll posted (see post #2 in this thread).

[Out of curiosity, what is the NPA? I voted for them because they sounded like a coalition that's more concerned with getting things done than playing partisan power games, but it's occurred to me that the NPA could just be a name without substance.]

[Out of curiosity, what is the NPA? I voted for them because they sounded like a coalition that's more concerned with getting things done than playing partisan power games, but it's occurred to me that the NPA could just be a name without substance.]

[ OOC: You're bang-on with that - the NPA is a pragmatic centrist party that split from the FPD because it felt partisan hackery did nothing for progress. In fact, they are left of the FPD but still slightly to the right of centre. However, my plan is to reunite the two parties because the NPA cannot possibly compete with a PSC that has moved to the right.

NPA stands for Non-Partisan Association. If you want to check them out, here's the Wiki article on them (http://ns.goobergunch.net/wiki/index.php/Non-Partisan_Association). ]

Bump: poll updated

From La Repubblica Oggia

http://data1.blog.de/blog/s/segolene-royal/img/s-gol-ne1(SIPA).jpg
Noted political editorialist, journalist and political scientist
Archetenia Nera fields questions from the media Monday, after
announcing she would seek the vacant leadership of the right-
of-centre Federation of Progressive Democrats. She is the first
person to declare her candidacy to lead the fractured party.

"A return to the principles of Ell and Santo Ragazzo, a mission to move forward"
Prominent Amalfian political scientist, editorialist and reporter announces her bid to lead a damaged FPD


Manti Soratina-Murana in Timiocato

With Pacitalia's governing party now trailing the social-liberal PSC by almost ten points in opinion polls, this is just what the Federation of Progressive Democrats needed to hear. A prominent, fiery and well-respected political scientist has stepped up to the proverbial leadership plate with substantive financial and political backing, and says that under her guidance, the FPD will return to its days as a strong, accountable majority government.

Archetenia Nera, a 45-year-old political scientist, political editorialist and journalist from Amalfia, who has gained respect and international acclaim for her theses -- on topics like environmental controls, green economics and neoliberal economics -- published in numerous academic journals of note, has announced her candidacy for the leadership of the FPD and is the first person to do so after Consigliera Albinanda Serodini declined eligibility for further leadership of the party. Other names have popped up over recent weeks of the campaign, especially among candidates running for a seat in the lower and upper houses of the Pacitalian parliament, but Nera is the first to officially declare her candidacy.

Signora Nera is running for the seat in her hometown of Argentia, which political scientists say will be any potential FPD leader's first test. If she cannot win in Argentia, her fate as leader of the entire party is definitely doomed.

"Demeaning as it may be for the local population, this is basically a litmus test for a potential leader's popularity on a national scale," Dr Elizabeth Cunningham, a senior political scientist at the University of Mandragora said Monday. "Realistically, if a candidate cannot even win in his or her hometown district, the question arises as to how they could really expect to win on a national scale despite their campaign."

Nera was quick to speak out about the way the FPD was run since former prime minister Ell's departure in January.

"We must return to the principles of integrity, honesty, accountability and economic freedom this party is renowned for," Nera said Monday at a press conference in Timiocato. "The party is in shambles and we will need all our collective strength to overcome this moment of weakness in our history; this embarrassment that runs deep to the core of this party's soul."

It is not just the job of one person, she added, but an inherent responsibility in all FPD members to see that "[the Federation] is returned to her former glory as the natural choice of government for all Pacitalians".

Nera was quick to add that her FPD would be "quick to solve its in-house problems" before "jumping head-first into reconfiguring this country's political framework," to suit "a twenty-first century state of mind, and the right of all Pacitalians to live in a fully functional and globally respected democracy".

"It is quite clear our current [political] system is unacceptable for many people, and it is quite clear we need to do something substantial about it," Nera remarked. "What good is a system that allows governments to stay in office, even when support for said governments is mired in an unascendable valley? We are leaders in democracy, innovators of this philosophy. Now is the time for Pacitalia to move forward in evolving its democracy as a model for other states and for the benefit of our people."

Cunningham was among many observers of the Pacitalian election and national politics who were impressed with Nera.

"She is really making an effort to set the tempo of the leadership campaign," Cunningham said after Nera's announcement. "I think she has succeeded in doing so. Ms Nera is really letting people know she is a serious candidate with real solutions to the FPD's problems and the flaws in Pacitalia's political system. She really wants to lead this party and she does know what she's doing here.

"Not only that, playing on the successes of two legendary former prime ministers will serve her very well. I would not be surprised to see her leading the party when all is said and done."

A colleague at the Republican Institute in Timiocato, a prominent conservatism and capitalism think tank, agrees.

"It does help that she is the only declared candidate right now," Marco Alfonsano Torra said. "But you really get the sense just from her poise, her forward stance on issues like the FPD's in-house mess, and her no-nonsense style of speaking, that she is a really serious contender for the position, and the type of leader the FPD is looking for. Just from looking at this speech you might get an early impression she is the one to lead the party, and perhaps even lead the multipartisan framework on reconfiguring the national electoral and political systems."

But, he says, it would be foolish to make such a snap decision now.

"I am sure there will be at least three more candidates coming out of the woodwork soon to challenge Ms Nera," added the Republican Institute chair. Sources at the FPD confirm this, saying "one or two" candidates will launch their bids this week or next.

But as for the issue at hand...

However, the governing Federation is a bit anxious at the latest ABM/Capax opinion poll of 3,879 Pacitalians that suggests the PSC are heading for a lead of greater than ten percent over the incumbent FPD as the country heads into the last two weeks of the campaign.

The poll had another low margin-of-error and shows Fernando Chiovitti's PSC with 39.2 percent support nationwide, compared with a twenty-year low of 29.9 percent for Albinanda Serodini and the FPD. The NPA, which split from the FPD earlier this year to promote a "nonpartisan way of national politics" are still running in third with 11.7 percent while the Greens remain fourth, behind by 1.1 percent. The PdT, Communists, Workers' Party and Margherian Freedom and Solidarity constitute the remaining 8.6 percent of national support.

The results of the poll are continuing to suggest the PSC, if victorious, will need to enter coalition with the Greens, and possibly a third partner in either the Workers' Party and/or the Communists. A government, whether singular or coalition, must have at least fifty percent plus-one of the seats in the lower house, otherwise an election is to be called as soon as possible as mandated in the constitution.

The FPD, at this point, do not have enough support to form a coalition with the NPA and/or the PdT, though if the PSC's lead decreases closer to election, Pacitalians may be looking at a grand coalition between the PSC and FPD, which, political scientists say, would be suitable considering the major task all parties will be undertaking after the election process is over, that being the aforementioned reconfiguration of the country's political and electoral system.

Meanwhile, an unscientific online poll done by PNN.pc designed for international response suggests exactly half of voters outside Pacitalia see the PSC as most fit to govern Pacitalia.

snip
[OOC: In speaking of as such, what would you say about the chances of the recovery of Scandavian-Pacitalian relations and reconcilation? Ah, coagulating my assets again!]

[OOC: In speaking of as such, what would you say about the chances of the recovery of Scandavian-Pacitalian relations and reconcilation? Ah, coagulating my assets again!]

OOC: Did you ask him as well? ICly, from a Pacitalian perspective, we hate Lien Larsen's guts and with other domestic priorities considered, restoring any semblance of relations is not even on the radar.

Foreign polls

-----------------------------------------

4th October 2006
University of Portshire, Hamptonshire
Likely Pacitalian voters

Pacitalian Social Coalition: 40.1 percent
Federation of Progressive Democrats: 29.7 percent
Non-Partisan Association: 12.4 percent
Pacitalian Greens: 10.9 percent
Partia di Traditionale: 3.9 percent
Margherian Freedom and Solidarity: 2.2 percent
Workers' Cooperative Alliance for Pacitalians: 0.6 percent
Communist Party of Pacitalia: 0.2 percent

Margin of error: +/- 1.6%

----------------------------------------------------------------

4th October 2006
University of Portshire, Hamptonshire
Hamptonians, aged 18-65

Pacitalian Social Coalition: 35.6 percent
Non-Partisan Association: 26.7 percent
Federation of Progressive Democrats: 18.2 percent
Pacitalian Greens: 7.4 percent
Partia di Traditionale: 7.3 percent
Margherian Freedom and Solidarity: 3.8 percent
Workers' Cooperative Alliance for Pacitalians: 0.9 percent
Communist Party of Pacitalia: 0.1 percent

OOC: Did you ask him as well? ICly, from a Pacitalian perspective, we hate Lien Larsen's guts and with other domestic priorities considered, restoring any semblance of relations is not even on the radar.
[OOC: No, but I did know that there was a huge amount of friction between the Scandavian Imperium and the Pacitalian Republic. I don't want to be caught in a Praetonian Dilemma, that's why I asked.]

[OOC: No, but I did know that there was a huge amount of friction between the Scandavian Imperium and the Pacitalian Republic. I don't want to be caught in a Praetonian Dilemma, that's why I asked.]



[You don't remember asking me what my IC stance was on Pacitalia? I recall saying that if Doom were to invade Pacitalia, I'd be in cheering Doom on and taking bets on the final body count.]

[You don't remember asking me what my IC stance was on Pacitalia? I recall saying that if Doom were to invade Pacitalia, I'd be in cheering Doom on and taking bets on the final body count.]
[OOC: Wasn't exactly the same as what you said here, but it had the same meaning on AIM. You specifically said that the Imperium would have more tolerance for Doomingsland than Pacitalia. But alas and nevertheless, I hope that there will be a bright future for the Scandavian Imperium and the Pacitalian Republic ICly....even if it will take many years to make it!]

From La Repubblica Oggia

http://www.rainews24.it/ran24/immagini/dalema_14012003.jpg
Andreos Samothrakidis, a political activist and a former
professor, theologian and ancient historian, is the second
person to throw his/her hat into the FPD leadership race.

Samothrakidis: "A new age of Christian democracy"
Second leadership candidate says his FPD would bring respect back to the ideology


Manti Soratina-Murana in Timiocato

Andreos Samothrakidis announced he is the second FPD leadership candidate, joining Archetenia Nera in the drive to succeed former prime minister Constantino Sorantanali at the head of Pacitalia's major right-of-centre party. The 58-year-old Fentomerian political activist and former professor of religious studies informed reporters of his decision to run at a press conference Friday afternoon.

"Pacitalians deserve a government that will not turn back on its word, which we will provide," Samothrakidis said. "But they also deserve a choice in elections where their moral concerns will be understood and turned into real results for the public. That is, above all, what my FPD would provide."

Adding "he is not a bible-thumper but rather concerned for the vested religious interests of Pacitalians in their government", called it "an FPD that would induce Pacitalia's new age of Christian democracy".

Now that the FPD's second leadership candidate has been announced, Pacitalians can expect the other of "two" the FPD has said would announce their bids doing so before Monday. Pacitalians can also expect the first preliminary leadership opinion polls.

Meanwhile, the latest opinion poll suddenly shows the PSC and FPD statistically tied. The PSC leads 36.7 to 32.8, however, because the FPD can steal 2.5 percent directly away from the PSC to retake the lead and the latest poll has a 2.44 percent margin of error, they can be considered statistically tied, though to be mathematically exact, with the PSC very slightly ahead (by less than one-half of a percentage point).

Bump (poll was updated yesterday but I forgot to nudge this up).

From La Repubblica Oggia

http://www.eitb24.com/archivos/imagenes/eitb24/politica/2006/09/27/Juan-Fernando-Lopez-Aguilar-ministro-de-Justicia-2006092713172403xm1.jpg
Ramón Ambardoza announced Tuesday he is running
for the leadership of the FPD. He is the third person to
do so, following Archetenia Nera and Andreos Samothrakidis.

Doza's in: Pacitalia's most prominent envirocapitalist in the running
Libertarian activist, lecturer and "green" economist throws his hat into the ring


Manti Soratina-Murana, Timiocato

Following the introduction of a candidate following traditional FPD lines, and a candidate advocating Christian democracy, it seemed obvious that a third candidate, one advocating more environmental controls and more libertarian policies, just had to be waiting in the wings. Not surprisingly, one following that exact ideology has just stepped into the race to lead Pacitalia's right-of-centre party.

The latest candidate is 37-year-old libertarian activist, lecturer, and prominent and respected envirocapitalism advocate Ramón Ambardoza. Ambardoza, an Amalfian, advocates smaller government and direct democracy, as well as further liberalisation of the economy in tandem with the implementation of environmentally-friendly economics. Among his more controversial beliefs is the immediate, full legalisation of cannabis.

Apart from that, Ambardoza is notable for being arguably the most prominent envirocapitalism advocate in the country, and perhaps the Atlantian Oceanian region itself. Admirers of this latest leadership candidate say "some days he looks like he'd do a better job than [Green leader Neros] Constantakis in leading that party". Whether or not that particular quote scares off people that may have been interested in supporting Ambardoza's bid for the FPD leadership obviously remains to be seen.

Ambardoza shares an interesting characteristic with fellow leadership candidate Archetenia Nera. He, like Nera, was raised in Amalfia despite being born elsewhere. Nera was born in Rêvane, the Ariddian capital, and moved to Argentia at a young age. Ambardoza was born in Alfa, Margheria, and moved to Liberiana-Sornanesca, an amalgamated suburb of Pegrolisia, at the age of six. And, to a certain extent, he shares his envirocapitalist beliefs with Nera.

Another interesting dynamic in the race is the diversity of the candidates. With Ambardoza's introduction, the FPD leadership is now being contested by a native Pacitalian (though half-Ariddian), a Greco-Pacitalian and an Espano-Pacitalian.

The FPD says "up to thirty" other people have forwarded the paperwork necessary to launch a bid for the leadership, but the fee of Ð 30,000 "may dissuade "a large majority from pursuing [the job]", says the FPD's head.

"The fee is designed to weed out candidates that are not prepared to take this race one-hundred-percent seriously," party president Martín Muñoz Castilla told reporters Tuesday shortly after watching Ambardoza launch his bid on live television. "That way the balloting process does not get terribly complicated, plus the fact that, as I said, nobody wants to have thirty half-committed choices; they want five or six solid choices, and then, to go from there in narrowing the field on the way to the eventual victor."

That other race narrows
Meanwhile, the FPD has closed the gap substantially on the PSC. The social-liberal opposition now holds a lead of only 0.5 percent on the incumbent Federation, who have erased as much as a ten-point deficit in recent polls. The numbers suggest Pacitalian voters are going to force a PSC-FPD grand coalition or a three-party coalition with either the PSC or FPD as anchor party.

Meanwhile, PSC leader Fernando Chiovitti earned another personal victory, taking another most-prime-ministerial poll by ABM/Capax by a solid margin over Albinanda Serodini. 48 percent of respondents chose Chiovitti while 40 percent chose the interim FPD leader. Neros Constantakis was next, a distant third at 8 percent, while NPA leader Aria Speranza followed with the remaining 4 percent. The poll had only the leaders of the top four parties as choices.

From TheLaughFactory.pc

http://www.ilcannocchiale.it/blogs/bloggerarchimg/olifante/prodi.jpg
Is it just us, or does Ferdy scream
"My bad" in this recent snapshot? Either way,
his campaign's looking about as unsinkable as
the Titanic as it heads into the final 72 hours.

We didn't see it coming, says the PSC!
...or is this all some sort of socialist conspiracy to increase their lead even further?

Who would have guessed that a socialist party running in a capitalist country's federal election would have lost a substantial lead heading into the final stretches of the campaign? And, even more baffling, to a capitalist opponent?

Certainly not you.

That's the scenario Pacitalian voters are faced with as they head into Monday's show-us-how-much-you-don't-want-to-vote contest, where the once bankable Fernando Chiovitti and his PSC are faced with the sudden loss of a ten-point lead in opinion polls and the realisation that maybe, just maybe, the FPD can screw the entire freakin' planet and still steal the show.

Albinanda Serodini & Co. have returned from the black abyss, facing at their worst, just under 30 percent support, which at least was at least four times better than to what Soran could have ever laid claim (we're talking sub-zero... er... -ten... no, -five... though sub-zero might have actually happened... just saying).

Grand coalition, you say? Mruh? I don't understand... and when the freakin' hell was the last time we saw one of those in Pacitalia... hah, that's right, NEVER. But it's prolly gonna happen... you're gonna do it, Pacitalia, we know. We just *know*. It's gonna happen Monday - the split, the wide crevasse that you throw your votes into will somehow represent the narrow margin of victory one of the two aforementioned parties will enjoy on the nuit de la 16e. And it will be symbolised by that stupid slit in the ballot box that is freakin' impossible to put your ballot into.

Aside: No wonder it's called "stuffing" the ballot box. Ho-ly Christ. And exeunt.

Then, yeah, THEN (IT'S NOT OVER)... you'll be stuck with a coalition government for a grueling, poo-slinging whole heckuvalotoftime three months while the chimps in parliament decide what to do with our political system, which currently seems to be suffering from either a severe case of alcohol poisoning or really awkward bulimia. Why bulimia? Well... it binges on taxpayer dollars and then purges a whole lot of bullsh... ahem.

No matter the case, maybe Serodini's bank. She's certainly a foxy little dish[/1940s]. Did you see her Wikipedia entry? Daaaaaayyyy-yum. Definitely more eye-ppetising than that froggy lump of claymation we seem to have bestowed with the title "leader of the opposition". Oh, look, Gumby, your poll numbers are sagging! Oh noooooo!!!

The moral of the story, this here, kids, is that democracy is faulty. Why can't somebody just be bad-ass and dictatory... dictatory... sounds like Tater Tots... heh, tater tots. Heh. Tito Tater, the next great Pacitalian emperor. Or marshal... as you like it. WHOA, two Shakespearean refs in one story. I'm on a freakin' roll, champs.

Anyway, the moral of the story is not only that I keep getting distracted by ol' Billy to the Shakespizzle, but that whoever wins will hold the honourable title of "shortest prime ministerial term EVA!". Cos this puppy'll be dead as soon as we pump the stomach of our old political system (yeah, we're going with alcy poisoning... bulimia's a bit touchy), induce labour, check for signs of fetal alcohol syndrome on the new political system (which will, in future stories, be henceforth affectionately referred to as "the new guy") and then pull the old bastard off life support.

I love it. Do you? DO YOU? Love it, Pacitalia.

'R-ya gonna do it?

Ya gonna?

Gonna do it?

C'mon, just let it happen! You'll be glad you did.

Taxpayers 1, Mall Rats 0, Democracy... -1. Pacitalia's reputation... can the scale go that low?

Yes?

Damn.

Pacitalia's reputation... no, I can't. No. NO.

Fin.

(P.S., it's PSC 35.5 / FPD 35.1. Can it get any closer? Rhetorical questions ftw!)