Altanar
13-06-2007, 08:04
From the Ael Khalas Union-Sun newspaper:
In a seismic shift in Altanari politics, Altanari Unity Party candidate Norgan Sheloran has become the nation's first elected Prime Minister. Sheloran narrowly defeated his rival, Modern Democratic Party candidate Alana Kasimira.
"I am grateful for the opportunity to lead Altanar as we continue our great democratic reforms," Sheloran said in his victory speech. "This election shows that the Altanari people want change and want to take this nation in a different direction from the one it has been going in for the past twenty years. Today, a new Altanar will emerge, one that respects and supports our traditional strengths yet still embraces the future."
In her concession speech, Kasimira said that she would continue to work to advance the liberal and progressive cause in her role as an Assemblywoman, and pointedly added that Sheloran's narrow victory "does not constitute a mandate to throw out all the progress Altanar has made over the past two decades. We congratulate Minister Sheloran on his victory, but we will continue to defend Altanar against any movement to take it back to its past."
Sheloran, Altanar's justice minister, received 43% of the vote, compared to 41% for Kasimira. The remaining 16% of the vote was split between four other parties, which caused MDP party chairman Ikani Jerakas to sharply criticize those parties for not dropping out of the race.
"If the minor parties had dropped out and given their votes to us, we'd have beaten Sheloran easily," Jerakas said. "The Liberal Party had the good sense to drop out when it became apparent that they had no chance in the seven hells to win. The other parties, especially the Socialists and the IMPs, should have done the same, instead of staying in it and handing the election to the AUP on a silver platter."
Responding to that, the Green Altanar Movement, Socialist Workers' Party and the Indigenous and Minorities' Party issued a joint statement blasting Jerakas' statement as "borderline fascist", adding that "every political party has a right to participate in the democratic process, no matter whether naysayers think they can win or not", and that "the MDP would have had a better chance of winning if they had tried to incorporate our platforms into theirs, instead of just expecting us to quit at their demand."
The post-election sniping leads many political observers to believe that the AUP and the monarchy will capitalize on a fractured opposition to continue the nation's swing in a more conservative direction. And with Altanar already becoming more conservative in the aftermath of its recent civil conflict, many believe that the future of the nation will no doubt be a much more right-wing one. With elections fast approaching next month for the Peoples' Assembly, Altanar's legislature, time will tell whether this swing to the right is a trend, or a fluke.
In a seismic shift in Altanari politics, Altanari Unity Party candidate Norgan Sheloran has become the nation's first elected Prime Minister. Sheloran narrowly defeated his rival, Modern Democratic Party candidate Alana Kasimira.
"I am grateful for the opportunity to lead Altanar as we continue our great democratic reforms," Sheloran said in his victory speech. "This election shows that the Altanari people want change and want to take this nation in a different direction from the one it has been going in for the past twenty years. Today, a new Altanar will emerge, one that respects and supports our traditional strengths yet still embraces the future."
In her concession speech, Kasimira said that she would continue to work to advance the liberal and progressive cause in her role as an Assemblywoman, and pointedly added that Sheloran's narrow victory "does not constitute a mandate to throw out all the progress Altanar has made over the past two decades. We congratulate Minister Sheloran on his victory, but we will continue to defend Altanar against any movement to take it back to its past."
Sheloran, Altanar's justice minister, received 43% of the vote, compared to 41% for Kasimira. The remaining 16% of the vote was split between four other parties, which caused MDP party chairman Ikani Jerakas to sharply criticize those parties for not dropping out of the race.
"If the minor parties had dropped out and given their votes to us, we'd have beaten Sheloran easily," Jerakas said. "The Liberal Party had the good sense to drop out when it became apparent that they had no chance in the seven hells to win. The other parties, especially the Socialists and the IMPs, should have done the same, instead of staying in it and handing the election to the AUP on a silver platter."
Responding to that, the Green Altanar Movement, Socialist Workers' Party and the Indigenous and Minorities' Party issued a joint statement blasting Jerakas' statement as "borderline fascist", adding that "every political party has a right to participate in the democratic process, no matter whether naysayers think they can win or not", and that "the MDP would have had a better chance of winning if they had tried to incorporate our platforms into theirs, instead of just expecting us to quit at their demand."
The post-election sniping leads many political observers to believe that the AUP and the monarchy will capitalize on a fractured opposition to continue the nation's swing in a more conservative direction. And with Altanar already becoming more conservative in the aftermath of its recent civil conflict, many believe that the future of the nation will no doubt be a much more right-wing one. With elections fast approaching next month for the Peoples' Assembly, Altanar's legislature, time will tell whether this swing to the right is a trend, or a fluke.