Elections Announced in Centralis

[GeneralTacticus]

Press Release from the Centralis Ministry for Information:

The government of Centralis today announced that new elections would be held within four months, the first new national elections since the current government came to power and entered the CACE. Though the governing Labour Alliance has expressed confidence in its electoral victory, many other observers are not so sure, as the recently formed organization known simply as the Centrum has been making substantial gains in local elections.

OOC: Cookie to anyone (no, Squeblish, not you) who gets the reference above.

Major Contenders:

LABOUR ALLIANCE:
Party Leader: Leopold von Mordenehein, President of Centralis
Other Key Figures:
Alvarex Hawkwood (Minister for Defence);
Edwina Hollenbach (Minister for Economic Affairs)
Major Support Bases: Trade unions, educated professionals.
Current Popularity (approximate): 41%
Major Platforms:
- Free education and health care;
- Government control over the economy;
- Commitment to the CACE and IFTA;
- Government provision of necessities (food, water, electricity, etc)

CENTRUM:
Party Leader: Montgomery Eisenhorn, President of the Dynatronics Research Centre
Other Key Figures:
Juliana Campbell, MP
Ricardo Micola, Minister for International Affairs
Major Support Bases:
Current Popularity (approximate): 33%
Major Platforms:
- Maintenance of the CACE and IFTA alliances;
- Emphasis on scientific research in all areas, particularly bio/nanotech, physics, and AI;
- Continuation of the current economic system;
- More emphasis on research and infrastructure investment and less on welfare payments, etc;
- Major commitment to higher education standards, especially in scientific and technical fields.

LIBERTARIAN PARTY:
Party Leader: Darren Faulkner, Governor of Amas Han
Other Key Figures:
Terrance Borthwick, Minister for Justice;
Margaret Hartlege, MP
Major Support Bases: Wealthy individuals, business.
Current Popularity (approximate): 17%
Major Platforms:
- Abolition of current economic system, in favour of free-market capitalism on the Karakasian model;
- Severing of ties to the CACE and IFTA, in favour of trade alliances with Karakas and other neighbouring nations;
- Radical reduction in taxes and social spending;
- A more economically-oriented foreign policy.

OTHER CONTENDERS:

An assortment of minor parties and independent candidates, with their most prominent figure being the former Minister for International Affairs, Andreas von Weiser.

EDIT:

OOC: If anyone wants to RP some interference in these elections, you're welcome to do so, just clear it with me first. Please note, also, that any such interference would almost certainly be illegal, and would have to be done very skillfully to avoid detection.

[Squeblish Nef?]

OOC: Methinks the Libertarian heretics could be useful to my cause.

[GeneralTacticus]

...with one month to go before the election, the present government is becoming increasingly pessimistic, as support for the Centrum has now hit 40%, while support for the Labour Alliance has dropped to 36%. Meanwhile, the Libertarian Party's support has dropped to 14%; allegations persist of foreign involvement with the party, though no evidence has yet come to light.

- Excerpt from a random daily newspaper

[Squeblish Nef?]

OOC: Incidentally, GT, I thought that we had ruled that 'Poly was a world unto itself, which would mean that CACE doesn't exist.

[GeneralTacticus]

A proposal is not a ruling, Squeblish. I'm surprised you didn't learn that in English. In any case, I have no intention whatsoever of giving up my extra-Poly diplomatic links under any circumstances.

[Squeblish Nef?]

Says it all, GT.

[Rasputin]

ooc : what is Cace???


IC:

Auldonina fully supports the liberals attempts at getting a totaly free market. we believe all nations should encourage this and whilst we certainyl do hope that the people of centralis get behinsd this movement, we will not in any way interfer with the natural course of things .


OOC: large deposits of funds have recently arrived in the liberal partys coffers !!!!!!!

[GeneralTacticus]

OOC: CACE is the Coalition of Anti-Capitalist Economies. Basically, the world communist/anarchist/socialist/general non-capitalist club.

As for the large amounts of funding - how exactly are they arriving? Given that donations to political parties are strictly regulated, you'd need to do it very carefully for the money to arrive undetected and be of much use.

[Squeblish Nef?]

Could do it in smuggled hard currency, but the problem is inherent in the solution.

[Rasputin]

Actually they are colelcting the money from offshore industries that they have managed to gain controlling shares in. The profits of these companies are funnelled directly to their personal accounts and thence to their party bank accounts as doantions from themselves to their own party.


How the political members got the shares is of course another matter that may need to be addressed by your government