New Dallsiph Presidential Election December 2012 (Last Day)

[New Dallsiph]

New Dallsiph's second presidential election begins. The people of New Dallsiph have narrowed down their options for the president of the New Dallsiph to 3 candidates, the current vice-president, Ruslan Dantovich, MNA (Member of the National Assembly) Marina Shalitna, and MNA Jeremy Yukantov. The constitution of New Dallsiph prevents the current president, Alexandra Yenina from running for a second term as president, and therefore is not a candidate for president. The candidate who gets the most votes becomes president, and the president-elect is allowed to select his vice-president from the other presidential candidates or the previous president if that president was not a vice-president before (President Yenina would be a viable option for vice-president). The election will be open until December 23rd. Articles will be posted related to the candidates over the course of the next couple of weeks, and you will be able to change your vote as the election proceeds.

Political Compass of the presidential candidates:

Ruslan Dantovich



Ruslan Dantovich has served the country as the vice-president of New Dallsiph since the previous election in March 2012 where he ran against President Yenina. His history includes active involvement in the Sankiritan-South Dallsiphian War, in which he ended the conflict with peace and the removal of Future Incorporated's presence in South Dallsiph, and provided support for South Dallsiph's new government.

Date of Birth: June 21st, 1972 (41 years old)
Birthplace: Port Sankirita, Dallsiph
Political orientation: Social Democrat
Religious affiliation: Baha'i
Sexual orientation: Straight
Personality:

• Charismatic
• Sociable
• Scholarly
• Rational
• World-rounded
• Experienced

Domestic Agenda:

• Maintain government support for education
• Create more jobs in urban and rural areas
• Increase investment in scientific research

International Agenda:

• Improve relations with and between South Dallsiph, Chinchasia, Sankirita, and Ninforia
• Increase interaction with the international community and Mira
• Increase investment in a coalition peace-keeping military force for the Dallsiph region (Sankirita, Ninforia, Chinchasia, and South Dallsiph)

Marina Shalitna



Date of Birth: May 10th, 1964 (48 years old)
Birthplace: Terrakaneva, New Dallsiph
Political orientation: Centrist Libertarian
Religious affiliation: Agnostic
Sexual orientation: Bisexual
Personality:

• Charismatic
• Sociable
• Artistic
• Ambitious
• Independent

Domestic Agenda:

• Deregulate the free market to allow more privatization
• Reduce government programs related to welfare and social policy in order to lower taxes
• Encourage entrepreneurship for New Dallsiphians
• Allow independent healthcare programs

International Agenda:

• Remove New Dallsiph's involvement in the affairs of foreign countries that do not have a direct impact on New Dallsiph (particularly affairs in former Dallsiph)
• Lower military spending
• Open trade with corporations from Ninforia and Toomphsdale
• Remove funding and support for a coalition peace-keeping military force for the Dallsiph region (Sankirita, Ninforia, Chinchasia, and South Dallsiph)

Jeremy Yukantov



Date of Birth: April 4th, 1976 (36 years old)
Birthplace: Terrakaneva, New Dallsiph
Political orientation: Libertarian Socialist
Religious affiliation: Atheist
Sexual orientation: Straight
Personality:

• Charismatic
• Sociable
• Intellectual
• Scholarly
• Ambitious
• Urban

Domestic Agenda:

• Maintain government support for education
• Increase funding for healthcare and social policy
• Increase regulations on privatization in New Dallsiph
• Impose restrictions on immigration

International Agenda:

• Restrict New Dallsiph's involvement in foreign affairs unless it prevents endangerment of socialist and democratic countries
• End all diplomatic and financial support for Sankirita and South Dallsiph until both countries adopt democratic governments, and take a neutral stance in the case of war
• Reduce military spending
• Restrict trade with capitalist countries
• Remove funding and support for a coalition peace-keeping military force for the Dallsiph region (Sankirita, Ninforia, Chinchasia, and South Dallsiph)

Please vote in this election, post your nation's support for the various candidates, and provide your nation's news coverage. New coverage has been posted from our newspaper New Dallsiph Daily, providing more in depth analysis of the election and the candidates.

New Dallsiph's electorate is for the most part social libertarian, which is why some might say there isn't much variety between the candidates. I expanded to the extremes of the majority of New Dallsiph's political views, so I hope it doesn't discourage you from voting. And just a reminder the election will be open until Sunday, December 23rd

[New Dallsiph]

*bump*

[Raswanistan]

The governing party in Raswanistan supports Ruslan Dantovich!

[Threlizdun]

How can Jeremy Yukantov possibly consider himself a libertarian when supporting immigration restrictions?

[New Dallsiph]

How can Jeremy Yukantov possibly consider himself a libertarian when supporting immigration restrictions?

OOC: Socially he is a libertarian, but his stance on immigration is one of his only policies that isn't socially libertarian.

[All of the Russias]

We support Jeremy Yukantov.

[Eastern Bloc States]

Eastern Bloc States supports Ruslan Dantovich!

[South Dallsiph]

The government and the people of South Dallsiph endorse the current vice-president, Ruslan Dantovich. We are grateful for his leadership in supporting and maintaining peace in our unstable region. As president, we have the greatest hope that he would continue the current path of peace in former Dallsiph.

[Toomphsdale]

President Harriet Gaddis strongly endorses MNA Marina Shatlina. New Dallsiph's restrictions on trade with Toomphsdale and our corporations only causes tensions between our countries. We also have the strongest hope that New Dallsiph's economy could definitely benefit from expanding on economic liberties that restrict free entrepreneurs from starting private businesses.

[Ninforia]

The Knights of Ninfor support MNA Marina Shatlina, because New Dallsiph's involvement in our conflicts has only caused problems and casualties on all fronts. We would prefer nations to not meddle in our affairs, and we are pleased to see that Shatlina recognizes our concerns. We also support Shatlina's free market policies that would allow us to trade with New Dallsiph.

[Zokoria]

Why there isn't a right-wing politician running in the elections?

[New Dallsiph]

Why there isn't a right-wing politician running in the elections?

OOC: Read the OOC. The New Dallsiphian electorate is for the most part social libertarian. The candidates presented are the 3 that were narrowed down by the electorate.

Also I like presenting elections that NS can vote in, and I want to run my country as the elected candidate. The reason why I had the electorate narrow down the candidates to 3 left-leaning libertarian candidates is because I don't want to run somebody whose views clash significantly with mine. All of the candidates are people I would be comfortable running New Dallsiph with.

[Sankirita]

Despite his criticism of our government, Premier Victor Krulov supports MNA Jeremy Yukantov for the president of New Dallsiph. In his words:

"I commend Yukantov's non-interventionist position regarding our region in Dallsiph. However, I would find it unreasonable for him to withdraw support for Sankirita until we get a democratic government, because the Sankiritan people favor our government due to the stability it provides. He should focus on the socialist aspect of Sankirita in order to strengthen our relationship. We hope he keeps this in mind if he becomes president, and I wish him the best of luck in this election."

[New Dallsiph]

Today, President Alexandra Yenina gave a speech supporting the vice-president in his run for president. As quoted from her speech:

"We do not need any radical changes to what's going on in New Dallsiph today. Currently our economy is in a good position, and there is no necessity to expand economic freedoms here. We don't need to take a more socialist position than we already have either. The current economy is working well, and Dantovich is the man to continue this path with. In regards to foreign policy, our presence in the Dallsiph region as a neutral observer is necessary in order for peace to last there. We drafted a peace treaty that has worked for both Sankirita and South Dallsiph, and a coalition military force would be a smart step in further insuring peace in the region. Isolationism would be a terrible step for New Dallsiph, as we are not the only country in the world."

[Cylarn]

President James Francis Bulger's video acknowledging his support for Vice President Dantovich:

My New Dallsiphian Friends,

While I am disapppointed that President Alexandra Yenina will not be running New Dallsiph anymore, I am proud to announce my support for Vice President Ruslan Dantovich. VP Dantovich has done much for Cylarnian-New Dallsiphian relations, and with him at New Dallsiph's helm, I'm sure that our nations will further prosper.

[Teddy Bear Republic]

We would support Ruslan Dantovich, since he has similar center-left policies as our current ruling party, especially on research and foreign policy.

[New Dallsiph]

12/17/12

Dantovich's Lead Victory Gets Challenged By Rhetoric From Shatlina and Yukantov

So far in this election, Vice-President Ruslan Dantovich leads with a 51% majority, against his 2 rivals MNA Marina Shatlina, and MNA Jeremy Yukantov. Despite this clear support for their mutual opponent, Shatlina and Yukantov continue to push their race for the presidency, as they both take a stab at the vice-president's foreign policy. Yesterday during a press conference, Shatlina blasted the vice-president for his interventionist position regarding the Dallsiph region.

"I have one question for the vice-president, why do we still need to have a military presence in the Dallsiph region? There hasn't been a war in a while, and South Dallsiph's government has even changed since that war occurred. We're wasting our taxes on creating armies that don't even focus on our foreign policy concerns, and the vice-president wants us to further increase our military presence in the region. I think its time we moved out and gave the countries of the Dallsiph region the respect and dignity to make their own decisions, and stopped taking sides in their conflict. It's clear we have a bias for Sankirita, which is a socialist dictatorship, not a democracy, and we also are developing a bias for South Dallsiph, which also lacks a democratic government. I don't know why we support these countries, but if we are to support them, I say it's time we allow trade with Ninforia, and with Toomphsdale, which has a more democratic government than Sankirita or South Dallsiph."

Similarly, Yukantov also criticized the Vice-President's foreign policy in an interview, but with a different twist.

"Right now we have troops in Dallsiph instead of troops at home. Neither of the governments we are supporting are democratic; one of them has a dictator who promised peace and stability in return for their consent to his authoritarian rule, another has a government uses the encouragement conformity and a lack of opposition to the system as a basis to their government's structure. Both of these are appalling systems, and we shouldn't support either of them, even if Toomphsdale decides to knock on their back doors with an army. I say we add them to the same category as Toomphsdale and Ninforia, and refuse to trade with them, or support them. We need to focus on our own domestic policy and direct foreign affairs instead of meddling with those of others."

Despite the similar stances on foreign policy between Shatlina and Yukantov, the MNA's have taken stabs at each other, and at other policies of Dantovich. Yesterday at the same press conference, Shatlina shared her economic policy, which contrasts sharply with both Dantovich and Yukantov.

"Do you know how the world views our economic status? They view it as "fair". Not good, but fair. Our economy has reached points where the international community ranked it with 67 out of 100 points, and currently we stand with 26 points. Whatever we are doing, we are doing it wrong. There's not enough economic opportunity in New Dallsiph for anyone to create any businesses that could bolster our economic position and remove us from the laughing stock of major powers. This would mean cutting taxes to social policy, which does nothing but redistribute the wealth and take from those who are successful. We would also need to cut welfare, so that people can be more independent and pursue entrepreneurship. Dantovich supports the current economic situation we have, and Yukantov wants to further regulate our economy, but I stand for economic freedom and a stronger economy."

Yukantov similarly shared his economic policy, criticizing Shatlina's position.

"Unlike Shatlina, I don't think we need anymore economic freedom. As you can see with Toomphsdale for example, economic freedom can lead to social oppression. The regulations we have in place are essential to prevent large corporations from taking advantage of the New Dallsiphian people. Yes, our economic stance may not be as high as others, but that's because we're using our economic power to support the New Dallsiphian people. I agree that we might need to loosen taxes, but we should only lower taxes regarding defense spending. All of our other taxes are essential in order to sustain the programs we have today. And our welfare system is not one that discourages people from pursuing entrepreneurship - it's one that makes sure that they have the right support to be able to pursue it. Nobody stays on welfare for too long, and it's a good safety net for those who face economic hardships. And our social policy is what keeps us from becoming a society with social classes."

One of the biggest controversies of Yukantov's agenda is his immigration policy. While being asked about it in an interview he justified his position.

"Oddly enough, our immigration policy actually hurts the international community more than it helps it. Those who don't want to live in Toomphsdale's, Ninforia's, Sankirita's, or even South Dallsiph's oppressive societies come here to New Dallsiph, because we don't have the same problems as the other noted countries do. This may seem like a good thing, but I don't see it in the same light. Because people who oppose their governments are coming over here, they aren't doing anything to promote social justice in their own countries. If we restrict immigration from those countries, people will begin to fight for change in their own countries, and these tyrannical regimes would have to adjust to the needs and desires of their people if they want to continue to stand. Most of Krulov's opposition in Sankirita fled to New Dallsiph when he came to power. Just imagine what Sankirita would be like, if they couldn't come here. Also, speaking of Krulov, I refuse to overlook his authoritarian rule just because he has a socialist economy. If he allowed more political freedom, then maybe I will consider opening up trade with him. Otherwise, I wouldn't."

We will see how these criticisms to Vice-President Dantovich's position will change the election as it stands right now, and New Dallsiph Daily.

[Nova Imperius]

I think this is biased as people will vote no. 1 as they like the person pictured more lol

[New Dallsiph]

I think this is biased as people will vote no. 1 as they like the person pictured more lol

OOC: What's funny about that is that people do the same in RL elections. I wanted to provide a face to a name in the election, because it does have that effect. If you think it's too distracting, then I will remove the pictures altogether.

[Marginia]

By the Crown-owned news agency:

No chance of new political course in the New Dallsiph election

The huge nation of New Dallsiph, located in the distant region of Mira, is holding a Presidential election. New Dallsiph has a long tradition of socialism and libertarianism, and none of the three candidates would question this tradition. For some, this means difficulty in making their choice.

–I'm skipping this election, says Laura Prusaka, a Marginian-born nurse who has recently got the citizenship of New Dallsiph. –If the New Dallsiphians want to make one of these people President, so be it, but I personally can't relate to any of them.

New Dallsiph is a very different country from Marginia, which means among other things that two of the three Presidential candidates don't even believe in God. The one who does, Ruslan Dantovich, is a Baha'i believer.

–It's not the main issue for me, Prusaka says, –I acknowledged that this isn't a Christian country when I moved here. I do think that the deep-rooted atheism in this country contributes to decadent social values, though.

Roman Berkovich of the New Dallsiph Movement for Conservative Politics is sorry for the Movement's poor possibilities in this election.

–Our supporters are scattered in different Communal Assemblies, which makes it very difficult for us to reach political goals. We didn't manage to nominate our Presidential candidate because he was very poorly-known and was left with far less support than he would've needed to secure his candidacy. We weren't expecting any success in the first place, really. This is a shame, because social policy is not an issue in this election. The leading candidates are pretty identical in this respect.

The Marginian government never takes sides in foreign countries' politics, but the RMNA managed to interview a member of the Council of State on condition of anonymity.

–One of the candidates, Jeremy Yukantov, would restrict international trade with capitalist countries. This combined with his willingness to promote his ideologies internationally doesn't make him my favourite candidate, the anonymous Marginian Council member says.

Yukantov recently suggested that a trade embargo be placed upon Sankirita and South Dallsiph due to their lack of democracy.

Berkovich of the Conservative Movement has something positive to say about Yukantov.

–At least Yukantov has untraditional views on immigration.

---

Royal Marginian News Agency

[New Dallsiph]

12/18/12

MNA Marina Shatlina Discusses Further Plans for Privatization And Reaches Out to Conservative Voters

Yesterday in response to Yukantov's harsh criticisms of her economic plan, Shatlina defended her economic plan in an interview.

"I don't think Yukantov realizes that our economy compared to those of our neighbors is appalling, and it's mostly to do with our already numerous socialist programs, which we don't need anymore of. The way we get a stronger economy is by allowing our people to spend more money on themselves, instead of taking so much for social policy and other unnecessary budgets in the public sector. And social classes aren't necessarily a bad thing. My economic plan wouldn't lead to a situation similar to Toomphsdale's, but it would allow us to have a presence in the global market. I'm not saying we should turn ourselves into a corporate bordello, but rather into a system with a stronger economy than the one we have right now."

Later during the interview, Shatlina reached out to conservative voters as a candidate who would listen to their voices.

"I know many would say that there isn't any difference between the candidates, especially our more conservative or more capitalist voters. Even though I may not be a conservative, I will consider your voice when I run for office. I'm pushing for fewer economic regulations, a significantly smaller social policy budget, and the ability for those to make money on their own without the government's help. Between the 3 candidates, I think it's safe to say that I will bring the most change to New Dallsiph. Dantovich will continue New Dallsiph on its current course, and Yukantov would make it even harder for businesses to succeed. I am calling for the promotion of private healthcare programs, open trade with capitalist countries, less criticism of capitalist countries and authoritarian governments abroad, and a New Dallsiph that is more inclusive to those with different political views. Conservatives, libertarians, capitalists - I am your candidate, and I will listen to your views even if they don't fully agree with mine."

Marina Shatlina noted that she is not running solely for her political views, but for the views of everyone who wants change in New Dallsiph. She mentioned that if the New Dallsiphian people want further changes, she would pursue those changes.

[Toomphsdale]

To the nations of the world spectating this election,

I just wanted to say that I would encourage all capitalist countries, conservative, liberal, democratic, or authoritarian, to support MNA Marina Shatlina. Unfortunately, she is the closest to a capitalist candidate in New Dallsiph, and both her domestic and foreign policy are favorable to capitalism. Being one of the victims of New Dallsiph's trade embargoes, we have witnessed the damage that their trade embargo has done to our relationship with New Dallsiph, and New Dallsiph's relationships with other capitalist countries, and Shatlina has promised to end those embargoes. This would allow Shatlina to develop better relations with us, and with other capitalist countries alike. To dictatorships that do not support any candidates so far, Shatlina is also a good option, because she will remove trade restrictions on dictatorships that New Dallsiph currently has, such as its embargo on Ninforia. I would also like to see the economy of New Dallsiph strong enough to compete with the rest of the economy.

In addition to all of these amazing contributions she could bring to New Dallsiph, Shatlina could shift the political spectrum of New Dallsiph by introducing new ideas that would lead to more capitalism in the future, and even open up the voices of the silenced conservatives in New Dallsiph. Maybe in future elections, the candidates will be far more diverse because of the contributions she'd make to public discussion. I wish the best for her in this election, and I hope that fellow capitalists will support her run for presidency.

Sincere words,

President Harriet Gaddis
President of the Federal Monetary Republic of Toomphsdale

[Sankirita]

Today in the Socialist Republic of Sankirita, Premier Victor Krulov passed away and was succeeded by Premier Nikolai Maventov. More details can be found here

[New Dallsiph]

12/21/12

Final Words From the Candidates

With one day left in the election, NDD asked final questions for the candidates, including how the death of Sankirita's dictator, Premier Victor Krulov, has affected their foreign policy.

Starting with Vice-President Dantovich, he sends his condolences to the friends and family of the former premier of Sankirita. Given that his position supports the use of a coalition military force to prevent war in the Dallsiph region, we asked if his opinion has shifted now that Sankirita has a democracy. His response was:

"I can't say that we know that the democracy in Sankirita will last. After all, Premier Maventov has received backlash from his current congress, and most of the Socialist Party members have shifted to join the United Dallsiph Socialist Party, which I'm more cautious about than I have ever been with Krulov. Unless this election actually yields in non-belligerent democratic results I am reluctant to change my position on a coalition peace-keeping force. In addition, there's also Ninforia in the region, and Chinchasia's instability rises by the day. Sankirita was not the country I was most worried about to begin with."

When asked if Dantovich had any final words he wanted to say, and he responded with

"If the results carry as they are, I plan to continue New Dallsiph's current course, because I don't think we need any significant changes to our system."

Next, we interviewed Member of the National Assembly Marina Shatlina. When asked about Premier Krulov's response she said:

"It doesn't change my foreign policy at all. It doesn't matter what happens over there - unless they somehow elect some genocidal extremists, which is very unlikely, I don't think that my position on Sankirita is going to change that much. We should still trade with them, and hopefully they will push for a more mixed economy."

When asked about her final words she said the follow:

"I know I'm not that much different from the rest of the candidates, but I'm the most different. If you want change in New Dallsiph, I'm the candidate you should choose. I will open up the forum for more conservative commentary, and I will listen to those whose opinions even clash with mine. I speak for libertarians, for entrepreneurs, and anyone who is boxed by the current system in New Dallsiph, and I have hope that we could win."

Finally we interviewed Member of the National Assembly Jeremy Yukantov. His response to Premier Krulov's death was the following:

"I'm happy that the new premier is open to democracy. If these elections go smoothly, I will remove Sankirita from my proposed blacklist, and we should encourage South Dallsiph to do the same. In addition, I think this event is even more reason why we don't need to support a coalition military force in the Dallsiph region."

His final words regarding the election are the following:

"I know I probably will not win this election, but I am not giving up. I want to maintain what New Dallsiph was before the Yenina administration. I want to have a New Dallsiph that does not get involved in wars that don't affect us, but also maintains the socialist values that have structured our society. As a final note, I encourage those living in oppressive societies abroad to fight for change in your country. Don't come here to escape the problem - address the problem at home so there is another society in the model of New Dallsiph's.

With one day left in the election, Vice-President Dantovich leads with 48% of the votes, followed by MNA Shatlina with 30%, and finally MNA Yukantov with 22%

[Bleckonia]

We support Ruslan Dantovich.