Crylantian general election, 2017 (Aeia only)

[Crylante]

On the 16th of March, 2017, the People's Assembly and the States' Assembly, the constituent chambers of the Great Council of Crylante, were dissolved in preparation for the election taking place on the 31st of March. This general election will consist of the election of the 51 seats of the States' Assembly, and the 225 seats of the People's Assembly. The States' Assembly is elected using single transferrable vote, with each of the 17 states gaining three seats to distribute, while the Peoples' Assembly will be elected using open-list proportional representation.

As soon as the new legislature is elected, it will be given the responsibility to elect replacements for two members of Crylante's executive body, referred to as the National Council, as two members, Maximus Reidus and Silvanus Le Grande, have announced their resignations.

There is also a constitutional amendment on the ballot, submitted by the Green Party, which if passed will add a seventh seat to the National Council, responsible for managing a new government department concerning Equality, Sports and Culture. It is thought that this seat will be taken by the Green Party, giving the party it's first taste of federal executive power.

It is thought that the Reform Party will lose seats and be overtaken by the Socialist Party in the People's Assembly, as the Reform Party submitted a failed referenda to sell off parts of Crylante's social housing program, in which housing is provided for free to the poor and unemployed. The referenda was rejected by 62.1% of voters, and the Reform Party proposed it due to "the high proportion of these houses that are vacant", saying it seemed "silly to own houses that aren't being used for anything". The Green Party is set to gain seats and get more that 10% of the votes, which would signify a time when a party outside of the four major parties has gotten this result since the formation of the Federation.

Maximus Reidus

Party: Socialist Party
Department: Energy, Environment, Research and Education
Synopsis: Elected to the National Council in 2005, Maximus Reidus has been in charge of the department of Energy, Environment, Research and Education through the duration of this time. Part of the more left-wing factions of the party, Maximus Reidus has described himself as a "democratic socialist advocating the eventual phasing out of capitalism". He has focused his time on trying to combat climate change and working at a federal level to help the states make an education system "that works for everyone, no matter who they are as a person". He has a high approval rating, but he has decided to retire at this election.

As by tradition, the seat will be taken by the Socialist Party to retain their share of two seats on the council. Two candidates have come forward to take his place.
Arthur Troelsen: A rising star from the city of Dybøll of only 31 years of age, Troelsen would be the first mixed-race member of the National Council, his mother being from Valatin. He is a staunch environmentalist and socialist, his views have been said to be similar to the man he would be replacing. He has pledged to double down on his predecessor's aims, and has thought to have gained the support of much of the Socialist Party, the Green Party and The Left. He also wants to greatly increase funds for universities, making them free, and for scientific research.
David Agostini: An older, more experienced, more centrist politician, he has been a Member of the People's Assembly for the state of Badessa since 2009. He is generally considered a politician of the moderate left, holding a more social democratic stance. He has pledged to make scientific research a priority, will work to maintain his predecessor's policy on climate change and will defend the rights of states when it comes to education.

Silvanus Le Grande

Party: Trúathi Party
Department: Foreign Affairs and Trade
Synopsis: Serving for 20 years since 1997, Le Grande has been recognised by the Crylantian people as a highly skilled diplomat, being a good representative of Crylante on the international stage. A staunch pacifist, environmentalist and humanist, he has worked throughout his time as the Director for Foreign Affairs and Trade to promote world peace, to prevent climate change and to encourage humanistic values.

Bjarne Mancini: A staunch pacifist, Mancini has promised to continue Le Grande's efforts around the world to promote pacifism, environmentalism and humanism. He is the sole representative of the state of Nixoperuit in the People's Assembly, and has been since 2009. He is a devout Truathist like his predecessor, gaining much of his moral code from the religion like his predecessor did too.
Jenný Anadottir: Also a pacifist, Anadottir differs from Mancini and most of her party by her more socially liberal stances, being more pro-choice on abortion and euthanasia than her colleagues. She has pledged to defend women's rights around the world, and thus has gained the support of many feminist organisations. She is a member of the States' Assembly for Kattinge.

The Fourth Amendment will, if passed, add a seventh seat to the National Council, which will be representing a new federal department, the Department of Culture, Sports and Equality. This department will be concerned with the preservation and promotion of Crylantian culture, the managing and organisation of the various sports teams of Crylante, and working hard to generate more social equality in the nation. Beforehand these departments were managed at the state level, but the proposal by the Green Party has suggested managing it centrally.

The amendment is supported by the Reform Party, the Socialist Party, the Green Party and the People's Party, who see it as a good way to preserve Crylante's rich culture and history, ensure a greater performance in sports and ensure more social equality.

However, most of the Trúathi Party, the Farmers' Party, the Alydian Democrats, Let's Go Crylante and the Party for Crylantians oppose it, mostly considering it an issue better managed by the state level and that the Green Party is just using this to shoehorn themselves into the National Council. The Party for Crylantians is also concerned that they will create affirmative action and give immigrants equal status to citizens, which they oppose.

Opinion polling shows that it will likely just about pass the voting, but it also needs to survive a 2/3rds majority vote in both houses or the support of at least 10 state governments, which it is unclear whether this will happen.

Reform Party - A centre-right liberal party, this party has been the largest or second-largest party throughout the existence of the Crylantian Federation. It generally adopts a conservative-liberal and internationalist stance, being against tariffs, supportive of scientific research funding, pro-choice, pro-deregulation and supportive of the legalisation of soft drugs.
Socialist Party/Lillehavn Independents - A centre-left to left-wing party, the positions of this party range from social democracy to democratic socialism. It is also environmentalist and takes great influence from the economic policy of Gaius Septimus, an early member of the party who oversaw the creation of much of Crylante's welfare state. It is supportive of import tariffs, pro-choice, pro-research funding, anti-deregulation, pro-soft drugs and anti-austerity.
Trúathi Party - A left-leaning religious humanist party. Takes influence from pacifism, environmentalism and social conservatism. It is neutral on trade, pro-life, anti-deregulation, anti-soft drugs and anti-austerity.
Farmers' Party - A right-leaning agrarian, civic nationalist and isolationist party. Anti-free trade, pro-life (less so than Trúathi), neutral on deregulation, anti-soft drugs and neutral on austerity.
Green Party - An eco-socialist and left-libertarian party. One of the two parties to call for the end of capitalism. Pro-trade when it benefits Crylante, pro-choice, strongly anti-deregulation and austerity, pro-soft drugs and very supportive of immigration. Has the four key values of ecology, social justice, grassroots democracy and pacifism.
People's Party - A social-liberal and green-liberal party. Split from the Reform Party in 2009 due to the more centrist economic policy of the party members. It appeals to university students with it's fusion of green values like ecology, social justice, grassroots democracy and pacifism with Crylantian liberal values like a social market economy, freedom, equality and brotherhood. Pro-choice, pro-trade, anti-deregulation and austerity, pro-soft drugs and highly pro-immigration.
The Left - A party advocating the abolishment of capitalism as it's main goal. It is also environmentalist, feminist, pro-choice and pacifist, but the goal of abolishing capitalism is forefront. Against the West Asuran Concordant.
Let's Go, Crylante! - A populist movement which generally leans to the left. Strongly against corruption and supportive of parliamentary democracy as opposed to the directorial system. Also against membership of WACO.
Alydian Democrats - A party advocating for the interests of the Alydian minority, mostly supported by immigrants from mainland Asura. Generally similar to the Trúathi Party, but also highly pro-Asuran and advocating the end of WACO membership and the joining of the Asuran Community.
New Socialist Party - A Third Way party that split off of the Socialist Party. While initially being centrist, the party has aligned itself strongly with the Reform Party and therefore has adopted stances supporting austerity.
Alliance for the East - A regionalist party, advocating the area known as East Crylante splitting off of Crylante. Their new state would ideally be a member of the Asuran Community, and they are generally left-leaning on economics but right-leaning on ethical and moral issues.
Party for the Crylantians - A highly nationalist party, wishing to see the closing of the Crylantian border, only letting in 7,500 skilled workers a year. Wants to completely ban immigration from countries it considers "high-risk". It generally does not take a stance on much else however.

[Crylante]

Election schedule:
17th March, 2017: Dissolution of the Great Council
21st March, 2017: First Debate
25th March, 2017: Second Debate
29th March, 2017: Third Debate
31st March, 2017: Election Day
4th April, 2017: Confidence vote in the National Council

[Crylante]

Crylante 24 News Studios, Marigne, NE, 9:00 AM CST

A newsreader announces the following publicly: A debate has been organised for today by the international news channel Crylante 24, which is based in Marigne, an affluent suburb of the Crylantian capital of Nebligen, NE. The debate will include the Reform Party, the Socialists, the Trúathi Party, the Farmers' Party, the Greens, the People's Party, The Left, Let's Go Crylante and the Alydian Democrats.

Crylante 24 News Studios, Marigne, NE, 4:00 PM CST
Arriving early, Flavius Septimus of the Reform Party and Dagmar Sigurðadottir of the Socialist Party walked into the debate studio carrying a large amount of fried chicken. The two spokespersons for the rival parties had met each other in the street outside and ordered the chicken for a meal as they waited. Dividing it up between them, they sat at their respective podiums and ate the fried chicken as they waited. It would be a long two hours before they started debating, and even then it would be a long debate, so they just sat there and waited after finishing.

Crylante 24 News Studios, Marigne, NE, 5:30 PM CST
A taxi carrying Liv Adamsen of the Truathi Party, Florentus Le Verde of the Farmers' Party, Ulrikke Nørup of the People's Party and Rikard Steinsson of the Green Party stopped off outside the television studio. They departed the taxi and walked in, with Mrs. Nørup of the People's Party carrying a pizza with her on her way. They went to their podiums and stood there while waiting, eating food they'd brought while they did so.

Crylante 24 News Studios, Marigne, NE, 6:00 PM CST
Only a few minutes before the scheduled debate time, the rest of the candidates (Naldo Marconi of Let's Go Crylante, Leonardo Sultana of The Left and Selma Tómasson of the Alydian Democrats) rushed in. They'd arranged a carpool from Nebligen Central Station, and their train had been severely delayed. They rushed to their podiums and the newscaster called for the first debate to begin.

[Midrasia]

"Good evening and welcome to the First Official Debate of the 2017 Crylantian general election." Announced the presenters, eager to get the event underway.
"The rules are simple, we will open the floor to the audience who will be able to ask questions to any standing member, each candidate will then have a specified length of time to give a response, before their opponents are able to respond." It was clear from the atmosphere that this event had been the culmination of months of planning, the hopes of each party now lay in the hands of their single representative. One slip up could ruin everything.
"Our first question please."
A rather smartly dressed man, with suit and shirt stood to give the first question of the evening.
"Thank you. My question is to all members here tonight. Recent polls suggest political apathy across Asura and Lhedwin is at an all time high, especially among the younger generation. As a politics lecturer it pains me to see our youth disinterested in politics, and held at the mercy of what we deem the 'grey vote'. My question is this, if elected, what will your party do to get today's youth interested in politics?"

[Crylante]

"Good evening and welcome to the First Official Debate of the 2017 Crylantian general election." Announced the presenters, eager to get the event underway.
"The rules are simple, we will open the floor to the audience who will be able to ask questions to any standing member, each candidate will then have a specified length of time to give a response, before their opponents are able to respond." It was clear from the atmosphere that this event had been the culmination of months of planning, the hopes of each party now lay in the hands of their single representative. One slip up could ruin everything.
"Our first question please."
A rather smartly dressed man, with suit and shirt stood to give the first question of the evening.
"Thank you. My question is to all members here tonight. Recent polls suggest political apathy across Asura and Lhedwin is at an all time high, especially among the younger generation. As a politics lecturer it pains me to see our youth disinterested in politics, and held at the mercy of what we deem the 'grey vote'. My question is this, if elected, what will your party do to get today's youth interested in politics?"

"We at the Reform Party have opened up a Youth branch of our party. We are using this to encourage the youth to get involved with our party, and to learn the values of our principal ideologies of conservative liberalism and internationalism." Flavius Septimus responded.

"While we have a youth wing too, I honestly think that the main reason that youth are uninvolved in political discourse is that they feel that they have no real option. They feel like all the parties aren't concerned with voters and are only concerned with staying in power. We at the Socialist Party are challenging this. We do not want to be a party of the status quo. We want to be a shining beacon of hope for a more equal and ethical society, one where it doesn't matter who you are, you can easily rise through society as there is a strong safety net pushing you up; the state should be an apparatus of social mobility." was Dagmar Sigurðadottir's response.

"But the Socialist Party does not go far enough. The real problem is a capitalist society. The youth view all of our four major parties as indistinguishable due to their support of capitalism; emphasising minor ideological disputes to ignore that the four of them are practically the same party. The youth do not want capitalism; capitalism is screwing us over. Therefore, we need someone who actively opposes this to stand to regain their faith in politics. Vote for The Left on the 31st if you want to see any real change, not just the incessant ramblings of the bourgeois." interjected Leonardo Sultana.

"They also feel turned off by the big four's lack of care about the environment." stated Rikard Steinsson of the Green Party, causing confused glances from the spokespersons of the Truathi and Socialist parties. He continued, ignoring them. "They claim they care, but in reality that's just a ruse. The current governing parties feel that what we are currently doing is enough to stop climate change. It isn't. Therefore, we are in the hope that our strong focus on economic, social and environmental justice will renew the faith in the youth and that they will feel inspired to vote for us."

"Or maybe, they just feel that politics is too corrupt so nothing they do will make a difference." Naldo Marconi of the Let's Go, Crylante! movement said in his well known charismatic and populist tone. "Sure, we're often ranked very highly in the world for transparency, but corruption still exists and it puts off young voters around the nation! We will try and eradicate all corruption in the nation! And also, another hindrance is directorialism itself; voters get put off as whatever they do, all four parties stay in government and make lukewarm progress. We need to abolish this system and initiate a return to parliamentary democracy; so that real change can be made, instead of incremental progress."

Selma Tómasson of the Alydian Democrats was next to speak. "My parents were Oser immigrants, and I personally feel that this government
does very little to address the concerns of mainland Asuran immigrants. They feel Crylante has a social bias towards Truathists and Lhedwinic natives. We should reach out to this minority, and show we care by re-aligning ourselves towards the Asuran Community." An audible gasp filled the room. "While I get that a certain Asuran nation has policies concerning LGBT rights which disgust the overwhelmingmajority of Crylantians, me included, in the sake our national interest and the inclusion of mainland Asuran and Alydian communities; it would do our nation a great deal of good. This will gain the interest of these minorities and renew faith within minority populations in our politics!"

"My party doesn't deal with this issue." announced Ulrikke Nørup of the People's Party. "We perform exceptionally well among young voters, and if the main parties cannot emulate this, why should we care? They can enjoy their share of the vote dwindle as they fail to reach out and see us rise to prominence."

"I think the problem is that we show an attitude of apathy to the youth." stated Liv Adamsen of the Truathi Party. "We need to show them an attitude of caring and compassion. Maybe then they will be inspired and they'll feel more involved in politics. It honestly pains me to see our youth turned off and uninspired politically."

"Who cares?" stated Florentus Le Verde of the Farmers' Party. "Crylante was founded on the basis of freedom. They are free to not vote if they don't want. And maybe the reason they don't vote is that they're happy with the status quo, and don't see the point in voting?"

[Oserland]

"Next question." said a presenter
A young woman, previously on Chirper, gave the second question in a hard Vanir accent.
"I come from the Vanir islands and have been campaigning for it's independence for five years now. What is your party's stance on this issue?"

[Crylante]

"Next question." said a presenter
A young woman, previously on Chirper, gave the second question in a hard Vanir accent.
"I come from the Vanir islands and have been campaigning for it's independence for five years now. What is your party's stance on this issue?"

"Ah yes, the Vanir Islands. I must ask though; can an island group of merely forty thousand people that's heavily reliant on us and the Terncan Federation for defense survive as an independent country?" asked Flavius Septimus rhetorically. "They already have their own government mostly, I don't see what effect independence would have apart from stranding the islands away from any help if it were to be attacked."

Florentus Le Verde nods in approval.

"But who would attack a small archipelago inhabited by mostly pacifist people anyway? There seems to be no gain apart from a place to go to on holiday without hassle." queried Naldo Marconi. "Oser culture has fused with the cultures of Crylante and indigenous culture so much that the islands have become a melting pot of these cultures and practically become their own culture. This own culture deserves it's right to self-determination, does it not? The islands should be able to determine their own fate through a referenda, in my view."

"Me and my party have no opinion on this issue." declares Dagmar Sigurðadottir. "We feel that they can stay if they so desire, and they can leave if they so desire, just that if they leave that their government seeks to defend the rights of the 17% of the population who identify as Crylantian, and continues the official recognition of the East and West Crylantian langauges."

From the five candidates who have not reacted yet, signals of approval for the statements of Dagmar Sigurðadottir are shown.

[Crylante]

The Seat Distribution has been announced:

Party	Seats	Change
Reform	51	+1
Socialist/LI	51	+2
Farmers'	32	-1
Truathi	25	0
Green	23	+1
People's	13	-1
Left	11	-1
LGC	8	0
Alydian	4	-1
Other	7	0

[Crylante]

The Fourth Amendment has passed; in the referenda on Friday 61.1% of the population voted in favour of amending the constitution to add the position. The state governments of Aasum, Pugdal, Lillehavn, Lentini, Marnehus, Dybøll, Sønderburg, Badessa and Nebligen have indicated their support as per required in the constitution, and the Open Parliament of Nixoperuit, consisting of every citizen over 18 in the country, has ratified their support, despite the opposition of the largest party in the state in federal elections. This meets the criteria for the amendment to be ratified, and it has therefore been ratified.

The Green Party of the Crylantian Federation has announced the candidacy of their spokesperson Rikard Steinsson, and Steinsson is running unopposed. He has pledged "to make it actually mean something in the constitution where it says we value equality and tolerance" by "eliminating the small, but still serious gender pay gap, ending all discrimination against racial and religious minorities, preserving our impressive record on LGBTQIA+ rights, making sure that working-class people have the same opportunities as their middle-class and upper-class peers and trying to include the disabled in our society."

On the 7th of April, the United Great Council will vote on the new appointments to the National Council, and indicate whether they still have the confidence in the four members standing re-election to the council. The Vanir Islands have chosen three delegates for the United Great Council:

• Katarin Claesson of the social-democratic Gleashaght, the dominant party in the islands.
• Haerviu Jakobsson of the liberal Speyr, the main opposition party.
• Luigsech De Flavius of the eco-socialist Dowan, Gleashaght's coalition partner.