Dulgain Votes 2010

[Dulgain]

People across Dulgain start switching on their television sets as polls are half an hour from closing on the Easter seaboard, with another 2 and a half to go on the Western seaboard.

Theme tune to "Dulgain Decides" starts...



Screen changes to show a wide panarama of night-time port fletcher, zooming in on the Parliament building - lit up and surrounded by crowds - before fading into the studio. Television personality Bob Ainsley steps into view.



Bob Ainsley: Good evening Dulgain, have we got a night for you! A Government in turmoil, the parliament dissolved and a Prime Minister not standing for re-election. This all sets the tone for what we can only imagine to be an exciting night. Right across the nation, from East to West, you have been voting, and in huge numbers. We haven't witnessed such huge queues outside polling stations for quite some time. This could be the highest turnout yet.

As he speaks, image goes to queues outside polling stations.



Bob Ainsley: While we wait for the polls to close for our first exit poll, we have with us tonight current Minister of Equality, Debra Jean, welcome Debra. Could you tell us why Prime Minister Jameson is not standing for a fourth term?

Debra Jean: Well Bob, I think you hit the nail on the head there. A FOURTH term. It's a long time for someone to be in a position of such power and stress, and I think Mr Jameson just now feels his time of use is over, and it's time to step aside and let another man - or in our case, woman - take the job.

Bob Ainsley: I see, and how do you explain the Central Alliance's DRAMATIC drop in the polls over the past year or so?

Debra Jean: Well, I think it is partly due to the new Leader. People don't know Ms Dekman very well, and we can only imagine this has had a huge effect on those willing to vote her for Prime Minister or even the CA for parliament.

Bob Ainsley, holding hand up to ear: Thank you Debra, I'm going to have to stop you there. The time is now 9pm on the Eastern seaboard, the polls have closed and the fate of every riding in this timezone is sealed.

Ainsley stands from seat and moves towards a screen.

Bob Ainsley: So let's take a look at the first exit poll....



Bob Ainsley: Amazing! Absolutely amazing! The Liberal Party, for so long unelectable, is up with 47% of the vote, knocking the Central Alliance into second place at 22%. That is a definite lead of 25%, a quarter of the vote. If this level of vote is displayed nationwide we will be looking at the Liberals with the most seats and - as you can see the Democratic Socialist Party squeezing in there with 12% - a workable coalition government avaliable for them. Let's go to our analytical team in the studio next door.

Image changes to a table of 2 men and a woman, looking down at numbers etc. Woman looks up and smiles. Daniella Johnsson, lead analyst for DBC.

Daniella Johnsson: Thanks Bob. Yes, if these votes were directly transferred into seats, the Liberals would be looking at roughly 137 seats, and join that with the Democratic Socialist Party's possible 35, you have a workable majority of 27. Add to that further the Greens - who have been known the support the Liberal's policies - and the Progressive Union, who are still feeling the shockwaves of the betrayal by the Central Alliance, and the Liberal's will be winning this election. Of course, that all depends on the margin of victory in our ridings, so we will have to see how the parties fair later tonight when the polls close in the West as well.

Bob Ainsley: Thank you Daniella. Join us after the break where I'll be talking to former leader of the Liberal Party Francoise Manlon and we will await the arrival of further exit polls and - eventually - final results.

[Dulgain]

Two Hours Later......
Bob Ainsley: I can now announce the polls on the Western Seaboard have closed. The fates of 280 Representatives and the Delegates has been sealed. We can reveal to you now the FINAL exit poll of the night, and the last poll of it's kind you will be seeing until the actual results have been released...



Bob Ainsley: And there you have it! Liberals now up at 49%, with their Democratic Socialist allies at 11%.Central Alliance down at 21%. As such I can now confirm that DBC is calling this election as a hung parliament, Liberals with the most seats and no doubt forming a coalition government with the Democratic Socialist Party. A momentous occasion indeed.

Holds hand up to ear

Bob Ainsley: Hold on, I have received word that the riding of Frederiton North, riding of the current Defence secretary, has just announced it results, let's take a look...



Bob Ainsley: Oh my indeed! This seat has been a stronghold of the CA since 1998, before that a stronghold of the reformists. I can honestly say that I have never heard of a Liberal candidate even getting into the top 2 in the polls here, and yet here we have a Liberal representative now! All credit must go to Ms Richards on a fantastic and surely energetic campaign.

An Hour later...

Bob Ainsley: Let's take a look at the current tallies for each party, with 95 of the 180 ridings having been announced so far..



Bob Ainsley: There you go, with 95 reporting, the Liberals have 49 seats, the CA a mere 18! This is a true victory for the Liberal party so far, but we will have to wait for the next 85 seats to be released to get a true idea of the party's standings.

Turns to camera 2

Bob Ainsley: We'll be looking at the exit polls we have just now compiled for Prime Minister after the break, don't go anywhere

[Dulgain]

Bob Ainsley: Welcome back! I promised you a prime ministerial poll and here we go, let's take a look at who the next Prime Minister will be..



Bob Ainsley: Wow, wow is all I can say. Let's go back to Daniella to see where Mr McKean of the Liberals managed to get over the 50% mark when his party is polling in the late 40s...

Daniella Johnsson: Thanks Bob, yes. From various polls we did, in which we asked who they voted for in the PM election and also who they voted for in the Parliamentary election. The results we received showed that all members of the Liberal party voted for Mr McKean, and also 2 percent from the Democratic Socialists, 2 percent from the Green Party and about one percent from the Independent voters. The Liberal Party's allies stuck by them here, in the first round, meaning we can now predict that Mr McKean will become the next Prime Minister of Dulgain.

Bob Ainsley: Thank you Daniella. We have just heard that of the further 10 ridings just now announced, a further 4 have went to the Liberal Party, with one going to the Democratic Socialists and 5 to the Central Alliance. Although this does seem like a victory, the final tallies are still at 52 to the Liberals and 23 to the Central Alliance, and from the 4 the Liberals just gained one was a safe seat for the Central Alliance. The CA can choose to take this time to celebrate a little victory, but they continue to lose in the greater scale of things.

An Hour Later

Bob Ainsley: We are now about to receive the final few ridings. With 9 still to announce their results, the Liberals are at 89, the Central Alliance at 42, Democratic Socialists at 20, Reformists at 12, Progressive Union with 4, Green have 2 and two independent - but strongly left wing - candidates.

Holds Hand to Ear

Bob Ainsley: Okay, here we go. Will the Liberals race across the half way mark, signally perhaps a very close majority, or will they fall just short and need help from their DSP allies.

Looks at screen

Bob Ainsley: Okay, let's see the final tallies....

Animation shows bar charts of parties slowly changing, until the final numbers appear.

Bob Ainsley: Dear god, that is close. Liberal have 90 seats, an exact half of the 180 ridings. They better pray that this can be reflected in the list side of things. Central Alliance have held in - just - with 45 seats, and the Democratic Socialists are there if needed with 22 seats. Reformists gained 2 to go up to 14, Progressive Union stayed put at 4 as did the Greens at 2, and we gained another Independent seat. Daniella, have the list results been announced?

Daniella Johnsson: Well Bob, they are just abou.... Wait, no, they have now just been announced, Bob, we have the 110 list seats now.

Bob Ainsley: Okay, let's see the final chart of the seats..



Bob Ainsley: Ouch, that has to hurt! Two seats from a majority in the Representatives, but the Liberal Party has fought well. 143 seats, a fantastic result, up from 98. Central Alliance left with 72, a smaller opposition party than Liberal Party were, even after 1998 I do believe. Democratic Socialists have 34 so I can only imagine a joint cabinet is being drafted by both parties as we speak. Reformists have actually LOST 7 seats, down to 22 and the Greens are up 1 to 9. The Progressive Union, once the fourth party, have been reduced to a shocking 7 seats, down 17. We have one more independent, Joanna Hilssten, a formed CA member who left due to their right-leaning policies of late. Let's take a look at the composition of the Representatives then...



Bob Ainsley: So there you have it, a comfortable number for the Liberals, the Democratic Socialists no doubt just happy to fill in when their allies need them. The two parties have been close for decades, and have operated in a coalition on one occasion before, a very succesful term if I am correct. We will be seeing that again hopefully.

Turns to camera

Bob Ainsley: We have been told that the results of the Prime Ministerial election will be in soon. I can tell you that Mr McKean of the Liberals and Ms Dekman of the CA have both won their respective seats in the Representatives, so whoever does win will no doubt be seated opposite their main opponent for the next 4 years or so. We'll get to that after the break, please don't go anywhere.