This RP is set during WC89/Euraleague Season 48, so at least a year ago, as the Euran timeline has Euraleague Season 49 coinciding with Copa Rushmori 39 and WC90 qualifying. The next RP will jump forward over that period to the present and deal with the consequences, and the next stages of the Nyowani Kitara RP
Ian Smith was lifted from his slumber by the crackle of thunder outside his window. He glanced over at the digital clock on his bedside table.
1.37am.His gut started to rumble, and his nerves had come alive. Eura’s Prime Minister had fathered several children, but none of them had caused him as much grief as the triplet of referenda he had unwisely sired. Smith clicked refresh on his tablet, and the livestream began to play.
’…and you can see it at home, on the screen behind me, where we are now with the Territories tally, as we might be tempted to call it. 18 counties have declared out of 90 and so far we’re at just shy of 3 million votes for Atlantian Oceania, against a slightly higher figure for Anaia of just over 3.1 million. Professor Roe-Barnes, what do you make of this?’
‘John, it’s still probably far too long to go tonight before we can start making any predictions. But so far, I’d say there is a clear emerging pattern, the one thing that most analysts were predicting tonight, and that’s a big divergence between cities and towns and rural areas, and between west and east.’
‘And in what way is that split laying out Professor?’
‘Anaia have come out ahead in only 7 of the first 18 counties but lead by over 100,000 votes so far, because the seats – sorry, force of habit, I should say counties – the counties they have won have been majorities in cities. They’ll perhaps be a little disappointed with how tight the five declared Magnaeus counties have been, they only really got a big lead in Magnaeus Central where they topped 200,000 votes in a single county for the first time tonight, but otherwise it’s been enough to get them ahead. The Busby Cross result is the most remarkable of the night, a huge 67% majority in the southwestern Fligsive suburbs that may be ominous for the AO campaign, who were hoping to restrict their opponents to limited victories in the hugely populous capital.’
‘Well, that could be crucial then later on, when we’ll be seeing many of the Fligsive counties declaring, and we’ve got a number to come from Magnaeus, Bakermouth and Burgess where the Anaian campaign can be confident. Shouldn’t that be enough for the Anaians?’
‘Not by a long shot John – they need to do well enough elsewhere to not slip behind, and it hasn’t been all bad for the AO campaign so far. They won big with 57% of the vote in Shrina on an 83% turnout, and Magnaeus Outer Southwest is an impressive victory where they weren’t fancied. If they can replicate the Shinra and Newton results across the west and south, they’ll be giving the Anaians a lot to do in the cities toward the end of the night.’
‘Thank you, Professor…’Smith harumphed. Nothing was clear yet, then. He drifted off and away. Some-time later, the text underlying the feed came on by itself after he unconsciously nudged his device.
ebc.eur/news/live EBC NEWS POLITICS LIVEBLOG – Results of referendum in Euran Oceania Territories flooding in
- Live coverage of trio of referenda taking place in Eura and Euran Oceania Territories. Edited by Wilbur Anderville
- 31 counties have reported out of 90; AO 5.1m, Anaia 5.5m
- Three exit polls predicted tight result in E.O.T
- Almost all counties recording over 80% turnout
- Voting has not yet ended in former Sameba and Euran electoral system contests
Previous posts hidden – click here to refresh02:30 – For those just tuning in, the last hour or so has been an absolute barnstormer. It started with the first county of the night to record 200,000 either way, Magnaeus Central, at which point most counties were going towards Atlantian Oceania (AO), but Anaia was winning the popular vote, which is what really counts in this referendum. Since then, Anaia’s lead has grown to over 300,000 votes, helped by losing only narrowly in parts of AO-leaning Rattford and Hyford in the southwest, but driven mainly by an absolutely astonishing pair of results in Burgess.
There, the heavy Anaian (particularly Audioslavian) diasporas of the city and its surrounding areas delivered the most one-sided results of the night, with a massive 247,847 people voting for Anaia in Burgess’ Shipbuilding Quarter, 69% of the vote. They also recorded some big wins in Fligsive and Magnaeus, at one point leading by nearly half a million votes. But the AO campaign were then rejuvenated by thumping victories in the Phoenix and Borderlands districts of Magnaeus, recording a near-draw in the Sunrise district of Burgess, plus victories in the past ten minutes in Eastlands (Hyford) and both Whittorian Isles seats.
We’re expecting to hear shortly from the 32nd county set to report, Ripe Fields (Hyford), a predominantly rural county expected to lean heavily towards the AO campaign. Before then, we’ve just had some sage advice from the
legendary elections and polling expert, Professor Simon Roe-Barnes, on EBC One: ‘Although it might be tempting to make bold predictions now, there is a very, very long way to go tonight. The last half-dozen results have been extremely positive for the AO campaign, bar a 45-55 defeat under an immense 93% turnout in Magnaeus Outer East. And yet the Anaia campaign leads by hundreds of thousands of votes, and, after Ripe Fields, we are expecting to hear from a number of big city seats.’
02:32 –
Wallace Guzby, a prominent right wing political commentator back in Eura and a staunch supporter of the campaign for AO, was also on EBC One just now: ‘I think we’re right back in it…a lot of people might have thought after those Burgess results earlier, “oh my, this could go anywhere”. But a bunch of workshy Audioslavians turning up to what they
thought was the dole queue shouldn’t be confused for any kind of momentum. We’re in a really good place.’
Horrible bigotry aside, could Wallace be right? Coming straight back at him was
Jerome Paine, considered by many the voice of the party-less centre-left in the Territories, with over 4 million followers on his twii.tur account: ‘Firstly, what an abhorrent thing to say…I can only assume you’re just mad that Banijan paratroopers aren’t romping into Burgess docks to turf all the ballot boxes into the bay! The Expats are speaking and soon will have spoken and, well, just look, Anaia is winning. I think the lead will get bigger.’ Right, well I suppose that was a marginally less unpleasant slight on some foreigners, but anyway…
RESULT – Ripe Fields (Hyford) – AO 60 ANAIA 40 (Turnout 84%)That is the second biggest win of the night for AO! They’ve trounced their opponents in the rural communities neighbouring Hyford, topping 60% of the vote for only the second time tonight and 200,000 votes for only the third time. That reduces the Anaian lead to around 275,000 votes.
02:34 – We are now having a short break and will return soon.
02:39 - …and we’re back! Coming up next are some really big city counties.
Professor Simon Roe-Barnes on EBC One: ‘The worst results tonight for the AO campaign have come in the cities but particularly in Fligsive, which, with its population of 9 million and electorate of over 7 million, could be decisive in this referendum. But we’ve only heard from 2 of the 18 counties in and around the city, both of which were expected to be heavy wins for Anaia with large native Mertagne citizen populations and a younger electorate; it’s been confirmed now, coming up next, we’ll have Roxbury and Fligsive North, two other “capital counties” which are both considered possibly competitive, and it’s really crucial for the AO campaign that they can start narrowing the Anaian victories in these areas. The AO side have less city counties predicted to go their way so the ones they do lose cannot be lost too heavily. On the other hand, we have also got counties from Bakermouth to come, after the first of 8 or so Bakermouth-region seats returned an unexpectedly low 47-53 victory for Anaia earlier. If that is repeated across the Territories third biggest city, the Anaia campaign could be in big trouble.’
02:41 – We are expecting to hear from Roxbury momentarily, but our on the ground reporters at the AO and Anaia campaign headquarters have both checked in ahead of a hugely important ten-minute burst of results:
Katie Green with the Let’s Go AO! (LGAO) campaign in Magnaeus: ‘Until that news from outside Hyford, I don’t think you could have heard a pin drop here, where campaigners desperate to see the Territories stay Atlantian Oceanian were quietly mortified at early results in Burgess and Fligsive. But better than expected results here in Magnaeus, propped up by the heavily canvassed Quebecois refugee community and offers of Vilitan trade from the Tropicorp Free Trade Zone, alongside some big wins elsewhere, have resorted faith. When AO’s 65,000 vote victory in Ripe Fields was read out, the entire room roared.’
‘Now there is a febrile atmosphere as they look to chase down Anaia’s small lead with two thirds of the Territories’ counties yet to report. Nevertheless, there’s reason for them to be nervous; I’ve just spotted LGAO campaign pollster Ronan Burton silently watching the TV’s waiting for the coming results from Fligsive and Bakermouth. Big defeats in the next half a dozen or so counties and it could be game over – but if the AO vote holds up decently in either city its game on. If it holds up in both then suddenly the AO campaign are in the driving seat.’
Sam Pearson at the Anaia World Is Possible! (AWIP) campaign headquarters in Fligsive: ‘I’m not sure the Royal Directus hotel is equipped for the amount of champagne bottles that will be needed ten minutes from now. AWIP are very, very confident about Fligsive and Bakermouth. Roxbury and Fligsive North have both reportedly topped 90% turnout, and in the former in particular the Anaian campaign are hawkish about their chances. The trade-off is, of course, that anything less than a series of victories could set the hares running.’
‘I’m hearing that AWIP are a little less confident about Bakermouth after the unexpectedly narrow win in the Lords District earlier, and some faith in the belief that “the cities will win through” has been shaken by results in Magnaeus. Fligsive is just so big though, and much of it is set to report towards the end of the count. A lot of eyes are also on the handful of strictly rural counties where it’s the Anaians who are on the defensive; North Borders is up soon and is probably the best bet of any rural county for an Anaian win but is also expected to have one of the lowest turnout figures in the Territories.’
02:44 – Here we go! After a short delay, the count at Roxbury’s celebrated tube station is ready to go. It used to serve as a conduit for four different lines on the Fligsive Underground (the Territorial Administration are trying their best to restore it after all these years). We can see the counting committee emerging…
02:45 – EBC One host John Cole is a very patient man. But even he must be sweating watching this?
RESULT – Roxbury (Fligsive) – AO 29 ANAIA 71 (Turnout 91%)Woah.
02:46 – That is, unquestionably, the result of the night so far. On a turnout of 91%, the Anaia campaign has just taken 257,038 votes in Roxbury, one of the central counties of the Fligsive metropolis. The AO campaign collected just 105,404 votes.
Katie Green with the Let’s Go AO! (LGAO) campaign in Magnaeus: ‘For the first time this evening we have an unquestionably disastrous result for one side or the other. The mood here has turned very sour.’
02:47 – We are going straight up the old North Line to see Fligsive North report at Old Whittlesby.
RESULT – Fligsive North – AO 38 ANAIA 62 (Turnout 93%)A less severe beating for the AO campaign but, with such a high turnout, any defeat over a few percentage points is very damaging. This is also a semi-rural seat where the AO campaign might have fancied their chances, but not anymore.
02:48 – We said it was going to be ten minutes or so of constant results and I can tell you, we’ve now got two fresh ones coming in.
RESULT – Docklands District (Bakermouth) – AO 49 ANAIA 51 (Turnout 85%)RESULT – North Borders – AO 49 ANAIA 51 (Turnout 75%)Two much more positive results for the AO side this time around. It’s been said already that they needed to avoid heavy defeats in at least one of Bakermouth and Fligsive, and the trend seems to be leaning that way from the Docklands and earlier Lords districts. Meanwhile the sparsely populated (but geographically huge) county of North Borders reports back with an unusually low turnout, as the Anaians are limited to an underwhelming 51% of the vote, having briefed to the press expectations of winning much more comfortably.
Sam Pearson at the Anaia World Is Possible! (AWIP) campaign headquarters in Fligsive: ‘Those two results are good reasons to be cautious if you’re hoping for an Anaian victory tonight. Still, there’s a jubilant atmosphere here right now. That Roxbury result was an absolutely bolt from the blue. If results like that happen across Fligsive, then the Anaians only need to avoid reverses in a handful of the smaller cities and big towns.’
02:50 – I was about to bring you the latest comment from our pundits on EBC One, but there’s a couple more results incoming as we speak.
RESULT – Blades Quarter (Magnaeus) – AO 41 ANAIA 59 (Turnout 84%)Aside from Magnaeus Central, the Anaians have failed to make the most of their perceived advantage in cities in the former capital of the Calanian Union and Mertagne. Not the case here – they’ve collected just short of 200,000 votes while the AO vote is limited to 137,821.
02:52 – Some interesting insight now on the next two counties due, which are Fligsive counties, from
chief political correspondent of the Expat Times, Plectrum Balompie, speaking on EBC One: ‘After some big reverses so far in the capital, its absolutely vital now for the AO campaign that they take as few big hits as possible from here on out. They might have to wait – the county of Victory borders Roxbury to the southwest and has similar demographics; young, with a strong Mertagne diaspora among the Euran majority, and a high proportion of professionals working in industries expected to be insulated from any disruption caused by joining Anaia.’
‘They should look to Ashen instead, which comes next, and is situated in the southeast of the city. A lot of jobs there rely on the city’s massive port and existing regional trade, and the manufacturing jobs that come with it. The population is more uniformly Euran, with an even distribution of minority groups between Anaians and Atlantians. The AO campaign could feasibly win this county, and later other counties in the south and east such as Falconpoint and Oxwich. If they don’t that’s going to make things harder elsewhere, but after the beating they’ve taken elsewhere a tight result might be enough, as long as the votes are made up in the towns and smaller cities.’
RESULT – Victory (Fligsive) – AO 35 ANAIA 65 (Turnout 86%)RESULT – Ashen (Fligsive) – AO 50 ANAIA 50 (Turnout 90%)No shocks in either of these counties then. A procession for Anaia in the appropriately named Victory, but Ashen is a dead heat; Anaia are victorious by a margin of just under 3,000 votes. Not a good result for the AO side, but not bad either.
02:54 – Not so long ago, the gap between the AO and Anaia vote totals was no bigger than 275,000 votes. It has now been blown back open to nearly 700,000 votes. Until now, the split of counties was even with the overall vote tally leaning slightly Anaia’s way. Now it has become a significant lead and seven counties have gone Anaian on the trot.
02:55 – Time to panic if you want to wake up in AO? Not necessarily.
Professor Simon Roe-Barnes on EBC One: ‘The kind of margin Anaia has now looks big, but it could actually be overturned quite quickly if Bakermouth continues to produce only minor wins and Hyford leans as heavily to AO as we expect. Absolutely critical now is Milenol/Judgetown, where we have not heard from any of the six counties representing 3 million people, about 2.4 million of whom can vote. We’re pretty certain that the Judgetown counties will swing to AO for economic and ethnic reasons – there’s a lot of Banijan traders and Farf refugees there – but Milenol has the biggest Mertagne community outside of Fligsive.’
02:56 – As we approach 3am here, Professor Roe-Barnes might be pleased to know that Milenol West is due to report on the hour. Before then we’ll be hearing from Bakermouth again.
RESULT – Stadium District (Bakermouth) – AO 45 ANAIA 55 (Turnout 86%)Interesting result this. Once again, the Anaians fail to dominate in Bakermouth as they had hoped. And yet they still come away with their lead increased by nearly 40,000 votes.
02:58 – Ok then, finally Milenol/Judgetown is upon us for the first time. Milenol West is probably the best candidate of the six local counties to vote for Anaia.
02:59 – The spokesperson for the counting committee is wearing a ridiculous hat. Don’t let it be said that democracy can’t double as entertainment.
RESULT – Milenol West – AO 33 ANAIA 67 (Turnout 81%)Another eyebrow-raising win if you support the Anaian cause, another daunting defeat if you are instead backing AO. Nine consecutive counties have gone one way. The lead is nearing a million votes.
03:04 – We are now past that rapid period of results, which has undoubtedly swung this vote in a clear direction. But will it keep going that way with over half the counties still to report?
RESULT – Hyford County (Hyford) – AO 57 ANAIA 43 (Turnout 83%)The chain of Anaian victories is finally broken. This is a largely rural seat near Hyford, much like Ripe Fields. A much-needed victory. But is it enough?
Katie Green with the Let’s Go AO! (LGAO) campaign in Magnaeus: ‘Campaign director Amber Ward has vanished into a briefing room at the back with several senior aides – not after the defeat in Milenol, which caused some gaps here where a narrower margin was expected – the commotion was actually brought on by Hyford County, which I think they’d hoped would be a bigger victory. There is definitely concern here now.’
03:06 – There is some fascinating footage doing the rounds on social media at the moment from Burgess, where some quite possibly inebriated activists have hoisted an Anaian flag alongside the Euran stars at the entrance to the city docks. Of course, they are getting very carried away. But - if they
do get the result they want, it will be in no small part thanks to the coastal cities like Burgess.
Sam Pearson at the Anaia World Is Possible! (AWIP) campaign headquarters in Fligsive: ‘The Burgess clip is doing the rounds here and causing much hilarity and guffawing. Russell Phillips-Webb has finally turned up after a long absence since the earliest results were declared. He’s the de facto head of the campaign and has no doubt been facing the press. He’s got a smile on his face for sure. It doesn’t last long though, he’s just urged everyone to calm down and wait for some more results.’
03:12 – We are going to resume the pouring in of results now, this time in AO friendly territory once more, as the towns of Westonbirt & Diomede vote together as one county.
RESULT – Westonbirt & Diomede – AO 56 ANAIA 44 (Turnout 81%)It
is a win for AO in the westernmost part of the Territories, an absolute banker. But…
Professor Simon Roe-Barnes on EBC One: ‘That is simply not good enough for the AO vote. Westonbirt & Diomede might only be one county but its ideally suited to the AO campaign’s strengths in terms of demography, geography and politics. To win by only just over 40,000 votes is not adequate if they want to turn this around. We are only halfway through the count and yet its already noticeable that the turnout is slightly different in areas suiting each side; I would estimate, off the top of my head, that the Anaians are benefitting from an extra 5% turnout in areas where they are performing well.’
Professor Roe-Barnes has also said something that makes me think all readers will want to be available for the next ten minutes or so. ‘Coming up soon should be New Bastion North. New Bastion is the nearest there is to a genuinely too-close-to-call city; if Anaia are winning there, it makes it very, very challenging for AO to find a route to victory.’
03:14 – A further result is coming in now from Bakermouth, where the Industrial District has conducted a ballot among the looming towers of recently restored steelworks and manufactories.
RESULT – Industrial District (Bakermouth) – AO 46 ANAIA 54 (Turnout 87%)There has been a lot of discussion of Bakermouth being an Anaian stronghold, but could it actually be a swing city? Its results are increasingly resembling the national picture. Picking up on Professor Roe-Barnes point, there is a noticeable jump in turnout in a county where Anaia lead.
Sam Pearson at the Anaia World Is Possible! (AWIP) campaign headquarters in Fligsive: ‘There is still a lingering disappointment for AWIP staff at the lack of big victories in Bakermouth. Still, the picture across the Territories as a whole is very promising for them. I would say more, except I can’t hear over them cheering a result that’s just come up!’
03:15 – That result came out just as I was typing, so it will be with you in a moment. I think, from the passage above, that you can guess the result.
RESULT – Central Burgess – AO 37 ANAIA 63 (Turnout 83%)An Anaian win in Burgess is no shock at this stage. Even so, the margin of victory is plenty – nearly 85,000. The AO campaign would need two Westonbirt & Diomede scale results just to undo the damage done here.
03:19 - We are due to hear from New Pinehearth County shortly, which is about as pro-AO as they come, so maybe that will do the trick.
RESULT – New Pinehearth County – AO 64 ANAIA 36 (Turnout 78%)A great result for the AO campaign, who win 199,936 votes to Anaia’s 112,805. It is yet another northwestern region with a high population of Quebecois refugees, and is very rural, and therefore the result is maybe not surprising. They all count though.
Katie Green with the Let’s Go AO! (LGAO) campaign in Magnaeus: ‘Relief, finally – a few here were starting to consider heading back to their hotels. The real challenge now though is New Bastion, which is considered by most to be a swing city and a genuine toss-up. The LGAO campaign have driven really hard there with several counties on offer. New Bastion North is due to report very soon.’
03:22 – Katie is right. In fact, New Bastion North are reading out as I type this.
RESULT – New Bastion North – AO 46 ANAIA 54 (Turnout 82%)There have been a lot of very headline-grabbing swings one way or another tonight. It is entirely possible that this, quietly, is the most telling result of all. Slap bang in the middle of the Territories, an entirely new city, populated by an even balance of different groups and a healthy mix of the Euran immigrant wave…and it’s gone to Anaia by a big enough margin to be clear. And if you don’t believe me…
Professor Simon Roe-Barnes on EBC One: ‘I’m confident in saying that is the most important result we have seen tonight aside from the landslides in the Fligsive counties, possibly more important actually. If the AO campaign is losing heavily in most of Fligsive, all of Burgess and maybe Milenol, and behind in much of Magnaeus, Bakermouth and now New Bastion, then I don’t see where the votes come from. Hyford, Nostromo and Rattford are not big enough. Stoneport is already accounted for. There’s Judgetown, but if Milenol is worse than expected then who is to say that won’t be repeated on the other side of the joint-city?’
03:24 The Professor is pushed by John Cole as to whether this means he is calling an Anaian victory. ‘No, not quite. I would be lying to you though, John, if I didn’t say that the route to an AO victory has narrowed substantially.’
RESULT – Milenol North – AO 40 ANAIA 60 (Turnout 83%)Milenol North has spoken, and it has said the words “Anaia” by a 40-60 margin. Milenol South is due to report its count very shortly, after which anything less than a complete reversal in the Judgetown half of Milenol/Judgetown would be a calamity for the AO campaign.
03:27 How are things looking back home? We can find out from
Francis Buchanan, EBC Chief Political Correspondent, on EBC One from Bastion: ‘I’ve been speaking to a couple of senior cabinet ministers in the past few minutes. If the current direction of travel continues, it will make their lives simple, they tell me; there would be no disputing the result on its current track. However, they are much more nervous about the aftermath of what many felt was a no-win situation for the Liberal government. A few backbenchers and maybe even some of the cabinet will be pleased to see an Anaian victory. Beyond that, the Liberals can see only danger.’
RESULT – Lesko and Wexley (Fligsive) – AO 44 ANAIA 56 (Turnout 86%)Fligsive delivers for the Anaia campaign yet again, though not by the margin we’ve seen in much of the rest of the city. Nevertheless a 44-56 margin is substantial given this county sits almost evenly either side of the diagonal split through Fligsive, separating the perceived tribes of pro-Anaian north and west against pro-AO south and east.
‘Get up sir.’
05:10.‘Eh? It can’t be over yet.’
‘It isn’t,
but, you told us to rouse you if it’s going that way.’
‘What’s been happening?’
’73 counties out of 90 are done’ the aide replied. ‘The Anaians are winning still.’
‘By how much?’
‘Over a million.’
‘Goodness. Has it been called?’
‘No. The Atlantians have been picking up rurals, some towns, the Quebecois refugee mini-kingdom that is the northwest, Judgetown and Nostromo. It’s mostly Fligsive left though, and they haven’t caught up enough.’
‘And there’s…17, times 400,000-ish…bloody hell, so they need to win the remaining counties 4:3 to stand a chance?’
‘Yes.’
‘Put the telly on.’
The Prime Minister gathered himself and met his staff, all still up, in his office. A balding local official in some Fligsive public building was reading slowly from a piece of paper.
‘
The votes for Atlantian Oceania…97,018. The votes for Anaia…235,083.’
An audible
woosh of shock swept the room. Expletives were used.
Smith wiped his eyes to make sure he was seeing correctly. ‘Jones?’
‘Prime Minister?’
‘Can you get the Governor General on the line, please, and keep an eye on this. I think we’re going to have to have conversations soon.’
On the television, EBC’s “voice of the nation” John Cole reflected on the result. ‘Quite a sensation of an outcome there. For the first time this evening one side has failed to gather at least 100,000 votes in any of the counties of notionally 400,000 voters. That adds a thick cushion to an already sizeable lead for the Anaian campaign and, one suspects, that could be a decisive moment.’
EBC NEWS POLITICS LIVEBLOG – Results of referendum in Euran Oceania Territories flooding in
- Live coverage of trio of referenda taking place in Eura and Euran Oceania Territories. Edited by Wilbur Anderville
- 78 counties have reported out of 90; AO 12.5m, Anaia 13.9m
- Anaian campaign lead “likely unassailable” say experts
- Three exit polls predicted tight result in E.O.T; turnout high
- Voting has not yet ended in former Sameba and Euran electoral system contests
Previous posts hidden – click here to refresh05:30 – If there is a time for a miracle, it has surely arrived for the campaign to renew the Euran Oceania Territories place in Atlantian Oceania. Dismal results from the last districts in Bakermouth, landing like body blows in the last few minutes, make it seem increasingly unlikely any deliverance is coming.
So, what is left? We are due to hear shortly from the last county in Magnaeus, the Merchants District. This was widely predicted to be a dead heat. What the AO vote tally needs is a win in Magnaeus, some unlikely turnarounds in the remaining Fligsive counties outside their favoured areas, big victories in the friendlier Docklands, Rural and Oxwich counties of the capital, and finally overwhelming victories in the AO campaign’s remaining Hyford and Nostromo counties, a bastion of support for their cause.
There is also Bases County to consider – the last county scheduled to report its results. It covers a massive suburban and semi-rural complex around the main Euran armed forces bases on the east coast, north of Fligsive and south of Milenol/Judgetown. However, it is almost certain that the result will be mathematically decided by then.
05:32 – I am hearing we are going to learn of the result in Magnaeus first, then will get a triple whammy of quick-fire results from Dupont and Flynn in Fligsive, and Burgess South.
Professor Simon Roe-Barnes on EBC One: ‘Barring the mother of all upsets, I think this will be over by the end of this series of declarations. If it isn’t, and the AO campaign pull it back with the remaining counties…is it impossible? No. And yet I suspect it would be utterly unfathomable.’
05:33 – Just to remind readers, the Anaian lead is currently 1.4 million votes. There are about 4.8 million votes left.
Here comes Magnaeus.
RESULT – Merchants District (Magnaeus) – AO 50 ANAIA 50 (Turnout 81%)Victory by the margin of just 1,885 votes in favour of a vote for AO.
Katie Green with the Let’s Go AO! (LGAO) campaign in Magnaeus: ‘That did not feel like much of a victory for anyone here. Some might say its clutching at straws but there was at least some hope of at least narrowing the gap by 50,000 votes or so there, but no luck.’
05:34 – Almost immediately we are being whisked away to Dupont in Fligsive. Its in the southwest of the city, quite far out and highly populated around a revitalised airport. Apparently the Burgess result will be happening at the same time.
RESULT – Dupont (Fligsive) – AO 35 ANAIA 65 (Turnout 88%)RESULT – Burgess South – AO 35 ANAIA 65 (Turnout 87%)That is surely it? Dupont goes heavily to Anaia in line with much of the capital, and the same goes for Burgess South.
Sam Pearson at the Anaia World Is Possible! (AWIP) campaign headquarters in Fligsive: ‘We have no mathematical confirmation yet of an overall victory. No-one seems to be waiting for that though. There is a lot of noise.’
05:36 – A lot of fuss on EBC One if you’re not just following our text feed, where a heated debate has started about whether this should be called yet or not.
05:39 – In a campaign where Euran nationalism has become a frequent doorstep issue, it might just be fate that, at this key moment, the Fligsive inner district of Flynn has come into play, one of the great counties of the capital city. The mighty Flynn Arena stadium, where Eura famously won the 66th World Cup, dominates the skyline of this part of Fligsive.
It is a testament to the impact of the Euran transformation of this barren, largely abandoned land – and the significant cultural legacy of the people of Mertagne, whose diaspora in this district is predictably very large. The Euran Unionist Party have campaigned heavily here for the Anaia cause, and the Anaian campaign themselves have treated it as a target seat, believing they can extract a big majority here. They were relying on it as a late gamechanger; now it seems Flynn might be more of a victory lap.
05:40 – The counting committee have emerged. This is it.
RESULT – Flynn (Fligsive) – AO 26 ANAIA 74 (Turnout 93%)With a sky-high turnout and everything in their favour, the Anaian campaign have won the mightiest victory of them all in Flynn, sprinting to the finish line with 275,209 votes. That will surely prove to be the highest tally in any single county. The beleaguered AO campaign finishes on their second sub-100,000 vote of the night, 94,942 – the lowest tally of them all. I’m not sure its
technically certain yet, but it seems inevitable now that the Euran Oceania Territories has voted to join Anaia.
Katie Green with the Let’s Go AO! (LGAO) campaign in Magnaeus: ‘The mood here has gone from desperate to desolate. Its over now and everyone knows it. What is really gutting for many here is that they were hoping for a last gasp turnaround, with Nostromo South and Hyford Outlands to come, but there is simply no hope now. The key figures have all withdrawn from the main conference room. I assume some kind of concession statement is being prepared.’
05:42 There’s a lot of comment going around at the moment but
Professor Simon Roe-Barnes on EBC One sums things up the key factors nicely: ‘This referendum was won by the Anaian campaign in the cities which dominate the Territories, with only 6 million or so of the 45 million population living in rural areas. Underwhelming performances in much of Magnaeus and Bakermouth were countered by avoiding too many big defeats outside of the north-and-southwest and some pockets elsewhere, while dominating in the pivotal counties of Fligsive, alongside impressive victories elsewhere, especially Milenol and Burgess.’
05:44 Francis Buchanan, EBC Chief Political Correspondent, on EBC One from Bastion: ‘The result isn’t technically confirmed yet and the race has only just been rendered effectively over. Nevertheless, the wheels of government are already turning in Eura. The Foreign Secretary, Carl Rutherford, has just been pictured heading into his ministry, with a press conference expected in due course. I’ve been told Eura’s ambassadors across Atlantian Oceania are braced for whatever reaction they could receive. The Minister for Anaian Affairs, Preston Armitage, was reported recently to have expressed pro-Anaian sentiments regarding the vote; he has been muzzled by Rutherford since then, in order to preserve the government’s neutrality and avoid offending AO allies, but may now be wheeled out again and given some scope to wine and dine the Anaians.
There is also a lot of reaction from the opposition benches already. Unionist Party politicians have been pictured partying with the pro-Anaian campaign, while an inquest is likely to be due at Capital Party headquarters, where donors and senior MPs will be deeply concerned at another failure after the party backed the losing AO campaign. However, despite the magnitude of this outcome, most Euran politicians will be keeping their powder dry until the outcome of the dual-referendum in Eura itself, with results due later today.
05:45 Although it might seem academic now, we are still getting further results – nine counties remain to report.
RESULT – Fligsive Central – AO 35 ANAIA 65 (Turnout 92%)241,938 votes for Anaia in Fligsive Central, a county that includes most of the buildings of the Territorial Administration.
05:46 – With an overall result now imminent and the outcome clear, who can we expect to hear from in the next hour or so?
Chief political correspondent of the Expat Times, Plectrum Balompie, gives his view on EBC One: ‘I’m told a concession speech from Amber Ward or Matthew Cristian, flanked by the Lets Go AO! co-ordinating committee, will be delivered imminently. After that we can expect to hear something from the victorious Anaia World is Possible! campaign, most likely from unofficial figurehead Russell Phillips-Webb. At some point Foreign Secretary Rutherford will have to speak. And, in due course, the Governor General of the Territories – he has also been expected to announce Euran government led plans for representative elections across E.O.T in future, so he may choose now as the time to make that announcement.’
05:46 – We might be hearing from Matthew Cristian right away in fact. For readers who might not be familiar with Cristian, he is the leader of Fligsive Metropolitan Council (local government in E.O.T
is elected) and chair of the Let’s Go AO! (LGAO) campaign.
’…I am of course hugely disappointed by the result, as we all are. We should be proud though, proud of how we fought for the cause of putting the Oceania in Euran Oceania Territories, proud of taking the high road, and proud of our efforts getting millions of Expats to vote for AO…’Rutherford wrinkled his nose. There was something sickening about hearing the death throes of another politician’s career. How could a guy whose national campaign got slaughtered in Fligsive continue to lead its Metropolitan Council? It was a stark contrast to the speech of Russell Phillips-Webb.
‘…this isn’t just a victory for democracy, it’s a victory for the Euran way of life! That is right. It was Euran money and ingenuity that restored this great land, devastated as part of Atlantian Oceania, renewed by Eura, and now taken forward into the future, hand in hand, by Euran willpower and Anaian opportunity. I will be contacting Bastion immediately to establish a timetable for the transfer of alignment…’‘Well,’ Rutherford muttered to himself, ‘we’ll see about that.’
gov.eur/foreign/newscentre
PRESS RELEASE: Statement from the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, regarding the Euran Oceania Territories referendum on regional alignment
In the past hour, the Euran Oceania Territories has voted by approximately 53% to 47% to realign regionally from Atlantian Oceania to Anaia. Nearly 85% of eligible Territories citizens voted in this historic ballot – over 30 million people in all – with just shy of 16.2 million voting to join Anaia. This was reflected by the balance of the vote across all 90 equally sized electoral counties, 54 of which voted for Anaia and 36 for AO. It is the policy of the Euran Government to honour the result of this ballot, while respecting and taking account of the views of more than 14.3 million Territories citizens who voted for continued alignment with Atlantian Oceania.
To execute the decision of the electorate, the Euran Government will immediately consult the Territorial Administration and Governor General on the formation of a Territorial Transition Committee. This body will agree a specific timeframe and plan for transition. It will represent the full breadth of the diversity of the Territories, including substantial representation for those who desired that the Territories remain part of Atlantian Oceania. Reflecting the apparent will of both sides during the campaign, it is assumed that the Territories will not change its name, introduce new trade barriers, or change the citizenship status of any foreign nationals.
It is the express desire of the Euran Government that the transition causes as little disruption as possible. However, in order to minimise institutional drift, the Euran Government will insist that the transition timeline last no longer than 12 months from the date of the referendum. There may be some scope to extend this deadline if absolutely necessary to avoid distress or hardship for ordinary citizens, with a final limit being the date of the next Euran general election. Any other issues will be resolved in the coming period of transition; in an early recognition of the importance of stability, the Euran Football Association and their EOFF partners in the Territories have agreed that the Expats football team should participate in one final AOCAF championship, AOCAF LXV.
Previous administrations have promised that the Euran Oceania Territories will enjoy the benefit of full national elections and devolved government when feasible. Before the referendum process commenced, the Prime Minister and Cabinet agreed that the Territories have reached an adequate level of institutional and economic development for this to be the case. Therefore, once the regional alignment transition is complete, the Euran Government and Territorial Administration will begin devising a truly democratic domestic electoral system for the Territories, bringing the full benefits of democracy to all its people.
I understand on a personal level the distress, confusion and anger this outcome may cause to some of our friends and partners across Atlantian Oceania, having worked with them on numerous issues over the years. We regret that the need for this referendum in the first place was foisted upon Eura and the Oceania Territories by events beyond our control. Our intention to deliver on the choice the electorate of the Territories have made should not be mistaken for hostility. For the Euran Government, our nation and its overseas territories remain profoundly connected to Atlantian Oceania in more ways than we can count. We see the coming years an opportunity to renew our relationship with Atlantian Oceania, not weaken it, even if one fundamental aspect of that relationship must now change.
Similarly, Eura enjoys a deep and lasting connection in many respects with the nations of Anaia, as do the Territories who neighbour them. It is vital then that we take advantage of the new opportunities this development will create for Euran Oceanians and Anaians alike. The Euran Government looks forward to supporting the Territorial Administration, businesses and ordinary citizens in establishing the Territories place within Anaia and becoming a full part of the region. Finally, all of these groups within the Territories, its former neighbours in Atlantian Oceania, and its new neighbours in Anaia can all rely on one unchanged reality; that Eura has an unwavering commitment to the security, identity and prosperity of the Euran Oceania Territories.