33 Provinces in 33 Days
The 2018 Presidential and General Elections are over, but are kept here for archival purposes. The present newsthread can be found here.
Laeralian Presidential and Legislative Election 2018
The nominating conventions are over, and all six of Laeral’s major political parties have adopted their platforms and selected their candidates for office. In December of 2018, the Allied Provinces of Laeral will have a presidential and legislative election, in which numerous political offices in Laeral will be up for election, including the directly-elected President and both houses of the national legislature, the National Assembly. The National Assembly is composed of two houses roughly equal in importance: the proportionally-elected Assembly of Commons, composed of 386 Representatives, and the General Assembly, composed of 66 Delegates elected at the provincial level. The ruling coalition in the Commons elects a Prime Minister, who serves as the head of government.Following two terms of rule by President Nicholas Brennan, of the center-left Progressive Party, the Progressives hope that his Prime Minister, Tanvi Misra, will be able to hold their party’s grip on power, which it has been able to maintain for eight years in coalition with the center-right Conservatives and the left-wing Socialist Party. However, the charismatic centrist candidate Liu Mei-han, a former political ally of Misra’s, recently deserted the Progressives, bringing with her several rising stars from that party. She hopes to draw votes from the Progressives, as well as centrists and independents tired of established parties and partisanship.
On the right, the moderate right-wing party, the Conservatives, are being punished by voters for entering President Brennan’s governing coalition. It now seems that the leading figure on the right is charismatic attorney and Delegate, Damien Vendorme, who has pulled his Laeralian People’s Party rightward with a platform of nationalism and free-market economics. He faces an unexpected challenge on the right, however, in the form of far-right populist firebrand Hsieh Pai-han, whose party has moved away from its racially motivated roots and now seeks to win seats in the coming election.
Only two of these candidates will advance to the second round of the presidential election, and only one will win. Yet overshadowed by the presidential race, countless other races, miniature versions of the titanic struggle for the presidency, play out, for seats in the National Assembly and control of offices on the provincial level. This news thread will follow these political struggles as the people of Laeral make their choice for the next leader of Laeralian democracy.
National Level
President of Laeral- The President is the leader of Laeral and has the power to delay or fast-track bills in the National Assembly, as well as establishing the government’s priorities. They are also given the first chance to form a government in the National Assembly by appointing a Prime Minister and a Cabinet to be approved by the National Assembly. The President is directly elected in a two-round system. The current President is Nicholas Brennan of the Progressive Party. He is not allowed to run for reelection, having served two terms as President. Notable events of his term include major overhauls of the national transportation system, Laeral’s accession to the World Assembly following years of negotiations, and Laeralian military intervention in the Second Lauchenoirian Civil War.
Prime Minister- The replacement for the President in the event of death or resignation, and the right hand of the President. They are responsible for working with the National Assembly to pass legislation favorable to the President’s goals. They will be chosen by the President upon assuming office, and approved by the National Assembly. They are generally the leader of the largest party in the Assembly of Commons, although this is not always the case. In some cases, the Prime Minister and the President will be of different political parties, a situation known as ‘cohabitation’. The current Prime Minister is Tanvi Misra, a Progressive and decades-long veteran of the General Assembly. She is currently running for President of Laeral.
Assembly of Commons- This house of Laeral’s National Assembly has 386 Representatives elected via nationwide proportional representation from lists of candidates submitted by the parties. The threshold for representation is set at 0.75% of the vote, meaning that fragmentation of the vote among numerous parties is likely (at present, 10 parties are represented). The makeup of this Assembly could (and likely will) shift dramatically. They are lead by a Speaker, elected from within the Assembly of Commons.
General Assembly- Each province elects two Delegates to serve in this house of the National Assembly using Ranked-Choice Voting (RCV), where the winner and the first runner-up are elected to the General Assembly. This election, 11 provinces will have elections for both of their Delegates. With 22 of 66 seats up for election, the makeup of this legislative body could shift significantly. This election, the provinces electing Delegates are:
Shaoxing, Peichen, Sendrasi, Lematre, Felliere, Harcour, Meridoc, Aumont, Meilinis, Celeste, and Arquien. These provinces will each elect two Delegates.
Sub-National Level
Provincial Governorships and Legislatures
11 of Laeral’s 33 provinces will elect a Governor in a two-round election, as well as the members of each province’s Legislature (called a Provincial Assembly, a Parliament, or some other name in some provinces). The exact details vary from province to province, including the number of representatives, how they are elected, and whether the legislature is unicameral or bicameral. In some provinces, the legislature elects the chief executive of the province (known as a First Minister, rather than a Governor) rather than the chief executive being directly elected.
Township Level
Each province is divided into between between 3 to 10 townships, which are administrative divisions for rural areas. Each township has a Township Council of 12 members. These elections are local, and as such beneath the scope of this publication.
Municipalities
Large urban areas are part of a Municipality, rather than a Township, which is run by a Mayor. In some provinces, the Mayor of the province’s capital city will have almost as much power as the Governor. As the details for Mayoral elections differ from city to city, the Municipalities with Mayoral elections this year include Lyrene, Dovasary, Marist, Gaolan, Shuiyuan, Cordeliers, Bao’an, Sinan, Goren, Adelaide, Mormount, Laonong (Minzu), and Yanqing.
What is Laeral?
Laeral is a federal semi-presidential democracy located in the continent of Hespia in the International Democratic Union (IDU). The nation is currently the WA Delegate of that region, commanding the votes of the IDU voting bloc within the World Assembly.
Laeral has a population of 79.2 million and an area of 304,782 mile², (490,499 km²) roughly the size of Turkey. The indigenous culture is similar to traditional Chinese culture, but there is also a strong French influence, due to the nation’s colonization by France. You can find more information about Laeral here.
Why is this election important?
Laeral has been alternately ruled by four parties: the Progressive Party, the Conservative Party, the Socialist Party, and the Laeralian People’s Party. Yet in this election, other parties and candidates see a chance to win seats and influence in Laeral’s shifting political landscape. Additionally, given Laeral’s position as Delegate of the International Democratic Union, any shift in governance could have major effects on the entire region.
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![[ National Flag ]](https://i.imgur.com/7vADKOP.png){kind=link}