Crossing the Corday Strait and reaching mainland Laeral, we visit Sébastien Brocard, who works for IT firm Sunsong as an optical engineer, responsible for overseeing the performance of cameras and lenses on Sunsong devices. Brocard lives in the tight-knit town of Nerac, a suburb of the capital city of Cordeliers, while his family is sharply divided over the upcoming election.
What is the political climate like in your household?
“I guess you could call it cold. My wife Sophie and I are both Progressives, although she’s more partisan than I am. She’s a registered, due-paying Progressive, while I prefer to make my own opinions about who to support each election cycle. I won’t blindly vote for someone just because of their party. She’s been campaigning for Misra for months now- you’ll find her on street corners on the weekends passing out flyers or hanging up posters. My house is full of those posters, the ones with “ready to lead Laeral” printed on them. But I just don’t know what to think about Tanvi Misra, mostly because she’s so closely tied to the current government. Personally, I’m leaning toward Liu Mei-han, because she’s a new voice in politics. I find her inspiring, to be honest. But Sophie-(laughs) Sophie thinks of her as an attention-seeking traitor to the party who’ll just take votes away from Misra. I disagree with her. But I’m still going to vote Progressive in the provincial and local election, most likely.”
What issues are most important to you?
“Well, I suppose it’s just making sure that the next President is someone I can trust, and someone who’s going to get things done in Laeralsford. I think sometimes, the Progressives are part of the problem. They’re not immune to partisanship, or corruption, or nepotism. But Liu Mei-han is a trained diplomat, who represented us at the WA for years, and she doesn’t really have ties to any particular party. If she can’t work with other parties, than nobody can.”
Corday, with a population of 683,000, is a swing province. The province is largely (45%) Arrivée, 35% multiracial, and 20% Rén. Religiously, the province is split between Catholics and atheists/agnostics, with a smattering of Minjian as well. Meanwhile, the province has become known as a picturesque vacation site for wealthy northern Laeralites and retirees, who make up an estimated 20% of voters. This is at odds with the largely working-class general population. These three factors- race, religion, and class- are the three primary political cleavages within Laeralian politics. All are present within Corday province. As a result, elections in Corday tend to be tossups, with voter turnout among a specific demographic often the primary factor in whether a given candidate wins or loses. This has led to one of the most fragmented political landscapes in Laeral, as the province’s two Delegates are a Socialist and a Conservative, while the (directly-elected) Governor is a Progressive. This election cycle, the Corday Parliament (a unicameral provincial legislature) will be up for election, and the Municipality of Cordeliers will elect a Mayor. The Corday Parliament is currently governed by a Conservative-Progressive grand coalition. However, the Conservatives are expected to lose some seats in favor of the LPP, which has been trying to sway the upper-class Arrivée population, which has historically played a major part in electing Conservatives. Meanwhile, the New Democratic Alliance is hoping to gain seats in the provincial Parliament as well by campaigning across religious and racial lines, as well as appealing to voters, especially women, in the suburbs of Cordeliers.
Campaign Trail Update
Le Laeralien: With Three Days Until Debate, Candidates Work To Refine Message
La Sentinelle: Errante Fires Campaign Manager; Shakeup Underway In Conservative Campaign
Le Pays: Foreign Interest In Election Higher Than Ever
Les Couloirs: Film Star Aurelie Liao Appears With Misra- Do Celebrity Endorsements Work?
Le Stylo: What Do Candidates’ Rén Zodiac Signs Tell Us About Their Personality?
Latest Polling, from Le Laeralien
Prime Minister Tanvi Misra: 26% (+2)
Delegate Damien Vendorme: 24% (-1)
Governor Liu Mei-han: 16% (-1)
Representative Jean-Pierre Nury: 11% (+2)
Delegate Bernard Errante: 11% (+1)
Representative Hsieh Pai-han: 6% (+0)
Undecided/Other: 7%
Polls show that Tanvi Misra has taken the lead, although her 2-point lead is within the polls’ 3-point margin of error. Down-ballot Progressive candidates have also surged slightly as well. Representative Jean-Pierre Nury has also increased his vote share, although this change is once more within the margin of error of the poll. Representative Hsieh Pai-han has stabilized his fall, although he is once more at the same vote share as he was at the beginning of the campaign.
Overall, political commentators are beginning to speak of another Progressive-Laeralian People’s Party race, similar to 2014 and 2010. This is largely as expected, although there are still another 26 days until the general election, and the upcoming debate provides an opportunity for every candidate to have their message heard across the country.