33 Provinces in 33 Days (News Thread in Laeral, Open)

[Ru-]

OOC: so much I want to respond to lol. Don't worry about not always being able to post, you're still too fast for me! haha.

King Yoshio (@realkingyoshio)
Just now from New Ru City, Ru

Congratulations to Delegate Vendorme and Governor Liu on thier victories in the Lareal 1st round elections. These were two hard fought campaigns, but the real work begins now! May Cael bless you both, and here's to a fair and civil election.

In case anyone is wondering who I'm endorsing in the 2nd round...then perhaps you haven't been paying much attention to this account in the last month! While I consider both to be very worthy candidates, I have been heaping praise on Liu Mei-han since the beginning, (for good reason!) and my high opinion of her has not changed. In fact, as the election has gone on I have only grown more impressed with her. She has proven to have a great ability to unify and inspire her nation, she has a strong common sense platform, and displays every quality one could hope for in a leader. She definitely has my endorsement and I'm personally very excited to see her become president and have the chance to discuss how our nations can come together and move forward as friends and allies. Liu Mei-Han is the president Lareal needs right now.

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[Trive 38]

Emperor Lynnoux Yakovlev @CoolestTrivianEmperor
Just now from Emerald Palace, Petrolavlovskiy-Kamchatsky

@realkingyoshio Glad to see common ground between us, fellow monarchs. Our endorsement has been sent, and we likewise hope for the best outcome in the Laeralian election.
May all of our nations "live long and prosper".
(yuri told me to put this quote, where's it from?)

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[Laeral]

OOC Notice:
You might have noticed that I haven't posted in the last two days. Over the course of this newsthread, I've done my best to keep up with daily updates, in 'real time'. The title of the thread does promise '33 days', after all. Unfortunately, real life seems to have caught up to me. With finals approaching for me and some of those who have been roleplaying on this thread, there just isn't as much time to spare as we would like for NationStates. I will be continuing to work on this thread over the next week, and I intend to see this through to it's conclusion. I will be releasing new posts when I can, and these posts will be backdated to the day they were originally scheduled to release. IC, the election will still happen on the day it was scheduled to, as will everything else. OOC, things will be released more slowly. Please release any RP posts that you want to. Hopefully this slowdown in the publication schedule will give those of you who haven't had the time to RP some room to catch up and react to the news of the past few days.

Thanks for understanding, and of course for reading.
-Laeral

[Ru-]

ooc note: consider this post to have been made during day 21, shortly after the piece on Errante came out.

King Yoshio (@realkingyoshio)
Just now from New Ru City, Ru

Very impressed with the interview given by Delegate Errante. Nothing but honor, class, and dignity, just as I have come to expect from him. Throughout this process he has shown the qualities that I admire most in a leader. The same qualities he mentioned in this piece: "simple integrity, a strong work ethic, and a willingness to get things done”. We may not have agreed on every little thing, but he never once allowed his opponents to bring him down to thier level, which shows a strong character and a genuine faith in his position on the issues. It's a shame that the Larealite voters didn't seem to feel the same way. I imagine if this was Ru, perhaps he might have fared better.

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[Ru-]

ooc note: consider this post to have been made shortly after news of Zhou's death broke.

King Yoshio (@realkingyoshio)
Just now from New Ru City, Ru

Shocked and saddened to hear of Representative Christian Zhou's murder. My heart goes out to his family friends, and all those who supported and believed in him and his campaign. This kind of evil and cowardly political violence has no place anywhere, much less in a civilized and free democracy like Lareal. I join the candidates running in the election by condeming this vile act and it's perpetrator. Christian Zhou was by all accounts a good, brave, and honorable man. He did not deserve this. I hope we can at least honor his memory by coming togather and remembering the values of unity, civil service and responsible discourse that he stood for. #prayforzhou #Larealelection2018

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[Laeral]

Day Twenty-Four: A Militant In Nanhai
Thursday, December 13, 2018
Zhao Hua is a Hanshui University student and a part-time militant. She’s a member of the Rén Self-Defense League’s Han Guiying Battalion, named after the famous Rén warlord. On weekends, she drives to a vacant field in the mountains surrounding the bustling city of Hanshui, where she joins dozens of other Leaguers in shouting slogans, preparing for marches, and practicing with her weapons of choice- a heavy padded bat and a 9mm pistol. After the killing of Christian Zhou, Zhao and her fellow RSDL members are prepared for a backlash. “Having Wang Bao assassinate Christian Zhou is causing a lot of your racists, your skinheads, and the like to come out of the woodworks,” Zhao says. “Our job is to put them back in their place.” The Rén Self-Defense League is one of several ‘anti-racist, anti-fascist, anti-imperialist’ groups throughout Laeral, dedicating to opposing what they see as racism through violent methods, if necessary. While RSDL leadership has disavowed Wang Bao’s actions, RSDL members are known for disrupting right-wing Arrivée speeches and marches, using fists, shields, and batons. “If our three hundred years of imperialist repression have taught us anything,” Zhao says, “it’s that we cannot allow the scourge of racism to take root in Laeral again”. But is racism not best fought through legal and political means? “The courts, the state, the police- all of them have a well-demonstrated anti-Rén bias. We’re simply taking our self-defense, our protection, into our own hands.” Zhao herself says that even if she could have, she wouldn’t have voted in the 2014 election, since she didn’t feel attached to either Brennan or Pelletier. This year, though, she’s engaged and excited. “This has really been a banner year for Rén political involvement, with both Liu and Hsieh firing up voters in the campaign”. Zhao herself voted for Liu in the first round, seeing her as a “counter-racist candidate with economic policies I can get behind”, and she intends to vote for New Democrats up and down the ticket in the next round. Her activities with the RSDL, meanwhile, she sees as another form of political engagement. “I support Rén at the ballot box and then support Rén on the streets. It’s two sides of the same coin.”

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Nanhai, the ‘Crown of the Riverlands’, is the third-largest province in Laeral, with a population of over seven million. The site of the bustling metropolis of Hanshui and watered by the mighty Zhongshui River to the south and the Gaoming River flowing southward, Nanhai has historically been a major population center. Nanhai politics are notoriously sleazy and corrupt, although any self-respecting Nanhaian will tell you that’s false. Racially, Nanhai is dominated by Rén, although the province is unusual in that it’s one of the few Rén-majority provinces that the Socialists perform well in. Nanhai’s Delegates, Progressive Jiang Bao and Socialist Sung Lan, have high profiles on the national stage, and both are scions of influential political families in the province. The provincial legislature, the Legislative Yuan, is led by an LPP-Progressive minority government, kept afloat by their confidence-and-supply allies, the Socialists. This present state of affairs results from the 2015 elections, when the new proportional representation system adopted led to a record number of small parties represented, including a regional affiliate of the New Democrats and a party, the Republican Reform Party, existing to promote the rights of the Gao minority ethnic group.

Nanhai has historically been a Progressive stronghold, due to the city of Hanshui and it’s suburbs. Liu Mei-han’s campaign, however, campaigned heavily in Nanhai, hoping to win over Rén voters from Tanvi Misra. Thanks largely to Liu’s own immense popularity among Rén, Nanhai went narrowly for Liu in the first round, while it went for the Progressives’ Brennan in 2010 and 2014. The Liu campaign is devoting significant resources to increasing voter turnout in Nanhai, while it continues to be a target for campaigners for the Assembly of Commons elections as well.

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Latest Polling, from Le Laeralien
Governor Liu Mei-han: 45% (+2)
Delegate Damien Vendorme: 44% (+0)
Undecided/Other: 11%

Le Laeralien: Zhou Killer Trial Date Set

La Sentinelle: LPP, NDA Win General Assembly Races

Le Pays: Police Step Up Presence, Fearing Riots

Les Couloirs: Presidential Race Expected To Be Close

Le Stylo: Mutant Sharks Found In Espoir River!

Malcom Cadiou (@malcomcadiou)
Just now from Les Couloirs Offices, Laeralsford, Laeral

The National Election Commission has called more of the General Assembly races, and so we’ve placed them on the Les Couloirs General Assembly result tracker below.

Province	Incumbents	Les Couloirs Prediction	Projected Winners
Arquien	Lenoir (Cons), Cheung (LPP)	Incumbents reelected	Lenoir (Cons), Cheung (LPP)
Aumont	Imbert (Soc), Lagarde (Prog)	Incumbents reelected	Imbert (Soc), Lagarde (Prog)
Celeste	Brault (Prog), Wen (Cons)	Brault reelected; Wen unseated	Brault (Prog), Wen (Cons)
Felliere	Regnier (Prog), Bruneau (Con)	Regnier reelected, Bruneau toss-up	Briere (LPP), Regnier (Prog)
Harcour	Lu-Rossignol (Prog), Fouquet (Soc)	Lu-Rossignol reelected, Fouquet toss-up
Lematre	Besson (Cons), Leduc (LPP)	Incumbents reelected	Besson (Cons), Leduc (LPP)
Meilinis	Brunel-Zhang (Con), Tang (Prog)	Incumbents unseated	Hou (LPP), Fan (NDA)
Meridoc	Delorme (LPP), Lefort (Soc)	Delorme reelected, Lefort unseated
Peichen	Zhu (LPP), Bai (Con)	Zhu, Bai unseated
Sendrasi	Ma (Prog), Zhu (Cons)	Ma reelected, Zhu unseated	Ma (Prog), Chan (LPP)
Shaoxing	Chen (Con), Lim (Prog)	Incumbents reelected	Chen (Con), Lim (Prog)

Sendrasi province’s raucous GA race has come to a conclusion, with the LPP’s Chan Xun, a former governor, ousting the Conservative incumbent after a vicious campaign. In Meilinis, both incumbents, David Brunel-Zhang (Conservative) and Sandrine Tang (Progressive), have been unseated, by the LPP’s Sylvie Hou and the Alliance’s Fan Cheng. And a bright spot for the Conservatives in Celeste province, where three-term Delegate Cedric Wen pulled off a narrow victory, defying the polls to edge out the New Democratic candidate, feed business billionaire Morgan Zhou. And in Felliere province, the LPP’s Emmanuel Briere shot into first place, becoming senior delegate from the province, while the Progressives’ Regnier was reelected and the Conservatives’ Berthe unseated.

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[Laeral]

Breaking News Update

December 13, 2018
Adapted from an article for Le Laeralien.
Protests turned violent in the city of Cordeliers, Corday today, involving thousands of militant protesters from nearly a dozen paramilitary organizations. At least two are dead and many more injured after a gunfight erupted on the streets of Cordeliers, capping off a day full of street violence. This chaos occurred after Arrivée nationalist groups announced a march in honor of Christian Zhou, the Laeralian Representative murdered in Cordeliers by a Rén nationalist on Tuesday. Numerous ‘anti-racist’ and ‘anti-fascist’ groups, many of whom are Rén nationalists, announced that they would confront this march with force. Tensions began last night, when a torchlit march in honor of Zhou, chanting racist slogans, was interrupted by left-wing protesters, nearly resulting in a brawl. Violence erupted in full Thursday morning, as crowds of Rén nationalists confronted Arrivée militants on the streets of downtown Cordeliers. Corday’s Governor declared a state of emergency as scenes of fistfights, pepper spray, and general brawls were posted online. Riot police and gendarmes were deployed to Cordeliers, leading to dozens of arrests. Gunshots were fired in the streets of downtown Cordeliers as Gendarmes sought to clear the streets, leaving two dead. Over 100 protestors are now in police custody.

Right-wing online personality Gilles Chollet originally called for the rally in the wake of Rep. Zhou’s killing, calling it “a wake-up call for Laeralians everywhere”. Chollet said that this rally, entitled “Remember Christian Zhou”, would unite those opposed to Rén militancy. Chollet, a member of the far-right Arrivée nationalist group known as the Four Arrows, has said that violence was not intended. Rén nationalist groups, as well as anti-racism protesters of all races, quickly announced their intentions to challenge the rally. An estimated 12,000 protestors were present at the riots.

Many locals were caught in the crossfire. According to Cordeliers resident Maria Ruan, a teacher at the local elementary school, “I was trying to get home after the schools were closed, but the streets were choked with protestors and tear gas, so I took refuge inside a store and waited for everything to blow over”. Local resident Lionel Duprat had a similar experience, taking shelter at his workplace. “I just wish all of these people from out of town would take their fight somewhere else”.

Zhao Hua, a Neidong member of the Rén Self-Defense League interviewed by the media project 33 Provinces in 33 Days, took part in early clashes but was quickly removed from the protest to serve as a spokesperson for her group. Her unit of the militant group, known as the Han Guiying Battalion, sent “several dozen” armed members to the city. “We weren’t looking for a fight, but when there are hundreds of armed people with opposing ideologies on the streets, some fighting is inevitable,” she said. She confirmed that many members of the RSDL had suffered minor injuries, but could not confirm that RSDL members were killed in the afternoon’s gunfight.

François Darras, a member of the far-right ‘skinhead’ organization, the Identity Workers’ Party, told a similar story. “We knew that there were anarchists, terrorists, and the like planning to interrupt our rally, and we fought back when attacked.” Darras himself, who was armed with a metal bat, said that he sustained minor injuries after being pepper-sprayed. “I know that the media will paint us as the aggressors, but the violence was definitely originating from their side.”

Riot police were deployed into Cordeliers by 11:00, armed with fire hoses and tear gas, and members of the elite military unit known as the Gendarmerie were present on the streets at around 14:30, as shown by protesters, many of whom were live-streaming the events to audiences on social-media sites such as Setsuzoku. A spokesperson for the Cordeliers police said that all available police had been committed, with reinforcements being drawn from police across Corday and nearby provinces. Tear gas was used against protesters to clear streets, although many of the militants had prepared for this and were wearing bandannas and eye protection as improvised gas masks. The Gendarmerie refused to comment on their ongoing operations, saying only that a single gendarme had been taken to a hospital for treatment of knife wounds.

Militants on both sides of the conflict used sophisticated tactics and organization. Many of the groups present were paramilitary. On the Arrivée side, these included the Four Arrows, White Culture League, and Laeralian Frontline militias, the skinhead group Liberty Defenders, and the monarchist Arrivée-supremacist Ducal Guard. Counter-protester groups present included the Rén Self-Defense League, which counted Wang Bao, suspected murderer of Christian Zhou, as a member, as well as paramilitary groups such as Crimson Dawn, the United Resistance Army, the Riverlands Anti-Racist Movement, and the Rén Resistance Society. According to police reports, members of these groups were armed with weapons including their fists, batons or staves, pepper spray and other irritants, shields, knives, and possibly illegal guns. Some of these groups were organized among military lines, with uniforms and insignia, a chain of command, separate units, and tactical coordination. Around 16:45, police raided a gymnasium which had been taken over by the Rén Self-Defense League to serve as a tactical headquarters, arresting dozens.


Anti-racist protesters such as the Riverlands Anti-Racist Movement, many clad in black, took to the streets of Cordeliers.

Fighting on the streets, was quiet in the morning, with opposing groups largely content to chant slogans at one another while Cordeliers residents looked on. The violence exploded after protesters came to blows in late morning in Ste. Anne Square. Far-right groups, likely consisting of Four Arrows militants, drove counter-protesters from the square in a general melee, before raising their standard over a statue of Emil Lematre in the center of the plaza. Onlookers reported street violence around downtown Cordeliers, with opposing lines of militants forming up behind shield walls and clashing with one another. Initial police responders were forced to retreat from street brawls, before reforming in a nearby park. Fighting continued in a disorderly fashion, with some streets consumed by general melees while in others, militants confined themselves to shouting slogans at one another. There were fears that violence would escalate, as various protesters were seen carrying handguns and the occasional illegal rifle.

It was in a melee on Choulans Avenue, at around 17:00, that gunshots were first reported. Around a hundred protesters from each side had gathered, largely from the United Resistance Army and Rén Self-Defense League on one side, and the Four Arrows and Liberty Defenders on the other. The street was the site of a pitched battle, with batons in use and flares lit. Smoke clouded the street from flares and fires, while gendarmes on the next street over had begun directing tear gas. In the confusion, a gun was fired. According to Nadia Verrier, who was watching the fighting from her apartment balcony, “it was impossible to see the street because of the tear gas. Then I heard a loud popping sound from one side of the street; I couldn’t tell where, followed by a series of louder bangs from somewhere else. There was screaming and I heard someone yell, ‘You shot him!’. I ran inside then.”

As gendarmes advanced onto Choulans Avenue, two bodies were found, presumed killed by gunshot wounds. The identities of those killed have not been released, but have been described by gendarmes as “a young Arrivée male and a middle-aged biracial female”. Their bodies were taken to Cordeliers General Hospital. According to the Rén Self-Defense League’s Setsuzoku account, one of those killed is a member of the RSDL named Morgane Chen. Further gunshots were heard along Rue de la Republique, one of Cordeliers’ main thoroughfares, prompting an immediate Gendarme incursion. Pictures taken by protesters showed gendarmes flooding into the street on foot and in armored vehicles, while protestors on both sides fled the sound of gunshots. According to a Gendarmerie press release, a middle-aged Arrivée suspect was taken into custody, on suspicion of having fired into the crowd with an illegal rifle. Further gunmen may still be at large, and several gendarmes were taken to the hospital with gunshot wounds, some serious.

Similar protests, on a much smaller scale, took place in towns and cities around the country. In Laeralsford, nearly a dozen members of the White Culture League, an Arrivée hate group, were taken into custody after clashes with police and counter-protestors, while members of the White Lotus Society, a Rén nationalist group, assaulted police in Hanshui. Police reported minor disturbances related to the Zhou killing in cities around the country, notably Songshan, Auvergne, and Althea. Numerous other protests, vigils, and memorial ceremonies went on peacefully as well. President Brennan has called for order and an end to violence, and has said that the killings in Cordeliers are “a shame upon our nation”. Brennan has also announced plans to arrive in Cordeliers tomorrow to calm the situation. Both candidates in the second round of the Laeralian presidential election, meanwhile, have condemned the violence, as have politicians from across the political spectrum.

Images from the Cordeliers Protest

Gendarmes arresting a protester, believed to be from the Arrivée nationalist group Four Arrows.


Ma Heng, a member of the White Lotus Society, an anti-racist group, is led away after sustaining injuries in street fighting against members of Laeralian Frontline.


Armed members of the Arrivée National Union clash with riot police, as shown in this image from an ANU video stream.


Cordeliers riot police take a break from the fighting, having cleared Cordeliers’ Ste. Anne Square.

This is a developing story; more updates are expected.

[Yohannes]

-+-PUNCH CORPORATION ALL RIGHTS RESERVED-+-

Maréchal-Le Men
Parliament House
ONLINE

Wrote a shout out just a while ago:

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“On behalf of the Yohannesian Realm (Reich) which derived its sovereignty entirely from a continuing unitary Yohannesian national people, I convey all my condolences to the Laeralian nation in these hard and troubled times in Cordeliers. Our prayers and love are with Laeralians everywhere in this sad time.

Our sympathy to the loved ones, family and friends of those who tragically lost their lives.”

—@Maréchal-Le Men Parliament House on the Cordeliers Protests 2018.

#PrayForCordeliers #NationStates2018

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-+-PUNCH CORPORATION ALL RIGHTS RESERVED-+-

[New Aeyariss]

Maki Kojiro (@makikojiro)
Just now from Ishikawa, Nifon

I would permit myself to address the people in Laeral;

It is improper for me, as a head of a foreign nation, to endorse any particular candidate in the Laeralian elections. However, I need to put my voice behind an entirely different affair; that affair being the red menace once again showing it's ugly face, this time within our region; region which is within sphere of interest of the Empire of Greater Nifon.

Murder of Martyr and Patriot, Zhou-san, will not be forgotten not just by citizens of Laeral, but by other people of the world that were not infected by the Red Disease. It confirms what I have said since the beginning - that the aka does not want coexistence, and will use any means necessary at his disposal, including resorting to cowardly murder, to silence those who speak against it.

Therefore, having petitioned Her Augustness and received her permission, I therefore posthumously award Christian Zhou the title of Marquis and Communist-Vanquishing General.

To those of you who wish to remember his memory, know that it's against the interest of the Empire of Greater Nifon to permit spread of communism within this area of the globe. The Empire of Greater Nifon will be prepared to throw it's full diplomatic weight behind you, so fear nor, and go to the demonstrations, go to the voting stations! The future of your country depends on you, thus let us unite for the great anti-communist holy war!

I wish also that government of Laereal will crack down on the leftist terrorism with all it's might. Should it choose to pursue such a path, it may count on full support of the Empire of Greater Nifon, material or non-material.

Namu Iesu Krishtou, Tenno Heika Banzai!

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[Lauchenoiria]

13th December

 

Josephine Alvarez (@JosieAlvarezLiberal)
Just now from Buttercity, Lauchenoiria

My thoughts and prayers are with the loved ones of those who lost their lives in the violence in Cordeliers today. Violence is never the answer, it is a tragedy that violent elements in Laeralian society have caused this confrontation. It is my hope that the rest of the election campaign can pass without further incidents. Democracy should be peaceful! #PrayForCordeliers

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[Ru-]

King Yoshio (@realkingyoshio)
Just now from New Ru City, Ru

@JosieAlvarezLiberal Well said. I agree entirely, and I hope that things stabilize there soon. #PrayForCordeliers

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[New Aeyariss]

OOC: To all of you who use Setsuzoku. I have made a request when I agreed with the OP's proposition of hosting the election on Sets that all the traffic related to that website shall be posted both here, and at setsuzoku thread. I would like to politely ask you to adhere to that, and copy your social media posts to Setsuzoku thread at the same time to avoid confusion in regard to what our characters are posting! Thank you, and may this thread prosper!

[Laeral]

Article: Tensions Continue in Cordeliers As Nation Mourns Killings
December 14, 2018
Adapted from an article for Le Pays.

President Nicholas Brennan arrived in Cordeliers today, seeking to calm tensions following the outbreak of violence yesterday at a 'Remember Christian Zhou' rally that left three dead in clashes between police and opposing militant groups. In a speech at the Municipal Hall, Brennan said that "violence has no place in our democracy" and reiterated his determination to punish those responsible for the killings. His pronouncement came after the Gendarmerie confirmed that one of their own, Trooper Nicolas Cheung, had died in the hospital of injuries sustained during the protests. His death brings the total number killed during the violence to three. Morgane Chen, a 26-year old member of the paramilitary group known as the Rén Self-Defense League, was killed in street violence yesterday, in a brawl that also left Christophe Girard of the Arrivée nationalist group known as Four Arrows, dead. Dozens of others were injured, and over one hundred suspects are in jail.

President Brennan also visited Cordeliers General Hospital, where he met police officers and Gendarmes injured during the street violence. The streets of Cordeliers were quiet today due to a heavy police presence, although scattered acts of violence and vandalism were reported. The street violence drew an outpouring of sympathy from across Laeral and the multiverse, with the hashtag '#PrayForCordeliers" trending on social media. Presidential candidate Damien Vendorme called the violence "horrific and intolerable" and called for swift justice to be dealt against the perpetrators, while his opponent, Liu Mei-han, said that the riots were "senseless" and expressed sympathy for those affected by the violence. The riots drew an international response as well. Yohannes's Emperor, Marion Maréchal-Le Men said that "our prayers and love are with Laeralians everywhere in this sad time," while reaffirming the importance of national unity. Shogun Maki Kojiro, of the Empire of Greater Nifon, said that the violence was an example of the futility of negotiation with Communism, calling the violence "cowardly". Greater Nifon, an imperialistic and powerful nation, also posthumously named Representative Christian Zhou as a Marquis and Communist-Vanquishing General, prompting gratitude from Representative Zhou's wife Laetitia. The Shogun's statement also included a call for Laeralites to resist Communism, with a call to "unite for the great anti-communist holy war". Socialist party leaders issued a joint statement criticizing the tweet. Other politicians, such as Prime Minister Tanvi Misra, Lauchenoirian politician Josephine Alvarez, and Ru's King Yoshio, also issued condolences.

[Laeral]

OOC: To all of you who use Setsuzoku. I have made a request when I agreed with the OP's proposition of hosting the election on Sets that all the traffic related to that website shall be posted both here, and at setsuzoku thread. I would like to politely ask you to adhere to that, and copy your social media posts to Setsuzoku thread at the same time to avoid confusion in regard to what our characters are posting! Thank you, and may this thread prosper!

OOC: Yes, that's correct. The Setsuzoku staff were generous in letting me post the Setsuzoku template here, and so let's repay them by cross-posting our own posts made using the template onto the Setsuzoku thread: here.

[Ru-]

OOC: ironically enough, i did this at first, but stopped out of fear the users of that thread would get tired of seeing all the reposting from me. Now that thier op made his stance on it clear, I'll continue.

[Laeral]

Day Twenty-Five: The Agitator

Representative Hsieh Pai-han, presidential candidate for the far-right Laeral Unbowed! party likely received more international media attention than any other candidate in the crowded first-round of the Laeralian presidential race. Media observers from abroad watched his campaign closely, eager to find evidence of the wave of far-right populism that has battered nations around the multiverse has struck Laeral. Indeed, Hsieh’s did not enter the second round of the presidential election are slim, and every mainstream party has ruled out entering a coalition with Laeral Unbowed!. However, the far-right nationalist party is projected to become the fourth-largest party in the new Assembly of Commons, nearly doubling their vote total over 2016. The party’s journey from electoral irrelevance to their high-profile campaign in 2018 can be attributed to one man- Peichen province’s Hsieh Pai-han, who rose from being an ordinary Peichen carpenter to a radio personality and now a Representative in the Assembly of Commons. 33 Provinces in 33 Days speaks with Hsieh at his home in the town of Shangtou, Peichen.

Representative Hsieh, you were eliminated from the Laeralian presidential race after the first round. However, you've characterized this election cycle as a victory for your party. What makes you say this?
"We've always known that the establishment, the mainstream, were going to do everything possible to suppress our movement. This election was always about the movement- we're not a party, we're a movement- and despite the establishment refusing to enter a coalition with us, despite the mainstream media spitting out propaganda against us, our movement has caught fire. There has been an awakening. We've seen this abroad, where our movement has captured tremendous support from strong leaders such as Paul Doberman in Lauchenoiria, Ronald Chump of Yohannes, so many others. And we're seeing it here in Laeral, where our movement is predicted to be the fourth-largest party in the Assembly of Commons, and where our very own Li Qiang has won a seat in the General Assembly, our first, representing our great province. So despite all the obtacles in our path, our movement really is winning everywhere."

In 2011, you endorsed the principles of Rén nationalism and Rén militancy, calling the Rén Self-Defense League "a light in the darkness". But after the Cordeliers Riot yesterday, you haven't endorsed either side. Why is that?
"First of all, I never endorsed Rén militancy. That's not true. I've always believed in Rén empowerment, in defending our traditions and fighting the forces of neo-imperialism. I don't support the murder of Christian Zhou, he's a martyr, and I believe that Rén should never take up arms against other Rén. The idea of Rén militancy, and taking up arms, is of course very inspiring. There's a lot of cultural pride present in groups like the RSDL, and I'm very proud of that. They're certainly some very fine people. But what we're seeing in Cordeliers is that these counter-imperialist, Rén pride groups are allying themselves with groups that promote counter-Rén ideas. And so I just want the violence to stop, and for people who support Rén empowerment to vote for our movement, Laeral Unbowed!, at the ballot box."

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Peichen province, just south of the Riverlands region, is a stronghold of Rén-aligned political parties. While it was narrowly won by Liu Mei-han in the first round of the presidential election, Peichen is also the birthplace of the far-right Laeral Unbowed! party. Peichen is the birthplace of the Minjian Faith, the most popular religion in Laeral, and the holy city of Miaoshi is in the province. The province is heavily (70%) Rén and very religious, thanks to the large population of clergy and pilgrims. Peichen is the only province in Laeral to be electing both a Governor and Delegates to the General Assembly this election cycle. According to results released this morning, both of Peichen's incumbent Delegates were unseated, a rarity heralding an unusual political shift. Delegates Nicolas Zhu (LPP) and Bai Shi (Con) were unseated, marking the second Delegate with the surname Zhu to be unseated this election cycle (Henri Zhu was unseated in Sendrasi) and the demise of one of the Conservative Party's few Rén in party leadership roles. In their place are Liao Mei, a New Democrat and Minjian Priestess, and Li Qiang, an air force veteran from the Laeral Unbowed! party. The Governor's race will be held in the second round of the presidential election, with incumbent governor Yu Ming barred from running for reelection due to a term limit. The province is projected as a New Democratic pickup.

---

Latest Polling, from Le Laeralien
Governor Liu Mei-han: 47% (+2)
Delegate Damien Vendorme: 45% (+1)
Undecided/Other: 8%

Le Laeralien: Heavy Police Presence Deters Further Cordeliers Street Violence

La Sentinelle: Cordeliers Riot Prompts Fears of Increased Racial Violence

Le Pays: Rep. Zhou Killer: 'I Am A Patriot'

Les Couloirs: Minjian Priestess Elected to GA Prompts Backlash by Secularists

Le Stylo: RSDL Planning March on Laeralsford!

[The USA of America]

:

I still support Representative Hsieh Pai-han, of the Far Right Laeral Unbowed! Party as a future democratic President of Laeral to Make and Keep Laeral Great Again.

Your Royal Majesty King Donald J Trump.
of The Royal Kingdom of The USA of America.

viewtopic.php?f=23&t=456795

[Trive 38]

ONLINE | Lyrene, Bethune

+ |UPVOTE|

- |DOWNVOTE|

@RoyalPrinceOfTrive

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The events that took place in Cordeliers have struck me, and all of my fellow Trivian citizens, as a tragedy.
I shall be making a special change in my tour throughout Laeral, by visiting Cordeliers as soon as possible. Am currently in transit.
#PrayForCordeliers #TriveStandsWithYou

---

Right now

| REPLY |

[Laeral]

Day Twenty-Six: An Election Official in Jianguo
December 16, 2018
The holidays are always the busiest time of year for Marie Guan, who works part-time for the Jianguo Electoral Commission. As a retiree, she makes enough from welfare payments to support herself without having to work, but as a lifelong elections official, she comes back to her old job in December of every year, for the election. "I don't work for the pay. I do it for the experience," Guan says. Her role is that of a 'Poll Captain', responsible for overseeing a single polling place. As a privilege of her seniority, she's always allotted the station at the courthouse in her home town of Taishui. "You'd be surprised at the Laeralian election law," she says. "For instance, we have to shout 'A voté!', which in French means 'has voted', when every ballot is cast. Half of the people in Taishui don't even speak French, but we can't shout it in Chinese."

Before this year's elections, there have been a variety of rumors spreading about the upcoming election. King Yoshio of Ru's announcement that outside powers may be seeking to sway the minds of voters simply added another layer of confusion to what has continued to be a storm of competing allegations. The Vendorme campaign, for instance, has warned of the possibility of the electronic voting machines used in some provinces being hacked, while the Liu campaign warns of potential voter suppression in some provinces, pointing to new voter identification laws and reductions in the number of polling places opened for the election. "It's really a big mess," Guan says, " and I'm no expert, but I doubt anyone will be hacking the elections. That's the sort of thing that happens in movies, but not in real life. I haven't heard anyone complaining of voter suppression in Jianguo, though, and I'm still sort of skeptical of some foreign child king telling us that foreigners are interfering in our elections. I mean, who really cares about messing with elections in Laeral?"

---

Jianguo province, located in the southwest of the Riverlands region yet with a population of less than one million, has historically been a swing province. Primarily Rén and rural, the region was a stronghold of the Social Democratic party during the Republican Period, due to patronage and vote-buying tactics. A saying from the region says that the Jinshu Dam, built during the period to provide electricity to the province's farmers, 'cost a vote for every kilowatt'. Nowadays, however, the more urban, left-leaning, north of the province roughly balances out the rural, right-leaning, southern portion. Jianguo's Delegates are a Populist (LPP) and a Progressive, while the Governor is a Progressive. The provincial Legislature, however, has the distinction of havng the most complex governing coalition in the country. Following snap election early this year, the Legislature's 160 Representatives are led by a New Democratic-Progressive-Green coalition, with the Radical Party of the Left (which largely displaced Jianguo's Socialists) and the Communists acting as confidence-and-supply allies. Jianguo went heavily for Liu in the first round of the election, as she campaigned here heavily.

---

Latest Polling, from Le Laeralien
Governor Liu Mei-han: 46% (-1)
Delegate Damien Vendorme: 46% (+1)
Undecided/Other: 8%

Le Laeralien: Voting Rights Groups Sue To Open Polling Places in Nanhai

La Sentinelle: Inside the Rén Self-Defense League

Le Pays: Violent Clashes In Hanshui Stopped By Police

Les Couloirs: Breaking Down Final GA Results

Le Stylo: Misra, Malicious Militant Mastermind?

Malcom Cadiou (@malcomcadiou)
Just now from Les Couloirs Offices, Laeralsford, Laeral

The National Election Commission has called more of the General Assembly races, and so we’ve placed them on the Les Couloirs General Assembly result tracker below.

Province	Incumbents	Les Couloirs Prediction	Projected Winners
Arquien	Lenoir (Cons), Cheung (LPP)	Incumbents reelected	Lenoir (Cons), Cheung (LPP)
Aumont	Imbert (Soc), Lagarde (Prog)	Incumbents reelected	Imbert (Soc), Lagarde (Prog)
Celeste	Brault (Prog), Wen (Cons)	Brault reelected; Wen unseated	Brault (Prog), Wen (Cons)
Felliere	Regnier (Prog), Bruneau (Con)	Regnier reelected, Bruneau toss-up	Briere (LPP), Regnier (Prog)
Harcour	Lu-Rossignol (Prog), Fouquet (Soc)	Lu-Rossignol reelected, Fouquet toss-up	Lu-Rossignol (Prog), Godin (NDA)
Lematre	Besson (Cons), Leduc (LPP)	Incumbents reelected	Besson (Cons), Leduc (LPP)
Meilinis	Brunel-Zhang (Con), Tang (Prog)	Incumbents unseated	Hou (LPP), Fan (NDA)
Meridoc	Delorme (LPP), Lefort (Soc)	Delorme reelected, Lefort unseated	Delorme (LPP), Martin (NDA)
Peichen	Zhu (LPP), Bai (Con)	Zhu, Bai unseated	Liao (NDA), Li (LU!)
Sendrasi	Ma (Prog), Zhu (Cons)	Ma reelected, Zhu unseated	Ma (Prog), Chan (LPP)
Shaoxing	Chen (Con), Lim (Prog)	Incumbents reelected	Chen (Con), Lim (Prog)

The results of the last General Assembly races that had yet to be called after Laeral's first-round elections have now been called, and the results continue to show that great changes are in store for Laeral's upper house. In Peichen province, both incumbent Delegates were unseated, which is unusual enough, but what's more unusual is who is replacing them. Liao Mei, a Priestess of the Minjian Faith was elected to the GA for the centrist New Democratic party, while the far-right Laeral Unbowed! party gained its first seat in the GA with Li Qiang, a veteran of the Laeralian Air Force.
In Harcour province, it appears that Socialist Gaelle Fouquet has fallen to New Democrat Murielle Godin. Fouquet was a primary target of conservatives from around the country, and was tarred by involvement in the Serriel Affair. Godin apparently eked out a victory as the second-choice of right-wing voters in the province. Progressive Matthieu Lu-Rossignol sailed to re-election.
In Meridoc, the LPP's Delorme was reelected, while Socialist Andrieu Lefort was defeated by the NDA's Nicolas Martin, as predicted by polls.
This wraps up every General Assembly election this cycle. The party-by-party results are as follows:
Laeralian People’s Party: 18 (+3)
Progressive Party: 17 (-1)
Conservative Party: 15 (-3)
Socialist Party: 12 (-2)
New Democratic Alliance: 5 (+4)
Laeral Unbowed!: 1 (+1)
What we're seeing is that the right-wing LPP exceeded expectations, becoming the largest party in the GA by a significant margin. The Progressives and Conservatives each lost one less incumbent seat than expected, showing that the incumbency boost may still be a factor in Laeralian elections. The New Democrats were hoping to win five seats; instead, they won four, which is still a major victory for them and the largest shift in any party's direction this cycle. And of course Laeral Unbowed! now has a voice in the upper chamber of the National Assembly as well, which should prove interesting. The coalition-building process begins now; 34 of 66 seats (or 33 and the presidency) are needed for a majority.

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[Yohannes]

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From the Parliament House desk of The Honourable Zoe Nilsson

I’m proud to support and stand up for the kind of tolerant society that Liu Mei-han is fighting for—an open-minded multicultural nation-state for the best and brightest, regardless of identity discrimination and exclusion. The kind of multicultural society that welcomes and invites people of all races, colours, and creeds to live together in intercommunal peace and prosperity.

I’m not ashamed to say “Genug ist genug!” to hate and bigotry. Immigration is a good thing, and multiculturalism does enrich our lives and our communities. To quote my December Parliamentary Debate with The Right Honourable Leader of Yohannes First: Immigration is an indispensable part of administration and worldbuilding for our nation state and its interests. Everyday we can see the many benefits of immigration to our economy—employment, tax and rates, tourism: it is there at the centre of almost everything.

Many of the criticisms we’ve heard from proponents of hate and bigotry, it seems, have ignored one fundamental thing about the nature of the community of nation-states beyond the International Incidents that we all live in: people are attracted to move to desirable places. To restrict that freedom of movement and the right to travel is to restrict potential hard-working and law-abiding migrants’ civil liberties.

As Leader and a member of the Green Party, I take absolutely no shame in standing up and supporting multiculturalism and inter-communal tolerance in the Nineteen Countries. The Green Party from the Yohannesian continent hereby officially and enthusiastically endorses the candidacy of Liu Mei-han to be the next President of Laeral.

—@GreenZoe on the Laeralian Presidential and Legislative Election 2018.

#wearewithher #LaeralYohannesFriendship #NationStates2018

[Laeral]

Day Twenty-Seven: A Doctor in Shaoxing
December 17, 2018

On a map, Shaoxing is the very tip of an arrow stretching westward from Laeral into Malabra. This rural mountainous province is sparsely inhabited, with few towns of any size. Sustained by ranching, agriculture, some smuggling, and a nascent tourism industry, the only hospital in the province is located in the capital city of Shuiyuan. This leaves an entire township without a medical center more advanced than a doctor's office. Into this gap stepped Valentin Blanchard. He's a doctor, age 26, educated at the prestigious Gramont National Open University. He's also Arrivée and a Catholic, from Aumont province. In short, Valentin's not the typical picture of a Shaoxing resident. He was hired under the 'Last Kilometer Care' program, which seeks to bring the nation's National Health Service to even those located far from public hospitals. "I told my friends that I was moving to Shaoxing to be a country doctor, and they looked at me like...what? What on Earth have you been smoking?" As a country doctor and a federal employee, Valentin manages a small clinic in the town of Danzuishan, deep in the Ningxia mountains. He has no colleagues, and prescribes medicine for everything from burns to heart disease to cattle gorings. "Things are quieter out here," Valentin says. "There's not as much stress as if I was at a big-city hospital, and I get to know everyone who comes in through my doors. I'm invited to people's birthdays, their funerals, their Biaoji ceremonies. Someone I treated even brought me a whole slaughtered pig for Christmas dinner yesterday- I'm not quite sure what I'll do with it, but I appreciate the gesture. And I'm learning Chinese quickly, even though I never really picked up much of it when I was in school."

Politically, Valentin prefers not to discuss politics with his patients or friends. "There's always the racial divide, of course. My parents are both Arrivée. My mother's a Conservative, my father a Green. I'm a registered Green myself, since I've always been one for advancing progressive values, and because I care about the future of our planet. I didn't talk about it much during the first round election. I knew our candidate wouldn't advance, but I still voted for her. The only signs and posters that I saw in town or when I made house calls were for Liu, Vendorme, or Hsieh, plus maybe a handful for Misra. Now it's the second round, and I'm still voting for the Green list for the Commons. I wasn't sure about Liu, but I suppose I'll vote for her. I know my dad's planning to spoil his ballot; he said he can't bear to vote for a neoliberal like Liu. Did you see Zoe Nilsson's statement last night? She's a Green leader from Yohannes, one of the foremost in the 'verse. She's very pretty as well, although that's neither here nor there. And her statement endorsing Liu Mei-han made some very good points, about why Greens should be voting for Liu over Vendorme. Vendorme's a known evil and an utter hawk. We know his stance on multiculturalism, immigration, all of that. Liu may be fairly slippery in her ideology, but better her than Vendorme."

---

Shaoxing has historically been a province where politics just don't matter that much. National campaigns tended to pass the province by, while campaigning on the provincial level was exemplified by the old adage "all politics is local". Over the course of the province's campaign for the General Assembly, incumbents Jean-Baptiste Chen (a Conservative) and Jean-Marie Lim (a Progressive) frequented the farm shows, provincial fairs, community dances, and Biaoji ceremonies that exemplify rural social life. Both were easily re-elected. Shaoxing's Provincial Council of 30 members is run by an LPP-Conservative coalition, while the Governor is a Progressive. Liu Mei-han won Shaoxing province, due to her high appeal among Rén voters, although Bernard Errante also performed well there.

---

Latest Polling, from Le Laeralien
Governor Liu Mei-han: 46% (+0)
Delegate Damien Vendorme: 46% (+0)
Undecided/None: 8%

Le Laeralien: Vendorme: "Experience and Coherence Should Count for Something"

La Sentinelle: Laeral Prepares For Olympic Team Departure

Le Pays: Major Shake-up Rumored Among Conservative Leadership

Les Couloirs: Turnout for Liu Uncertain Among Far-Left

Le Stylo: Secret Plot Against Democracy Revealed!

Liu Mei-han (@LiuMei-han)
Just now from Laonong, Jinhua

當我們進入選舉前的最後階段時，我非常受寵若能接受Zoe Nilsson博士（@GreenZoe）的認可。承擔多元文化主義和所有人民享有平等機會的權利與Cordeliers騷亂一樣重要，而原始環境的權利也是這個機會的一部分。
Je suis assez flatté de recevoir l'aval de Mme Zoe Nilsson (@GreenZoe) alors que nous nous dirigeons vers la dernière ligne droite avant les élections. Défendre le multiculturalisme et le droit de tous les peuples à l'égalité des chances est aussi important que jamais après les émeutes des Cordeliers, et le droit à un environnement vierge en fait partie.
I'm quite flattered to receive the endorsement of Dr. Zoe Nilsson (@GreenZoe) as we head into the final stretch before the election. Standing for multiculturalism and the right of all peoples to equal opportunity is as important as ever following the Cordeliers Riots, and the right to a pristine environment is part of this opportunity.

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[Laeral]

Les Couloirs: The Magazine of Laeralian Politics

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December 17, 2018

Within the Corridors of Power

International Edition

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The Electoral Calculus Driving Pre-Election Campaigning
By Malcom Cadiou, Political Correspondent

Laeralsford, Laeralsford M.D.- With less than a week until the second round of the presidential election, it's game time for both presidential candidates. Both candidates are frantically stepping up their efforts in the crucial last stage of campaigning, trying to motivate their base and swing undecided voters their way. But they're approaching campaigning from two very different angles.

Damien Vendorme won 28% of the first round vote, which means that he needs to convince roughly 22% of voters who backed other candidates in the first round to support him. As is clear from a map, Vendorme dominated in the north and south, making a clean sweep of Conservative strongholds in the south and southeast. The People's Party's support traditionally comes from urban or suburban middle and upper-class Arrivée. Analysis of exit polls after the first round has shown that Vendorme may have already maxed out his support from those constituencies. Simply, Vendorme needs to expand his base in order to get the additional 22% he needs.

Conventional wisdom holds that Vendorme can tap into the 10% of voters who opted for far-right candidate Hsieh Pai-han. Since Vendorme is closer on the political spectrum to Hsieh than Liu is, the thought process goes, Hsieh's voters will flock to Vendorme. But a deeper analysis suggests that this isn't necessarily the case. What's often forgotten about Laeral Unbowed! is that before Hsieh took over the party, it was explicitly Rén-nationalist and anti-imperialist. While Hsieh's efforts have blurred over those sections of the party's agenda, the party's core base of support comes from Rén dissatisfied at a political system they see as tilted against them. Race cuts deep in Laeral. Laeral Unbowed!'s supporters fall into two camps. First is the original base of the party, whom I described above. This group may in fact be drawn to Liu's candidacy. Liu is Rén herself, and enjoys massive support among Rén voters, particularly religious Rén. Liu's policy proposals, including government support for multilingualism and affirmative action policies, align with many of Hsieh's. And so it seems likely that the core of Hsieh's support will go to Liu. The second group of Hsieh supporters are new converts. This is a more racially-diverse group, and they have been drawn to Hsieh for his populist appeals, his protectionist trade policy, and to some extent simply his demeanor of standing up to the political establishment. These voters are more likely to go to Vendorme, because of his similar economic policies and demeanor.

What about supporters of Bernard Errante? Errante himself has shown signs of dislike for Vendorme. He's criticized Vendorme on occasion, and refused to endorse him following the first-round election. Conceptually, Errante's Conservatives are about halfway in-between Liu and Vendorme's position on the political spectrum. While it may be that Errante himself will secretly cast his ballot for Liu, it is likely that his supporters will hold their noses and vote for Vendorme. Errante's supporters tend to be socially conservative, and their views align much better with Vendorme, the arch-culture warrior, than with the progressive futurism of Liu. While Errante's supporters may have their misgivings about Vendorme's character, they won't turn around and vote for Liu. Once again, Laeral's racial alignment surfaces here. Errante's supporters are largely Arrivée, even more so than in previous elections. Arrivée voters are statistically more likely to vote for Vendorme over Liu.

Let's do a little arithmetic here. Assume that Vendorme's 22% of voters show up for him again. Let us further suppose that Vendorme receives half of Hsieh's support and all of Errante's support. This would bring Vendorme to 38% of the first-round total. It's also unlikely that supporters of parties further left, such as the Progressives or the Socialists, would back him over Liu. So is Vendorme's bid for the presidency doomed? Of course not. Vendorme's path to victory lies in reducing turnout for Liu. If the voters who backed leftist candidates such as the Socialists don't show up to cast their ballots for Liu, then Vendorme will triumph. Vendorme's strategy is less about converting voters for other parties and more about making them stay home or spoil their ballots rather than vote for Liu. We've seen this in a few campaigns where left-wing critiques of Liu (that she's naive, that she's a traitor to the Progressives, that she opposes workers' rights, etc) have been quoted and amplified in advertisements secretly funded by the Vendorme campaign. We've also seen this in Vendorme's own rhetoric, where he's called Liu "naive", "wishy-washy", "corrupt", and "an elite".

Let's examine Liu Mei-han's electoral prospects. Liu received 20% of the vote in the first-round. Polls have shown that the majority of Liu voters typically voted Progressive or Conservative, or didn't vote at all. Let's suppose that Liu retains her 20% share of first-round voters. As explained above, she can also likely receive support from Hsieh voters, and possibly a handful of Conservatives. From there, however, the entire left-wing of Laeralian politics is open for her to draw from. Her campaign has made an effort to draw in Progressive voters. Despite Liu and Prime Minister Tanvi Misra's notorious falling-out and subsequent rivalry, Misra wholeheartedly endorsed Liu over Vendorme. Jean-Pierre Nury, the Socialist candidate, has done the same. The New Democrats have been trumpeting those endorsements like a badge of honor, trying to ensure that those left-wing voters vote for Liu instead of staying home. Many of their campaign advertisements have centered on the necessity of backing Liu to ensure that Vendorme doesn't win. For her part, Tanvi Misra has reiterated this even as she continues to campaign for Progressive candidates to the Assembly of Commons and provincial offices.

Liu has also made a push to turn the narrative of her campaign in these last couple days towards issues where she stands in agreement with left-wing ideas. For instance, her endorsement by Zoe Nilsson, leader of the Yohannesian Green Party, has burnished Liu's environmentalist and leftist credentials, and the Liu campaign has highlighted this in a new series of ads. Nilsson's endorsement is one of the best things the New Democrats could have asked for in these closing days of the campaign. The New Democrats have been trying to remind voters of Liu's earlier endorsements by international left-wing leaders such as Josephine Alvarez of Lauchenoiria and Elizabeth Tyagi-Kennedy of United New England. In the end, it seems that the results of the second round will all come down to turnout: who shows up to vote, and who doesn't.

Malcom Cadiou is the Chief Political Correspondent for Les Couloirs. He was educated at the Laeralsford Institute of Political Studies, and has eight years of experience on various political campaigns before entering journalism. You can find him on Setsuzoku at @MalcomCadiou.

[Lauchenoiria]

 

Paul Doberman (@PaulDobermanLF)
Just now from Seahaven, Lauchenoiria

Been hearing rumours that Kerlile has been secretly MANIPULATING the Laeralian election for their own ends. Kerlile will not stop until all men are deprived of their human rights. This is what happens when women are given too much power! Laeral needs to do thorough background checks on ALL FEMALE candidates to make sure they're not Kerlian SPIES. Kerlile is funnelling dirty money into Laeral, Lauchenoiria and other countries and they will not stop. ALL nations must SECURE their democracy now before the Kerlians come for us all!!!

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[Ru-]

King Yoshio (@realkingyoshio)
Just now from New Ru City, Ru

@PaulDobermanLF That's quite a leap to say that because some rogue state may be manipulating to help certain women candidates in Lareal, we need to be suspicious of all women candidates everywhere. Greater Nifon has manipulated elections to help certain right wing candidates before, are you saying that we need to be suspicious of every conservative candidate who runs? That's assuming this is even true, of course, and not just pulled from Le Stylo. What nation's intelligence service did you hear this from again?

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[Conternia]

Prime Minister Etan Bloomberg finally broke his silence on the Laeralian election in a press conference this morning, officially endorsing Progressive Party candidate Liu Mei-han. Addressing reporters on the steps of Mirrel House, he said that:


"Laeral faces a clear choice in this election, between two futures: a future defined by fear, superstition and brutality, or one of progress, equality, and kindness. I see the latter embodied in Governor Liu Mei-han, a loyal servant of her country and an erstwhile advocate for justice and the rights of the vulnerable in society. As such, I give her my official endorsement as Laeral's next Prime Minister. At a time when we all need to move on from our pasts and try to make fairer, more just, more forgiving societies, Liu offers Laeral the future it needs. I would call on all voters in Laeral - a great nation that Conternia is proud to call a friend - to reject the politics of hate and division and cast their vote for Liu on election day."


The Prime Minister took no questions, quickly reentering the residence, following what are some of his first remarks on international affairs since he assumed office in August. Both candidates in the Laeralian election have wracked up endorsements in recent weeks, in what looks likely to be a tight, contentious election to the very end.