Every four years since the inception of the second republic, Rythene has held a democratic election to decide who becomes president and form the government. In the elections of 2014 and 2018, People’s Party candidate Edward Hådirssen won and held office for eight years. However, since a president of Rythene can only hold office for two terms, a new successor will be determined in the upcoming vote, and due to tradition will be inaugurated on the 1st of September. The election process follows a two-round voting system, whereby if no party wins a majority of the votes (50% or more), the top two with the highest number of votes will face off in a second election. The democratic process has always been highly valued, and despite the overbearing nature of the campaign season, Rytheneans view themselves as the benchmark of republican values. Rythene operates under a semi-presidential system, which consists of; a president who is the executive and head of state; a vice president, who runs on the same ticket as the presidential candidate; and a prime minister, who is nominated by the executive and confirmed by parliament, following a seperate legislative election held six months later.
The Candidates
The candidate for the People’s Party is James Preston. At 42 years of age, with a successful and varied career in politics, it’s safe to assume the comparisons between Preston and the last two presidents aren’t coincidental. Whilst these similarities may have helped him secure the party nomination, Preston isn’t convinced that the current president approves of the choice. The People’s Party platform is a branch of social democracy, and their policies over their recent terms have reflected beliefs inspired by popular movements. It is historically the most successful Rythenean political party, and has won the last four elections consecutively.
The candidate for the Liberal Conservative Party is Kenneth Elmer. He is the youngest child of former president Charles Elmer, who was responsible for the 1986 constitutional amendment which established the third republic. The Liberal Conservative Party hasn’t won an election this century, the last time being 26 years ago. However, they are hoping to rectify that this year by nominating an Elmer, which is a family name that is synonymous with Rythenean politics.
The candidate for the Greens Party is Eleanor Lalonde. Of the four candidates we will be following, she is the only one who was born and raised in Continental Rythene, and as such is a popular option among Casmirean voters. The Greens Party itself has held the presidency once, with Travis Ward winning both the 2000 and 2004 election. During their terms, a number of social reforms were passed, such as the legalisation of same-sex marriage in 2005.
The candidate for the National Party is Robert Langdon. The party was recently reformed in 2019, as a tribute to the original National Party founded by former president William Moore. Langdon’s vision for Rythene’s future is to be less complacent within the international order, and see the country reassert itself on a global scale.
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