Brukean Elections 2018 (closed)

by **Bruke** » Sun Aug 12, 2018 6:03 pm

RRB would like to introduce four new panelists on this second day of voting. Each represents the four other parties in the Brukean political system.

Yohannes Belai is a Councilmember in Wusite County, and serves on the federal committee of the National Party.

Ahungena Yitbarek is a provincial assemblyman from Sailor's Way in Commodore, and serves on the federal committee of the People's Party of the Republic.

Zema Nataye is press secretary for the federal committee of the Liberal Party, and before that served as a campaign manager for Mesfin Ketema, the MP from Dub City's North Boulevard.

Meron Kidane is chief of staff to Rahel Masresha, the leader of the Progressive Party, and before that worked for the Brukean Progressive League.

by **Bruke** » Sun Aug 12, 2018 7:26 pm

Interruption in regularly scheduled programming for election coverage (7:00 to 8:00 pm program)

Tesheme: "Apologies to our domestic audience for interrupting your regularly scheduled programming, but some of our panelists had trouble making it to the studio. First off, I'd like to thank our viewers and listeners for waiting patiently for new coverage of this historic election. We still have Mr. Amare and Mr. Mulugeta with us, although they will now be representing the Royalists and Social Democrats, respectively. Ms. Einku is also here to provide analysis of the trends that have shaped this election."

Einku: (nodding) "I'll do my best, as always."

Amare: "Glad to be back here."

Mulugeta: "Thank you for having us on again."

Tesheme: I'd like to introduce four new panelists today, one from each of the other parties: Yohannes Belai from the National Party, Ahungena Yitbarek from the People's Party of the Republic, Zema Nataye from the Liberal Party, and Meron Kidane from the Progressive Party. Pleasure to have you all here, as we'll need your insight to make sense of the election results, the bulk of which are coming in as we speak. Here's a good question to start us off: are voters seeking change, and if so how will your parties deliver what the people want?"

Belai: "I had some trouble getting here, traffic on the way to the Valley Heights Interchange was a nightmare. So there's something. More to the point, this is an election where the ordinary people of this country are coming out in droves, and they are standing up to the elitist political establishment in both major parties. The National Party is ready to be their voice."

Yitbarek: (laughter) "I can vouch for the traffic. But in all seriousness, this will be the election of the working class. Working men and women are tired of empty promises. Only the PPR is offering comprehensive solutions that will not just end the exploitation of the masses, but create an inclusive economy for all Brukeans."

Nataye: "The Liberal Party has brought about more change in this past year than at any time in Brukean history. In fact, there is so much change that it can be hard to keep track of: marriage equality, voting rights for prisoners who have served their sentences, legalized marijuana, campaign finance reform.... Admittedly, there have been some misteps along the way, but there's an overall trend of greater social and economic freedom.

Kidane: "I believe this will be the year when young people show up to the polls en masse. This upcoming generation wants to build a fairer, more tolerant society, and the Progressives are in the right time and the right place to make that a reality."

Amare: "As I discussed yesterday, this will be a time when independent voters will make the difference. Yes, it's clear that voters want change, but they've clearly shown a desire for sensible change. Our party has experience going back to when our country was founded: we were the ones to professionalize the civil service and promote industrialization. Unlike others, the Royalists do not bring change haphazardly, but bring it into line with the values and traditions that have made Bruke what it is. The Royalist Party has a good record when governing during a time of uncertainty such as this, and we will see this reflected in the final results."

Mulugeta: "What Brukeans face is a choice between the thinking of the past and the thinking of the future. The Social Democratic Party was founded on the idea that all Brukeans should have a brighter future. In the depths of the Great Depression, with unprecedented levels of unemployment and poverty, our party built the modern welfare state and system of social insurance that serve people in need to this day. We brought about a constitution for the modern era and supported women's rights. The Social Democrats have been at the forefront of changing our nation for the better, and will continue to do so if we gain control of Parliament."

Tesheme: "Stay with us as we dive deeper into this election."

End of first part of election night broadcast, second part coming up

by **Bruke** » Sun Aug 12, 2018 8:01 pm

The electoral system is based on dual-member proportional representation.

In dual-member proportional representation, there are two seats for every district. The first seat is filled in a manner similar to the first past the post (FPTP) system, and the second seat is filled in a proportional manner. Parties are allowed to create a party list with two candidates, but can also choose to have a single candidate in a given district. Voters choose between one of three possible options: a single candidate of a party, a pair of candidates in a party list, or an independent candidate.

The party list becomes important if the primary candidate from a party list obtains a plurality of the vote in a given district. If this occurs, the remaining votes for that party list are transferred to the secondary candidate at half-value, giving them the chance to win the second seat. (For example, if a primary candidate won with 50% of the vote, the secondary candidate would have 25% of the vote). This step is to ensure that if the second candidate is elected, they have enough support in their own right to win the district. If an independent wins, they must win a plurality of the vote, whether for the first seat or the second seat. If a party puts forth a single candidate, and that candidate does not win the first seat, then they are eliminated from the race.

The district threshold, which is a minimum number of votes in a district, determines which candidates to be eligible to compete for the second seat. The first seat can be won by a primary candidate from a party list, an independent candidate, or a single candidate of a particular party. The second seat can be won by a secondary candidate from a party list, an independent candidate, or a single candidate of a particular party.

The district threshold for parliamentary elections is 5%.

This system is the result of electoral reforms in the wake of the 2005 gerrymandering scandal and the results of the 2010 general election, with widespread voter discontent leading to the formation of several new political parties and successive minority governments being in power. The current system was first introduced in the 2016 provincial elections in Central Province and Metropolitan Province, and is being used this year at the federal level. Moving forward, this system will be used for federal and provincial elections.

by **Bruke** » Mon Aug 13, 2018 1:14 am

Tesheme: "To those of you who are just tuning in, welcome to special Election Weekend Coverage from Royal Republic Broadcasting. A reminder: the Ministry of Internal Affairs has just received permission to pre-empt our regularly scheduled programming for the rest of the night. All stations of Royal Republic Television and Royal Republic Radio will resume their scheduled lineup on Tuesday at midday, Pacific Standard Time. We're joined now by our expanded panel, which includes representatives from every political party and a pollster from Brehane and Associates. Ms. Einku, what are voters saying they care about most in this election?"

Einku: "There were a number of issues on the minds of voters as they headed to the polls. My colleagues at Brehane and Associates have conducted a survey that what has changed since the start of the election season late last year. Social concerns are still important, but the repeal campaign is now ranked second along with the proper role of government in the economy. The top issue is now national security, which is especially relevant given recent conflicts. There's also another change of note, which is that quality of life has become a major topic, ranking third overall."

Tesheme: "Panelists? What can we expect the parties about these issues?"

Kidane: "The Progressives have a clear vision for our country: we must stand up for economic and social justice both domestically and internationally. A perfect example of this would be the resolution at-vote in the General Assembly regarding the death penalty. A Progressive-led government would throw its support behind this resolution and the resolution that is planned to come after it. Motuma and the Liberals believe that it should be left to the provinces to abolish the death penalty. This is the same as accepting the status quo, and Ambassador Nega all but said so on the floor of the General Assembly. The Social Democrats are no better. In fact, they are actively hurting the movement not just for ending the death penalty, but for criminal justice reform as a whole. They say they want to end the death penalty, but they haven't even done away with it in Metropolitan Province. Why? Because they're too afraid of what the "tough-on-crime" conservatives will say about them! You could say the same thing about every other major issue in this election. These parties which claim to be bringing real change have done nothing except propose half-hearted measures that they're afraid to act on. They may be too scared to do what's right, but the Progressives won't be."

Mulugeta: "There are so many things wrong with what you just said that I don't know where to begin. The Social Democrats have always supported ending the death penalty, but we understand that people have different opinions on the matter. We've managed to enact a moratorium that ends the death penalty in most instances unless the Provincial Supreme Court finds capital punishment to be appropriate for a particular case. There have been no executions in Metro for the six years, and our MPs regularly introduce bills to limit the use of the death penalty at the federal level. In spite of obstruction by the Royalists, we've managed to change things for the better. As for this resolution at the World Assembly, a Social Democratic government would instruct our Ambassador to vote in favor, unlike what the Liberals are doing now. All of this is an attempt to ignore the question being asked. What does the death penalty have to do with keeping our communities safe from hostile foreign powers, or reducing pollution?"

Kidane: "Everything is connected. If there's no action by the Social Democrats to end the death penalty, how can voters expect them to truly protect the environment or LGBTQ rights? While your party is using the plight of the marginalized as a bargaining chip in your bid for power, people are risking their lives so that a woman has the right to control her own body and her own future. We've come too far as a country for the establishment to mess things up."

Tesheme: "And with that, we'll have to cut this conversation short. By the way, we're receiving word that Ambassador Nega has voted against Repeal: “Crime and Punishment, the resolution that was mentioned earlier by Ms. Kidane. Anyone else want to share their thoughts?"

Yitbarek: "Debating endlessly about the death penalty or other social issues will not help working people put food on the table or keep a roof over their heads. The PPR neither supports or opposes the death penalty, and our MPs are free to vote as they see fit on that issue. When it comes to what matters, we are united. And what matters most is transforming the economy. The status quo of parasitic capitalism must end, and workers must be given their fair share in the businesses and communities to which they have given so much. Socialism of the 21st century will give Brukeans a high quality of life and decent work for decent wages. As for international affairs, if we focused on improving our own country, I would argue we would find ourselves at peace with the world."

Belai: "The National Party knows that voters expect our political leaders to address what is facing our nation decisively. Ending the death penalty because of the diktat of the World Assembly grants the worst among us a reprieve they do not deserve. We ought to be expanding the use of the death penalty for heinous crimes, as with drug trafficking. The federal government should be taking the lead in keeping us safe; making sure the security services have the necessary tools to be effective is one part of that. The decision to cut military spending is simply reckless: we should be expanding the capacity of our armed forces to deal with foreign threats and spur economic growth. We must not also forget the threat among us: we cannot have foreigners who know nothing of our way of life destroy our values and our heritage. We have enough trouble taking care of our own without the riffraff of the world straining our communities and public services."

Amare: "What can I say? The Royalist Party has a record which speaks for itself. Our party has led the nation through both world wars and decolonization. Under Royalist governments, our nation industrialized, became the economic giant of West America, and successfully transitioned to a modern service-based economy. And through it all, we have preserved the values and the institutions of our ancestors. I don't think I need to say much more than that."

Tesheme: "With that, this part of the discussion comes to a close. The Royal Electoral Board is re-counting ballots in several districts as many races are so close that the outcomes change moment by moment, so we'll have to wait till then for any further discussion. In the meantime, we'd like to wish you, our audience, pleasant dreams if you're on our side of the world and an excellent day if you are anywhere else. Take care."

OOC: need more time to calculate results

by **Bruke** » Mon Aug 13, 2018 10:57 pm

OOC: if the spacing looks weird forgive me. IDK what happened.

by **Bruke** » Wed Aug 15, 2018 8:24 am

Royalists now have control of the House of Deputies and Senate.

Tamru Negasi will be the next Prime Minister, with the Royalist Party able to form a majority government.

Brukean Elections 2018 (closed)

Who do YOU want to win?

Updated Panel

New panelists, predictions for second day of voting

The Brukean electoral system

Electoral Coverage, continued

Final Results

Royalists win control of Parliament

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