Rasvidi National Elections

Elections are being held in Rasvidi for the first time in 757 years, since the fall of the Vaeringjar Republic to monarchist forces. Several political parties have made their debut alongside the ruling People's Party, and a formal debate has taken place in the Kapitaal Building in downtown Ulyanovsk. Attending are the leaders of the foremost political parties so far. Nearly 5 million people were in attendance, virtually shutting down the streets of the entire downtown core. Military police and soldiers have been dispersed into the crowds and are maintaining the peace; so far there have been no reports of violence or arrests, remarkable for such a large gathering, indeed the largest in the history of Rasvidi.

The candidates have made a variety of statements regarding their platforms, and the most accurate of which have been transcribed below.

Chairman Vladimir Ovseyenko, The People's Party wrote:

"The People's Party has guided this nation for over 60 years under the guidance of our glorious leader Pralnikov. It has brought us out of desolation and a bloody conflict and into an era of prosperity. The recent war has tested our military readiness, our strength against our foes, and our ability to hold on to our distant colony. This is a test we have passed. We still have control of the islands, and despite our losses here in the Mainland, we are still one of the most powerful nations in the region. If the People's Party is re-elected, we will continue this promising trend well into the future. We will also make sure that our international dealings are fair and positive, and respect our neighbours and allies. We will provide reparations to the victims of the war, and we will honour the tragedy of Kazan with a massive monument to the dead. We will continue to aggressively promote the quality products of Rasvidi both domestically and abroad, and build an economic empire that will make those disgusting Rakaelians green with envy!"

Ragnar Hylgaard, The Libertarian Party wrote:

"If the Libertarian Party is elected, we shall fight for the equal rights of all men, women and children in Rasvidi. We will lift the draconian anti-religion legislation and allow our citizens to practice openly and freely. We will grant more rights to recent immigrants, and ease immigration laws so that Rasvidi can grow and flourish. We will continue our laissez-faire economic policies, and we will provide incentives to small businesses so that big corporations cannot feasibly create a monopoly. We will reduce the salaries and size of the government by 30% over the next 4 years, and we will begin to cede more control to the municipalities and republics. Self-determination is the prize of political freedom everywhere!"

Annaliisa Haapakoski, The Nationalist Party wrote:

Too long has Rasvidi been on it's knees to foreigners and neighbours. If the recent war has shown us anything at all, it is that we are ready to defy the arrogance of inferior nations. I commend the actions that our glorious leader Pralnikov has undertaken. If elected, we will take back the oil fields of the North Sea, and show the region that we will not be pushed around! We will also work to pass more restrictive and reclusive immigration laws, to prevent foreigners from stealing our employment, undermining our society and destroying our noble gene pool! In our international dealings, Rasvidi will always come first, and those that attempt do us harm shall know our wrath.

Gülbahar Küçük, The Pralnikov Party wrote:

Dear friends, we can all agree that Venedikt Pralnikov was a man of greatness and unequaled leadership. So I ask you all this: why go around changing what he has created for us, insulting his greatness? If elected, we will maintain the policies instituted by our glorious leader Pralnikov and we will immediately outlaw these silly elections. We have come this far with his policies, and we can go much farther. Prosperity for Rasvidi cannot be achieved by modifying the fundamentals of what Pralnikov established for us!

Väinö Nakashidze, The Progressive Party wrote:

Hello my comrades. My name is Väinö, and I was only a simple man not long ago. I worked in a factory, was divorced and had children. I was at least 20 years from retirement. Politics did not bother my daily life; indeed, I had very little say, as did most people in our great nation. But then something changed my life. I was in Kazan when the bomb dropped. I watched from the hills as my city, my home, my cradle, was wiped out in the blink of an eye. My entire family died in an instant, and I am now the sole survivor of my lineage. When I recovered, I knew that I wanted no other thing but this: to change forever this nation so that this tragedy will never happen again. Our current policies are clearly not working. Millions have died. What has changed since the Commonwealth? Our leaders have different titles, but they still dominate us, have us killed by the millions. No, we need significant change. If elected, this party will lead the nation forward into an unprecedented era of freedoms, prosperity and development. We will try to achieve a balance of policies that will allow us to thrive, and avoid the kinds of disasters we seem to have become desensitized to. We shall forge a nation where our children will not know what it means to suffer. We shall free our children of the torment we all must face every day as citizens of this mighty, proud country.

Popularity polls indicate that the ruling People's Party currently leads in popularity, with 61% supporting it. The Progressive Party follows closely with 57% approval, followed by the Nationalist Party with 42%, the Libertarian Party with 39%, and the Pralnikov Party with 27%.

PRESIDENTIAL PRESS RELEASE
For all Rasvidian press who wish to publish and distribute these words

Greetings,
I understand there may still be some of you that hold ill will towards my country and the people that live in it. I hope that our support in the Rasvidi Islands has helped to show you that we are still your allies and will remain so. We hope to strengthen our alliance with you and your western neighbor NX401 through the new Eastern Alliance. However, I understand that one or two simple events cannot instantly heal the rift that has formed between your nation and Gracealona. We hope that in that in future years we will regain the trust and respect that you have likely lost for us.

Now, to the main subject of this address, your nation’s upcoming election. Your government has extended an amazing opportunity to you, the people of Rasvidi. For the first time in over 750 years, your government has extended an opportunity to pick who will lead your country. Do not take this right lightly or use your vote on a whim. I hope that you will get to know the candidates and put a good amount of thought in before casting your vote.

On that note, I would like to give my endorsement to Ragnar Hylgaard of the Libertarian Party. His stance will begin to introduce many of the freedoms we hold ideal here in Gracealona. I would specifically like to commend his intentions to introduce Religious Freedom to Rasvidi.

I would also like to wish Väinö Nakashidze the best. Our records indicate that he was the first survivor that Gracealonian medics airlifted from Kazan after the nuclear strike and I am pleased to here that he is doing so well.
Thank you,
President Andy Carlton
The United States of Gracealona

[OOC: Hey Ras, if you don’t mind I would like to here what an average Rasvidian thinks reading this. I want to get an idea of what the current average attitude is towards Gracealona and I think that would be a great way to see that.]

The Nation of KingIsaac sent secret agents in Rasvidi to campaign for the Libertarian Party.

However, we would just like to make clear that we are not allies of Libertarian Party. We are just helping them because they will lift up the religion ban.

[So will the Progressives. Anyways, Ras, these summaries of your parties' agendas are superb. You know how to RP.]

[totally forgot about this, lol]

Matleena Piironen read over the newspaper as she wandered down the street in downtown Saratov. She had just gotten off work at the munitions factory nearby, and having received her weeks pay, had picked up a paper on the way home. It was the state newspaper, which published stories and articles approved by the government's censors. It was currently the only legal publication available to the citizens of Rasvidi, although several underground newspapers did exist. Still, the state newspaper did seem to host balanced views on most topics, unless it involved the government. Then everything would suddenly turn to gold. Nope, nothing ever went wrong in the government, and they never did anything wrong. At least, according to the newspapers.

She glanced over some of the headline stories. The war was officially over, with the government loudly proclaiming victory over it's enemies; she couldn't see any mention at all of the oil platforms or even of the North Sea. Most of the coverage involved the Rasvidi Islands. There was also mention of the Eastern Union, which seemed to have a neutral tone to the articles. Matleena was divided on that issue; she saw it as a sign of weakness, that Rasvidi needed these nations for support, but at the same time she could see the clear benefits. She figured she was just disappointed to see that Rasvidi needed any help at all, typical of the patriotism in the country.

She scanned over the election coverage. Matleena had to admit, the dizzying array of new political faces was a little disconcerting. She had never experienced a democratic election in her life after all, and neither had anyone else in living memory. It seemed so complicated to her. Still, she liked the fresh new ideas and views espoused by some of the political parties. If she voted at all, it would probably be for the Progressive Party, assuming nothing happened to disillusion her. Otherwise she would just stick to what she knew, and vote to re-elect the People's Party. Or maybe...

Suddenly she was jarred backwards and the paper fell from her hands. Frowning, she looked up and saw a stunned looking man staring back at her. He was wearing overalls and a cotton shirt, and a fedora that didn't seem to go with the rest of his outfit. Probably a factory worker, like herself. His stunned expression turned somewhat hostile, and he muttered a curse under his breath as he passed her. Whatever, she thought. He should have been watching where he was going.

Around her the buildings were very immense, reaching up dozens of stories and casting a cold shadow on the streets below. Digital billboards hung on the sides of buildings, bombarding citizens with a variety of advertisements in catchy, bright, animated displays. Cars were everywhere, and the rush hour traffic clogged up the downtown in all directions. The cars and buildings were of older designs, the buildings relics of the pre-revolutionary era and new buildings reflecting this design, and the cars had not undergone any significant design changes in at least 50 years, at least not on the outside. In seeming contrast, however, at the end of every block there were small stations with many glowing lights and three large displays. Most of it was protected behind a layer of tough, durable material that was so transparent it was difficult to see unless you moved your head, but the buttons and keys were free from this material so that they could be used. These were CyberNet Kiosks, public kiosks that allowed people to access the national CyberNet. It was subsidized, so the cost to use them was almost trivial. They were a common sight in the larger cities, but in smaller ones most CyberNet access was done through personal computers. Each kiosk could potentially service three people at once, but usually only one or two made use of them at a time.

Matleena picked up the newspaper again, and this time her eyes fell upon a more interesting article. The United States of Gracealona had officially endorsed the Libertarian Party, as well as warm words for Väinö. She frowned. This was a domestic, national issue. A foreign nation shouldn't be getting involved in an election not their own. Still, that meant smoother international integration if the Libertarians were elected. Maybe if Ragnar was appointed Vice Chairman. She wondered what the Gracealonan immigrant population felt about this. She knew that community had been hit hard in Rasvidi, with the largest Gracealonan immigrant community having been situated in Kazan. Chances are the Libertarian party would be able to gain their vote now. Still, the polls still indicated a strong presence for Väinö.

He was, after all, a born and raised Rasvidi citizen from Volkhov, one who experienced even worse then most people during the war. At least, for those living. There were still a plethora of bodies in the areas that had seen intense fighting. There were so many that the government had started using them as fertilizer in the crops. Nobody had objected, partly because it wouldn't have made a difference to do so, and partly because Rasvidi culture lacked any real taboos involving the dead. Bodies were buried in graves marked with gravestones, but it was more out of practicality then respect or tradition. Dead bodies attracted disease and wildlife; burying them prevented this. Gravestones were more for record keeping then anything else. Why would this culture respect the dead or form silly traditions, if none of their past religions or beliefs had involved the idea of a soul?

As the polls begin to close, the election results already begin to pour in. People cluster around their television sets and radios, listening intently to the broadcasts. Voter turnout had been phenomenal; it was expected that over 90% of eligible voters would turn out for this historic election. In the last few days of the race, it hadn't been clear who was ahead in the polls. Many reported the People's Party with a slim gain over the Progressive Party, but most had long since been reporting major Progressive Party support in the key electoral districts. Still, the polls had been close enough that this would be a nail-biter of an election by any standards.

Scandals and smear campaigns had risen and done their damage to the various parties. The People's Party took a popularity hit after signing the Eastern Union documents. Many Rasvidi citizens felt that the government was suddenly in bed with the leaders that had only months ago been fearsome enemies, killing millions. Protests had broken out, but after a violent reaction from the government, became less frequent and strong. It did hurt their popularity further, however, and the People's Party lost the solid lead they had over the Progressive Party.

The foreign support of the Libertarian party was the next big scandal. While initially embraced by Ragnar, the public felt that this was foreign meddling in national affairs, and that Ragnars acceptance of the endorsement meant that a foreign agenda would work it's way into his government. He eventually back-peddled, even going so far as to condemn the actions of the Gracealonan government, but the relationship between Ragnar and Gracealona had already cemented in the minds of the electorate. While he still garnered strong support, he was never able to quite catch up to the two leading parties.

The nationalist party garnered alarming support over the course of the election, catering to the fears and insecurities of the populace. It aggressively attacked the platforms of the other parties, and painted an image of a pure nation that would purge itself of foreign influence once and for all. The people clearly wanted isolation; for several weeks the Nationalists were neck and neck with the Progressives and People's Party. However a journalist discovered ties between the Nationalist leader and a radical Saamic eugenicist movement. This movement had recently begun to use racist slurs and statements, justifying an extermination not just of the immigrant population of Rasvidi, but of any non-Saamic ethnicities. While the Nationalist party continued to have strong support, it became unshakably linked with the eugenicists.

The Pralnikov Party early on gained a reputation as being somewhat cult-like and more then a little weird. Gülbahar, the party leader, made public announcements dressed to look exactly like the deceased Venedikt Pralnikov, which his supporters began to mimic. During one memorable speech, he stated that he could channel the memory of Pralnikov into himself, and that he was acting as his avatar on Tiberiam. This led to an official investigation by the government over possible religious practices or links to religious movements, but he turned up clean. Some of the other party leaders began to label his behaviour as "unnatural".

The Progressives seemed to come through relatively unscathed. The opposed all the right things that the People's Party did, and supported doing things that the people preferred. One exception was on the issue of the Eastern Union. While the Progressives advocated that something more informal be reached with their neighbours, they also supported the idea of an economic union. A few supporters became disillusioned after this stance, although those who attended Väinö's speeches on the matter said that they left with changed minds.

The ballot counting was done. Millions of families across Rasvidi shouted and danced and celebrated. It didn't matter if their political party had won or not; an election had been successfully completed, and a winner announced. For the first time in living memory, the people of Rasvidi were truly free. As they celebrated and drank and had a good time, news anchors on the theirs television screens and on the radios and on their computer monitors all announced the same thing: The first elected leader in Rasvidi in over 700 years was Väinö Nakashidze of the Progressive Party.

It had been close. The Progressives had won with 46.7% of the vote, followed by the People's Party at 39.8% of the vote, the Nationalists at 11.3%, The Libertarians 1.9% and the Pralnikov Party 0.3%, with all parties garnering enough support for at least one seat in the People's Council. As per the constitution, the leader of the opposition party, which in this case was the People's Party, would be named the Vice Chairman, however Ovseyenko had announced his intent to retire from politics after hearing the results.

Instead, Yelena Stasova would be named as the Vice Chairman in his place, Väinö recognizing her experience and skills as a politician.

[1. Fantastic RP. I love your election.
2. The embargo was abolished upon the Progressives' victory. The technocrats in EEE were very interested in the outcome of this election.
3. Congratulations on progress in general.
4. Yelena Stasova is a frightening woman. I hope she doesn't become chairwoman.]

the Royal Government of New Numair would like to congratulate the Progressive Party on winning a fair election, New Numair would love too start an alliance with the new government as soon as possible

[Hmmm, it seems my endorsement only damaged the candidate I was supporting in the campaign… Oh well, no matter]
Dear Chairman Nakashidze,
I would like to personally congratulate you on your victory in Rasvidi’s first national election. I know that I gave my endorsement to another candidate in the election but that does not mean I do not support you. I think that you also have many things to offer your country as Chairman. You are a very unique leader in the way that only a short time ago you were only an average citizen not long ago. I know that the nuclear strike changed your life for the worst but I admire you for moving from such tragedy to try and improve your nation in such a way. Know that your new government will have the full support of Gracealona. I hope to meet you personally soon.

Sincerely,
President Andy Carlton
The United States of Gracealona