The Political Tracker (June 2015 Election Special)

[Lumine]

Lumine: And now we move to an interview with another officeholder, Senator Blair, currently fighting the At-Large Senate race.

An interview with At-Large Senator Blair:

At- Large Senator Blair (Lab-MA), running for a full term in the Senate

Lumine: Senator, thanks for accepting this request.

Blair: It's fine, I appreciate having the opportunity.

Lumine: First of all, how do you feel a few hours before the election? Are you confident about the potential result?

Blair: Well the first results are coming in, and it looks like it's going to a tight race. I always expected it would be competitive with so many good faces involved. I'm hoping that we can start to pull ahead not just in the senate race but also in the Northeast Assembly. You never feel great on election night, but I'm a happy warrior.

Lumine: In a contrast with other At-Large elections there hasn’t been a debate or a lot of polling, and yet most candidates have released some detailed agendas. How would you describe your experience in the campaign trail?

Blair: It's been a low key campaign from me, but I've been the only candidate to stake out a clear policy on the big issues that face our society. We hear a lot of generalizations in the campaign, about how people want to re-define politics. My campaigns been focused on areas of policy that I feel I can deliver on. Hopefully if elected I can put this into action because really that's what people want. They don't want a campaign that ends on sunday night.

Lumine: A bit of a cliché question, I know, but what is your view of the other five candidates?

Blair: Well I'm a relative newcomer to this so I'm still getting to know people. Lief's a very able senator, and I hugely respect him for all his work for labor both in the senate and in the party. If I lose, at the very least I can thank him for giving me a month in the senate-which I'm grateful for.

I've think Cris is a very able senator, I mean we have disagreements on policy but I have to praise him for keeping such a high profile throughout his service. I always appreciate it when people post updates about their senate work because sometimes people feel isolated from the Senate.

Polnut is a popular dedicated senator, he's doing well in the polls. He's always been friendly with me, and happy to talk. I just hope we can get to work on police reform if we both get re-elected because I honestly feel that there's some progress to be made on that bill. I'd say the same with Yankee, he's a dedicated senator and has committed himself well to public service. I hope both of them will continue this hard work if they get re-elected.

With Poirot I hope he's recovered from his time behind bars. He's one of the good guys in this race, and everyone loves a perennial candidate.

Lumine: There has been some controversy regarding current candidate Poirot and his incident in the Pacific, his current status a bit confusing. How do you feel about this situation?

Blair: I think it's awful, everyone should have a right to campaign peacefully no matter what party they belong to. I'll leave the legal arguments for the lawyers but there's a whole host of stuff going on after the recent election there which ended in controversy. I'm glad that they released Poirot on bail, at the least.

Lumine: I would like to move to your current job now, seeing as you have served in Nyman for two weeks already. How would you describe your time in the Senate so far?

Blair: It's been exciting. It's given me some meat to put on the bone, and I hope people know now that I've got the experience I need to serve another term in the Senate. I've got lots of ideas if I get re-elected, I just hope the Senate could move a bit faster in getting stuff through. It's stupid that it's taking 4-6 weeks to pass a bill when we've got real issues like HIV/Aids that need to be discussed.

Lumine: It has been said, Senator, that you are a rising star in the Labor Party, especially considering your quick rise to Speaker and Senator.  Do you share that assessment?

Blair: Haha hopefully I won't be a dying star after this weekend. Everyone in labor has been beyond amazing to me, that's all I can really say. They've helped me get settled in quickly, and I'm happy that I've had the opportunity to serve now. We need more fresh faces in Atlasia, and I think that's part of my appeal-I'm not the old guard.

Lumine: Thank you, Senator.

[Lumine]

Lumine: A few hours have passed, and we have another series of updates:

April At-Large Election:

Turnout: 29,44% (53 voters - Last Voter: ilikeverin)

Polnut (The People's Party): 39,62% (21)
Lief (Labor) 20,75% (11)
North Carolina Yankee (Federalist): 16,98% (9)
Cris (Civic Renewal): 13,20% (7)
Blair (Labor) 7,54% (4)
Poirot (Independent) 3,77% (2)
Write-in: Spiral (Democratic Republican): 3,77% (2)
Write-in: Dr. Cynic (Labor): 1,88% (1)

Lumine: It's tempting to call Polnut's victory but it would be imprudent to do so given the polemic earlier this year when it came to the media predicting early victories. Still, with that kind of margin something really bizarre would have to happen for Polnut to lose the election, so... Well, let's move into the South:

South Gubernatorial Election:

Turnout: 75,86 % (22 voters - Last Voter: Miles)

Flo (The People's Party): 54,54% (12)
DeadPrez (Federalist) 31,81% (7)
Write-in: Mechaman (Coalition of Radical Democrats): 9,09% (2)
None of the Above 4,54% (1)

Lumine: Well, this is... unexpected, to say the least. With an astounding turnout so far most of the South has voted even before the first day of voting is over, and Flo looks like the man to beat, having taken a wide lead against DeadPrez. The voters left are enough to make up the difference in a potential second round, but the advantage goes to Flo as of now.

[Lumine]

Lumine: Our third interview is here, this time with South Governor Flo, currently fighting a dramatic battle over control of the South. It should be remembered that this is the first election in a long time in which the South elects a "Governor", as the post used to be Emperor not long ago. Anyway, let's see what the Governor had to say:

An interview with Governor Flo:

South Governor Flo (TPP-FL), running for another term against DeadPrez

Lumine: Governor, glad to see you here. It has to be said that the past days have been remarkable. We’ve seen a very active campaign with quite a few duels between prominent Atlasians, and many people will be watching the South during the election. How do you feel at this point?

Flo: I'm feeling cautiously optimistic about this weekend, but there are still 13 people who haven't voted (when I was writing this), so the race could easily shift.

Lumine: Current results do show you ahead of DeadPrez, but what's really shocking to me is the extremely high turnout in a single day, more than half the region. What do you make of said situation?

Flo: That the good people of the South know there's a lot at stake in this election, and they're choosing to move forward with a candidate with activity and big ideas that will make our region stronger and more prosperous than it ever was before.

Lumine: Governor, how do you feel regarding your opponent after these past weeks of campaigning?

Flo: We disagree on a lot of issues, and the people of the South can see a clear contrast between myself and Mr. Deadprez.

Lumine: Issues aside, how do you feel regarding your oponent as an individual?

Flo: He seems like he's a nice person. We're just not in agreement with politics and the direction of our region, and I think that leads to a bit of tension.

Lumine: In what seems to have become an interesting tradition you have once again opened your Mibbit office for political discussion. Any chance you could share with us some info on said debates?

Flo: We've recently discovered a huge oversight of the regional budget, where $130 billion dollars was spent on something that didn't exist anymore, so we've been debating how that money should be spent. People on the right have been saying to end the income tax and the corporate tax. People on the left have been saying to spend that money on programs that get people out of poverty. I'm trying to bring together a commission of people on this (which includes Averroes Nix and Potus) to determine the best way to invest it.

Lumine: I've already asked this in the debate, but in a more personal level how do you feel regarding yesterday's “scandal” on strategic registration? We have certainly seen some pretty harsh rhetoric there.

Flo: I'd like to start off by saying I really have no idea why 4-5 people registered in the South literally the day before the election. I've never seen something like that before, and I hope that the legislature and myself can pass a bill that has a buffer period between someone registering and being able to vote (perhaps five days?). The "scandals" aren't really scandals, since it appears that everyone has attempted to bring people into our region. I'm not liking the nasty attitudes that people have been bringing up in that thread however, and I really wish they would be more forgiving than that, but as you know: (Picture of Issac Asimov saying: "Now remember kids, internet politics are serious business", edited out due to size).

Lumine: Despite having the current lead, Governor, have you considered what would happen if you were to lose? Any alternative plans for the future?

Flo: I'd most likely start a non-profit whose attempt it is to get those who did not finish high school to get GED's, and attempt to find well-paying jobs for them.

Lumine: Well, Governor, thanks for being here.

[Flake]

Necessary tbh

[Lumine]

Lumine: And the interview system is on a roll! Requests keep coming, and as a result we will release two interviews now: Governor Simfan and Former Secretary Potus. Hopefully tomorrow we will able to prepare upcoming interviews with Senator Polnut and Former President Dr. Cynic as well. Let's go with the governor first:

An interview with Governor Simfan:

Pacific Governor Simfan (TPP-CA), currently dealing with the Poirot situation

Lumine: Welcome to the studio, Governor, I'm glad you could spare the time for this interview. I think the first question is fairly obvious: TPP is fielding three candidates as we speak, Polnut in the At-Large, Castro and Pikachu in the Northeast. How do you think your party will perform?

Simfan: I think we will do very well. Polnut currently has a commanding lead in the Senate elections and I don't see that changing- we'll hold on to that seat, without a doubt, and although I haven't followed events in the Northeast all too closely, I think we would do well to introduce some new blood and I imagine the voters there, as anywhere, would be receptive to that.

Lumine: It has to be said that there are two elephants in the room, Governor, one of them being the past scandal on the Council Election and its ballot. Could you clarify your stance in this situation for the viewers?

Simfan: I don't think there was any real "scandal", just some braying by certain individuals whose petty agendas are a matter of public record. Their venues made it obvious that this was a simply a continuation of a campaign of slanders and attempted controversy stirring. Those with a genuine interest in the region- in good governance- did not join in their charade, at least not for long. The claim that anyone was "disenfranchised" by what amounted to nothing more than a clerical error is ludicrous. The idea that there was vote splitting going on was also absurd, as there were not enough candidates to benefit from vote splitting! Indeed, you'll note that a member of the Legislative Assembly managed to be elected with just two votes out of eleven- surely any vote splitting would have hurt him?.

Lumine: Of course, the other big issue we see right now is that of Poirot, whose arrest brought some criticism to the regional government. Do you still believe it was a good idea to issue that executive order in the past?

Simfan: Of course I think it was a good decision. He was arrested for harming public health and defying a previous order to cease and desist doing such, and he was duly charged and released on bail. By any reasonable standard, at no times were his rights, as such, violated!

Let me note that I was re-elected with 91% percent of the vote. I take this as a decisive statement of confidence in the region's direction, our administration, and the decisions we've made.The People have clearly shown that they approve of the actions we have taken, and for that reason I see no real reason to change direction. Again, it is in the opportunistic attempted subversion of certain individuals and their organs that have spoken about this the most. I see no reason why I should give credence to their agendas.

Lumine: As someone who already served in Nyman as a Senator and in the Cabinet, what is your take on the current situation on the federal government?

Simfan: Moderately positive, but things could be better. Hopefully the election will move it in a right direction. Things are still in a state of flux with the right, in many ways, so that will need to be sorted out. With more CR Senators, potentially, with Federalists, this could mean a political shift. But with Yankee back it could stay that shift. Hopefully the at-Large Senator from the Mideast shall become more independent of his fellow Labor Mideasterner.

Lumine: It seems strategic recruitment is now on the public stage due to the Gubernatorial election in the South, and the debate continues even now. What do you make of this practice and this particular situation?

Simfan: I think it can be healthy for a region, and while I worry about it being attempted in the Pacific by malintentioned political agents, on the whole it can introduce dynamism and vigour into a region where it is necessary. Or it can induce stagnation and atrophy the body politic. Like this Canadian "limited jurisdiction" nonsense. It's an attempt to annex our sovereign neighbor, something that is harming relations- look at the drug row a few months back- and engendering resentment. It's an absurdity that should be stopped and eliminated. This is the sort of thing that emerges from a stagnant political environment. So it can be good or bad.

Lumine: Finally, Governor, I’d like to ask you about the future. The obvious thing to ask is how do you see your own future in Atlasia, but I am also wondering on your thoughts about the future of the nation as a whole. What do you think we might see in the following weeks or months after this election?

Simfan: I see my future in the Governor's office. Hopefully for the nation we will continue under measured, cautious leadership as we have seen under President Boré, and those maleficent political agents will be removed and defeated in this election and further ones. If that can occur hopefully we can take steps towards returning to the Era of Good Feeling- and avoid strategic missteps.

Or those actors can re-assert their dominance and we will return to the dark days we saw under the last Labour presidency- where they ruled with impunity and attempted to pass laws by ramming them through the Senate in complete disregard to the present law or popular opinion. They thought they could do anything, even if it entailed making someone two people from a legal standpoint.

I sincerely hope we do not go back to that and shall fight with all my strength to stop such a thing from happening.

Lumine: Governor Simfan, ladies and gentlemen. The Potus interview will start in a few seconds.

[Lumine]

An interview with Former Secretary Potus:

Former Secretary Potus (Ind-CA), retired from frontline politics as we speak

Lumine:: Mr. Potus, good to have you here.

Potus:: It's excellent to have a chance to sit down with you, Mr. President.

Lumine:: It's election time once again, and as the situation evolves some trends are probably established by now. What is your analysis of the present results overall?

Potus:: As you've probably noticed, I've not been investing a lot of time in the game lately. I'm really only watching the At-Large and the Southern Gubernatorial. The biggest thing I see is the huge turnout in the South with probably benefits Yankee's At-Large campaign more than anybody. Some trends are holding, like high turnout from TPP.

Lumine:: It seems the South Gubernatorial election is becoming the race to watch due to extremely high turnout, would you be comfortable by making a prediction there?

Potus:: Flo will win because he's been a good governor. It's as simple as that.

Lumine:: You already pointed out that you are in some sort of semi-retirement, but over the past hours a potential proposal form you regarding regional budgets has garnered a good level of interest, both public and on discussion chats. Could you elaborate on that for the viewers?

Potus:: Well, I regularly talk with Governor Flo about different policy ideas, basically whatever I've been thinking about that day. I was looking at the Southern Budget to try to make some sort of contribution to his second term when I noticed that the region is spending $130 billion dollars on "healthcare" despite our completely federalized system.  I raised the concern on IRC and Pit was in the room. Now, PiT wrote the Southern Budget for years with Yelnoc. He says that the line item was never adjusted to account for federal abolition of Medicaid and all $130 billion was being spent on a program that doesn't exist anymore. So, that means there is $130 billion in the Southern Budget without a purpose.

Lumine:: Well, assuming steps were to be taken to address this, how would you suggest using said money?

Potus:: There is enough money in the glitch to allow for a complete abolition of personal income, business, and corporate taxes in the region while also increasing the surplus by $26 billion. This kind of tax reform would put the South lightyears ahead of the other regions in terms of quality of life, economic competitiveness, and common prosperity.

Lumine:: One of the suggestions we've seen so far in Flo's election chat is that of an Atlasia Chamber of Commerce, and while we did have one in early 2013 the whole effort didn't got too far. Do you think there is real merit to the idea? And, do you see yourself participating on that?

Potus:: I think a major improvement to the game would be incorporating the idea of constituencies. I, naturally, would like to see a strong network of non-party political organizations spring up on the Right. The Chamber would be a vital one for one simple reason: the Labor politburo wants to see our economy turned into an absolute basket case. Someone, in this instance the Chamber, needs to stand up to those who seek to destroy our economy.

Lumine:: I'd like to draw you away from the budget for a moment as you have mentioned the political situation. Would you share with us your assessment of the current political situation in Atlasia? In a general sense, I mean.

Potus:: If bore was not President, things would be worse than they were under DemPGH and Labor would be staring death in the face. I've got no doubt in my mind that the party leadership has become that extreme. Bore is the only thing holding the left in one piece.

Lumine:: Finally, I'd like to discuss the future as well, at least briefly. I'll try to be blunt, do you have any further ambitions in Atlasia or plans for the future?

Potus:: Summer's coming up Lumine. It's an awful lot of fun in the real world, right now. However, if I do decide to get involved again, you and your readers will be the first to know.

Lumine:: Well, that does sound a bit ominous, but interesting all the same. Many thanks, Potus.

[Lumine]

Lumine: We apologize for the lack on coverage through the past hours, it's been a remarkable busy day. Coverage of the election will also include Monday in order to cover the aftermath, and we will have interviews with Polnut, Oakvale and Dr. Cynic before this is over. And now, the last update of results before the polls are closed!

April At-Large Election:

Turnout: 61,11% (110 voters - Last Voter: Foucaulf)

Polnut (The People's Party): 29,09% (32)
North Carolina Yankee (Federalist): 22,72% (25)
Lief (Labor) 16,36% (18)
Blair (Labor) 14,54% (16)
Cris (Civic Renewal): 11,81% (13)
Poirot (Independent) 5,45% (6)
Write-in: Spiral (Democratic Republican): 1,81% (2)
Write-in: Dr. Cynic (Labor): 0,90% (1)

Lumine: With over 60% and less than four hours left until the polls are closed, we are confortable enough to make a projection on the five seats. Normally it would be wiser to wait, but given that there are only six candidates and with Poirot underperforming severly, the Political Tracker predicts that Polnut, Yankee, Lief, Blair and Cris will go to the Senate. Comparing with the current situation on the Senate, this means one gain from the Federalists and one loss for Labor, which means the Senators will be five from Labor, two from TPP (plus Vice-President Nix), one from the Federalists, one from Civic Renewal, and one independent. Let's move to the South:

South Gubernatorial Election:

Turnout: 82,75 % (24 voters - Last Voter: Evergreen)

Flo (The People's Party): 58,33% (14)
DeadPrez (Federalist) 29,16% (7)
Write-in: Mechaman (Coalition of Radical Democrats): 8,33% (2)
None of the Above 4,16% (1)

Lumine: With a dramatic level of turnout the South Gubernatorial election is pretty much decided. While it is true that a potential second round would have created a closer result, given the remaining voters and turnout levels we project that Governor Flo will return for another term in a landslide against DeadPrez. Finally, let's take a look at the Assembly.

Northeast Assembly Election:

Turnout: 47,72 % (21 voters - Last Voter: Mattrose94)

Altsomn Josef Smartken (Federalist) 23,80% (5)
Clyde1998 (Labor) 19,04% (4)
Dr. Cynic (Labor) 19,04% (4)
Pikachu (The People's Party): 14,28% (3)
Castro2012 (The People's Party): 14,28% (3)
Dkrolga (Civic Renewal) 9,52% (2)

Lumine: Turnout seems heavily depressed here, not even reaching 50%. As a result the Political Tracker will not make a projection here, especially when one considers how important second preferences will be to determine the sole defeated candidate of this election.

[The Other Castro]

I believe Pikachu has 3 votes, these totals add up to 22 voters.

[Lumine]

I believe Pikachu has 3 votes, these totals add up to 22 voters.

Mistake corrected! (good to know people are following this as well)

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Flo has 17 votes currently, not 14 (as of Yankee's vote, turnout is at 97%).

[Lumine]

Flo has 17 votes currently, not 14 (as of Yankee's vote, turnout is at 97%).

I didn't count two or three of his voters because they registered too late, although I could be wrong there.

[Flake]

According to the Southern constitution, you can register in the South anytime before the election (even 5 seconds before the booth is opened) to vote in that election.

And we have ~32 voters so the turnout rate is at about 88% right now, four people haven't voted yet.

[Lumine]

According to the Southern constitution, you can register in the South anytime before the election (even 5 seconds before the booth is opened) to vote in that election.

And we have ~32 voters so the turnout rate is at about 88% right now, four people haven't voted yet.

Huh. As a private citizen, Flo, I would encourage you to amend the consitution. It would be ridiculously easy to hijack an election in the South, xD

[Flake]

According to the Southern constitution, you can register in the South anytime before the election (even 5 seconds before the booth is opened) to vote in that election.

And we have ~32 voters so the turnout rate is at about 88% right now, four people haven't voted yet.

Huh. As a private citizen, Flo, I would encourage you to amend the consitution. It would be ridiculously easy to hijack an election in the South, xD

There's a bill in the legislature addressing that concern!

[Lumine]

Lumine: Less than half and hour before the polls close, but it seems we're moving into post-election analysis already. So let's move to an interview with former President Polnut, who has been projected to hold his seat with a rather large margin of victory.

An interview with former President Polnut:

Former President Polnut (TPP-MA), moving towards his final term in the Senate

Lumine: At this point in the election it seems that, besides from winning reelection, you will do so with a very large margin of victory. How do you feel about that, and to what do you attribute it?

Polnut: Obviously, it extremely gratifying to see so many Atlasians from across the spectrum listen and take the opportunity to put policy and progress first. As to what attributed to it? I made it very clear to my colleagues and friends in TPP that this was going to be my campaign. I was getting out there talking to people, I didn't want the heavy-lifting done by others. So I think that personal touch may have helped, but fundamentally I hope it was about the message of my campaign. I think a lot of Atlasians are sick and tired of our politics being driven by the interests of a few individuals and what they want. I was out there talking about those issues that matter to me, but knowing that you cannot undertake reforms unless you take the people with you.

One of the biggest lessons, hopefully, out of the Police Bill is that you cannot claim a mandate to do something when you didn't tell people you were going to do it. I let the Atlasian people know straight up what I'd be focusing on, and if they liked it, then they could vote for me to endorse that agenda.

Lumine: Your party was heavily involved in the three elections of the weekend: Flo in the South, Castro and Pikachu in the Northeast, and yourself in the At-Large. How would you rate TPP's performance?

Polnut: I think TPP did very well this weekend. I congratulate Chair Oakvale and Vice Chair Sawx for their leadership. I think many thought the South race might have been tight, but Governor Flo has done so much better than was expected and its a testament to the work he and the team have done.

I think the Northeast remains a tough call, we have at least one seat, and Castro is in a decent spot to potentially pick up a second.

Lumine: rather low ones in the Northeast and in general. What do you make of it?

Polnut: Turnout is the great mystery of Atlasia. Each individual election dynamic is different so there's no way of bottling some magic formula. I think it comes down to what's actually going on, on the ground. If there's debate and stuff for people to get their teeth into, then that tends to correlate with increased election participation, but even that's no guarantee. Ideally, you'd have as many people voting as possible, but I've been around long enough to be very Zen about that issue. It ebbs and flows...

Lumine: Senator, your announcement that it was going to be your last term was rather unexpected, but you were specifc in saying it was the last At-Large election. Are there more elections in store for you at this point?

Polnut: Well, I'm going to make it very clear here, and when I speak once the polls have closed. Correct, it will be my last at-large election. But it will also be my last election full stop. When I leave the Senate I will be retiring from elective politics. I know I've said that before and been like Cher and just kept coming back. But you know in your heart when it's truly the right time to leave. Those other times, I think I was confusing needing to take a rest with needing to retire. But this time feels right and I'm extremely comfortable with that decision.

Lumine: So far and through these interviews we've seen arguments in favor and against the current situation in Nyman. How do you feel regarding the current administration and the current Senate?

Polnut: I think there's a lot to be said for those us in Nyman. As I said, I would like to see the President have a larger public profile, but having said that, he's very engaged and I am very happy to have supported him and he's done an excellent job as has the Vice President.

The Cabinet is an active and engaged, sure some things don't go exactly to plan, but when do they?

As for the Senate? I think we're a chamber full of strong views and strong personalities. There are some of my colleagues with whom its occasionally very to work with. While you can't avoid it, I would prefer that there was less external party political interference. But I'm not naive. I think there are good there, I get along well with everybody, so for me, disagreements are never personal. But regardless of the occasional grandstanding and absolutism that sometimes creeps in, we're actually pretty effective at compromise.

Lumine: Finally, Senator, I'd like to ask you a question I asked Blair before. How do you feel regarding the other candidates in the At-Large race?

Polnut: I have the utmost respect for my opponents in this race. I've known a few of them for many years. Some are very new and this campaign has been very good for actually getting to know where they stand. Although I was a little disappointed at the lack of policy agendas out there. I think in Blair you've got a voice for the future, hopefully he shows his own voice and his own ideas. One of the easiest ways for rising stars to flame out is to just become mouth-pieces for others. You need your own identity. I think Mr Poirot would make an excellent Senator, he has ideas and is very thoughtful. My concern for him is that by adopting certain stances and refusing to join a party, he's starting the races with his legs tied together.

But again, I think they're all good and decent people.

[Lumine]

Lumine:The polls are closed, and SoFE Homelycooking, Governor Flo and CJO Rpryor have certified the various results, confirming our earlier projections and stating that victory in the Northeast belongs to Altsomn, Dr. Cynic, Dkrolga, Pikachu and Clyde. Despite most of the Amendment voting booths not being opened yet, we move towards the post-election analysis and our final interviews before we end our non-stop coverage. Please welcome former President Dr. Cynic!

An interview with former President Dr. Cynic:

Former President Dr. Cynic (Lab-PA), back in the Northeast Assembly

Lumine: Mr. President, it's great to see you. I think the first thing to do is to congratulate you in your return to the Assembly, how do you feel about that?

Dr. Cynic: It's good to see you too, Mr. President. It's weird to hear myself called that though considering I had such a short tenure and it was so long ago. It feels good to be back in the Assembly. Honestly, it feels good to be doing anything again. It's been awhile since I was in the Assembly and I'd like to see if I'm still useful to the NE.

Lumine: Overall this election did not bring many surprises, but we did have three contested elections. What is your analysis of this whole process?

Dr. Cynic: Well, three is better than none. The Assembly election would not have been a contest either had I not decided to give it a go. The sad thing though about ours was that one talented person was going to be left out. The Senate election was interesting. We're seeing Polnut's swan song at least for awhile and Yankee back.

Lumine: It seems at this stage that the Northeast will have a government with representation of most parties: TPP, Labor, the Federalists and Civic Renewal. What do you make of this situation?

Dr. Cynic: I think what we're seeing is a center-left coalition style government of Lab-TPP. I have no problem with this. I'm fine with inter-party cooperation and the NE isn't a particularly hyper-partisan region. I think we all try and work together to make things better.

Lumine: There was a broad consensus that you had a rather successful tenure as a Game Moderator, starting the process for the revival of said office. Thus I feel compelled to ask, how do you feel regarding Kalwejt's tenure?

Dr. Cynic: I think the one thing that depresses me is that I didn't want to leave the job. I was enjoying it for the most part. But I barely had internet the last couple of months, usually at hour long intervals. As GM there was no way I could keep up with all I needed to do with only an hour's worth of internet a day. It's a tough job. Kal has been fantastic. He takes a slightly more lighthearted approach to the job than I did. I honestly felt I had to take things seriously or the position was finished. Kal has put his own stamp on things and I really think he's been fantastic. This can only mean good things for the role.

Lumine: Finally, I do want to ask about the future, even if the election has just ended. Is this the beginning of a full comeback for Dr. Cynic?

Dr. Cynic: I hope so. Right now I'm going to focusing on the NE and doing the best job I can there and in a couple of months, we'll see what the future holds. I hope something good for all of us.

Lumine: Thank very much, Mr. President, and good luck in the Assembly.

[Poirot]

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Just a small correction. I have had events in Canada and Atlasia but not the most known London or Paris. I visited places in Canada or Atlasia that hosted the Olympics or towns with the same name as the international cities that hosted Olympics such as Athens, Georgia, Paris Illinois, London Ontario, Berlin New Hampshire etc. It was an all Olympics city names tour.

[Lumine]

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Just a small correction. I have had events in Canada and Atlasia but not the most known London or Paris. I visited places in Canada or Atlasia that hosted the Olympics or towns with the same name as the international cities that hosted Olympics such as Athens, Georgia, Paris Illinois, London Ontario, Berlin New Hampshire etc. It was an all Olympics city names tour.

Well, that does prove I have to put more attention into those details. Thanks for pointing that out, Poirot!

[Lumine]

New and Old Trends:

Three Senators to retire, Electoral Reform debated by the public, and more controversy!

April 23rd:

Senate Renewal?: The past days have seen interesting announcements regarding the future of the Senate, as Senators Windjammer and Cranberry have announced that they will not run for reelection in June, mirroring Senator Polnut's decision to serve his final term and then retire from Nyman. This leaves two seats potentially open for the next election, and while Cranberry's intention beyond his term are unknown Senator Windjammer has taken the surprising step of running for Mideast Governor along with former Senator Franzl, currently running unopposed. Should Windjammer reach victory in May, it will be up to his and the new Lt. Governor to appoint a replacement.

Electoral Reform to be voted by the Public: After a long process started by the Commission on Electoral Reform and finished up by the current Senate and the Bore Administration, the Electoral Reform Amendment passed the Senate today and it was sent to the regions to be voted by the public. This project would eliminate At-Large Senate races and replace them with districts as it was done in the past in Atlasia, and should the regions be able to coordinate a quick seven day vote and approve said amendment the August Senate election would be held under the district system. Current polling by Senator Lief suggests a good level of public support for the Amendment, and political groups in favor and against have started to form.

As of today's edition, Justice Oakvale seems to have taken the lead for the "Yes" public campaign, while Assemblyman Clyde have taken the lead for the "No" public campaign. Despite the brief time to put forward a real campaign, a debate has been suggested between the leaders of both sides.

NE Assembly Results Confusion:: A curious situation ensued after the end of the Northeast Assembly election, with several citizens expressing their concerns regarding the accuracy of the results, with alternate counts showing citizen Castro defeating Lt. Governor Pikachu. In the end Lt. Governor Pikachu was certified as the winner, but efforts are being made before the Senate and the Northeast Assembly to prevent another situation like this.

"No Heart of Stone": Controversy arises in the Mideast following Assemblyman Truman's legislative proposal known as the "No Heart of Stone Act", which would repeal most of the The Mideast Right to Life Act while preserving some provisions regarding illegal immigration. This has reactivated the once inactive debate about abortion in the Mideast, leading to some heated debate on the issue by the Assembly, the Governor and other Mideast and Atlasian citizens, putting forward both pro-life and pro-choice arguments while debating about the title of the bill and it's potential implications. As of this article the bill is being amended due to suggestions from Speaker New Canadaland, but Governor MadmanMotley has expressed some doubts regarding this proposal.

[Lumine]

An interview with Justice Oakvale:

Justice Oakvale (TPP-TN), leading the "Yes" campaign to Electoral Reform

Lumine: Justice Oakvale, it's great to be able to speak to you. With the elections over and a major referendum approaching it seems it's time for political battles to resume. Would you agree with said assessment?

Oakvale: Hi Lumine, thanks for having me on. It's great to be here. I would agree with your assessment. It was a fantastic election for my party and I'm enormously proud of Polnut's historic performance, although as we may talk about in a moment the results overall were a tad dull and predictable. We've certainly had some spirited debates in the last couple of months, whether on the controversial policing bill or the campus sexual assualt allegation legislation, and I'm looking forward to the battles to come. We're ready.

Lumine: The past election left TPP with good results as the party held the seats it was contesting, yet concerns have been voiced that TPP might find itself under attack by the major parties. What is your take on said situation?

Oakvale: I think I can speak for The People as a whole when I say we're not concerned about attacks. We can take care of ourselves. The last elections were a vindication of our principles and our governing philosophies, with Polnut nearing record-breaking margins in the Senate race and Governor Flo seeing his phenomenal management of the revived South rewarded with a landslide re-election despite the kind of attacks you allude to and considerable acrimony.

The fact that we've so often dramatically outperformed in elections is because people like what they see - stable, principled leadership. Some on both sides will attack us for whatever reason, but I believe that the TPP record and our platform for the future will withstand whatever mud is thrown at us over the next few months.

Lumine: You have taken quite a large role when it comes to promoting Electoral Reform. But beyond the merits of it, do you think the regions will pass this effort?

Oakvale: Yes, I do. I think the Electoral Reform Amendment, the passage of which I should note is a real credit to the hard work of the Senate and President Bore, will pass because it's right for Atlasia, and I have every confidence that the overwhelming majority of the public will cast their vote in favour of renewing our electoral system and wiping away the tedium and stagnation of at-large elections.
Despite the absurd attacks on the ERA as some kind of left-wing plot, members of every major party and from every conceivable ideology have lent their support to districts.

We've seen that it's attracted broad support from all across the political spectrum, from Windjammer to Cris to PiT, because people know in reality the ERA won't favour any particular ideology or party over another. All it will do is make elections fun again. When people see that I think the ERA will pass, and pass handily. I'm not taking anything for granted but I'm optimistic.

Lumine: I'd like to move into your current job and ask about the Supreme Courts, seeing as we had less cases than in previous months. How would you say the Court is working right now?

Oakvale: I think the Court has worked very well indeed, although as you correctly note things have quietened down somewhat. It's the honour of my political life to have the rare opportunity to serve on the Supreme Court not once but twice, and I've worked with four different Justices now - bgwah, opebo, Torie and TJ, and found them all to be admirable colleagues with keen legal insights.

I'm especially grateful for the opportunity to have authored the majority opinion in several of our more prominent cases such as Snowstalker v. The Midwest and Roe v. ZuWo, which, whatever you may think of our judgement, were fascinating cases to discuss and really hammer out the constitutional interpretation of. If I may so, I also think the Court has taken the right approach in holding a tough stance on criminal justice, imposing sentences that befit the crimes committed when a party has been found guilty.

As for the future, I believe that the Attorney General has been working on a significant revision to the criminal code, and I look forward to seeing the fruits of his labours soon.

Lumine: Finally, I think the obligatory question is the one of the future, especially now that several Atlasians have announced their retirement from certain positions. Do you have any concrete plans for the following months?

Oakvale: Haha, well, I suppose I do have concerte plans in that I can say fairly safely that my time in electoral politics is done. I had my time as Senator and Governor, had a couple of chances to be President, and I'm proud of the campaigns I ran and the work I did in office but I'm happy where I am, sitting on the Court and leading The People's Party.

When I've had the opportunity to take part in the national debate, such as in rebuilding the Pacific (although I would be gravely remiss if I didn't also give credit to Cranberry, DemPGH, Tyrion, Duke and Simfan for their phenomenal work in this endeavour) or in this latest push to revitalise our elections I've relished the opportunity, but I can definitively say that I'm staying put for the foreseeable future. I have no plans to retire, and as long as I believe I can be of  service to the nation on the Court I'll continue to do my job to the best of my ability.

[Lumine]

Election Night Special: June 2015:

Lumine: Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. This is former President Lumine, bringing you the second version of The Political Tracker's Election Night Special. Despite a failure on my behalf to cover politics over the past month I have found enough time for this weekend, so from today and until the aftermath of the coming battles I shall do my best to bring updated results, commentary and interviews for the public as we move forward.

For those of you at home, we will see four elections starting tonight: The Midwest and Northeast Gubernatorial races (coupled with the Northeast Assembly), the Regional Senate election, and, of course, the Presidential Election, in which President Bore will seek reelection against challengers BaconBacon and Dkrolga. Updates will come as we move forward, and since interviews were quite successful last time, the Political Tracker will be accepting requests from now on, so don't hesitate to ask!

[Lumine]

Lumine: It's 8:00 Forum Time, which means there are still more than four hours left until the election officially begins. In the meantime, we'll move into political analysis, taking a look back at some of the key events of the Bore Administration, which is currently fighting for a second term in office:

President Bore (March 2015 - Present)
First Labor President to seek consecutive reelection

Lumine: Bore entered the Presidency on March 2015 on a fairly strong mandate following the deep divisions on the right and his strong performance against challengers Maxwell and JCL, and while polling has been limited in comparison to other months it's safe to say Bore has remained personally popular among wide sectors of Atlasia, both in electoral and performance polls:

Cabinet: The Bore cabinet could be considered an accurate representation of the so called TPP/Labor Alliance, the Vice-Presidency retained by TPP once Bacon King decided not to take the position (which would go to popular former President Averroes Nix). Until now the cabinet has remained basically the same with the introduction of Barnes and Al as SoIA and AG and Superique remaining as SoEA, although there was a degree of uncertainity on the position of Registrar General when potential nominee Griffin ran and won a Senate seat that secured an almost unprecedented 6 vote majority for Labor in the Senate. Eventually Griffin would indeed become RG, Former President DemPGH being his surprise temporary replacement.  

Senate: Politically speaking the April midterms would prove fairly easy to predict, the Federalists recovering a seat as Labor lost its sixth one. The balance of the Senate technically swung against Labor with Senator Talleyrand going independent, but with the close relationship of the administration with left-leaning Senators and an environment of compromise in the Senate as a whole this has not proven to be a source of gridlock, despite some early controversies over proposals like the initial Policing the Police Act (which the Senate would work on to craft a moderate version).

Policies: It could be said that the biggest policy discussion came with the Electoral Reform Amendment, a multi-party effort turned into a Constitutional Amendment put to a vote. President Bore and Justice Oakvale (among others) led a "Yes" campaign against Assemblyman Clyde and the other advocates of the "No" campaign. In the end the "No" option would triumph, but rumours persist to this day of officeholders whipping zombie votes to secure the "No" victory. As of the current Senate the administration had led efforts to address childcare and rural poverty via legislation, both bills currently being debate.

In General: The general consensus seems to be that the Bore adminsitration has been a succesful one, supporters often stating that the current administration has seen success in terms of compromise, activity and reaction to certain events (such as the rise in domestic terrorism), and opponents stating that there are activity issues and the administration is not visible enough in terms of reaching out to the public.

Lumine: We'll take a look at the Senate composition now, and later on we should have our first interview with one of the presidential candidates: Speaker Dkrolga.

[Lumine]

Lumine: It seems that Senate commentary will have to wait, because here comes the first interview of the weekend: Northeast Speaker and presidential candidate Dkrol. Please give him a round of applause:

An interview with Speaker Dkrol:

NE Speaker Dkrol (CR-MA), main challenger to the President

Lumine: Mr. Speaker, good to have you on the studio again.

Dkrol: Pleasure to be back here, President Lumine.

Lumine: The first question is obvious, how do you feel a few hours before voting formally begins?

Dkrol: I feel very good - very confident - about the odds going into the 11th Hour. We've seen a lot of support, especially after the early polls showed President Bore with massive leads over any candidate. We are really neck-and-neck and I think we're going to pull ahead.

Lumine: Objectively speaking you have taken quite a bold step, from regional politics to the center stage of federal politics. How do you feel about that change?

Dkrol: It was a big step. But it's worth noting that my first bid for elected office in Atlasia was for the At-Large Senate seat being vacated by then-Vice President Bacon King. I ran as write-in when the election actually came to fruition, but I did get wet behind the ears in federal politics. My entire political career has been on the regional level and I think that is an asset of mine. I've worked closely with the citizens of our great nation because my work more directly impacts them. I think that that is the kind of qualification our President needs - someone who can relate, work with, and understand the Atlasian people.

Lumine: There has been some degree of criticism towards your campaign for a perceived lack of activity, how would you respond to that?

Dkrol: Any claims of a lack of activity are asinine. I've been just as active, if not more active, than President Bore. I've been actually working in the Northeast, rather than spending all day campaigning. I am still the Speaker of the Northeast Assembly - I still have duties to perform for my constituents and I will not let a campaign get in the way of that.

Lumine: Any predictions you’d like to share with the audience, Mr. Speaker? The Presidential race aside, there are quite a few other election battles starting today…

Dkrol: CJO Prypor is a close friend of mine, and a great ally both within Civic Renewal and within the Northeast. He's put up a good fight, but Senator Talleyrand is popular and strong. I think that race might be more hotly contested than the Presidential. In the Mideast, it's another close race. I think that you've made some great inroads in a strong Labor seat and I'll be sure to keep an eye on those returns. There are a lot of close, tight races going on. The only race I feel 100% confident in calling is the Northeast Governor. My good friend and mentor Sawx will win another term in his office.

Lumine: Assuming the President were to be reelected, Mr. Speaker, how do you see your political future in said scenario?

Dkrol: Well, I'm running unopposed in the Civic Renewal Leadership contest for Party Secretary. So regardless of what happens in the Presidential Race I will still have an office to advocate and work for the people of Atlasia. With respect to further elections - I don't know. The Senate has always been an electoral goal of mine, a bit for an At-Large seat may be in the works. When Governor Sawx retires, I may run for the Governorship. I'm really not sure what I'll be doing in the next few months if the President is elected.

Lumine: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker, it has been a rather informative interview.

[Lumine]

Lumine: About an hour left until the beginning of the election, and our second analysis will be devoted to the Senate and its balance of power. Five seats are up for election now, and two of its incumbents will not be returning for the 67th Senate.

Five seats, nine candidates. Who will get to Nyman?

Lumine: The current balance is certainly favorable to the government, holding two At-Large and two-Regional seats for a veto-proof minority. To that we can add the votes of two TPP Senators and an independent (Talleyrand) and even the tie breaking vote of Vice-President Nix if needed be, giving the government as much as seven favorable votes in common areas of policy. In contrast, what we might call the opposition has three Senators: a Federalist, an Independent and one from Civic Renewal, Hagrid being the only one up for election tonight.

So, let's take a look at numbers and potential scenarios:

Number of Candidates:

2 LAB 2 TPP 2 IND 2 CR 1 FED

Lumine: In a curious change from earlier regional senate elections, no party will actually field three candidates, a four way tie between CR, TPP, Labor and the independents and the Federalists fielding PiT in the South. This naturally ensures that the next Senate will continue the trend of having more than three parties representing it, but how will it turn out of the parties is something we will know on Monday.

Current Senate:

4 LAB 2 TPP 2 IND 1 CR 1 FED

Lumine: No explanation here, the current balance looking likely to shift somewhat with Cranberry retiring, Windjammer becoming Mideast Governor and TNF likely becoming Midwest Governor, all of them having candidates of their own parties to suceed them.

Best Scenario for the Government:

4 LAB 2 TPP 2 IND 1 CR 1 FED

Lumine: Ironically the same situation the Senate is in now and also a fairly easy scenario to see due to Labor running a surprisingly low number of candidates, it involves Labor holding onto the Midwest and Mideast with their strategic voter advantage, and it would also bring Talleyrand and Hagrid holding onto their seats. Turkisblau is unopposed, and thus TPP stays unchanged. Indeed, it seems this is the safest prediction to make at this point.

Best Scenario for the Opposition:

2 LAB 3 TPP 1 o 0 IND 3 CR 1 or 2 FED

Lumine: This scenario is admittedly implausible, and yet is fun to speculate with it. Should Labor turnout be dismal their worst case scenario would see both Canadaland and Snowguy going down (gains for TPP and CR) and Talleyrand falling to Rpryor as well. The resulting Senate would have TPP tied as the largest party along with CR, but once again both the polling and the current number of voters for the region makes this a simple excercise in numbers.

[Lumine]

The Election Begins!

Lumine: The voting booths are open, and the election has truly begun, a frenzy of PM's and discussion until we can see the results by the end of Sunday. Three voting booth will be open: one for Northeast Governor and Assembly, one for Midwest Governor, and, of course, the main one for President and the five Regional Senate seats. Onwards to vote!