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18th Florinthian Federal Convention Elections 1586 - Flo - 08-02-2017 The Election of the 18th Federal Convention of the Florinthian Federation 1586 The election for the 18th assembled Federal Convention of the Florinthian Federation is set for late 1586, and with nearly a year left before the elections the political atmosphere in the Federation has reached a fever pitch. With the announcement that longtime Prime Minister Ben Blanckenship, a Centrist, is retiring following this term each of the parties sees a new political era dawning in the Federation. The Blanckenship period, stretching from 1574 to 1586, was notable for remarkable calm within the Florinthian political system. The Centrists, who had overturned the Liberals who had been longstanding members of government previously, embarked on a mission of social liberalism and economic revitalization. The landmark decisions of the Blankenship period revolve around foreign affairs, largely, as the Federation opened its borders to refugees and immigrants in a way not often seen in Brigidna while also forging close ties with it's neighbors using the West Brigidnan Economic Agreement. The WBEA in particular was highly controversial at the time of its signing, as Florinthus was the only largely democratic member, the others being Galeae, Oslanburg, and Vienland, who were all in semi-democratic periods. Still, the WBEA has proven a critical tool in reform in those countries, and the lax travel restrictions between members surely contributed to that. Furthermore, the Blanckenship administration made it a point to ensure each Florinthian was taken care of. Education, healthcare, and other key social agendas were addressed, while still instituting a new tax code that used a VAT system to supplement the standard forms of taxation. Still, with Blanckenship retiring many see the Centrists as rudderless for this election. The other parties have ramped up campaign efforts to fill the void left by the beloved Prime Minister. The campaigning has been difficult, and now the election is coming. Below are the parties and their platforms. Florinthian Centrist Union Leader: Andre Gouhlaman With the retirement of their former leader, the Centrists have the difficult responsibility of selecting their next icon. Surely the job of following the most successful Centrist politician in Florinthian history would be difficult enough, but Andre Gouhlaman has stepped into the ring to represent the Centrists. Gouhlaman represents the "new Centrists" who see Blanckenship Centrists as the foundation for greater center-left activity in the Federation. They want to go further than their predecessors did, embracing things like socialized medicine and more progressive taxation systems. They think the VAT is only the beginning of a revolutionary new tax code that could change the way Florinthian business operates. While the previous governments education reforms are respected, the need for even more reform for post-secondary education is evident as costs remain high, despite the best efforts of the government to help slow down the inflation of education costs. The Centrists also want to advance regional cooperation, particularly with WBEA members. Gouhlaman is from Lordsport, where he was Mayor of Lordsport for 10 years before he became an assemblyperson. He was first elected in the initial "blue wave" in 1574 and made a name for himself by using simple words and phrases to explain big ideas. Gouhlaman was notable for spearheading the "affordable housing initiative" to house incoming refugees in the early 1570s in Lordsport, and his ideas were adopted by the Florinthian government in the Denil area. Florinthian National Labour Party Leader: Lauren Harvey Lauren Harveys National Labour Party has been second fiddle for two long, so she says. They've played second to both the Liberals and the Centrists now, over the past two decades or so, and the time to act is now. A robust new set of policy initiatives have many NLP supporters very excited for the upcoming election. The NLP is focusing on foreign affairs chiefly, with a much more severe and aggressive stance towards those states the Federation identifies as supporting "anti-Florinthian values". While NLP politicians have been hazy on identifying which states they mean, many assume they refer to places like Nentsia and Carpathia. With Lanlania falling on hard times, Florinthus is expected to step up into the gap for defending peace and prosperity on the continent. The WBEA is seen as a principle means of advancing Florinthian ideals, as already the WBEA is being identified as a critical reason for the fall of the Galeaen fascist government and the rise of democracy in the formerly corrupted state. Domestically, the NLP want to shore up the borders, eliminating the liberal border policies implemented by the previous administration and ensuring work visas for non-WBEA members are more difficult to come by. Infrastructure is another key agenda point, as the NLP want to revitalize the nations rails and airports to allow for easy travel. Lauren Harvey is the current leader of the National Labour Party, but this may not be for much longer. She was originally selected by the NLP for her no nonsense attitude and her ability to get results out of difficult legislative situations but over the last two mandates since former leader Guy Fontaine's death, Harvey has been painted as a "Centrist Lackey" for embracing a more liberal set of policies than many NLP supporters desire. If the NLP doesn't make significant gains this election, Harvey may be ousted. She is from Wilmington, where she was a member of the city council for 8 years before winning her first assembly seat in 1568. Florinthian Liberal Party Leader: Archie Ledbetter With the Walter Philmore experiment dead and gone, the Liberals have selected Archie Ledbetter, a long-time Liberal assemblyperson, to lead them for the coming term. Ledbetter brings with him an air of "old liberalism" that embraces small government and personal responsibility, two components Ledbetter believes embody the "Florinthian spirit of individualism". Liberals believe the previous administration was far too overbearing on the market and that the temporary economic uptick, spurred on by foreign direct investment and infrastructure spending, will soon reveal itself as fools gold and that without decreased regulation the economy may fall into another hole, perhaps bigger than the one it fell into in the 1560s. The Liberals accept the WBEA as it is, which is a far cry from their previous total disapproval, but increased integration is a non-negotiable for them, as they have not forgotten the governments the other member states used to have. Furthermore, the overly leftist social policies embraces by their neighbors are things Liberals would not be able to stomach. More than anything, the Liberals are seeking a return to the Liberalism of old, that ruled the Federation for almost two decades prior to Blanckenship. Ledbetter is best known for being on the advising council for old Prime Minister Willem Oglethorpe prior to the Blanckenship administration. In the meantime he has represented Tarleton as an assemblyperson. He vehemently opposed the WBEA at the time but has, in recent years, admitted that it had more positive effects than he initially expected. He voted in favor of the increased size of the legislature, but opposed most other Centrist policies that were implemented. Florinthian Federalist Party Leader: Bruce Chalmers The Federalists, having not been a significant party since the 1560s, are expected to eventually splinter if they are unable to get a grip on their voting base, who increasingly flee for the Liberals and National Labour Party. Bruce Chalmers has been a steady leader despite the chaos in the Federalist camp, and has crafted a message that speaks to those who are particularly frustrated with the policies implemented by the 17th convention. He emphasizes halting the growth of the WBEA and implementing means to ensure Florinthian borders are secured from what Federalists consider to be rampant immigration. The Federalists also oppose overly-strict environmental regulations, believing that the economy cannot shoulder the burden of regulatory costs. Bruce Chalmers has led the Federalists for the last several elections and has seen the party go from the second largest party and member of the government to an after-thought party that is no longer considered a serious threat in the election. Many expect the Federalists to splinter following this election, if they are unable to gather many seats from their dwindling and aging voting base. The Left Leader: Lance Krejewski The Left is a coalition of socialists and communists that believes the Florinthian economy should be returned to the people. While Centrist policies were better than others, they did not go far enough in nearly every aspect. The Left see the VAT as a disgustingly regressive form of taxation and want the Federation to return to the previous tax system, albeit more progressive than previously. They also support fully socialized medicine and a national health service to ensure all Florinthians receive the healthcare they deserve. While the education reforms implemented by the previous administration to curb rising university costs are respected as an important reform, they are merely regarded as a stepping stone to fully free and universal university education for all Florinthians. Lance Krejewski is an assemblyperson from Lienes who has led the Left since its inception in 1570. After gaining seats for the first time in the 1580 election, Krejewski believes his party can follow-up the blue wave of 1574 with a red wave in 1586, further pushing Florinthus to the left, where they believe it belongs. Green Party Leader: Akilah Mounib The Greens were a surprise in the previous election, being given nearly 40 seats and begin included in the government along with the Centrists and National Labour Party. While they used the opportunity to pass important environmental legislature, they feel Florinthus could be doing so much more. They desire a total ban on the sale of all gasoline or diesel based automobiles as well as offering a credit to citizens so they can turn in their high-polluting vehicles to purchase electric cars, such as those from Tetra. They also want to encourage public transportation by investing heavily in national railway systems and ensuring those systems are connected with those of Oslanburg, Galeae, and Vienland. Akilah Mounib is the daughter of A'Siri immigrants who found political office in her home city of Denil. She has pushed heavily for support for environmental legislation and in the previous six years has changed the discourse in the Federation in such a way that environmental issues are now one of the primary talking points, rather than just a fringe conversation for extremists. OOC: be advised, Choose two parties, any response with less than two will be ignored RE: 18th Florinthian Federal Convention Elections 1586 - Flo - 10-04-2017 FLORINTHIAN ELECTION RESULTS The votes have been tallied and the results are in. It's a BIG win for the Centrists, who nearly double their seat count. Gains were also had by the Federalists and Liberals, though the latter much more than the former. Interestingly enough, it appears there has been a gathering of center-left support under the centrists that would explain the losses by the Greens and Leftist parties. The National Labour Party was the biggest loser, however, and their future is in serious jeopardy. Lauren Harvey, the leader of the National Labour Party, failed to even win her original seat, and so the party will have to select a new leader from within those who survived in the legislature. The Centrists and Greens have announced they have plans to establish a ruling coalition, cutting out their partner from the previous administration, the National Labour Party. The Liberals and Federalists have announced that they will form their own voting bloc, but the ruling coalition officially has a majority so how successful they are is to be seen. Andre Gouhlaman has been selected by the new government to act as Prime Minister of the Florinthian Federation for the next term. This is the first time in Florinthian history that two consecutive Prime Ministers have been of the same party after the previous one retired. Below is the official seat tally. The Ruling Coalition Florinthian Centrist Union: 84 seats The Green Party: 29 seats The Opposition The Liberal Party: 42 seats The Federalist Party: 20 seats The National-Labour Party: 15 seats Total: 200 seats