Svobodna Dnevnik

[Hadash]

Macharaviayaische Zeitung

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Mordvanian parliamentary election results in divided parliament
By: Elena Manstein
Published: Alvan 20, 1587


A Mordvanian citizen introduces his ballot in a small polling station in Seznica.

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Mordvanians were called to vote in order to end six chaotic months, in which the head of government was forced to resign after being allegedly involved in a corruption scandal, a new left-wing minority government came into to power, and President Zvezdana Serebryak called snap elections -the first one since the 1582 constitutional reform- once the government lost support in the parliament after a group of moderate Republican Social Radical Party MPs broke from the parliamentary group and formed an independent political group. Since then, the Mordvanian parliament was only able to pass a minor number of laws.

Although the polls predicted a clear winner, the center-right Liberal Republican Coalition, the election was at the same time contested and almost like a plebiscite. For first time, the two most voted political forces -the Liberal Republican Coalition and President Zvezdana Serebryak's left-wing Lavika Party- exceeded each the 30% of the vote. And for the first time as well, only four parties were able to enter into the national parliament.

The last days of the campaign were also marked by the murder of West Kaljurad's leader General Edvin Kirsipuu, although it is unclear if that has much influence in the final result, besides to mobilize more voters to vote for the larger political parties.

The Liberal Republican Coalition -integrated by the Mordvanian Republican Party and the Republican Liberal Party- obtained 35.6% of the vote and 232 MPs, an increase of ten points and more than ninety representatives. However, this may prove an infertile victory for the Liberal Republicans if the center-left Republican Social Radical Party decides to either join or support the Lavika Party's minority government. At best, they could hope for a hang parliament. Aljaz Martelj, the leader of the Mordvanian Republican Party, did not reject to offer their former left-wing rival Republican Social Radical Party a government agreement, but it seems likely that President Zvezdana Serebryak would ask first to the incumbent President of the Republican Council, Vladislav Kozina, to try to form a government.

The far-left Lavika Party was the second most voted party, obtaining 34.8% of the vote and 226 MPs in the Assembly of Representatives, which was described in a technical draw with the Liberal Republican Coalition. Even if an agreement with the Republican Social Radical Party is confirmed, it is unclear if it would be long-lasting, as with a 304 combined majority, the government may find itself with a small margin to govern the next three years.

The center-left Republican Social Radical Party, affected with an ongoing corruption investigation in the city of Slawowo, a contested leadership and internal divisions, obtained a poor result, obtaining 11.9% of the vote and 78 representatives, their worst result ever. Despite this, the Republican Social Radical Party candidate, Hedvika Novak, who was elected as a compromise candidate between the main factions inside the party, has denied the rumours that she is expected to resign and to start negotiations to form a new government as soon as possible. Novak rejected, however, to join the national government, suggesting that a "confidence and supply" agreement is a more realistic outcome to the 1587 election. Although there is fear in the party to assume a secondary role in the parliament, despite their poor electoral result, the Republican Social Radical Party may be able to have a strong position in any negotiation.

The Centre Democratic Party, established in 1584 as merger of most the formers of the Coalition of Constitutional Forces, obtained 9.7% of the vote and only 63 MPs, a result considerably worse that the polls predicted months ago. The rejection of the Bunesgan Democratic Party to join may one of the cause of their disappointing result, but also that Centre Democratic Party candidates seemed to position themselves during the electoral campaign as a minor partner in a Liberal Republican government, which may have motivated some voters to vote for the Liberal Republican Coalition instead. Alenka Levstik, the President of the Centre Democratic Party, has confirmed that she will not aim to be reelected as leader of the party in their second congress, to be held before the 1589 local election.

The Radical Democratic Party, which had a relatively influencial role during Jakob Vurnik and Vladislav Kozina's governments, was one of the big losers of the night, as they failed to enter in the parliament, obtaining only 1.8% of the vote. A rather chaotic electoral campaign, in which the party both defended their decision to support a minority government led by the left-wing Lavika Party at the same they seemed open to consider joining a government with the center-right Mordvanian Republican Party, was seen as a cause of their bad result, being left out of parliament only five years after they entered for first time. Agnieszka Szczepanska, the candidate of the Democratic Party and Vice-President of the Republican Council since 1585, announced her resignation as General Secretary only a few minutes after the official result was announced in Slovograd.

The other losers were the Bunesgan nationalists, which failed to enter in the national parliament for first time. If one excludes the Coalition of Constitutional Forces, they obtained a similar combined result than in 1585 (5.4% today against 5.8% then) but, divided in three political parties (the Bunesgan Democratic Party, the separatist Bunesgan People's Party, and the left-wing Bunesgan Republican Party), they failed to enter to the national parliament separately. The Bunesgan Democratic Party -which had been permanently in the national parliament since 1567 as member of the Coalition of Constitutional Forces coalition- ended close enough, however, with 2.8% of the vote, only a few thousands votes short to enter the parliament. Although they were the most voted political party in several western districts and towns -being second in Mazenskai, the seventh city of the country- the Bunesgan Democratic Party was unable to pass the 3% national threshold required to enter in the national parliament. Laurynas Avydar, the leader of the Bunesgan Democratic Party, denounced the electoral law as absurd and undemocratic, demanding an immediate change.

President Zvezdana Serebryak congratulated "all candidates elected to the Assembly of Representatives" and declaring her hope that a government agreement could be decided in the shortest time possible, which was understood as a hint that Vladislav Kozina will be appointed as President of the Republican Council, as soon an agreement with the Republican Social Radical Party is achieved.