Federation Free Press

[Aerandariel]

Federation Free Press
News and Opinion in the Solhaven Federation
21 Vintyr 1600

Election results show divided nation, hung Parliament


From our Election Headquarters in Enceladus:
In an election season in which Chancellor Montgomery Scott's Federationist government was supposed to strengthen its hand in Parliament with a backlash against the extremist parties on both sides and a general sense that the Federation was heading in the right direction, instead voters handed the government a reality check. What did they say? The government still has a lot of work to do.

The Federation Party can have it both ways in these results. Though the government failed to add seats, it also didn't lose any. Though some of their incumbents were ousted in primaries, those were in seats were in Federation-held areas as it were and were not likely to flip. The title of "Biggest Winners of the Night" can be split between the Union Party and independents, both of whom gained the most seats in the election; the Unionists added 14 and 13 independents were elected, marking the first time that independent and minor parties added up to a double digit level in the House of Delegates. The Union Party strengthened its hand when it came to opposition, but did not make a big enough splash to seriously threaten the Federationists alone. The clear biggest losers of the night were the Alliance Party, who lost a whopping 33 seats in the House. That devastating showing is the worst recorded loss of any of the four general elections, and it spoke to voter anger against the ultra-right wing in Solhaven that nearly derailed the Scott government and attempted to force a referendum on membership in the Kvannean Economic Community. The Democratic Republican Party made a modest gain of 6 seats, and while this doesn't seem to make much difference to most observers, it could make all the difference in the next House. The left-wing party moved into triple-digit territory as far as their seat count goes, and could play a hand in a coalition government or be a difference maker on key votes, especially if the Alliance continues to be antagonistic or if the Unionists dig in their heels after losing a fourth straight election.

In terms of the raw vote, the Federationists took home roughly 38% of the vote, down 1% from 1595. The Unionists got a little over 28%, up 5% from 1595. The Alliance got barely 12%, down almost 10% from 1595, and the Democratic Republicans got a little over 19%, up 6% from 1595. The lack of forward movement on the part of the Federationists is likely to cause some consternation among party leaders, especially after seeing the Unionists gain in the polls, and the near collapse of the Alliance. The fact that the Unionist share of the vote increased from 1595 is significant, as it shows that the opposition movement is slowly starting to gain traction, and is further buoyed by the fact that the Democratic Republican share of the vote also increased by an even slightly higher margin than the Unionists.

Turnout remained largely static from the last time, hovering at 74.9% of eligible voters actually going to their polling stations and voting; in 1595, it was 74.7%. However any increase will likely be seen as good news for the still fledgling government as it continues to establish itself as the central authority in Solhaven, with large sections of the population still yearning for a return to the Confederacy.