Tuscarawan Hierarchy campaign, 1579-1580

[Aerandariel]

Tuscarawan Dominion
Hierarch Electoral Campaign

The Tuscarawan Dominion is about to undergo a brief election campaign, where three candidates will pitch their ideas to the citizens of the Dominion and will undergo intense scrutiny by the Dominion High Council, the select group of officials in charge of officially selecting the new Hierarch. Upon election, the new Hierarch selects his regal name of which he or she shall be permanently identified as in the eyes of the people, the High Council and the world.

The vote of the citizens is taken into consideration by the High Council. In the 1565 election, eventual Hierarch Tachnechdorus I received the vote of 63% of the citizenry. He then received the vote of nine of the 13 sitting members of the High Council.

The candidates are:

Faramond Hiawatha (b. 1532, from Wapakoneta), is the present governor-general of the city of Wapakoneta and is considered one of the foremost authorities on economics in Tuscarawas. He received near-universal praise for his handling of Wapakoneta's city treasury in the wake of the Florinthian Evacuation and is considered a founding member of the Commerce Guild in the southern provinces. Governor-General Hiawatha is pledging a reduction in property and income taxes as well as new investments in infrastructure to create an estimated 3 million new jobs. Hiawatha also intends on opening Tuscarawas to newer trade markets such as Almaniania, Arrenland, Lanlania, and Drahen. He also hopes to build new relations with countries in Ostara and the Near East, specifically naming the Mestran Imperium, Tieguo, Sainam and the Angirisian Empire as his countries of interest.

Swithin Artaxerxes (b. 1524, from Kanestake), is a former member of the High Council who served from 1566 to 1574. During his time on the High Council, he served as Foreign Affairs Councilor from 1566-1570 and oversaw the reestablishment of formal political and economic relations with Tuscarawas' former colonial suzerain Florinthus. He also gained international recognition for the Dominion from numerous world powers including Severyane, Lanlania, and Nyland. From 1570 until 1574, Artaxerxes served as the Communications Councilor, responsible for the expansion of the Interweb throughout the Dominion and was among the first government officials to have a significant presence on social media. After leaving the High Council, Artaxerxes was chosen by Hierarch Tachnechdorus to be the Dominion's ambassador to Nyland in 1574 but only remained there until 1576 when Artaxerxes was being considered by Kanestake's citizens for another term on the High Council, replacing the embattled Councilor Rain Ashton. However, Ashton survived Artaxerxes' challenge. Artaxerxes has emerged as the favorite among Councilors and leads in some early polls. He plans on focusing on foreign investment and strengthening the Dominion's military. Artaxerxes also intends to lend his support to Tuscarawas' burgeoning football federations as well as seek to bring at least one or two matches to Tuscarawas in time for the 1586 SIFA World Cup Mandavine Islands. He also has stated that one of his main goals if elected will be for the Dominion to host a SIFA tournament on its own, whether it be an Avidna Cup or a World Cup.

Atticus Timour (b. 1519, from Tuscarawas), was the president of the Tuscarawas Labor Guild and was responsible for the stabilization of labor relations between workers, employers and the Dominion government in much of the early days of the Dominion. Timour was and remains one of the strongest voices for workers' rights in Tuscarawas and still is active in labor activism. Though sometimes labeled a communist, Timour's apparent motivations have little to do with collectivism or controlling the means of production but rather protecting middle and lower-class citizens from the abuses of business and corporate interests that he believes was one of the causes of the fascist takeovers in Western Brigidna, more recently in Akitsu and the two attempts to dismantle the Imperial system in Angiris. Timour's plans for governing upfront have little to do with foreign affairs, as he is more focused on domestic affairs. He plans to raise taxes on wealthier Tuscarawans and cap off deductions. He also intends to remove payroll taxes, giving workers more take-home pay. He also is threatening to enact an "exit tax" against companies who leave Tuscarawas in favor of cheaper markets elsewhere. Timour plans on spending up to thirty billion wampums to expand Tuscarawas' highway system, build new bridges and expanding airports.