Svobodna Dnevnik

[Hadash]

Macharaviayaische Zeitung

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Mordvania: President Serebryak calls for unity before decisive election
By: Elena Manstein
Published: Tolven 18, 1587


Zvezdana Serebryak, President of the Republic of Mordvania, during her speech.

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The first congress of the left-wing Lavika Movement gathered last weekend in Seznica, Republic of Mordvania, to decide about the future of the coalition, two months before the 1588 election.

The Lavika Movement was formed in 1585 as a coalition formed by the United Progressive Socialist Party and other left-wing political parties, such as the Equality Party and the Mordvanian Communist Party. The Lavika Movement was the most voted political party in the Septem 1585 national election, after which a coalition government between the Lavika Movement, the left-republican Republican Social Radical Party and the Radical Democratic Party was formed. The government was led by Jakob Vurnik -the Republican Social Radical Party's candidate- until late Nueva 1587 when Vurnik was forced to resign regarding a corruption scandal during his time as mayor in Slawowo. Then, the Lavika Movement aimed to form a minority government but the rest of the term, but defections from the moderate faction of the Republican Social Radical Party avoided the government to be formed. President Zvezdana Serebryak appointed Vladislav Kozina -the General Secretary of the far-left United Progressive Socialist Party since 1583- and dissolved the parliament calling for snap elections, to be held in early 1588.

About 500 delegates from the constituent parties of the Lavika Movement gathered in the Miroslav Gavrek Building, in order to consolidate the coalition, to discuss the draft of the political platform for the 1588 election, and to elect a new leadership, but, more importantly, to give a boost to the coalition -currently between 2-5 points behind the center-right Mordvanian Republican Party in most polls- before the parliamentary elections.

Not without some tension and heated discussion, the Mordvanian media has described the atmosphere of the congress as "militant" and "spirited". Notwithstanding, the congress passed most of the resolutions passed by the leadership, including one approving the merger of the coalition into an united political party. As a result, the coalition will be renamed from Lavika Movement to Lavika Party, meaning "Left Party".

"We must regard as our goal the people's aspirations to live a better life", President Zvezdana Serebryak said in her speech, which closed the congress. Serebryak, who will face a serious political test in the coming elections, as if the opposition Mordvanian Republican Party is able to obtain a majority in the Mordvanian parliament, she will be forced to live the rest of her term -which ends in 1590, without chance of reelection- under cohabitation with a rival President of the Republican Council, likely reducing her influence in government policy. She called to defend all the reforms gained in the last two years in order to secure a "sweeping victory" against the status quo, and promising no tolerance toward corruption and inequality. President Zvezdana Serebryak is expected to play a more active role during the 1587 election.

The new party will be presided by Vladislav Kozina, who received the support of 87% of the delegates and who, although not officially confirmed, is expected to repeat as candidate in the coming elections. Stanislava Slokar was elected as Deputy Chairman of the party, considered a symbolical position. Slokar, 42, is the founder and leader of the Equality Party, a radical feminist political party established in 1583. She has been Chairman of the Assembly of Representatives (the Lower House of the Mordvanian parliament) since 1585, when she was elected to the parliament for first time as candidate of the Lavika Movement.

The congress did not dedicate much time to foreign policy, besides some general promises, as most proposal discussed were related to domestic affairs, as it is expected the coming electoral campaign will be focused as well. Aljaz Martelj, the leader of the center-right Mordvanian Republican Party, and former Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1569-1573 and 1579-1585, has recently accused President Serebryak of "isolating the Republic of Mordvania with an improvised and incoherent foreign policy".