Svobodna Dnevnik

[Hadash]

Svobodna Dnevnik

---

---

Centre Democratic Party wins legislative elections for first time
By: Polina Lamparska
Published: Treizen, 1596


Centre Democratic Party voters celebrate their result in Mestarka.

---

The Centre Democratic Party won the legislative election, barely ten months after the Centre Democratic Party's candidate, Agnieszka Szczepanska became the President of Mordvania.

The Centre Democratic Party was the most voted political party, obtaining 37.1% of the vote and 227 of 599 MPs, their best result ever and more than they obtained in the 1594 legislative election. However, the Centre Democratic Party failed to obtain a majority, and the national government may be forced to continue under a minority government -although considerably strengthened- or try to negotiate a coalition.

The turnout was relatively lower than in the last presidential election, and only five political forces were able to enter in the Assembly of Representatives (the Mordvanian Lower House of the parliament), although most of the left-wing parties run together in an united coalition following their disappointing results in the last presidential election.

Lojze Drnovsek's populist National Democratic Republican Party was second, obtaining about 23% and 140. Drnovsek, who was the most voted candidate in the first round of the last presidential elections but lost clearly against Szczepanska in the second round, hoped to mobilize the 40% of voters that voted for him back them. The result may be disappointing, but good enough to surpass a demobilized Mordvanian Republican Party, which ended third. Drnovsek's former political party, the far-right Mordvanian People's Front, obtained only 1.1% of the vote and it was unable to enter the parliament. The Mordvanian People's Front obtained about 16% of the vote in 1594, but most of their voters seem to have fled with Drnovsek.

Miroslav Gregak, the candidate of the Mordvanian Republican Party, announced that he will not continue as President of the Mordvanian Republican Party after their next congress, although he is expected to head the parliamentary group of the Mordvanian Republican Party. The center-right Mordvanian Republican Party obtained 20% and 124 MPs, their worst result in a legislative election. For first time, the party was relegated to the third time in a parliamentary election, which may increase the crisis and division inside the party. It is unclear if the Mordvanian Republican Party may support or join the government. Gregak rejected to join a Centre Democratic Party-led government, although he declared that his party will be open to negotations.

The Social-Green-Left Coalition (a left-wing electoral coalition formed by the Republican Radical Social Party, the Left Party, and the Green Party) obtained 12% of the vote and 71 representatives - a better result compared to the last presidential election but the left-wing parties would have a very limited influence in the parliament as they fell from 199 to 71 MPs. Other left-wing parties, such as the Socialist Left (a recent split from the Left Party) or Jakob Vurnik's Mordvanian Social Democratic Party were unable to enter in the parliament.

The Bunesgan National Democratic Party, was the fifth and last political party to enter the parliament, with 6.2% and 37 MPs, a slightly improvement compared the 1594 legislative election. However, it is unclear that the Bunesgan nationalist party will have in the parliament, despite the Centre Democratic Party promoted federalism in the past.

It is unclear if Zdravka Magajna will continue as President of the Republican Council (head of government), or if she will be replaced now by any Centre Demoratic Party official. Former leader of the Centre Democratic Party Edgar Puusepp (currently Vice-President of the Republican Council) was rumoured to replace Magajna, although it is expected that President Szczepanska will have the last word on the appointment, and depending how negations with the Mordvanian Republican Party go. As a consequence, the government may be inclined to shift to the right, along other reforms announced by President Agnieszka Szczepanska such as liberalization of the economy, modernization and decentralization of the state, and a reform of the electoral law.