Ostaran Times

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Ostaran Times

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Submission of candidatures for Mayari's snap presidential elections opens
By: Linda Song
Published: Dosa 2, 1600


Vidar Agustin Brams, grandson of former Mayari military strongman Esteban Brams and President of Mayari since 1586, poses for a photo after submitting his certificate of candidacy today

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The submission of certificates of candidacy for the snap presidential elections in Mayari has opened today, and will remain so until Wednesday, Dosa 5. The announcement came from the Commission of Election just the previous week, which will oversee the vote for Mayari's head of state and government almost twenty years since the last presidential election back in 1580.

The 1600 presidential election comes as a result of incumbent president Brams' call for "the reforging of democracy" in the south Ostaran state way ahead of the target date of fresh elections for the top post, which was set to be in 1610 following the supposed defeat of the Communist Party of Mayari - Mayari Peasant's Revolutionary Army (CPM-MPRA). The incumbent administration has seemingly put these two objectives on the back burner, as Brams' allies in both houses of Congress were quick to pass legislation to realize this earlier this month.

Alongside this, Congress has also passed legislation lifting the ban on electoral participation by the Socialist Action Party, the main opposition party before the declaration of Martial Law in 1585. The forced disbandment of the SAP was lifted in 1596, but the party's inability to reorganize following its purge has hindered its attempts to agitate and lobby. It is unknown if the SAP will be able to field a candidate as of this time, as they have been unavailable for comment and have not released information regarding this matter.

In the SAP's place, the Mayari People's Democratic Movement (MPDM) has announced that it will forward former Assemblyman Pepe De Vera as the opposition's standard bearer. De Vera has served two terms as member of the National Assembly for Escalante province as part of the Gulong partylist, representing laborers from the public transportation sector. Prior to this, De Vera was an activist and jeepney driver in Metro Larrazabal. He is expected to file his candidacy tomorrow, but is it yet unknown if the SAP and the National Party will join the MPDM's call for a united opposition and endorse De Vera.

The Freedom Party will field incumbent president Vidar Agustin Brams for election, who has already submitted his certificate for candidacy this morning. Brams has been the chief executive of Mayari since 1586, when Alberto Hidalgo stepped down and appointed him as successor. He has since then overseen Mayari's slow return to normal political life, lifting the national curfew, unbanning opposition parties and civil society organizations, calling for Congressional elections, and presenting the 1610 Democratic Roadmap. Critics both outside and inside the country however decry the Brams' administration's refusal to completely remove Martial Law, citing the frequency of enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and unlawful arrests, especially in the rural provinces. Moreover, numerous groups continue their clamor for the release of all political prisoners, even prior to Brams ascension, as there has only been a limited number of individuals unlawfully detained and released as of today. This list includes key figures in opposition parties, labor leaders, student activists, domestic and foreign journalists, and members of the academe.

The administration has reacted to such criticism, maintaining the necessity of these extralegal means due to the ongoing conflict with the CPM-MPRA. It has refused to call the present situation as "Martial Law", instead referring to it as a "National Crisis."

The CPM-MPRA has made no comment on the upcoming presidential elections. It has, however, declared a temporary unilateral ceasefire to hold its annual national conference and to "reaffirm the path of revolution and rectify the mistakes of certain comrades."

The 1600 presidential elections will feature a two-week campaign period beginning on Dosa 9 and ending on Dosa 27. Voting commences on Dosa 28 and Marth 1, and the proclamation of the winner on Marth 5 after the canvassing of votes.


Other Featured Stories:

• Renowned commander of the MPRA Quentin De Jesus alongside thirty of its red fighters have been granted a presidential pardon by Brams.
  
• CPM-MPRA sends condolence to the People's Democratic Republic of Hoinom for death of Premier Vinh Hùu Quân, affirms "people's solidarity" of Mayari with the Hoi revolution