Essian general election, January 2018

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Essian general election, January 2018

← 2017 3 January 2018 2020 →

Office of Heaminister
7 of 8 seats of the Parlamenzalochas
5 seats needed for a majority
Turnout 42.1%
  First party Second party
  File:Sydd.png
Leader Tarik Kârjasary Newton von Uberquie
Party The Democrats Green Party of Esse
Leader since November 2017 November 2017
Leader's seat Beiwing New Halyards
Last election 2 seats, 20% 6 seats, 60%
Seats won 4 2
Seat change 2 4
Popular vote 5 3
Percentage 62.5% 37.5%
Swing 18.1 pp 18.1 pp

Official election logo.

Heaminister before election

Lord Henry
Independent

Heaminister after election

Tarik Kârjasary
The Democrats

A general election was be held in the Essian Commonwealth on 3 January 2018, as defined through Clementine democratic procedures and the 2017 Electoral Petition. The election was declared by the means of the monarchy, as a response to government inactivity and population decline since the last election, and followed the same advice and appointment procedure as the last election, the June 2017 general election. If the Green Party of Esse had won a majority in the election, it would have made the Greens the longest serving party in government in the history of the Essian Commonwealth.

The result of the election saw a massive swing in favor of the Democrats, who had up until that point struggled to make any impact in Essian politics. The Democrats grew to encompass half of the Parlamenzalochas, and the Greens fought with several notable Green legislators defecting to the Democrats, their party shrinking by four seats.

The election saw the Parlamenzalochas shrunk to eight seats in a measure to combat inactivity.

Background

As the June 2017 general elections drew nearer, the Federalist Party grew inactive and the Lennonists lost their support base. A cross-partisan agreement was made in June 2017 to form two new parties - including dissolving A Couna - and to once again push elections backwards, this time until 22 June. A decree was made by Lord Henry making this a reality, and the agreement gave birth to the Green Party of Esse and the Democrats. The Greens, led by Heaminister Frisch, quickly gained ground and, with an insanely successful recruiting drive, found themselves as the largest political party in Essian history within a week of the party's establishment.

Turnout was at an all-time low - only barely breaching 50 percent - and the Greens had won a 55 percent majority. Despite the clear victory, the margin of victory was significantly less in actuality than it had been in any opinion polls since the initial poll following the creation of the new party system. The abnormal scenario was attributed to two variables: first, low voter turnout from the Greens; secondly, independent voters casting votes for the two parties, an actuality that was unlike that in the opinion polls.

The results of talks between the Monarchy and the Greens was the Second Frisch Term, the formation of a Green majority government, and the endorsement of the plan from the Monarchy. The Term took office at 16:20 Réma time on 25 June 2017, at which time the Monarch called for the Democratic opposition to elect its leader and to, if they pleased, form a Shadow Cabinet. About an hour before the second term took office, Frisch reiterated intentions to solve the Beiwing autonomy crisis, a subject of great criticism of his previous administration.

The Second Frisch Term became the most active administration in Essian history. It saw the signing of two major treaties: the Treaty of New Halyards and the Treaty of Evansburg, saw the unity of the Mercian colony of Esse with the independent state, the ratification of the Micronational Declaration on Ecological Stewardship, and the charitable aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. Following Harvey, though, the Essian government saw a rapid decrease in activity culminating with the resignation of Heaminister Frisch on 2 November 2017. Lord Henry appointed himself to succeed Frisch as Heaminister until such a time as a suitable officeholder could be found, which would presumably be following the next general election. Following the creation of His Majesty's Term, Lord Henry announced that elections would be held as early as December 2017, eventually settling on 3 January 2018.

Campaign

Participating parties

In the January 2018 election, the Commonwealth's only two parties will both be fielding candidates for nationwide offices. Similar to the 2017 general election, the election will be a two-party competition, the same parties as since the previous election, when the old party system featuring the Lennonist Partite a Essia and Federalie Partite a Essia was reformed, with the new schism being created in the aftermath.

  • The Greens (G) are the largest party in the Parlamenzalochas, and have been since they won a majority in the 2017 general election. Founded in the aftermath of the Lennonist-Federalist schism, the Greens have been the largest party in the Commonwealth since almost immediately after their conception. They have historically been a moderate and centrist party, however in more recent times have leaned towards more radical eco-socialist policies. The Green leader is officially Newton von Uberquie, who unofficially took over leadership duties after then-Green leader James Reginald Frisch resigned as Heaminister in November 2017. The Green Party is the only political party to ever be represented in the office of the Heaminister, Frisch having been elected in the 2017 general election.
  • The Democrats (D) have historically been in the opposition of the Parlamenzalochas, almost solely such since their inception alongside the Greens in the aftermath of the Lennonist-Federalist schism. Their notable loss in the 2017 general election under the leadership of Avro Keatings, followed by a brief renaissance under Opposition Leader Horatio Eden, led to a mostly dormant period for the party. This dormancy was solidified following Eden's dramatic and controversial departure from the Parlamenzalochas. Nevertheless, the party has seen a surprising revival in the lead-up to the January 2018 elections, with a rise in membership, and the party gaining a seat in His Majesty's Term by way of the Ministry of Culture.

Parlamenzalochas

Opinion polls

Pollster Release date G D Other Lead
General election results 22-6-2017 56% 44% N/A 12%
Messenger 25-6-2017 75% 25% N/A 50%
Messenger 28-6-2017 66% 33% 33%
Messenger 29-6-2017 75% 25% 50%
Messenger 21-8-2017 57% 14% 29% 28%
Messenger 30-8-2017 75% 0% 25% 50%
Messenger 1-9-2017 67% 33% N/A 34%
Elections declared (22 Nov)
Messenger 23-11-2017 50% 0% 50% tie
Messenger 26-11-2017 50% 25% 25% 25%
Messenger 13-12-2017 33% 67% N/A 34%
Messenger 16-12-2017 25% 50% 25% 25%
Messenger 20-12-2017 33% 67% N/A 34%
Messenger 24-12-2017 33% 67% 34%
Messenger 27-12-2017 25% 75% 50%
Messenger 29-12-2017 20% 60% 20% 40%
Messenger 30-12-2017 29% 71% N/A 42%
Messenger 2-1-2018 40% 60% 20%
Results 3-1-2017 38% 63% N/A 25%

Vote charts

Popular Vote
Democrats
  
62.5%
Greens
  
37.5%
Independent
  
0%
Parlamenzalochas Seats
Democrats
  
50%
Greens
  
25%
Independent
  
25%

Constituencies

Constituency MP last election Party Elected MP Party
Atlantis Brandon Wu Green Brandon Wu Democrat
Beiwing North James Frisch Green Tarik Kârjasary Democrat
Beiwing South Horatio Eden Independent Alex White Independent
Hundreds Avro Keatings Democrat N/A
New Halyards Newton von Uberquie Green Newton von Uberquie Green
New Virginia Ava Neasa Green Ava Neasa Green
Réma Lord Henry Independent Lord Henry Independent
Stravinia Alexander Gibbs Democrat N/A
Vespucciland Patrick Renwick Green Patrick Renwick Democrat
Whesthampton Stephen Freayth Green Richard Hytholoday Democrat

Heaminister

Essian premieral election, January 2018

← 2017 3 January 2018 Next →
Turnout42.1%
 
Candidate Tarik Kârjasary Ava Neasa
Party The Democrats Green Party of Esse
Popular vote 5 3
Percentage 62.5% 37.5%

Heaminister before election

Lord Henry
Independent

Heaminister after election

Tarik Kârjasary
The Democrats

The January 2018 Essian premieral election was held on 3 January 2018 to elect the Heaminister of the Essian Commonwealth, the second election of its kind. Incumbent Heaminister Lord Henry, who had served since his self-appointment in succession to James Reginald Frisch in November 2017, was eligible to seek election, but declined to do so, paving the way for each of the two contesting political parties to field viable candidates: Ava Neasa of the Green Party of Esse and Tarik Kârjasary of the Democrats.

Unlike the election which came before it, the January 2018 premieral election largely dominated the headlines during the election season. For the first time, the candidates largely became the faces of their parties, due in large attribution to the Heaminister election being considered significantly more competitive than the Parlamenzalochas election.

A debate between the two candidates, organized and mediated by Lord Henry, was held on 28 December 2017. Questions were fielded to both of the candidates, primarily regarding the Commonwealth's present concerns of inactivity and cultural development. The two candidates were largely in agreement on several notable issues, and both concurred in their wish to establish a coalition government upon their hypothetical victory.

Despite the Heaminister election being considered fairly competitive, Democrat Tarik Kârjasary won the election relatively easily, with percent of the vote.

...having new citizens is something that is the lifeblood of nations. May Esse open its doors wide, as never seen before, and let these people become apart of something new and bold. One of the most important elements of the ideology of the Green Party is that new faces is what keeps the bounds of democracy alive, and keeps the meaning of Esse alive.

— -Ava Neasa, Essian Leaders' Debate, 28 December 2017

Results

Parlamenzalochas

Parlamenzalochas composition before (upper) and after (lower) the January 2018 election.
Party Leader Votes % Seats +/–
D The Democrats Tarik Kârjasary 5 62.5% 4 2
G Green Party Newton von Uberquie 3 37.5% 2 4
I Independent None 0 0% 2 Steady0

Heaminister

Party Candidate Results
Votes %
The Democrats Tarik Kârjasary 5 62.5%
Green Party Ava Neasa 3 37.5%
Invalid/blank votes N/A
Total 8 100%
Registered voters/turnout 16 42.1%
Source:

Aftermath and government formation

References