31-2 February Imperial Federation Election
The fifth national election for Chancellor took place between the 31st of January, and the 2nd of February, 2023. A debate was held on the 31st of January, before polls opened. With Jalhf now being King of the Imperial Federation, he did not contend the next election, leaving no incumbent. ComradeSankara, Pandastical, Zhirall, Coolchacha97, and Bstallio would contend the election. Of these, only Bstallio did not attend the debate.
January 31st Debate
A debate as held in Godhaven, two-or-so hours before polls opened. It was moderated by Deputy Chancellor TheJmqn. Bstallio originally meant to send Wilwithonel to represent him in the Debate. However, he had to unfortunately back out at the last minute. A number of citizens also watched the election, including ex-Chancellor and current leader of Freeport, S0uthw3st. S0uthw3st would drop tnt on player Pandastical occasionally.
Coolchacha97 came as a bit of a meme-candidate. Although he answered questions seriously initially, about half-way through he stopped. At that time he attempted a mass-bombing of the debate stage with TNT, which was broken by Jmqn before it could be detonated. He then ran away throwing junkprot around.
Zhirall, the only candidate to be part of a party, had a good performance. He advocated heavily for more work to be done on Imperia, on which he had done more work on than any of the other candidates. He would advocate to advocate with friendliness and amicability during the Prexit negotiations. At the end of the debate, he suddenly announced that he would be dropping out, and advocated for everyone to vote for ComradeSankara.
Pandastical swung the other way. He advocated for negotiating Prexit with an 'IF-First' mentality, and creating a deal that could survive a bad time of hostile relations as well as an intended good time of friendliness. Several times he would mention that anyone who voted for him should give their second-preference votes to ComradeSankara.
ComradeSankara had the best performance of the debate. He was able to display Grenada's success, and the generosity of his Free Pony Program, as reasons to vote for him. Additionally, he portrayed himself as a moderate and rational oldfriend, who would serve the nation way. On positions like the monarchy, he moderated to supporting it. During the Prexit debate, he obviously came out as a rational middle ground between Pandastical's nationalism and Zhirall's cordiality. With essentially the endorsement of 40% of candidates, he came out the clear-and-obvious choice to win the next election.
Apart from Prexit, candidates agreed heavily on most issues. All called for further development of land and Imperia, working on de-establishing unused and unnecessary land, avoiding war, and revitalizing alliances with Pavia and Icarus.
The Election
54 citizens voted in this election. It was the first election since the first one to have the victor win with a majority of votes in the first round. ComradeSankara would win the election, and become the new Chancellor.
| Party | Candidate | Home State | Portrait | Ideology | First Pref. Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent/Workers Party of Grenada | ComradeSankara | Grenada | Rational Prexit Negotiator
Domestic Development Military Development |
32 Votes (59%) | |
| Independent | Pandastical | Regentsburgh | Hardline Anti-Prexit Platform
Re-establishing previous foreign alliances Recruitment, Domestic Development & Declamation Nationalism |
12 Votes (22%) | |
| Independent | Coolchacha97 | Godhaven | Military Development
Domestic Focus Semi-Meme Candidate |
4 Votes (7%) | |
| Independent | Bstallio | Pridelands | Amicable Prexit Negotiation | 4 Votes (7%) |
ComradeSankara's victory can be attributed to several factors. He had a very good reputation in the nation, establishing a Free Pony Program for all citizens, and leading Grenada, one of the most developed provinces. He also effectively established himself as a moderate candidate, acceptable to all factions and groups within the IF.
Pandastical's second performance, compared to Bstallio's tied third-place, can be attributed to several factors. His nationalism and anti-Prexit view may have appealed to many citizens. However, Bstallio's low performance may also be due to other factors. While possibly Prexit-related, it could also be to his two previous attempts at the position. His losses there may have caused a low voter confidence in him for this election.
Coolchacha97 was not seen as a serious candidate. This was due to his previous record, and stopping the debate midway through to instead committed attempted domestic terrorism.