Kalistan

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Election 5701 Preview
Kalistan to hold its most competitive elections in decades
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
July 5, 5700


Chancellor of the Empire, Lord Reg Hanson chairs the Institutional Party Congress last month in Kaliburg

Ahead of the upcoming elections in 5701, in the interest of voter information, we will preview what to expect. Many people in Kalistan have not actually had the opportunity to vote in an actually competitive election, where there are different viewpoints and options on the ballot. While Kalistan still follows the Single Party Act setting the Institutional Party as the only legal party in the nation, during the last few years, internal reforms within the Party have led to the relegalization of intra party factions to represent different attitudes within the spectrum of the Institutional Party. Much of these changes were accepted by the Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Carolina II Ananto, who herself is known as a very moderate reformer.

"The Empress is not a democrat, by any stretch of the imagination," said Political scientist Dr. Mark Jessup of the University of Suldanor. "She is as reactionary as every other Ananto, and will certainly oppose anything that weakens the fiat or changes the regime in this nation in any way. But this is not to say that she is dogmatic in her approach. Not only was Her Imperial Majesty reportedly 'intrigued' by Valruzian elections when she studied there as a teenager, having had the opportunity to learn about them first hand by working with President Pawlik, but she is also incredibly pragmatic with regards to how to ensure the Government in a single party system can better serve the people and advise her. If she can get that by allowing more points of view, she will not stop the Institutional Party from reforming."

The Party has recognized three primary factions within the Party: The Nationalists, the Moderates and the Socialists. These labels state general positions of each faction, though they do not necessarily mean the same under Institutional Party government as they do in other nations. Let's take a look first at what they have in common:

1. All three factions remain strongly supportive of the Single Party State and the Monarchy. None have made modification to the overall regime as a campaign point. The Leader of the Socialist faction in the National Assembly, Her Imperial Majesty's Infrastructure Minister, Mr. Michael Johnson, said, for example, "The Autocracy is the best way we as people can accomplish socialism in Kalistan. The Royal family is fiercely pro-labor. They have long been the most ardent supporters of socialized medicine, the nationalized workforce, mandatory National Service, public housing, public infrastructure, public education, and fully nationalized infrastructure. The greatest champion of the people in Kalistan is the Empress of Kalistan, so why in the world would we ever seek to change that?" The other factions are at least as vocal in support of the Empress and the Autocracy for numerous other reasons.

2. All three factions adopt a more or less realist view on foreign policy. The position is summarized by Premier of the Empire Reg Hanson, who leads the Moderates in the National Assembly. "Kalistan is a nation which has to defend its own interests internationally. As much as we would like to think other nations value their relationship, such as it is with Kalistan, we have also learned as students of history, that most nations care less about Kalistan than they do about themselves, and if it comes to making a choice between one's self and Kalistan, they select themselves each time. This is not a knock against them by any means. It just means that we can't rely on them to help us when our interests conflict. That's all. They are only doing what we ourselves do: They can hardly be blamed for it."

3. All factions continue to support neutrality internationally, and as such tend to be far more supportive of peaceful negotiation to international conflict than militarism. The leader of the Nationalists, Deputy Carina Wyland, said "While Kalistan's primary task abroad is to ensure that Kalistan's interests are always considered by other nations, we also strongly condemn international war and intervention. Kalistan has been forced to intervene and engage in war in the past, and we have found that to be a tremendous loss of life and all out squandering of resources. Kalistan doesn't have infinite money or an endless lust for foreign blood and death like some of these nations do, so our foreign policy must not only be driven by a philosophical predilection for peace, but also a practical one. There are other ways to force foreigners to consider Kalistan in their rather explicit plans for global domination, but at the end of the day, Kalistan is a fortress, and we don't have to come out if there are not enemies hammering on our walls."

Similarities are to be expected: All three factions are members of the same Party and generally agree on most points. The political differences that exist between the factions are matters of implementation, rather than fundamental disagreements of political vision. So lets take a look now on where these three factions disagree, so that you can have a general understanding of where the people on your ballots stand in general if you decide to go and vote next January in the general election. For those in our cities, these positions may seem familiar to you, though all city elections are by law non-partisan.

The Socialists- The most leftist of all the Institutional Factions. The Institutional Party was formed by the institutional, or right wing, of the old Socialist Party of Kalistan. The name socialist is based on a strong emphasis on social good. The socialists are all pro-labor, pro-public sector, and pro commoner. The socialists are the most internationally minded of all factions in the Institutional Party, but in a way that they support cooperation with other nations. They also are perhaps the most pluralist of all the factions and have expressed a desire to work even with communists as long as Kalistan's institutions or autocratic monarchy are not challenged. They oppose revolutionary change, but are open to, and even enthusiastic about reform, and would like to encourage reform that doesn't dramatically upset the social order.

The Nationalists- The Nationalist Faction, currently the largest faction in the National Assembly, takes the hardest nationalistic positions. The Nationalists tend to be the most unwilling to compromise Kalistani national interests for anything. They are also oriented toward concerns of relative power, and are keenly interested in Kalistan keeping up with our international rivals. They are he largest supporters of increased military spending, of protecting Kalistani possessions and of forwarding Kalistani claims on the Crown Lands. "Kalistan First, Last and Always" is their motto, and any policies adopted that they feel undermine Kalistan's progress in the pursuit of Kalistan's national interests are strongly opposed. They would rather sacrifice even the longest standing relationships than allow other nations to advance themselves at Kalistan's expense. They are strongly dogmatic and extremely conservative. For them, Kalistan is the center of the Planet and should be the center of all other nations' considerations.

The Moderates- Considered to be midway between these two polls. The Moderates are strongly nationalist, but also more flexible. They are committed to modest reforms but not interested in radical or even fast changes. The Moderates more or less believe that the Empire must remain flexible in their policy implementation, and prioritize Kalistan's interests in the most vital areas, but are willing to compromise to try to find ways to promote those interests without alienating others. It is believed that the Empress is closest to this position and that belief is supported by her selection of Reginald Hanson as Chancellor of the Empire following Ericka Donahue's early retirement. This position tends to want to strengthen the peerage to take a larger role in government, but are also not above including the commoners in decision making where possible across the Empire.

The Institutional Party met in Party Congress last month to determine candidates for each constituency. For each seat, there will be at least two candidates from different factions so voters may have options. Voters will rank their preferences, as usual, and each Duchy and Free City's delegations will be made up of candidates in order of voter preference, using ranked choice voting methods of vote tabulation. All candidates have been approved by the Party Congress, but each faction nominated their own candidates for consideration by the Congress. A good faith effort was required to provide voters with multiple choices in each race. Political advertisement during the races is forbidden, but candidates are allowed to hold public meetings and promote their own candidacy to voters in person.

The Election season is officially beginning in August and voting will be completed in early January. According to analysts, the Nationalists will likely lose the absolute majority, but are expected to keep the plurality, especially with strong support in Ananto and Vrassa.

@TheRepublic