Bianjie

[journey]

Premier Tan announces major political reform, including the amendment to the electoral system of the nation
10 June 5711



During the campaign for the leadership, back in 5708, then-Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and soon-to-be the Premier, Semken Tan promised that the government under her leadership will be focusing more on the smaller, distant territories, or the rural country in general, as opposed to the more centralised policy coming from the previous Magenta coalition governments. Following her victory many speculated, when or how, the new Premier would her vision for the new focus of the Socialist-led goverment, and today the answer has been found.

At the specially convened press conference at the Premier's Official Residence in Gemun, the head of the government has announced that the government will be presenting its major bill that intends to amend the political system of the country. Speaking to the press, Tan has said that, back 40 years ago, the changes to the electoral system limited people's choice in the election, significantly widening the gap between the elites in Gemun and people around the nation, espeically in less accessible territories. "If there is no direct responsibility, no one will care about the smaller citizen", said the Premier. And thus, the major part of the omnibus bill concerns the nation's electoral system, which would be reversed to the pre-5647 system, reviving older "parallel" or mixed system, where 60% of the 229 members of the Khanate Yuan, which would equal 137, would elected according to the first-past-the-post system in the single-member constituencies drawn by an independent commission every 25 years, taking population, geography, ethnic and other statistics into the account. "We want represetation, but we want a fair and equal representation, however, obviously, any voice will be great for the rural Bianjie, and we are more than glad to give it to them". The rest of the Khanate Yuan deputies, that is 92, will be chosen across 9 blocks, based on the nation's provinces, elected using the proportional representation system, with the fixed number of MPs in each block also being reviewed every 25 years, in accordance to the demographic changes.

For many, the proposal was viewed positively, though some pundits and opposition leaders raised questions and timing of the proposal, insinuating that the Premier is changing the nation's Electoral Code to benefit the Socialist People's Party, as such mixed parallel system may very well be unproportional and unrepresentative of the people's actual vote, according to the leader of the opposition, and DPP leader, Erdeni Niri. "The real intention is not to give people in rural Handuba a voice in the Yuan, it is to get SPP more seats, however unfair and undemocratic that is. But that is however today's Socialist Party operates, sadly", said Niri. Leader of sovereignists, Eidu Arakcou, said that NRA supports the proposal on paper, but "it must be done by a non-socialist government", indirectly support the position of the democrats, that the SPP is trying to benefit off of this. "It is about time that we give our voice back to the provinces, but I do not believe that is the actual reason of why they are doing this", said Arakcou.

At the same time, the proposed political reform includes the political control of the State Council members, allowing the nation's supreme legislative body to call ministers for hearings, as well as initiating the personal votes of no confidence in ministers separately from the government as a whole. Premier Tan defends the decision, despite the historically all-powerful position of the head of government, saying that "if we are ought to give people direct control over the members they elect to the Yuan, we must give the people control over the ministers, who will be the very same members people elect". In addition to the changes to the national political system, the omnibus proposal involves changes to the local elections, which would pave the way for creation of the independent local lists, to "present an alternative to the citizens, who are not willing to side with any existing party".

Following the presentation, Secretary-General of the State Council, Rong Litari spoken more in detail about the organisation part of the presented bill. According to the government's secretary-general, the State Council is currently finishing the last cosmetic additions to the text of the bill, in additional to the smaller, less relevant questions about the legality or constitutionality of certain aspects of the bill. However, it does not conflict the schedule, and the public can expect the government to present the omnibus proposal in full in less than two weeks before the Khanate Yuan, where Premier Tan expects the "maximum support, across the chamber and aisle".



Gemun Post (ゲムンポスト) is a major (previously local) daily newspaper based in Gemun.
(@GemunPost)
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