Bianjie

[journey]

Tan dismisses Kōtei's chief of staff and a close ally after the disappointing local election result
10 November 5720



For more than a month now, the results of the midterm local elections have been stinging the ruling coalition and premier Semken Tan especially, as the 68-year-old head of the government has been looking towards the 5723 general election for yet another re-election and a historic fourth term in the office. But now that local elections have shown a disappointing result for the socialists, the future is not so certain anymore for Tan and the SPP. Expectedly, for Tan there was a need to put the blame on someone for this loss, and that someone became the premier's close ally and the chief of staff of the Premier's Office, or the Kōtei, Meiyun Lin.

According to the official statement released earlier today on the Premier's Office website, Lin was "relieved of her duties, effective immediately", bringing the abrupt end to her eleven-year tenure as the right-hand man of the premier. And while the statement publicly thanked Lin for her "dedicated service to the government and the nation", it's not a secret that the decision was a long time coming, with many within the ruling party pushing Tan to fire Lin, or possibly face an internal revolt over the upsetting results in the local elections this October, arguing that as the campaign chair, Lin was the main responsible for the loss, especially because of her strategy, that proved to be a failure.

For preimer Tan, this dismissal is a first step to refresh her surroundings for the second half of the 5718–23 parliamentary term, as the current head of the government is preparing to run for a de facto fourth term in the office, something that could be unprecedented for the modern political history of Bianjie, and for Tan, Lin became a burden in reaching that goal. According to the some officials with the access to the premier, Bianjie's head of the government has been trying to isolate Lin from the State Council affairs, as well ignoring her during meetings, which turned into a semi-public conflict between the two. And thus, anonymous interlocuters within the party say that Lin will not be stepping aside so easily, arguing that now-former head of the Premier's Office could very well be preparing a major revolt within the party, aimed at challenging Tan, and possibly even pushing for her resignation, with Lin or other allies of Lin. 

Meanwhile, no succesor has been named, however, it is widely expected to be a non-partisan technocrat with no political ambitions, but with close connections to more regional socialist structures, that can potentially stand in an open contention with Tan or any of her future handpicked successors. For premier and her closest circle, the new chief of staff will have over the comprehensive reorganisation of the office, as well as the review of the political strategy, and change of focus and messaging.



べふ電信会社 (Bianjie Telegraph Agency, or Befu Denshin Kaisha; BTA or BDK) is the national press agency, headquartered in Gemun, created in 5374.