02-06-2026, 01:14 AM
![[Image: alitheia-kalopia-newspaper-png-smaller.png]](https://i.ibb.co/hJjNHNrf/alitheia-kalopia-newspaper-png-smaller.png)
The Popularity Contest and a Shy Parliament
![[Image: 5730-antonios-lakaridis.png]](https://i.ibb.co/zWrzfQm3/5730-antonios-lakaridis.png)
Presidential candidate Antonios Lakaridis shortly after learning he did not achieve his first round victory.
12 December 5730, Helios, Kalopian Republic
The presidential elections have completely overshadowed the parliamentary elections after a hard-fought campaign by Antonios Lakaridis and his opponents. Whereas the parliamentary elections achieved a meagre turnout of 55.2% the presidential elections saw 81.7% voter turnout. The results have surprised many in the nation, as the elections were held simultaneously and the fact that the office of President only holds limited powers within the Kalopian Republic. Social media experts however have linked the disparity to an intense online battle between Phalanx's Antonios Lakaridis and KP's Alexandros Metrotis. Whereas the parliamentary elections campaigned in a traditional manner, the two lead candidates for President found a different battlefield: social media. Antonios Lakaridis chose to run his personal campaign with his own marketing team, a decision that caused difficulty within the party where more and more are critical of Lakaridis acting alone and unprompted. Lakaridis himself disregarded these comments and remarked that "the fossils will always complain". In the first runoff he achieved 47.8% of the votes, showing the remarkable rise of the increasingly popular entrepreneur. Lakaridis grew up poor and worked in construction, before the untimely death of his father left him with a spare house. Instead of selling it he started renting it out, the beginning of the real estate empire that now encompasses at least 5,000 houses. He achieved fame on a national level after participating on the wildly popular island survival reality show Οι Εκλεκτοί where the tough and foul-mouthed but charismatic multimillionaire came second. For Antonios Lakaridis this TV appearance was only a marketing stunt.
The public grew enamoured with the no-nonsense comments on politics Lakaridis would give in TV panels that invited him. This is where he also announced his candidacy for the office of president, declaring that it is a useless office and must be revamped into something fitting for a strong nation like Kalopia. After a difficult members assembly Lakaridis was eventually confirmed as Phalanx's presidential candidate. The broad people's party with nationalist views was the best fit according to Lakaridis, stating that the other parties were "too socialist", "too Ahmadist", or "too effeminate" for his style of politics. The large online campaign was noticed early on by Kalopian Spring's campaign team, who countered it to the best of their ability. The effort seemed largely futile, with one member of KP's Alexandros Metrotis's team openly questioning the ethics of Lakaridis by naming his campaign material "blatant lies and misinformation". Their campaign however, was enough to halt the meteoric rise of Antonios Lakaridis, who was only 2.3% short of winning the presidency outright. The second round will be held February of next year, Lakaridis was already posting new short videos and announced extra personal visits to the states of Siphina and Sessoid where turnout was lower than the national average. A strong showdown between Lakaridis and Metrotis will captivate the nation the coming months, with many eagerly awaiting a one versus one debate in late January.
But this immense popularity of the presidential elections shows the timid nature of Kalopia's parliament. With a disastrous turnout the Phalanx party managed to seize a comfortable lead, gaining 41 out of 100 seats after receiving almost 15 million votes. Phalanx's parliamentary leader Babis Thanopoulous and party chairman Nestoras Panatos were quick to meet with the leadership of Kalopian Spring to assure a comfortable coalition agreement. Besides a few tentative constitutional edits the coalition agreement seems to be one of broad strokes. The partnership is described as cordial and business-like, in stark contrast to the presidential elections. Thanopoulos is set to become First Minister after parliament votes on the coalition agreement, a first for the seasoned public servant, who until recently was department head of Kalopia's finance ministry. He has named it a personal goal to gain back voter trust and confidence, stating that with the next elections he wishes to see turnout increase to at least 70%. The First Minister to be was curt when it came to the presidential elections, stating that the entire Phalanx parliamentary faction will support Lakaridis in the second round. Meanwhile, Lakaridis was live streaming at a student party, buying champagne for Kalopia's youth as the dampened spirits of earlier that day seemed all but gone.
The presidential elections have completely overshadowed the parliamentary elections after a hard-fought campaign by Antonios Lakaridis and his opponents. Whereas the parliamentary elections achieved a meagre turnout of 55.2% the presidential elections saw 81.7% voter turnout. The results have surprised many in the nation, as the elections were held simultaneously and the fact that the office of President only holds limited powers within the Kalopian Republic. Social media experts however have linked the disparity to an intense online battle between Phalanx's Antonios Lakaridis and KP's Alexandros Metrotis. Whereas the parliamentary elections campaigned in a traditional manner, the two lead candidates for President found a different battlefield: social media. Antonios Lakaridis chose to run his personal campaign with his own marketing team, a decision that caused difficulty within the party where more and more are critical of Lakaridis acting alone and unprompted. Lakaridis himself disregarded these comments and remarked that "the fossils will always complain". In the first runoff he achieved 47.8% of the votes, showing the remarkable rise of the increasingly popular entrepreneur. Lakaridis grew up poor and worked in construction, before the untimely death of his father left him with a spare house. Instead of selling it he started renting it out, the beginning of the real estate empire that now encompasses at least 5,000 houses. He achieved fame on a national level after participating on the wildly popular island survival reality show Οι Εκλεκτοί where the tough and foul-mouthed but charismatic multimillionaire came second. For Antonios Lakaridis this TV appearance was only a marketing stunt.
The public grew enamoured with the no-nonsense comments on politics Lakaridis would give in TV panels that invited him. This is where he also announced his candidacy for the office of president, declaring that it is a useless office and must be revamped into something fitting for a strong nation like Kalopia. After a difficult members assembly Lakaridis was eventually confirmed as Phalanx's presidential candidate. The broad people's party with nationalist views was the best fit according to Lakaridis, stating that the other parties were "too socialist", "too Ahmadist", or "too effeminate" for his style of politics. The large online campaign was noticed early on by Kalopian Spring's campaign team, who countered it to the best of their ability. The effort seemed largely futile, with one member of KP's Alexandros Metrotis's team openly questioning the ethics of Lakaridis by naming his campaign material "blatant lies and misinformation". Their campaign however, was enough to halt the meteoric rise of Antonios Lakaridis, who was only 2.3% short of winning the presidency outright. The second round will be held February of next year, Lakaridis was already posting new short videos and announced extra personal visits to the states of Siphina and Sessoid where turnout was lower than the national average. A strong showdown between Lakaridis and Metrotis will captivate the nation the coming months, with many eagerly awaiting a one versus one debate in late January.
But this immense popularity of the presidential elections shows the timid nature of Kalopia's parliament. With a disastrous turnout the Phalanx party managed to seize a comfortable lead, gaining 41 out of 100 seats after receiving almost 15 million votes. Phalanx's parliamentary leader Babis Thanopoulous and party chairman Nestoras Panatos were quick to meet with the leadership of Kalopian Spring to assure a comfortable coalition agreement. Besides a few tentative constitutional edits the coalition agreement seems to be one of broad strokes. The partnership is described as cordial and business-like, in stark contrast to the presidential elections. Thanopoulos is set to become First Minister after parliament votes on the coalition agreement, a first for the seasoned public servant, who until recently was department head of Kalopia's finance ministry. He has named it a personal goal to gain back voter trust and confidence, stating that with the next elections he wishes to see turnout increase to at least 70%. The First Minister to be was curt when it came to the presidential elections, stating that the entire Phalanx parliamentary faction will support Lakaridis in the second round. Meanwhile, Lakaridis was live streaming at a student party, buying champagne for Kalopia's youth as the dampened spirits of earlier that day seemed all but gone.
Αλήθεια (Alítheia), or Verity in Luthorian, is a Kalopian middle-market tabloid owned by Dimos Kappakis, a media tycoon aligned with the Phalanx party.