Valruzia

[Aethan]

Growing concern in government over rise of Worthy Homeland one year before elections

Parliamentary right would secure majority even without the support of the far right, according to latest poll

March 5734

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Is it time for change in Valruzia? That is the question many political analysts have been asking themselves throughout the last legislative session, following Worthy Homeland’s breakthrough into parliament with nearly a quarter of the total vote.

Now, with less than a year to go before the next parliamentary elections, their doubts have been vindicated by this newspaper’s latest poll, which places the conservative Valruzianists as the country’s leading party with 34% of the vote, an 11-point increase over their result in the previous elections; and that would allow them to secure an absolute majority alongside Forward Valruzia, which, despite its past political scandal, is also gaining ground in the polls and is projected to rise from 14% to 16%—enough to support a Worthy Homeland government that would not have to rely on votes from the far-right Valruzian Alliance.

Since the restoration of democracy in Valruzia, the country has had heads of government from only two political parties: Sovereign Valruzia and the Communist Party of Valruzia (in addition to the legislature led by Faustyna Sabala and Dignity and Progress during a brief period, which was intended to prevent Iwan Nowik from remaining in office—an experiment that ultimately backfired and handed the KPW leader an absolute majority in the next legislative session)—and none of them have been openly conservative. With its ups and downs, one could say that the first post-dictatorship government—the first led by Szymon Nowik—was the most conservative of the entire new democratic era, but change came quickly, and since then, the country has been governed by successive progressive administrations—with their strengths and weaknesses. But that could change in the upcoming elections.

Worthy Homeland’s meteoric rise in the polls could create a difficult situation to manage, as its leader and founder, Eliasz Kaczorowski, has so far avoided openly stating whether he would prefer a government backed by Sovereign Valruzia or by Forward Valruzia—but the time may soon come for him to make a choice. The situation could become even more complicated if the current Chancellor-President, Aleksandra Kos—who has already announced her intention to run for an unprecedent third term for a woman—is reelected to the post and finds herself in the position of having to form a new government. Meanwhile, the once-all-powerful KPW continues its downward spiral, posting yet another record-low result and proving unable to stem the tide of poor performance it has been suffering for decades.

According to polls, the rise of the right—especially Worthy Homeland—is largely due to young people, the age group in which Worthy Homeland performs best. Some analysts point out the irony that, although these young people have known nothing but left-wing governments in Valruzia, believe that their living conditions are not ideal and could be improved by a shift in the government’s ideological direction, while Valruzia maintains an unemployment rate below 3% and its economy remains one of the most robust on the continent of Seleya, thanks to the momentum of its leading companies (including Morskina, Valastra, and Nova Pharma—the country’s three giants—which in recent years and decades have been signing numerous agreements with countries such as Kalistan and Luthori, among others).

Some analysts argue that the boost needed by the left-wing parties to the left of Sovereign Valruzia requires the People's Front of Kampania to shift its focus from the region and expand to the national level, but others contend that such a move would actually weaken its primary role, which is to represent and defend workers in Valruzia's northern region.

Meanwhile, Chancellor–President Kos has refused so far to comment on the poll. The Chancellor, who two years ago welcomed Kalistani Emperor and Consort in home soil to continue further strengthening the ties between the two north-Seleyan nations, has made international relationships one of her government's top priorities. She said that before her term expires for this legislature, she has plans for a last-time visit to Kalistan.

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Other news, in brief:

• Government of Kampania says it is "carefully studying" the intention of the Kalistani royals of buying a house in the region
  
• Morskina at full-speed: the company now is among the nation's top employers and plans to develop newest Valruzian naval fleet are "right on time"
  
• 3 dead and two injured in a car crash north of Brzansk
  
• Two men arrested over "attempted plan" to set on fire Kampanian National Park.