Valruzia

[Aethan]

BREAKING: Chancellor–President Kos loses Valusian nomination, cannot be reelected for a third term 

Razor-thin margin sends Kos out of the presidential race as the right continues growing

July 5734

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To the apparent conservative advance in Valruzia, the greatest possible surprise has now been added: incumbent Chancellor-President, Aleksandra Kos, has lost the nomination for the leadership election in the runoff, and therefore will not be able to secure a third term in office.

Kos—who had hoped to win a historic third term in the 5735 elections that would have established her as the female politician with the most election victories (having already served ten years, she is the longest-serving woman at the helm of the Valruzian executive)—has seen her ambitions abruptly thwarted after unexpectedly losing the bid for re-election to Klemens Grech, the candidate backed by Worthy Homeland.

Under Valruzia's current electoral system, citizens directly elect their head of State and government (the Chancellor–President) among the five final nominees (one per each Voivodeship, that has become elected under previous smaller rounds). Chancellor–President Kos' elimination means that she cannot stand for the position for next year's election, although she can still contest the legislative elections as leader of Sovereign Valruzia and win a seat in the Valruzian Sejm.

The extremely narrow margin of her rival's victory—barely 0.14% of all votes cast (50.07% versus the 49.93% secured by Mrs. Kos)—has prompted the Chancellor's team to request a recount, though all indications suggest the final result will not change. The Chancellor's defeat regarding the nomination in Valusia—a voivodeship where she had already run in the previous two elections—sparks a new debate about the prospects for the Left and the Right in the upcoming elections just six months away, given that the region is traditionally considered the second most progressive after the working-class stronghold of Kampania. In addition to Grech’s selection in Valusia, the right has succeeded in securing candidates aligned with its views in the Gryfit and Chynberg regions, leaving progressive candidates—chosen by Kampania and Ruzia—in minority for the first time (though the candidate from the latter voivodeship rejects this label, preferring to define himself as "centrist").

According to the president's inner circle—her term ends when the new president is elected next January—she is in "good spirits", though she did not anticipate such a surprising defeat, especially given the high popularity ratings she enjoys according to the vast majority of polls. The news has also caught Sovereign Valruzia off guard, as the party struggles to find a way to counter the rising momentum of Worthy Homeland. "Perhaps it is inevitable" say some party figures; "the left has governed Valruzia for over a century, so it was only a matter of time before the balance of power shifted".

For now, Kampania's official candidate Ernest Szczech has called all progressive citizens "to endorse him" to stop the conservatives and support the "only progressive candidate" in the upcoming presidential elections.