Yu Dynasty Yingdala (4338-4636)

[Wu Han]

The Taixi Times is a daily print and web publication from Taixi, Anle, offering breaking news and analysis on politics, business, world national news, and entertainment.

Dai Jinhao resigns amidst legislative and electoral failure
The billionaire-investor turned politician said that Indralans had handed him his "performance review"
15 May 4356

Dai waves to supporters

NATIONAL NEWS: On election night, Lotus Party supporters in the Tian'an Conference Centre were gambling that the party would pick up seats from the recently disbanded Socialist Party. However, the Lotus Party received its lowest number of votes in history at around 3.5 million. Turnout in this snap election was also at historic lows, with only 39% of voters going to the polls.

Dai Jinhao was elected Party Leader during the beginning of the Lotus Party's decline under Dr. Yi Junkai. Dai was appointed Foreign Affairs Minister in July of 4348, and went on to sign more trade agreements abroad than any of his predecessors had in 100 years. His success abroad was applauded by party members, winning each of his leadership reviews with massive margins despite the Party's sluggish electoral performance.

In December 4252, Dai wrote the Indralan Foreign Policy Strategy (commonly referred to as the Dai Paper), which failed after the Social Democrats voted against, after initially indicating their support. Dai drafted the policy after holding an all-party committee on foreign affairs, the findings of which he compiled in what had been viewed by many as the most comprehensive foreign policy strategy in nearly 200 years.

“The Red Parties [referring to the Socialist Party and the Social Democratic Party, which both have red as their official colour] have chosen the path they want for Indrala,” Dai said to reporters at the time, “and that path is one where Indrala stands alone in the world, cut off from the community of nations.”

Following this legislative failure and his most recent electoral defeat, Dai Jinhao declared to the crowd that he would be standing down as Lotus Party Leader and as Foreign Minister.

"Indralans handed me my performance review tonight, and it proves that I have led this party with incompetence," Dai said to the outcry of the crowd, "the fault for our failure in this election rests on my shoulders, and I must take complete and total responsibility. In acceptance of the election results, I must now resign from the leadership of our movement and Foreign Minister of His Imperial Majesty's government, effective immediately."

With tears in their eyes, many of the party members begged Dai to stay on. Dai, however, remained poised, smiling and waving to the crowd. The Lotus Party National Committee announced that a leadership election would take place in 4358. Until then, former-Finance Critic Sung Hyo-Rin will serve as interim leader.

Dai's decision to resign from Cabinet puts the governing coalition in jeopardy. With the Conservative Coalition capturing nearly 47% of the seats, the New Dawn-Lotus Party coalition will have to work with either the Social Democrats or the Conservative Coalition to retain power. With Dai's vacancy, the government will have to put forward a cabinet as soon as possible.

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Originally posted by Wu Han on 1 March 2018.