Kalopia

[Pragma]

Ο Πρωταθλητής

Xhaniri elected new Citizens leader

Interior Minister trounces Antoniou and Hasanbegovic

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23 November 5739 – Dragon Xhanari has been elected as the new leader of the Citizens' Movement following the death of former leader Stavros Vidalelis last month. Xhanari won 64% of the vote, defeating Technology Minister Zoi Antoniou, who received 13% of the vote, and Istochniak Affairs Deputy Minister Bakir Hasanbegovic, who received 23%. Xhanari has announced that Antoniou and Hasanbegovic will serve as his co-deputy leaders

Xhanari becomes the only ethnic Siphinan leader of a major Kalopian political party. Xhanari was co-deputy leader under Stavros Vidalelis before being appointed as Minister of Science, Technology and Development. Upon the Vidalelis-Sarropoulos pact that prevented a run-off presidential election earlier this year, Xhanari was promoted to Interior Minister to take over from Marios Karaliades, who became First Minister. 

Karaliades had been expected to run himself for party leader, but ultimately backed out after poor membership polling suggested Xhanari would win regardless. Finance Minister Marianna Anthou immediately declined to run upon the announcement of Vidalelis's death, while other prominent party figures fell in behind Xhanari. Thus, his competition was limited to Zoi Antoniou, who represents the most institutional wing of the party, and Hasanbegovic, who is known to be highly ambitious and has a strong base of support within the Istochniak community.

Popular within the party and well-rated among the general public, many in the political sphere have rated Dragon Xhanari as a rising star for the party. Shortly before his election, a hypothetical poll showed that the Citizens' Movement would win 32.7% of the vote with him as leader, approaching 100 seats and becoming by far the biggest party. Outstanding questions are whether Xhanari would seek to become First Minister under such an arrangement, or pursue a presidential campaign, and whether those options would cause issues for him with incumbents Marios Karaliades and Panteleimon Sarropoulos respectively.

Ο Πρωταθλητής ("The Champion") is a middle-market daily newspaper owned by the Vidalelis diamond mining dynasty, printed in Helias, Kalopia.