Kalistan

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Plebiscite on Party Reform fails among Voters
Nonbinding referendum shows some support for pluralism
Sulari, Duchy of Suldanor
May 7, 5641


Brethrenist Caucus members encourage voter participation in May Plebiscite

Over the past year, liberal activists have pushed the Institutional Party of Kalistan to at least consider the possibility of reform. As the rest of Northern Seleya democratizes, and Her Imperial Majesty has appeared to be supportive for many of the pro-democracy movements abroad, Liberals and those seeking to open Kalistan to more pluralism have been steadily lobbying Deputies in the National Assembly to move reform to the Single Party law, passed in 5536 to allow participation of more view points. Momentum for reform has followed strongly after the last elections in 5638 where Internationalists failed to get a majority, but had a strong showing, especially in Kalistan's cities and in much of the Mainland.

In late March, Her Imperial Majesty agreed to allow the Institutional Party to hold a nonbinding plebiscite in May. The approval set in motion a mechanism that is utterly foreign to nearly all living Kalistanis who have not lived abroad: The Government asking the people what they want. On April 2, the question of the referendum was promulgated: "Do you think Kalistan should hold a convention to change the Single Party Law, to allow more parties?" Allowed choices on the referendum were "Yes, No, and No Opinion."

April was a month of heavy (for Kalistan, anyhow) campaigning by the factions, with the Orthodox Caucus endorsing the "No" option, and the Internationalist and Brethrenist Caucuses endorsing support for "Yes." "We saw lots of civil society activists trying to bring awareness to Kalistanis about the referendum and about voting in general," said Professor Samuel Blanco of Sulari University. "Given Kalistan's long history of single party rule and traditionally dismal voter turnout for elections, there aren't a lot of the traditional mechanisms of electioneering that you see in democracies like GOTV practices, insane amount of political mailers, and fierce partisanship. The Mail Service itself noted only a third of a percent increase in mail volume due to the the referendum, which contrasts to the 2, 3 and 400% increase you see in normal democracies. So most of the campaigning activity was in person, and done by activists."

The Plebiscite was held yesterday, as voters went to the polls to give their opinion on this particular question. Celebrities on both sides were enlisted to encourage voters to go out and let their voices be heard, and politicians dutifully showed up to polls to vote early. During the 8 hours of voting, turnout was said to be up: in the last regular election, 23% of the eligible voters cast a ballot. Yesterday, the number was estimate to be up about 10 points, to just under 33% of eligible voters, as the increased activity around the plebiscite got many first time voters to the polls. Other, non-voters said they either didn't support the referendum at all and thought it was wrong for the country, believed that this plebiscite was "illegal" according to the law, or said that the non-binding nature of the plebiscite made participating in it a waste of time. Most voters knew that the results wouldn't actually change the law, but wanted to "make their voices heard."

Orthodox voters strongly supported the "No" option, as predicted, and stated that the overwhelming reason for voting no was that this was a slippery slope to multi-party pluralism. "If you give these liberals an inch, they will go for a mile," said one voter in Eveari. "This is the first step in getting rid of our Empress, like these damn republicans want. We are not like the so-called Democracies in Luthori or Egelion. We don't want a Republic and we need to make that clear."

Internationalist Voters and Brethrenist voters supported the "Yes" side of the referendum. "This ballot shows that voters would like more options than just the Institutional Party," said one Internationalist voter in Eshar. "It isn't even about the monarchy. It is about making sure the people's voice is reflected in the legislature." One Brethrenist voter said "Her Imperial Majesty supports democratization in other countries? Why not trust her own brothers and sisters here in Kalistan the same way? If its good enough for a place like Tukarali or Valruzia, why is it not good enough for us too?"

At the end of the day, however, support for the "No" option won out. The final tallied results were 36% for "Yes", 44% for "No" and "20%" for No Opinion. Much of the "yes" vote came from Kalistan's free Cities (though notably, Kaliburg remained solidly behind the Orthodox position and voted overwhelmingly for "No") and Suldanor and Odufaray, while "No" votes drew strong support from Ananto and Vrassa.

Overnight, both sides were keen to spin the results. "The near majority of the No position demonstrates solid support for the Empress, the Empire and Kalistani Institutionalism," claimed Orthodox Deputy Marcia Anders of Port Swedes. "Combined with 'No opinion', Kalistani supporters have very obviously and forcefully rejected reform sponsored by the Liberals." But the "yes" faction also claimed the "No Opinion" voters. "At least 56% of the population are at least fine with some very moderate reform in the Single Party Law," said Institutionalist Deputy Brad Montes of Spencer. "Nations around the world are opening up, and our voters have said they don't want to see Kalistan left behind. And we claim the fact that the Empress was open to the idea of allowing the referendum in the first place as a tacit endorsement of our position on the question."

For her part, the Empress appeared to take no position on the question, choosing instead to highlight the process and congratulate voters for participating.

"We thank the people of Kalistan for coming out to the polls to make your voices heard," said Her Imperial Majesty, in a radio broadcast message last night. "We have heard you, and will take your expressed opinion into our consideration as we strive to make our Government and our National Assembly more accessible and responsive to the needs and desires of you, the People of the Empire of Ananto and Kalistan. Your verdict on the question certainly reaffirms your strong support for our established institutions and illuminates a way forward for your Party. We encourage Party Leaders to take these results to heart and continue this discussion."

The first tentative step into democracy in more than 100 years in the books, only time will tell whether this move is the first step in many or if it closes the door on foreign innovations in government here within the Empire. "We plan to keep fighting," said Montes. "Eventually, we will sway voters to our side. Persuasion will carry the day someday, and then Kalistan will join the other nations in Northern Seleya, including, by the way, Lodamun and Gaduridos, in allowing other points of view to emerge."

@TheRepublic