Bianjie

[journey]

Socialists choose the Premier's right-hand man as a compromise candidate
17 June 5677 (backdated)



In an unexpectedly tense leadership election, the members of the Socialist People's Party have elected a new leader to lead them in the upcoming general election in less than a year. Jakdan Andara, 71, became the sixth head of the nation's dominant left-wing party, succeeding the incumbent Premier, Ajigen Kode, who earlier stood down from the race after the major pressure campaign from across the membership, after violating the "three-term rule". Andara, who joined the race two days after Kode's re-election announcement, was expectedly to be largely a spoiler candidate, trying to increase Premier's chances to get into the runoff with other candidates, but became Kode's reserve option, following the latter's withdrawal from the contest.

Despite the protests from the opposition within the party, Andara was allowed to stay in the race, with Premier's campaign machina turning its focus to promote the seventy-one-year-old socialist Secretary-General to victory. And even though Niyalma's native was largely running on a somewhat identical platform as his outgoing boss, his reputation as the quiet and clean technocrat within the party brought him success, with the support numbers, both in polling and endorsements from the membership, skyrocketing in the two weeks before the race.

Irudai Governor, Yazhu Bulni, considered a safe frontrunner and leader-in-waiting up until the last moment, suddenly lost the primary round of the leadership contest, lagging just by three votes behind the Secretary-General Jakdan Andara. When the results were announced by the SPP's election committee, a couple of audible gasps were heard in the party office, while a couple of operatives in the Bulni campaign were reportedly swearing and shouting at the screen. However, it was not done just yet, with the second round held the same day, it turned into a challenge of persuasion between the two main candidates, trying to convince third parties to vote for them. According to the BHK, during the private meetings with the party members, Andara would video call Premier Kode, who in turn would "talk sense" into the members, demanding that they vote for Jakdan. Though when, later that day, journalists tried to ask the Premier if that did happen, she would dismiss the journalists, calling the allegations "crazy", adding that the election is a "free and democratic choice".

But, whether that happened or not, the results of the runoff showed that, luckily or not, Andara did manage to pull it off, with or without the help of the Premier Kode. With 58 out of 102 Yuan caucus members voting for the then-Secretary-General, the seventy-one-year-old official was officially elected as the sixth leader of the Socialist People's Party. Once the results were announced, Bulni approached Andara, shook his hands, and "stormed" out of the party office, alongside his close allies. Later, Bulni would congratulate Andara publicly with a post on Hatoyu, saying that he wishes good luck to a "fellow northerner", as well as his own party, on the upcoming "rocky electoral campaign road". Newly elected leader thanked all the members for entrusting him with "this important and responsible position", adding that he will do everything in his power to keep the SPP government in place after the 5677 election. 



Gemun Post (ゲムンポスト) is a major (previously local) daily newspaper based in Gemun.
(@GemunPost)
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