An impromptu carnival has begun on the streets of Bandera as Frentistas poured out of their homes and towards the Presidential Palace and the ever-popular Club Tiego to celebrate news of their victory.
Obviously satisfied with the result, El Presidente was found enjoying a well-earned cigar in Frente Popular headquarters before pressing on to join the fiesta outside. We caught him as he was trying to leave with two salsa dancers and a bottle of rum and asked him his thoughts on the election:
“I am grateful to the people of Baracão who lent me their votes, thank you. To those who did not, I hope you will work with me to better Baracão. The election is won, but the work goes on! Baracão o Muerte!”
Alarico Veto Julia
The election finished with a significant victory for the ruling Frente Popular, a coalition of Tiegist and Tiegist-Minorcan parties. President Alarico Veto Julia beat his rival Devante Covas by twelve votes to seven, widely seen as an endorsement of Alarico’s administration of the Fourth Republic since its foundation earlier this year. In the narrower race for Minister-General only one vote separated Erasmo Jacqueras Carrar on ten votes from Jesus Pablo Santiago on nine. This close result is believed to stem from the perception that both men were the ‘right man for the job’ and had enjoyed an equal measure of cross-party support.
In the weighted preference vote for the Council of State a significant Frente victory was recorded as all three of its candidates were elected to office. Juan Fidel Valencia received twenty-seven points; a controversial legitimate businessman and Caudillo of Nueva Minorca, Don Diego de Almagro, received twenty-five, and PCN expert on Communist theory, Julio Sanchez de Frente, received twenty-two. Candidates of the ADN, which comprises the Partido Democrático Nacional and Partido Social Demócrata, fared poorly and are likely to blame the voting system devised by Electoral Commissioner Rico Noriega, rather than their own policies for their plight. Although defeated, presidential candidate Devante Covas has so far been magnanimous in conceding over-all defeat. Of the ADN candidates Thomas La Antonio received nineteen votes. Kuralyov, self-declared “Grand Old man of Marxism”, received thirteen votes while Christo de Loutrado, whose New Democracy initiative was recently defeated in a Babkhan by-election, received the lowest overall vote, a mere eight.
Polling booths around the Republic closed at around 1 AM in the morning, leaving some bleary eyed voters who had tried to vote after three weeks of blissfully ignoring the state’s exhortations to the populace to register for their Voter Identification Number or VIN. To quote one disappointed voter who will remain nameless said ‘I spent a week on the lash and had no idea that the polls were closing. Frankshly Ish finding the idea that they won’t keep the polling stations open for drunks who arrive late to be prepos..perposh..preposperous … Ish loves you you fashcist pig!’ Naturally even in defeat the ADN are defending the right of a free populace to be lazy and incompetent, to quote Jesus Pablo Santiago; ‘I believe with some results as close as they are, the final six voters who have as yet, not voted, should be given their say.’ That some of the electorate may not have bothered to vote and have no intention of voting seems to have escaped the defeated Minister-General candidate. Newly re-elected President Alerico Veto Julia defended the decision of the Electoral Commissioner to close the poll when he did, rejecting the argument that every last voter should be accounted for:
“There is a difference between a legal entitlement and an obligation. The elections were announced a long time ago and registration began a long time ago. The polls opened a long time ago, too. Whilst we can't vote often, we can vote early, as those who don't vote early risk the chance of finding their polling station closed, as has happened in this instance.”
There seems to be some confusion as to the actual closing date of the polls. The ADN looked at the statement of the Electoral Commissioner Rico Noriega that the polls would close on Sunday 20th July to mean the 20th of July, which is a Tuesday. Whereas the Electoral Commissioner took Sunday to mean… Sunday, which was the 18th of July. Constitutionally the decision rests with the Electoral Commissioner.
Santiago, easily the most plausible of the opposition politicians, has been trying to hold the polls open in an effort to afford some decision on the close results. By a happy coincidence the closest vote of all in the election was for the Minister-Generalship, which Jesus Pablo Santiago lost to Erasmo Jacqueras Carrar by one vote. However, he claims not to be acting out of a personal desire.
Babkhan observers have completed their successful mission of monitoring the Republic of Baracão’s free and fair election. Polling booths closed on Sunday 18 July 2004 with observers so far reporting no irregularities in voting procedure. Nonetheless, given the litigious nature of Baracãoan politics, the Babkhan sitting as Supreme Justice may find himself up against election related cases, doubtless to be mounted by the opposition on behalf of citizens who are otherwise never bothered enough to participate. Before the polls closed, Devante Covas, however, promised not to contest the results of the elections if VINs were published and if citizens confirmed that their votes were correct, a process already begun.
Finally it appears to have been a good night for the Frente Nacional por la Tradición Minorca y Salvación Tiego or FNTMST, with its Caudillo and Secretary-General Don Diego de Almagro receiving the second highest share of the Consejo de Estado votes. This has been seen as a victory for Minorcanismo, and another step in the significant rise of the Don from Almagro, who has moved beyond his past association with the infamous Río de la Sangre cartel, to become the leader of the largest Baracãoan autonomous republic; the Minorcan colony of Nueva Minorca which is freely associated with the Republic on the terms of its own indigenously issued constitution and governed in its relations with the Metropolitan homeland by a Presidential Decree. Diego also looks set to become the Intermicronational face of Baracão as new Minister General Carrar designated him Minister of the Exterior.
We have managed to get an advance copy of Don Diego de Almagro’s latest “Anuncio” to Nueva Minorca that was read out in San Severus Cathedral on Sunday after mass:
“Truly the Frente Popular and Tiegism played their most significant part in winning the publics brave and virtuous support for the rights of Minorcans and other minorities. However we must, in our humility, also ascribe in large measure our deliverance from the diabolical forces to the design of the Almighty. Let the cry go out; raise high the crucifix and blessed reliquary icons of San Severus, sing Te Deum at our deliverance for July 18 2004 is given over to a day of Minorcan thanksgiving.”
From our staff desk.
