Floria presidential election, 1725
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538 members of the electoral college 270 electoral college votes needed to win | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Turnout | 66.95% | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Background
The Florian constitution states that the President and Vice President of the Confederate States must be natural-born citizens of the Confederate States, at least 35 years old, and residents of the Confederate States for 20 years. Candidates for the presidency typically seek the nomination of one of the political parties, in which case each party devises a method (such as a primary election) to choose the candidate the party deems best suited to run for the position. Traditionally, the primary elections are indirect elections where voters cast ballots for a slate of party delegates pledged to a particular candidate. The party's delegates then officially nominate a candidate to run on the party's behalf.
Both the Social Democratic Party and United Republican parties held a series of presidential primary elections and caucuses that took place throughout 1724, staggered among the 12 states (Port Balaine and Etourney do not participate in Presidential elections). This nominating process was also an indirect election, where voters cast ballots for a slate of delegates to a political party's nominating convention, who in turn elected their party's presidential nominee.
Assassination of Isobel Chopin
On the way to a meeting with party members in Dragonmoor, Chopin in her hometown was ambushed and gunned down by an unknown militia in what is likely to be retaliation to her diplomatic spouts within the Raspur Pact. This was the first time a Florian President has been assassinated and had their term cut short. The assassination left Floria politically unsettled and matters were made worse when Vice President Chris Weiss declared his wish not become permanent President leading to a presidential election a lot earlier than planned.
Nominations
UPR
Nominee
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| Michael Hutchinson | Ronald Trueman Jr. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| for President | for Vice President | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| CoFounder of Dash&Hutchinson Group. | CEO of Floria International Holdings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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SDP
Nominee
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| Ted Cole | Jeremy Willis | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| for President | for Vice President | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Senator for Kingsland | Former secretary of Education | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Campaign issues
Raspur Pact Membership
After diplomatic conflicts with two fellow allies in the Raspur Pact, Floria exposed the different interests of each member state. Some Florian politicians have proposed leaving the Pact but there has been no concrete motive to leave the pact. Michael Hutchinson is not supportive of leaving the Pact however in his campaign he stated that his government if elected would have to remain vigilant.
After a rapid rate of the Raspursceptic movement, Michael Hutchinson promised a Raspur Pact Withdrawal referendum whilst Ted Cole refused. This proved to be a significant policy stance in the election.
Foreign relations
Çakaristan also have uneased Floria’s control of its seas leading up to election. President Hutchinson is committed to making sure that both Shireroth and Çakaristan relations are calm under his tenure if elected.
LGBT+ rights
During Isobel’s Chopin regime, politicians in state legislatures introduced a large number of bills restricting the rights of LGBT people, especially transgender people.
United Republicans have expressed that laws prohibiting the recognition of ‘third gender’ and ‘Non Binary’ etc. should remain enforced. Anti LGBT+ legislation has grown to many states limiting the instruction and discussion of LGBT issues in schools and universities.
Gun laws
Public use of assault rifles have been proposed to be banned under the SDP in response to growing numbers of paramilitary. “Assault rifles in the wrong hands could lead to a wide scale catastrophe.”
Military
Michael Hutchinson of the UPR Ticket committed to resolving the Raspur Pacts struggles against the Confederacy of the Dispossessed despite briefly losing its leading position in the Apollonia Command. Hutchinson stated that the Raspur Pact should also modernise Pact wide and hopes that Florian technological advances in military equipment would improve fighting power pact wide.
The Navy was seen an a priority to ‘fix’ after years of neglect in favour for Florian land and air services.
Hutchinson is opposed to full scale interventions seen in Ostland and Port Balaine calling those interventions a “A waste of Florian money and manpower and quite frankly the most detrimental contribution to dwindling popularity towards the Florian state in modern times”.
Term length
Under President Chopin there was proposals to extend office terms to a maximum of 48 years. This would not come into effect as Chopin would be assassinated before the bill being passed in Congress. Both the SDP and UPR are supportive however of extending office terms to 24.
