1704 Free Elwynn elections

The 1704 elections in the Free Area of the Elwynnese Republic are the second scheduled elections in Free Elwynn following the cessation of hostilities of the Second Elwynnese Civil War. A Prince, a congress, and comital assemblies (replacing the former bailiwicks) are to be elected. Elections are scheduled to take place throughout the first month of 1697. There are 638,000 registered electors.

Princely elections

Candidates

• Eki Verion, incumbent princess, supported by the House of Verion and the Verionist Union
• Rost Pedressen, Candidate of the Indigenous Census, supported by the Holy Church of the Divine Icebear, the Holy Party of the Divine Icebear, and the Union of Truth and Beauty
• Marcus Alondorion, supported by the Elwynnese Workers' Party, trade union leader in Cimmeria.
• Ezabel Kaaq, supported by the Ayreonist Independence Party, psychiatrist and chairwoman of the Red Orchid Society of Free Elwynn, which helped with the influx of refugees and other displaced persons coming to Cimmeria and Raikoth.

Results

First Round

Candidate	Votes	Percentage
Eki Verion	206,802	42.6%
Rost Pedressen	153.887	31.7%
Marcus Alondorion	74,759	15.4%
Ezabel Kaaq	50,002	10.3%
Total	485,449	100%

The turnout for the first round was 76%. Since none of the candidates received an outright majority, a second round between Eki Verion and Rost Pedressen was needed.

Congressional elections

The 1704 election saw the following result in the Congress:

Party	Votes	Percentage	Seats
Verionist Union	198,336	41.6%	18
Holy Party of the Divine Icebear	120,843	25.3%	11
Ayreonist Independence Party	68,901	14.4%	6
Elwynnese Workers' Party	51,289	10.8%	5
Union for Truth and Beauty	37,922	7.9%	3
Total valid votes	477,291	100%	43

Domestic consequences

The results of the elections gave the Holy Party of the Divine Icebear a crucial role in Elwynnese politics. Verionist Union leader Stephen Lewis called upon the party to endorse a VU-HPDI coalition, and continue the government. However, HPDI chairman Xoxu Pickling stated his intention to hold "consultative talks" with the other parties to see if a government without the VU could be formed. Meanwhile, the Ayreonists and socialists threw their support behind Rost Pedressen, endangering the continued government of Eki Verion. In response, the current government announced that the councillors supporting Pedressen would immediately lose their positions, and that the second round of the Princely elections would not take place until a coalition had been formed. This stirred unrest among supporters of Pedressen, and the HDPI refused to enter talks with the VU. Nevertheless, several congressmembers for the AIP and the EWP did not want to enter into an anti-VU coalition.

Aftermath

Unable to resolve the political stalemate, several prominent Verionists including Stephen Lewis, entered secret talks with the Humanist government of continental Elwynn. A source within the Verionist camp was quoted as saying "these people are completely out of control. What do Icebearians and Ayreonist have without us? We are the reason that this state exists and so we should rule it". Prominent business leaders aligned with the Verionists expressed grave concerns for talks of nationalising private assets by Pedressen and his supporters. As neither side could be seen to be publicly negotiating with the other, a discrete contact group was established by commercial representatives of the Honourable Company and Princely Exploration and Trading Company who would meet "in-passing" for connecting flights at Svorgas International Airport.

The exposure of a supposed Ayreonist plot to "implement lasting and true democracy" in Free Elwynn, through popular protests, a coordinated media campaign, and special measures to take control of electoral services by Ayreonist cadres in the judiciary and civil service prior to the second round of voting, led to a domestic political scandal in Cimmeria and Raikoth that destroyed the last bonds of good faith between the political parties. The ensuing upheavals paved the way for the intervention of the Benacian Union Defence Force and a counterstroke directed by Calbion using Iron Company mercenaries against Blackstone Isle.

The benefit of the dialogue between the corporate proxies of the Benacian and Verionist forces would become apparent as the dual violations of the ceasefire following the Second Elwynnese Civil War did not lead to the feared outcomes of either a generalised naval war in the Great Western Sea nor a repeat of the Scouring on an intercontinental scale, but rather served as the overture to the commencement of a new round of direct negotiations hosted by warships of the two parties anchored alongside one another in the harbour of the Hurmudan port of Antonia in the District of the Warring Islands.