New Alexandrian general election, 1718

New Alexandrian general election, 1718
All 661 seats to the Federal Assembly ; 332 seats needed for a majority.
President of the Government before election; Felipe de Almagro (FHP);	Succeeding President of the Government; Paolo Antonio Aguilar (FHP);

This article or section is a work in progress. The information below may be incomplete, outdated, or subject to change.

The New Alexandrian general election of 1718 was the sixth general election of the Federation of Nouvelle Alexandrie after its formation in 1685 AN. It was held over the course of three days, from 1.XIV.1718 AN - 3.XIV.1718 AN. The election campaign was marked by various critical events and issues that influenced the final results. Operation Purple Splendor, the death of King Manco Cápac I and the subsequent coronation of King Sinchi Roca I occurred only months before the start of the campaign, impacting the political discourse. Furthermore, the Libertygate scandal involving the People's Liberty Congress led to the arrest of its leader, Adriana Lopez-Gautier, and severely damaged the party's prospects in the election. This election witnessed the formation of the 6th Cortes Federales, specifically its lower and elected chamber, the Federal Assembly. The election followed a mixed-member proportional representation system, with 661 seats up for grabs. The 1718 election saw 105,675,247 votes cast, a turnout rate of 56.1%, a marked increase from the previous election.

In the lead-up to the election, the Federal Humanist Party (FHP) was expected to maintain its majority in the Cortes. Despite losing 35 seats, the FHP did indeed secure a majority of 22 seats. The Social Democratic & Liberal Alliance (SDLA), however, suffered a significant defeat, losing 129 seats and dropping to the third-largest party behind the Federal Consensus Party (FCP). The FCP emerged as the largest opposition party, winning a total of 247 seats, many of which were captured from the SDLA and the Independent Deputies' Group (IDG).

The election results varied across the different regions of the Federation of Nouvelle Alexandrie. The FHP gained a majority in Alduria and Wechua Nation, with the latter being heavily influenced by the party's focus on Wechua culture and the death of King Manco Cápac. Santander, a traditionally right-leaning region, saw the FHP gain a significant lead, while the FCP managed to gain votes from the SDLA and Independent voters. In South Lyrica, a left-leaning region, the FHP still managed to secure a sizable majority.

Background

See also: New Alexandrian general election, 1713

In the previous general election held in 1713, the Federal Humanist Party (FHP), led by Felipe de Almagro, secured a majority of seats in the Federal Assembly. The Social Democratic & Liberal Alliance of Nouvelle Alexandrie (SDLA), led by Maria Motochanchi, has been the main opposition party, while the Federal Consensus Party of Nouvelle Alexandrie (FCP) and the People's Liberty Congress of Nouvelle Alexandrie (PLC) have also held seats in the assembly. After the election of 1713, a new political force emerged that could potentially disrupt the established dynamics of New Alexandrian politics. The Independent Deputies' Group (IDG) was formed when 42 independent politicians came together, seeking to offer an alternative to the traditional party platforms as the Federal Consensus Party declined in support and activity. This newly formed party has quickly gained traction among voters who are dissatisfied with the status quo and searching for fresh perspectives on the nation's challenges. With its diverse membership and focus on promoting pragmatic, non-partisan solutions to pressing issues, the IDG threatens to upend election expectations if it can perform well in the campaign. Its success could signal a shift in the political landscape, with voters increasingly seeking novel approaches to addressing the complex concerns facing New Alexandrian society.

The years leading up to the upcoming New Alexandrian general election of 1718 have been marked by a mix of hope and concern, as the nation has experienced significant changes and challenges. Starting in 1718 AN, Operation Purple Splendor, a military campaign aimed at seizing lands vacated by the Haifo-Pallisican Imperial Trade Union by the Raspur Pact, was initially billed as a quick and painless campaign that would end quickly. However, local resistance by the Confederacy of the Dispossessed was fierce and has bogged down advances by the Federal Forces of Nouvelle Alexandrie. The operation, while ultimately successful in achieving its objectives, has heightened concerns among the population about the stability of the nation and the need for a strong defense against potential adversaries. Furthermore, the costs associated with the military operation have raised questions about the sustainability of the country's economic growth. Following the start of Operation Purple Splendor, the death of King Manco Cápac I at the hands of the Confederacy of the Dispossessed brought a period of national mourning, as the beloved monarch had been instrumental in leading the country toward modernization and progress. His son, King Sinchi Roca, ascended to the throne, promising to continue his father's legacy of reform and innovation.

In the aftermath of these events, the mood in New Alexandrian society is a complex blend of optimism and apprehension. People are filled with hope that King Sinchi Roca will lead the country toward a brighter future, building on the foundation laid by his father. At the same time, there is a pervasive sense of anxiety about national security, the economy, and the overall stability of the nation.

Main issues

The upcoming election is expected to center on several critical issues, as reflected by recent polling data indicating the top concerns of registered voters. The key issues in this election campaign include:

Defense and National Security: The safety and security of the nation are paramount concerns for voters due to the death of King Manco Capac I and Operation Purple Splendor.
Economy and Jobs: Economic development is a crucial issue for voters, centered around stimulating economic growth, creating job opportunities, and improving overall financial stability. Taxation policies, infrastructure investment, and international trade are integral parts of these discussions.
Economic Inequality: With growing awareness of income disparities, voters are concerned about income inequality and poverty.
Housing and High Rents: The high cost of housing and rising rents have become pressing concerns for many voters.
Education: Voters are concerned about the quality and accessibility of education.
Foreign Policy and Trade: With globalization and international trade shaping the world economy, voters wish to see party positions on trade agreements, diplomatic relations, and the role of international organizations.
Crime: Addressing crime rates and ensuring public safety are important concerns for voters.
Infrastructure and Transport: The state of the nation's infrastructure and transportation systems are key concerns for voters, especially concerns around modernizing roads, bridges, and public transport, as well as expanding broadband access in rural areas.
Ethnic and Religious Tensions: Voters have quoted the need to foster social cohesion and promote inclusivity in the face of growing ethnic and religious tensions.
Gun Policy: Gun control and the right to bear arms remain contentious issues.
Environment: As public awareness of environmental challenges grows, voters are looking for solutions to pollution, renewable energy, and protecting natural resources.

Other Issues

Disaster Prepardness & NLA reconstruction: The volcanic eruption in New Luthoria and the need for reconstruction became a major issue for the island.
Corruption, government integrity: The Henry Barreau and Libertygate scandals have shaken public trust in the government, according to voters.

Electoral system

Elections in Nouvelle Alexandrie are conducted region by region through proportional representation. Voters then choose from the parties on the ballot or have the option to vote for a slate of independent candidates. Seats are apportioned to each region using the Sainte-Laguë method, the highest quotient method for allocating seats in party-list proportional representation. In Nouvelle Alexandrie, the threshold for a party to get seats in a region is set to 2%. Seat apportionment to the Regions is based on the 1718 census, held just before the 1718 general election, and has been updated to accommodate the expansion of the Federal Assembly to 661 seats in anticipation of the Region of Boriquen joining Nouvelle Alexandrie just before the 1718 general election and to accommodate for the large population growth seen in the 1718 New Alexandrian census.

If one party obtains a majority of the seats, then the party is entitled to form the government, with its leader as President of the Government. If an election results in no party having a majority, there is a hung Cortes Federales, at which time the main options are the formation of a coalition of several parties or a minority government, in accordance with the law.

Voting eligibility

To vote in the general election, one had to be:

legally registered to vote;
a citizen of the Federation (at the time of the election);
not legally excluded from voting as provided by New Alexandrian law.

Government figures report that more than 25,175,000 new voters were added to the rolls across the nation, more than 10,000,000 of them coming from the new region of Boriquén.

Opinion Polling

A graphic of the polling development in the months leading up to the elections.

Polling Firm	MoE	Date	FHP	SDLA	FCP	IDG	PLC	Ind.
IOP	±4%	01.IX.1718 AN	52.0%	14.0%	27.0%	4.0%	2.5%	0.5%
IOP	±4%	01.X.1718 AN	54.5%	12.0%	28.0%	3.0%	1.5%	1.0%
IOP	±4%	01.XI.1718 AN	55.2%	8.0%	33.0%	2.0%	0.8%	1.0%
IOP	±4%	10.XII.1718 AN	56.2%	6.0%	35.5%	1.0%	0.8%	0.5%
IOP	±4%	20.XII.1718 AN	58.3%	2.9%	37.8%	0.3%	0.3%	0.2%

Issues Polling

In a poll of 125,692 registered voters, the issues of the election were ranked as followed:

Economy, jobs
Disaster preparedness & NLA reconstruction
Corruption, government integrity
Economic inequality
Housing, high rents
Education
Foreign policy, trade
Defense, national security
Infrastructure, transport
Ethnic and religious tensions
Gun Policy
Environment

Contesting Parties

The parties that contested the New Alexandrian general election were:

the incumbent Federal Humanist Party;
the Social Democratic & Liberal Alliance of Nouvelle Alexandrie;
the Federal Consensus Party (previously the Moderate Caucus (Nouvelle Alexandrie);
the People's Liberty Congress of Nouvelle Alexandrie;
the Independent Deputies' Group.

Federal Humanist Party Campaign

Main article: Federal Humanist Party 1718 General Election Campaign (Nouvelle Alexandrie)

Social Democratic & Liberal Campaign

Main article: Social Democratic & Liberal 1718 General Election Campaign (Nouvelle Alexandrie)

Federal Consensus Party Campaign

Main article: Federal Consensus Party 1718 General Election Campaign (Nouvelle Alexandrie)

The Federal Consensus Party wants to return to prominence after the defeat of the last election. Much of their campaign is based upon the New Consensus, a manifesto that focuses on economic growth, democratic reform, and international cooperation. Beyond that, they want a strong expansion of renewable energy, and a massive house building spree.

Independent Deputies' Group Campaign

Main article: Independent Deputies' Group 1718 General Election Campaign (Nouvelle Alexandrie)

The Independent Deputies' Group is a new political party contesting the 1718 general election. The party is composed of independent politicians and representatives of various interest groups. The IDG aims to provide a platform for those who feel that the traditional parties do not adequately represent their concerns and to bring fresh perspectives to the political arena. The IDG has will focus its campaign on issues such as government transparency, direct democracy, and local autonomy. They have also expressed support for more robust environmental policies and sustainable development initiatives.

People's Liberty Congress Campaign

Main article: People's Liberty Congress 1718 General Election Campaign (Nouvelle Alexandrie)

Candidates

Results

National

|

354

268

31

2

6


	FHP (354)		FCP (268)		SDLA (31)		PLC (2)		Ind. (6)

	Political party	Leader	Candidates	Votes	Elected	Gain/loss	% of votes	% of seats
	Federal Humanist Party	Felipe de Almagro	661	55,646,454	354	▼ 35 seats	53.4%	53.6%
	Federal Consensus Party	Alfons Dandela	661	42,382,630	268	▲ 248 seats	40.7%	40.5%
	Social Democratic & Liberal Alliance	Julio Delgado	661	5,062,502	31	▼ 129 seats	4.9%	4.7%
	Independent	No leader.	1,322	1,493,972	6	▼ 53 seats (42 from IDG)	1.4%	0.9%
	People's Liberty Congress	Adriana Lopez Gautier	661	1,089,689	2	▼ 14 seats	1.0%	0.3%
Total			3,966	105,675,247	661	Turnout		56.1%

Regional

Alduria

Region of Alduria
Party	Votes	Vote %	Deputies
Federal Humanist Party	11,263,137	48.9%	72
Federal Consensus Party	10,894,609	40.7%	69
Social Democratic & Liberal Alliance	575,825	2.5%	4
Independent/Unaligned	184,264	0.8%	-
People's Liberty Congress	115,264	0.5%	-
Totals	23,033,000	100.0%	145

Wechua Nation

Region of Wechua Nation
Party	Votes	Vote %	Deputies
Federal Humanist Party	11,010,543	50.9%	72
Federal Consensus Party	8,596,236	39.7%	54
Social Democratic & Liberal Alliance	1,385,791	6.4%	9
Independent/Unaligned	194,877	2.1%	3
People's Liberty Congress	454,713	0.9%	-
Totals	21,642,160	100.0%	136

Santander

Region of Santander
Party	Votes	Vote %	Deputies
Federal Humanist Party	8,067,268	52.1%	51
Federal Consensus Party	6,472,395	41.8%	41
Social Democratic & Liberal Alliance	480,010	3.1%	3
People's Liberty Congress	325,168	2.1%	2
Independent/Unaligned	139,358	0.9%	-
Totals	15,484,199	100.0%	97

Valencia

Region of Valencia
Party	Votes	Vote %	Deputies
Federal Consensus Party	1,986,976	43.9%	12
Federal Humanist Party	1,939,452	42.9%	12
Social Democratic & Liberal Alliance	461,666	10.2%	3
Independent/Unaligned	95,049	2.1%	1
People's Liberty Congress	40,735	0.9%	-
Totals	4,523,878	100.0%	28

Federal Capital District

Region of Federal Capital District
Party	Votes	Vote %	Deputies
Federal Humanist Party	147,797	50.2%	1
Federal Consensus Party	129,837	44.1%	1
Social Democratic & Liberal Alliance	12,954	2.5%
Independent/Unaligned	2,355	0.8%	-
People's Liberty Congress	1,472	0.5%	-
Totals	294,415	100.0%	2

Isles of Caputia

Region of Isles of Caputia
Party	Votes	Vote %	Deputies
Federal Humanist Party	6,148,958	66.5%	39
Federal Consensus Party	2,098,968	22.7%	13
Social Democratic & Liberal Alliance	933,902	10.1%	6
Independent/Unaligned	46,233	0.5%	-
People's Liberty Congress	18,493	0.2%	-
Totals	9,246,554	100.0%	58

North Lyrica

Region of North Lyrica
Party	Votes	Vote %	Deputies
Federal Humanist Party	6,963,046	69.5%	45
Federal Consensus Party	2,544,768	25.4%	17
Social Democratic & Liberal Alliance	180,338	1.8%	-
Independent/Unaligned	180,338	1.8%	-
People's Liberty Congress	150,282	1.5%	-
Totals	10,018,772	100.0%	62

South Lyrica

Region of South Lyrica
Party	Votes	Vote %	Deputies
Federal Humanist Party	5,437,685	47.0%	35
Federal Consensus Party	5,266,383	45.5%	33
Social Democratic & Liberal Alliance	659,745	5.7%	4
Independent/Unaligned	104,170	0.9%	-
People's Liberty Congress	104,170	0.9%	-
Totals	11,572,153	100.0%	72

New Luthoria

Region of New Luthoria
Party	Votes	Vote %	Deputies
Federal Humanist Party	1,115,360	54.2%	7
Federal Consensus Party	862,244	41.9%	6
Social Democratic & Liberal Alliance	37,041	1.8%	-
Independent/Unaligned	24,694	1.2%	-
People's Liberty Congress	18,521	0.9%	-
Totals	2,057,860	100.0%	13

Islas de la Libertad

Region of Islas de la Libertad
Party	Votes	Vote %	Deputies
Federal Consensus Party	1,069,472	48.9%	7
Federal Humanist Party	1,067,285	48.8%	6
Social Democratic & Liberal Alliance	26,245	1.2%	-
People's Liberty Congress	19,684	0.9%	-
Independent/Unaligned	4,374	0.2%	-
Totals	2,187,060	100.0%	13

Boriquén

Region of Boriquén
Party	Votes	Vote %	Deputies
Federal Humanist Party	2,485,923	48.9%	16
Federal Consensus Party	2,460,642	40.7%	14
Social Democratic & Liberal Alliance	308,985	2.5%	2
Independent/Unaligned	258,424	0.8%	2
People's Liberty Congress	101,122	0.5%	-
Totals	5,615,096	100.0%	35

Analysis

Pre-election events

Death of Manco Cápac

The election were overshadowed in part by the Death of King Manco Cápac I. The coronation of King Sinchi Roca I happened in VII.1718, only four months before the start of the campaign. This event was a big campaign point for the FHP, however both the SDLA and FCP remained silent on measures in light of the tragedy.

Libertygate Scandal

The People's Liberty Congress was discovered by NBC Newsfeed to have committed far-going campaigning funding fraud, which quickly gained the name 'Libertygate'. As a result of this scandal, the party's leader Adriana Lopez-Gautier, was arrested. The scandal had profound impact on the chances of the PLC. Pre-election polling saw it fall below the threshold for any seats, however having some remnants of support in Lyrica and Santander.

Party seat allocation

In the polling leading up to the election, there was a substantial lead for the FHP to remain the majority party and have an absolute majority. They were the biggest campaign spenders overall. Most voters regarded them as a safe choice, and a good party in government in the previous Cortes. In the aftermath of the results, this majority was translated into a majority of 22 seats. Nevertheless, the party suffered a net loss of 35 seats.

The biggest loss came in the results for the SDLA. The polls leading up to the election, coupled with a failing campaign and their legacy of Julio Delgado's government, had reduced their chances a lot. They suffered a defeat in all regions, and lost a total of 129 seats, moving them to third party, behind the FCP.

The big winner of the night was the FCP. They conducted an extensive campaign, trying to capture the voters of the failing SDLA, and presented themselves as an alternative to the FHP. They managed to win a total of 247 seats, with many of them coming from the SDLA and Independent voters. They became the largest opposition party.

The PLC was ousted in the Libertygate scandal that saw much of its leadership resign, and losing trust with voters. This overshadowed an already lacking campaign. They lost a total of 13 seats, being reduced to the smallest faction, behind the Independents (however this is not a single-party group).

The IDG, which managed to capture many former independent parties together, fell apart before the elections began. They lost all their seats, and former members decided to run for Independent seats themselves. A total of 15 regional and local parties ran as independent candidates, with a new one from Boriquén. In total, they got 6 seats, losing 53 seats, including the 42 from the IDG.