[Draft] Judicial Election Results

El Fiji Grande

Over 38000 km and counting
-
-
-
Pronouns
he/him
TNP Nation
El_Fiji_Grande
Discord
El Fiji Grande (#3446)
Judicial Election Results

Just three weeks or so following the conclusion of the delayed General Elections came the Judicial Elections. General COE and BMWSurfer served as Election Commissioners.

During this judicial election season, nineteen candidates were nominated. Of these, four accepted their nominations. Lord Lore and Limerick1 announced their candidacies independent of a nomination. McMasterdonia made sure to nominate each member of the current Executive Staff, each of whom then proceeded to decline the nomination or to simply ignore it. Hardonius initially accepted his nomination, but later rescinded it and dropped out of the race. The final six candidates in the race were Darcania, SillyString, Eluvatar, Limerick1, Lord Lore, and Marcus Antonius. Detailed below is a summary of each of their campaigns.

Candidates:

Darcania is an experienced nation, having formerly served once as Speaker, Attorney General, Election Commissioner, and as Deputy AG. He views the most important attributes for a justice in the region to be “legal experience, a legal mindset, level-minded discourse, seeing an issue from multiple perspectives… and fluff.” The main criticism surrounding his campaign was the public perception that he has the tendency to leave. Darcania responded by reassuring voters that each time he has left in the past, he did not have an official government position, and that when he had left government positions prematurely, he had always done so responsibly be notifying the Delegate well in advance such that a suitable replacement could be found.

SillyString is the current Chief Justice of The North Pacific and has served in numerous other offices over the course of her five year tenure in the region. She has extensive knowledge both of the law and of court history. Her main concern “is that we need to make sure we elect justices who are thoughtful, familiar with the law, and who take the time to weigh the options and possible ramifications before making big decisions.” She believes that by doing so, TNP’s justice system will provide more consistent results.

Eluvatar is a veteran nation who joined The North Pacific back in 2006, and who has served on and off in various positions including Delegate in the years since. He has extensive legal knowledge and, back in 2012 with the help of then Speaker Gulliver, rewrote TNP’s Constitution and Legal Code to set the region on a better path. There were no questions as to his qualifications, only if he was ‘especially qualified,’ in the words of Funkadelia.

Limerick1 is a relative newcomer who has served on the bench for the last term and a half. Immediately upon posting his campaign thread, he received an endorsement from Siwale, our Delegate, praising him on his legal knowledge and his attitude as a team player. Limerick1 believes his ethic of hard work and the experience he gained in his previous terms make him fit to serve.

Lord Lore has served as a justice for the last two terms, and has held office in numerous other positions prior to that, including as a former Minister and Deputy Minister of Culture and Lead Cartographer. He was endorsed by three important nations: Syrixia, McMasterdonia, and Pallaith. The only point of controversy in his campaign was the note that he did not sign the government letter declaring the new forum valid. His response highlighted his belief that the Court does not and should not serve as legal counsel of the administration, when rather the Attorney General serves that role.

Marcus Antonius is an entirely new nation to the executive staff of The North Pacific, and his recent involvement in World Assembly and Home Affairs show that he is quick-learning, fair-minded, and has plenty of time to dedicate to regional affairs. His campaign thread mirrors that perception, and demonstrates his willingness to study and review TNP’s legal code and constitution. His campaign thread is worth a read, if only for the roleplay he posts within it!

Results:

SillyString, Limerick1, and Eluvatar won, with 46, 35, and 32 votes respectively. Darcania narrowly missed with 29 votes. Lord Lore placed fifth with 23 votes. Marcus Antonius placed last with 14 votes. 12% of the vote requested a re-opening of nominations.

Discussion:

SillyString and Eluvatar almost certainly won due to their extensive legal experience and incredible service record for the region over the years. Their past contributions have not been forgotten. Limerick1 has served about as long on the court as Lord Lore, yet does not have as much name recognition. Siwale’s early endorsement of him is likely a prominent factor that helped his campaign. I would have expected Lord Lore to get more votes. Darcania likely lost out due to the perception - true or not - that his occasional disappearances from the region have been irresponsible, regardless of his statements to the contrary. It is not much of a surprise that Marcus Antonius came last in the race because of his lack of experience regarding TNP’s legal code and history. This is understandable given that he is a regional newcomer. The North Pacific has a strong legacy of supporting qualified newcomers for offices, and we are willing to earnestly consider candidates who may not have as extensive a resume as more senior members. But said newcomers must also be qualified for the offices for which they are running. This explains the difference between Limerick1 and Marcus Antonius in the November Judicial Elections.
 
Back
Top