Syrixia Decides

[Syrixia]

The Jade Palace
Pataliputra, Syrixian Empire
November 15, 2021

"Is everything in place?" Rajesh asked, sitting down.

The Parishad - the Emperor's informal inner circle of advisors - was assembled. Sitting around him in his office were many of the great officers of state and assorted sympathizers from throughout Imperial society. Among them was Rahul Sahab, the State Curator; Chirag Thakur, the Secretary of State; Suresh Rao, the Secretary of Military Affairs; Subhash Gopala Das, the President of the Darshak; and Om Dharmesh Narvekar; the Banamantri. "Your Majesty, we've managed to secure Alvi, Premji, and Vaswani, and we might have Desai." Das responded, referring to the CEOs of Alef, Horizon, Imperial Petroleum, and Osana Softworks. He had a serious look on his face. Despite the fact that all these magnates would be donating to the People's Freedom Party, he wasn't content. There were some names noticeably missing on that list.

The State Curator turned to face the Darshak President. "You couldn't get Durand?" he asked, somewhat puzzled, to which Das responded plainly, "No. She's always had..." he sighed. "...leftist tendencies. She was cordial to the proxies, but declined quickly. The real question is whether she'll support the League or the Samajwadis." At this, Narvekar chimed in. "She'll probably support the League. The Samajwadis would cost her too much money and the League actually has a shot at winning." Rajesh nodded. "Do we know if Ananda has made any overtures of his own?" he asked.

"He has, Your Majesty." Das responded. "We tapped as much as we could of his headquarters. He's reached out to Durand and Desai so far, though obviously he has far less resources than we do. There's no proof yet, but he's set to meet Durand tonight at the M downtown and we have the place bugged to hell and back. We'll know if any deals are made." Rajesh thought for a moment. "And what of Desai?" he asked, to which Das promptly responded, "Like I said, we might have him. I said that because he also might have him. We talked to Desai a couple days ago, but Ananda had a private call with him earlier today. I've sent Your Majesty the recordings, with the standard encryptions, of course."

Rajesh sighed. "We're going to need to dissolve today or tomorrow. We've been stalling and stalling and Rahul, I know you’ve told me that Speaker Advani is starting to get frustrated.” The State Curator nodded, at which point Rajesh continued, ”Any objections to me dissolving today?”

Silence.

”Good. Then we’re dissolving today. Let’s kick some ass. Dismissed.”

As the members of the Parishad nodded and began to file out of the room, Rajesh picked up his work phone, a black Karna HA 14. Alef, out of courtesy, had always given free phones to members of the Imperial Household if they ever requested them when the new models came out, and the Emperor had ordered two: one for work and one for his personal use. He called up the Imperial Bureau of Elections, the Empire’s independent election commission, and gave the order.

Showtime.

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IBC @IBC • 2m

BREAKING: His Majesty The Emperor has dissolved the Diet, officially beginning the 2021 General Election. As per tradition, the election usually concludes on Samrati Jayanti, but this year things seem to be different. Whether this will have any effect on the election remains to be seen. Stay tuned for further updates!

#TheEmpireDecides #साम्राज्यतयकरताहै

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56.2k Retwitches • 114.8k Likes

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STARDUST SONG, by Shiranui Flare, Tokoyami Towa, and Amane Kanata (Hololive Production - COVER Corp.)

 

[Syrixia]

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GENERAL ELECTION 2021: WHO'S WHO ON MAJOR ELECTION ISSUES?​

by Prakash Patel in Pataliputra
22 November, 2002

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The four major Party Supremos; from left to right: Rahul Sahab (SJP), Ananda Sato (NS), Mahant Pawar (RSP), and Nisha Srinivasan (SS).​

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PATALIPUTRA, SYRIXIAN EMPIRE: The Empire and the world continue to wait with anticipation as the 2021 general election formally begins in earnest. Around the globe this year there are many elections, some having already taken place and others that have yet to pass, but the Empire's in particular is of great significance and understandably so, considering the Empire's role in the world. We all know the basics of where the four major parties stand. The People's Freedom Party, or SJP, is a center-right party that has promoted strong Imperial investment in the markets of the wider world and, with the Civic League, co-sponsored the building of new residential communities in the interior of the Home Islands to combat excessive population density. The aforementioned Civic League is a center-left party that, though increasingly critical in recent months of the SJP Government's foreign policy, holds largely similar views in terms of domestic policy.

Then, of course, there are the two smaller and more radical parties - the right-wing populist Conservative and Monarchist Party and the social democratic Samajwadi Party. I can go on about their platforms. However, the best source when it comes to these types of things, is often the horse's mouth. With the first major debate between the Party Supremos coming later this month, I sat down, therefore, with the four major Party Supremos competing in this election and asked them some questions about not just their parties' views - and in the case of the governing People's Freedom Party, their actions - regarding perhaps the most important issue in this election: the Empire's role in the world. Partial transcripts of the interviews can be found below; the full interviews can be found on our Viedeo and AmeAme channels.​

​

Spoiler: Rahul Sahab, PFP/SJP

Q: Foreign policy is perhaps the biggest issue of this election. Relations between the Empire and the Continent have arguably on the decline for at least the past year. What has the Government done to ameliorate this?

A: It's sad to see things going in this direction. The Empire has always strived for a constructive, harmonious relationship between itself and the Continent. We will never shy away from defending our interests, especially those relating to our security, but nevertheless we continue to be committed to good relations. We still have good relations with states such as Caselania, Xentherida, Alemriche, and Aydin, and we're doing business all across the region, with nations such as those aforementioned as well as Essalanea, Norsia, and more. Some members of the Diet like to hype up every little hiccup in our progress as if it's the death of our long-held White Bridge Policy, which has brought business from all over the world to the Empire and in turn has brought Imperial business all over the world. In reality, though, our machine is still running strong and we're working hard every day to improve ties with Continental states. Our progress continues.

Q: Starting with Arvyk Sahab's administration and continuing through that of your predecessor and now into yours, the Empire's economy has experienced a strong shift. We now possess one of the largest and most dynamic economies on the planet, but critics say it has developed glaring vulnerabilities. What do you think about this?

A: Our economy is absolutely one of the largest, and most dynamic, as you say. We are now once again one of the world's centers of trade, commerce, and learning. There is much we need to continue working towards, however. We need to continue building ties with META and look into the same with the Iterian League to strengthen what has always been the lifeblood of our trade - the Meterran Sea trade routes. In doing so, we can continue to both grow those trade links as well as others, such as those with Goyanes and Vallia, and combat economic neoimperialism around the world from states that would disrupt the harmonious trade order we have sought to build.

Spoiler: Ananda Sato, CL/NS

Q: Foreign policy is perhaps the biggest issue of this election. Relations between the Empire and the Continent have arguably on the decline for at least the past year. What needs to be done to ameliorate all this?

A: I think there needs to be a major change in terms of the outlook we have, not just on the Continent, but towards the world. Our relationships are strong in Collandris, but on the Continent itself? Who do we have that we can call strong allies? Just Aydin and Alemriche! Meanwhile the Malorians have gobbled up half the continent and then some. You cannot seriously tell me that is progress. Decades ago, we may not have had as many allies as we do now, but neither did we have as many enemies. Decades ago, Léo Allard, in his Theory of Geopolitics, predicted this would happen. He called this system of building a so-called 'harmonious society' we have embarked on for decades one of "fatal conceit", and he was right. We have become far too vain, far too ignorant, and far too aggressive, and because of this, rather than looking to us for guidance, as the 'harmonious society' would have Continental states do, instead they mock us while signing treaties with Maloria, whose government - and I'm not afraid to say this - understands them much better than our own. The time has come to end this un-harmonious experiment and to close the book on that part of our colonial past. Embracing the past will not win us the future.

Q: You mentioned economics just now. Starting with Romeu Sahab's administration and continuing through that of Diwan and Rahul Sahab, the Empire's economy has experienced a strong shift. We now possess one of the largest and most dynamic economies on the planet, but critics say it has developed glaring vulnerabilities. What do you think about this?

A: It's true that our economy has changed, in many ways, for the better, and if we are elected, a Civic League government will ensure we see it continue to do so, for the better. That being said, while I don't think our economy is an inherently vulnerable one as some suggest, I do think there are certain courses of action that can lead to much less economic growth than others. For the past few decades, the Empire's traditional, neoconservative economic approach did lead to the forging of many economic ties and networks in an increasingly connected world. Now, though, as we enter the second millennium, just as our approach needs to change politically, so too does it economically. Though some states, including ours, are organized in a plurinational, state-centric form, most states have come to be organized in a form where there is either only one nation that comprises their state or there is a 'dominant' nation whose culture is enforced over all others. To some extent, we have the latter here. As a Durbanese, I know this all too well. Not only that, but this has been the case for some time, and every time we have had the opportunity to realize it we have not listened. We have another chance now, and I am ready to listen. I think the people of the Empire are ready to listen too, and that is why we're going to win. And when we win, we are going to listen by opening our borders, prioritizing trade with our neighbors on the Continent, and engaging with them not condescendingly, not as a father looking out for a son, but instead with compassion, as a man working with his fellow man.

Spoiler: Mahant Pawar, CMP/RSP

Q: Foreign policy is perhaps the biggest issue of this election. Relations between the Empire and the Continent have arguably on the decline for at least the past year. What needs to be done to ameliorate all this?

A: In my view this is a return to normalcy. Throughout history, the Empire has rarely had good ties with the outer states and peoples, or really any ties at all. We didn't need them and they either didn't need us, feared us, or both. I'm not suggesting that they should "fear us" now; I'm just stating the historical precedent. What I am saying is that the last half-century of the preceding millennium was a post-war period, when everyone was willing to come together. But it was not like that before, and now that most states are becoming more developed, the Continent is free to return to its old ways. Not just the Continent, in fact - the world is a mess. Right now, Mr. Patel, the world is as angry as it gets. What, you think the current situation is going to cause a little more anger? The world is an angry place! What we need to do is focus away from the Continent which has given us so much trouble and look towards others, as we have been doing recently. This is a policy I commend, but it needs to go further. The Government wants to walk a tightrope between the Continent and the Hamara Samudra region. The Continent is proving to once again be more trouble than it's worth. Let's focus on other things, yes? We have to look to Meterra, Iteria, Gothis - especially Gothis and its emerging markets!

Q: Starting with Arvyk Sahab's administration and continuing through that of Diwan and Rahul Sahab, the Empire's economy has experienced a strong shift. We now possess one of the largest and most dynamic economies on the planet, but critics say it has developed glaring vulnerabilities. What do you think about this?

A: The state of our economy right now is ridiculous. We need to invest way more in manufacturing products domestically. People say, "We don't have enough room. The cities are too packed." Do we not have one of the best public transport systems in the world? Do we not already do some of our logging domestically? The only reason we don't do much more is because leftist snowflakes complain about the environment, specifically the jungle. But to what end? It's not like we're in anything remotely resembling some sort of environmental crisis. There's virtually no risk except for biodiversity and that's why we have zoos! I'm obviously not saying we should destroy our jungles en masse, but we can and should clear more land out for development! That'll help solve the overpopulation problem as well. Hell, the Government's already doing it, but they're just not going far enough. When our party forms the next Government, we will.

Spoiler: Nisha Srinivasan, SP/SS

Q: Foreign policy is perhaps the biggest issue of this election. Relations between the Empire and the Continent have arguably on the decline for at least the past year. What needs to be done to ameliorate all this?

A: We need to destroy the colonialist 'harmonious society' mentality. Plain and simple. We already have enough blood on our hands. It's time for us to be the bigger people and set a precedent for the historical empires to abandon vain power-posturing. We especially should be the ones to do it because right now the world is mocking us. There was an article from a Prydanian news network that went viral all over Craviter at least, for example. At the end, it said these words: "Syrixia should be looking for ways to engage with Craviter’s nations on an equal footing. And they should be open to allowing themselves a less controlled vision of the world before them." That's what we need to do; who we have to be. We need to double down on our commitments to the CEA and change the focus of our military operations from raw power to peacekeeping. How can we claim to fight against neoimperialism and support peace if we ourselves are a neoimperialist state working against peace? It's a hard truth, but we need to be better, NOW.

Q: Starting with Arvyk Sahab's administration and continuing through that of your predecessor and now into yours, the Empire's economy has experienced a strong shift. We now possess one of the largest and most dynamic economies on the planet, but critics say it has developed glaring vulnerabilities. What do you think about this?

A: I think we have a lot of sensible regulations on the market already. The problem nobody wants to talk, about, though, is that the market is changing, and not in the "tertiary and quaternary sectors are growing" kind of way, but in the "primary and secondary sectors are shrinking" kind of way. As one of the global leaders in technology and technological innovation, we've seen amazing new breakthroughs, but we've also seen the rise of automation, and it's killing jobs. The other parties either seem content to think that pushing full steam ahead on the ongoing changes to our economy will create new opportunities and fill the gaps, but there will always be people left behind whether we like it or not. Considering that and the growing wealth inequality in our cities, we can't just rely on the dynamism of our economy. There's a reason we have those regulations I mentioned. The market can't magically solve everything. That's why we're the only party proposing a solid, comprehensive Universal Basic Income program to put money back in the hands of those who need it most - the people; to give them greater mobility and greater security in these changing times. We have the money and there are people who need it. Let's keep the engine of economic change going, but let's also make moves to ensure that no one gets left behind.

The first 2021 General Election debate between all four Party Supremos will be on Ravivar, 28 March 2002, at 8:00 PM IST. IBC will continue to post election updates as they come.

Translation by Vijay Dongre
November 22, 2002

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[Syrixia]

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IBC @IBC • 2m

PATALIPUTRA, SYRIXIAN EMPIRE: One week ahead of Election Day, both the latest polls and the Overseas Voting results were released and both indicate a race currently too close to predict with confidence before Election Day itself, with the two largest parties - the People's Freedom Party and Civic League - in a virtual tie. As of 1:00 AM this morning, with 98% percent of the votes counted, the PFP secured two overseas seats - Craviter and Iteria - but so did the Civic League, securing Collandris and Gothis. In addition, both the Conservative and Monarchist Party and the Samajwadi Party also secured two seats each.

#TheEmpireDecides #साम्राज्यतयकरताहै

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IBC @IBC • 2m

“We have sent a message to the Empire and the world,” Mahant Pawar told a party of supporters late last night. “The people have had enough! So listen, sometime real soon, we’re going to do this again…but this time it will be the whole Empire, and we will declare a victory. Friends, hang in with me. Thank you all so very, very much.” The Civic League and Samajwadi Party held similar press conferences following the results, though notably, the PFP - which won 6 of the overseas seats in 2015 - did not.

#TheEmpireDecides #साम्राज्यतयकरताहै

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54.2k Retwitches • 126.1k Likes

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IBC @IBC • 1m

Barring any game-changing news or scandals in the coming week, the race looks set to go down to the wire, with most reputable pollsters predicting numbers well within the margin of error. IBC will provide live coverage next week as results come in by prefecture.

#TheEmpireDecides #साम्राज्यतयकरताहै

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49.5k Retwitches • 108.8k Likes

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[Syrixia]

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IBC GENERAL ELECTION LIVE BLOG​

Supervised by Smita Patel
December 19, 2002

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Hello and welcome to IBC's Mercanti-language live blog for the 2021 Imperial General Election. We'll be bringing you the latest news regarding all things relating to the election, from results, to related stories, and of course, analysis; so this is the first place to be for breaking news! The team responsible for our live blog will be led by IBC regional editor and operations supervisor Smita Patel; our team's chief analyst, Ravish Kumar, and journalists Pranav Sharma and Anand Narasimhan!

Anand Narasimhan
@ANarasimhan

Well well, the boys are back...remember me?

RESENDS ~ LIKES
1,829 ~ 2,639

Pranav Sharma
@PranavSharma

I know I do, haha! It's good to be back, though reporting on an entirely different beast...

RESENDS ~ LIKES
1,814 ~ 3,127

Smita Patel
@smitapatel4

And the girl, thank you very much! Hello, everyone - our team is back once again giving you live updates on the election results via this live Shira feed. Our official Mercanti hashtag is #TheEmpireDecides.

RESENDS ~ LIKES
2,482 ~ 4,173

Ravish Kumar
@RavishKumar

Speaking of, right out the gate, we can now project the results for Vyabastha Prefecture:

​

The results seem to be fairly even so far, with Sannati generally being a less competitive city than in 2015, going more strongly to the Civic League this time around. Then you have the general PFP gain in the suburban and rural areas at the CMP's expense. Overall we've seen a PFP gain in the suburban and rural regions, and a League gain in the urban regions.

(For reference: orange refers to the People's Freedom Party (PFP), gold to the Civic League, green to the Conservative and Monarchist Party (CMP), and purple to the Samajwadi Party.) #TheEmpireDecides

RESENDS ~ LIKES
1,375 ~ 3,284

Pranav Sharma
@PranavSharma

So what the Vyabastha results show are two things: if this pattern holds Empire-wide, as many analysts have already predicted, then the League are likely to have increased gains in the cities, whilst the PFP are likely to have increased gains in suburban and rural areas, whereas the CMP are losing across the board
. The general consensus is that this is due to the introduction of new, younger voters as well as the decline of sovereigntism worldwide. 
However, the question mainly lies in the suburban areas. 
That's likely where the election will be decided, what with the Civic League holding down the cities and the PFP holding down rural areas.

RESENDS ~ LIKES
1,925 ~ 3,683

Anand Narasimhan
@ANarasimhan

One must also consider, though, how much rural areas the PFP will gain, and how much urban areas the Civic League will gain; you and Ravish mentioned the CMP, but there are also the Samajwadis, who typically win in the poorer urban areas. Due to the steady and unbroken decline in the Samajwadis' popularity over the years since Romeu Sahab's 2009 win, it's been expected and still is that they'll be losing seats. They just haven't come up with a viable brand since Varam, but the League has, and they've, accordingly, been making waves with the center-left.

RESENDS ~ LIKES
1,023 ~ 1,996

Pranav Sharma
@PranavSharma

This is true, and that strategy has been working overall, but it especially started to gain steam after Ananda Sato took over as Party Supremo. His goal has been to invoke his entrepreneurial roots and present the Civic League as the 'forward-thinking party of the future' whilst not abandoning its overall neoliberal, moderate platform. In short, he's using the Samajwadi's weakness to reunite the left and move into the center in a way Varam could've only dreamed of.

RESENDS ~ LIKES
1,938 ~ 3,562

Ravish Kumar
@RavishKumar

The question is whether that'll be enough. The PFP definitely made the right move postponing this election to the end of the year - since the Iraelian referendum earlier this year, their poll numbers, though not where they once were, have returned to a slim lead, and it's showing.

RESENDS ~ LIKES
1,375 ~ 3,284

Smita Patel
@smitapatel4

Well, we'll have to see as results continue to come in! #TheEmpireDecides

RESENDS ~ LIKES
2,185 ~ 4,387

 

[Syrixia]

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IBC GENERAL ELECTION LIVE BLOG​

Supervised by Smita Patel
December 19, 2002

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Ravish Kumar
@RavishKumar

Guys, we got another one; both Shravasti and Mehrgarh Prefectures this time:

​

To say Ananda is going hard would be an understatement... #TheEmpireDecides

RESENDS ~ LIKES
1,283 ~ 3,693

Pranav Sharma
@PranavSharma

So we knew the PFP would probably pick up the two CMP constituencies in Shravasti Prefecture. It's definitely interesting to see them pick up a couple seats in Mehrgarh, though, but I think we can all agree that the real highlight here is the League absolutely dominating Shravasti. They've not only swept up suburban seats from the PFP but they pretty much kicked the Samajwadis out of the city!

RESENDS ~ LIKES
1,028 ~ 3,172

Smita Patel
@smitapatel4

I think, though, that this poses two problems as the election continues. Firstly, this election's definitely coming down to the wire. If trends hold as they seem to be it may well be decided by just a few seats unless something changes. Secondly, this signals a greater polarization, I think, in the politics to come.

RESENDS ~ LIKES
2,384 ~ 4,001

Ravish Kumar
@RavishKumar

Definitely. The Empire seems to be on the road to a true two-party system. For the longest time we've had a 3-party system, with the two major parties playing tug-of-war and a stable, decent-sized Samajwadi Party on the side. But the PFP always had the edge due to the split in the left, so it became the Empire's "natural governing party". Then the CMP showed up, and there was a major and a minor party on each side of the spectrum.

RESENDS ~ LIKES
1,063 ~ 3,987

Anand Narasimhan
@ANarasimhan

And now both minor parties are beginning to wither away.

RESENDS ~ LIKES
1,728 ~ 3,193

Ravish Kumar
@RavishKumar

Well, the Samajwadis already were. They've basically become a party of inner city workers at this point, especially after the few remaining Varamist MDs left to join the League. But the CMP peaked during the last election. From 2003 to 2009 to 2015 they rose dramatically each time. With a reversal of fates set to take place for them, we may be on track to the PFP gobbling them back up just as the League has been gobbling up the Samajwadis.

RESENDS ~ LIKES
1,375 ~ 3,284

Pranav Sharma
@PranavSharma

Let's see if these trends hold, then... #TheEmpireDecides

RESENDS ~ LIKES
3,183 ~ 5,998

 

[Syrixia]

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IBC GENERAL ELECTION LIVE BLOG​

Supervised by Smita Patel
December 19, 2002

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Ravish Kumar
@RavishKumar

Results seem to be coming in faster and faster! We just got the whole rest of the north:

​

#TheEmpireDecides

RESENDS ~ LIKES
2,173 ~ 3,201

Pranav Sharma
@PranavSharma

WOW. That's a BLOWOUT.

RESENDS ~ LIKES
1,583 ~ 3,977

Anand Narasimhan
@ANarasimhan

OK, the CMP is GONE, lol. I think Mahant Pawar might have just had a heart attack.

RESENDS ~ LIKES
1,283 ~ 3,855

Ravish Kumar
@RavishKumar

Don't speak too soon. They've been losing across the board in the Home Islands but Pravia's results have yet to be released.

RESENDS ~ LIKES
1,284 ~ 3,998

Pranav Sharma
@PranavSharma

This is true. Either way, both them and the League have been put on notice. The League seems to be struggling to make gains in the northern cities whilst the PFP is wiping the floor with everybody. What I wonder is if the south will be any different.

RESENDS ~ LIKES
1,004 ~ 3,011

Ravish Kumar
@RavishKumar

I think we're most likely going to see the League's vote pick up in the south, in the bigger cities - I mean, just look at Shravasti. And, of course, don't forget Durban. The CMP may be on electoral death's door but the League is not down for the count yet - not even close.

RESENDS ~ LIKES
1,052 ~ 3,374

 

[Syrixia]

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IBC GENERAL ELECTION LIVE BLOG​

Supervised by Smita Patel
December 19, 2002

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Anand Narasimhan
@ANarasimhan

Are you sure about that? I'm getting reports that the PFP just swept Pritampur and Visakhapatnam.

RESENDS ~ LIKES
1,182 ~ 2,974

Pranav Sharma
@PranavSharma

That can't be true. Pritampur maybe but VP? There's no way they got it all.

RESENDS ~ LIKES
1,753 ~ 3,826

Ravish Kumar
@RavishKumar

Nope, they got it all.

​

#TheEmpireDecides

RESENDS ~ LIKES
1,673 ~ 3,192

Pranav Sharma
@PranavSharma

Wow. The League had 5 seats in the VP area, all in the core of the city. This changes things. I thought the PFP was just eating away at the League's seats in the suburbs, but they're starting to take over some of the smaller cities as well.

RESENDS ~ LIKES
1,976 ~ 3,129

Anand Narasimhan
@ANarasimhan

The question is whether Pravia and the remaining prefectures on the Home Islands will change that. The remaining results usually take a bit longer, so we may have to wait.

RESENDS ~ LIKES
1,024 ~ 1,866

Smita Patel
@smitapatel4

I think I speak for many people at home in saying I'm on the edge of my seat now! #TheEmpireDecides

RESENDS ~ LIKES
2,085 ~ 5,190

 

[Syrixia]

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IBC GENERAL ELECTION LIVE BLOG​

Supervised by Smita Patel
December 19, 2002

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Anand Narasimhan
@ANarasimhan

I may have spoken too soon. I'm getting word that results are coming in even faster now.

RESENDS ~ LIKES
1,173 ~ 2,595

Ravish Kumar
@RavishKumar

Yeah. Pravia just came in. Nine prefectures at once. The Election Commission wasn't kidding around when they said they've updated their technology.

​

#TheEmpireDecides

RESENDS ~ LIKES
1,283 ~ 3,604

Pranav Sharma
@PranavSharma

Things are definitely looking grim for the League now. They've largely held onto their seats in the region but the PFP has made significant gains without losses in turn. Everyone knew they'd carry their local bastion of Ruritania but they've been hitting the CMP hard practically everywhere else as well - except Grão-Campo, of course.

RESENDS ~ LIKES
1,273 ~ 3,694

Smita Patel
@smitapatel4

How do you guys think this may indicate the rest of the election? Only Durban and the western prefectures of the Home Islands have yet to report and at this rate they could come in at any moment.

RESENDS ~ LIKES
2,162 ~ 5,485

Pranav Sharma
@PranavSharma

At this point I would say the trends are very obvious at this point. The League is definitely consolidating the left but the PFP is consolidating the right at a far faster rate. They've spent unprecedented amounts of capital campaigning in the areas they lost 6 years ago and it's showing to the point where the League really can't keep up.

RESENDS ~ LIKES
1,101 ~ 3,695

Anand Narasimhan
@ANarasimhan

You gotta remember Pataliputra, Bokaronagar, and Durban, though, especially the former. Durban is always a shoe-in for the League, and if the League's efforts pay off, they're likely gonna nab a lot of Samajwadi seats in the other two. This race isn't over yet.

RESENDS ~ LIKES
1,182 ~ 1,584

Pranav Sharma
@PranavSharma

Maybe, but I'm skeptical it's gonna be enough to end years of PFP government.

RESENDS ~ LIKES
1,172 ~ 3,585

Anand Narasimhan
@ANarasimhan

It's never a good idea to speak too soon - let's see what the next prefectures throw at us! #TheEmpireDecides

RESENDS ~ LIKES
1,024 ~ 1,299

 

[Syrixia]

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IBC GENERAL ELECTION LIVE BLOG​

Supervised by Smita Patel
December 19, 2002

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Anand Narasimhan
@ANarasimhan

I'm being told that both the southern and northwestern prefectures are coming in at the same time.

RESENDS ~ LIKES
1,183 ~ 2,592

Pranav Sharma
@PranavSharma

Let's see who was right, then. Ravish, what's it looking like?

RESENDS ~ LIKES
1,163 ~ 3,372

Ravish Kumar
@RavishKumar

It's looking as expected in the south, but the PFP won big in the northwest.

#TheEmpireDecides

RESENDS ~ LIKES
1,172 ~ 3,943

Pranav Sharma
@PranavSharma

Yeah, I think this election's over. These trends are undeniable and I really don't see how, unless the capital throws a monkey wrench into everything, the League is winning this.

RESENDS ~ LIKES
1,202 ~ 3,048

Anand Narasimhan
@ANarasimhan

That's what I'm thinking now, too. The only question is how big will the PFP win in Pataliputra. The Diet could be hung if it's not big enough.

RESENDS ~ LIKES
1,262 ~ 1,151

Smita Patel
@smitapatel4

One prefecture to go, then! Let's see how Pataliputra casts this election's final votes. #TheEmpireDecides

RESENDS ~ LIKES
2,595 ~ 5,280

 

[Syrixia]

Shailan was about as nervous as any first-time voter would be. A quiet but carefree youth from the affluent Noida ward, he was never particularly interested in politics. He did, however, need to go through a part of the city where one of its many voting centers was situated to meet up with some friends at their favorite internet cafe. Maybe they'd buy the latest Weekly Parya Jump, get some tea, watch a movie. It was a Sunday, after all, and they met up there every Sunday, whether they had school or not.

May as well vote if it's on the way, he thought, hopping onto the metro at Noida station. It wasn't a long ride, especially with how fast Pataliputra's trains were. Shailan's ride started in Noida, and would continue through Yarnavana Garh, Shakti Chowk - where the voting center was - and then on to Saket and his destination, Bijana. He had left early, so he'd get off at Shakti Chowk, punch in his ballot, and then hop on the next train to Bijana.

What he saw as he exited the train, however, confused him at first, then shocked him. The train station was a ghost town. Walking down the white-tiled station floor past the multiple destination boards and tiny shops lining the walls, and then riding up the escalator, he came face to face with a massive mob, spanning the length of the entire street. The voting station was...closed? It wasn't supposed to be closed for hours. Then he saw the alert on his phone.

Something about an joint announcement from the Office of the Minister of the Left - the Emperor's chief spokesman and liaison officer to the Government - and the Election Commission..."abnormalities" being found within the software of most voting machines in Pataliputra? "Maintenance" required to "ensure accurate vote tallies"? His eyes widened as he kept reading.

"All voting to be stopped immediately until further notice"

 

[Andrenne]

Spoiler: From the Skandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Spoiler: Plaintext Version

Hiroshi Masada, Commissar of Foreign Affairs
Kuhena, Chikosu Prefecture
Democratic People's Republic of Skanda
2021と12뫄21は
December 21st, 2021

Two days ago, the Syrixian Imperial government found it fit to suspend all voting in their elections. The stated reasoning was that this was due to abnormalities found within the voting machines, and votes needed to be suspended to ensure accurate tallies. This is, of course, a blatant lie as is often the case with Pataliputra. It is clear to Skanda and the rest of the world that this is a power grab; elections were halted to ensure only the "correct" party wins.

Pataliputra could not accept that their government was unpopular and lost the election, and so their solution was to subvert democracy and send Syrixia back into the dark ages. This level of government irresonsibility has not been seen since the Syrixian "State of Emergency" in 1966/1967.

This is only proof of Syrixia's imperialist intentions. Syrixia cannot be trusted. They cannot be trusted to maintain democracy, and they cannot be trusted by the international community. It is only a matter of time before they attempt to use this newfound authority abroad.

Skanda must act. We cannot allow Syrixia to destroy democratic ideals or become a neo-imperialist state under the will of a corrupt emperor. As such, the Skandan government shall be sanctioning Syrixia until further notice. All non-essential food items, electronics, raw materials, and other unlisted items available for viewing in the Records of the National Diet.

Emperor Rajesh and the Syrixian nation should be ashamed. The people of Syrixia deserve better than this. We are confident that the international community and their own population shall punish them for this disgusting breach of dignity.

Hiroshi Masada, Commissar of Foreign Affairs

 

[Prydania]

Skrifstofu Forsætisráðherra | Konungsríki Prydansk
Office of the Prime Minister | Kingdom of Prydania​

In light of recent events in Syrixia I feel compelled, as the democratically elected Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Prydania, to speak on the importance of freedom, the sacredness of democratic institutions, and the dangers of tyranny.

In our country those that craved power conspired to attain it at the expense of our democratic institutions.
King Anders III and Stefan Toft did not nakedly do so. Instead they couched their actions in languages designed to normalize the erosion of the democratic order.
What is happening in Syrixia is frighteningly similar. Claims of the need for "maintenance," "accurate vote tallies," and to investigate "abnormalities" turn peoples' justified fears on the integrity of the democratic process against themselves. What the Syrixian government is engaged in is nothing short of an attempt to run from an unfavourable election result and overturn the will of the people.

In my country we fought, bleed, and died for our freedom. Such loss, however, is not in vain if we strive to build a better world for ourselves. To take the painful lessons of the past to heart so we never repeat them. This applies to the world, as much as it does to the Prydanian Realm. His Majesty's Government cannot in good conscious sit by an allow such a disregard for the rule of law democratic norms to occur without action.

I, on behalf of His Majesty's Government, fully condemn the actions of the Syrixian government and have instructed the cabinet to explore options for the sanctioning of the Syrixian Empire and to move for Syrixia's suspension from the Craviter Economic Association until such time as the rule of law is restored and the democratic will of the people is validated.

Kjell Svane
Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Prydania​

 

[Prydania]

משרד החוץ
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
מדינה יראליע
State of Iraelia
​

The State of Iraelia is concerned with the events transpiring in the Empire and, in this moment of crisis, wishes to offer its assistance to His Majesty the Emperor and his government in untangling the electoral situation.

The State of Iraelia has, since gaining independence in 1954, valued its democratic character. Our nearly seventy years of uninterrupted democratic governance is not only a source of pride for Iraelia but is something imparted to us by the Empire. The colonial relationship between Iraelia and the Empire saw the introduction of modern democratic norms, and it is because of this legacy that Iraelia knows that democracy is as valued in the Empire as it is here in Iraelia.

Yet clearly there have been accusations made and alarms sounded to halt the democratic processes during a regularly scheduled election in the Empire. Rather than blame, Iraelia offers assistance. Our people and the people of the Empire share much common history, affection, and a legacy of cooperation and friendship. Further, Iraelia's own democratic norms are unshakable. On behalf of the government of the State of Iraelia and the Iraelian people we request that we be allowed to send observers in to examine and oversee the processes of assessing the voting and procedures attached to it, so we may help the Imperial authorities determine if irregularities took place or not.

Iraelia has no goal regarding the Empire other than our continued good relations, friendship, and partnership and we believe these feelings transcend partisan politics both in Iraelia and the Empire. If accepted, our team can be trusted to have no goal or motivation other than determining if irregularities occurred.

אשכר חיסקיה
Eshkar Hiskiyah
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Iraelia

 

[Syrixia]

Subhash Gopala Das sighed. "I told you. I told you all. You didn't listen." The President of the Darshak was sitting in a secure group call with Rahul Sahab as well as Secretaries Thakur and Rao. When it became clear the votes in Pataliputra were not going the way they had wanted, he had advised them to sit down, shut up, take what was coming, and adapt so they would live to fight another day. He had been in this situation before. These sanctimonious middle-agers and their juvenile minister had not. Rao, the careless idiot, had already suggested that they simply...alter the data. Sure. Sure, they could do that. If not for the fact that this entire stunt was so ridiculously obvious the entire planet was now on their heads.

"At the very least," Das continued, "take the golden opportunity that the Iraelians just handed you. They won't find anything wrong. Then re-open the machines, and do what I fucking said in the first place." At this, Thakur nervously chimed in. "We're stuck between a rock and a hard place here, Pramukh Ji. What will His Majesty think?" That, however, was the last thing Das was looking to hear right now.

"INFANTILE BHENCHOD! Do you know how many people's deaths I have authorized with only a pen? Have you ever heard of El Sagador? I can call up thousands of him. Every single person liquidated, every single government and company infiltrated, I PLANNED IT. I EXECUTED IT. DARSHAK MONEY, DARSHAK BLOOD. You think I am afraid of the Little Professor and his books? Do you think he's the one protecting you, watching over you while you sleep? Is he the one keeping the daggers out of your backs? I tell you something PAINFULLY obvious based on all this experience, you ignore me, the people do EXACTLY AS I SAID THEY WOULD, and now you're STILL HERE worrying about Fancy Boy Facestroke in his chair? SEND THE FUCKING MESSAGE, DAMN YOU!"

With that, he hung up, leaving the rest of the room stunned, not only at Das' disrespect but to, perhaps for the first time in a long time, his candid honesty.

After maybe a minute of utter silence, Rahul Sahab sighed. "Just send the message." Then they all hung up.

Spoiler: Response to Iraelia

Spoiler: Plaintext

RESPONSE TO THE STATE OF IRAELIA REGARDING ELECTORAL ASSISTANCE​

It is with great joy that we receive the most kind and gracious message of the State of Iraelia in regards to the present electoral situation in the Empire. The friendship and spirit of cooperation and understanding between our states is one of the longest and most enduring in modern history, and it is one that, for this reason, cannot be understated or underestimated.

That we have found ourselves in this situation is deeply unfortunate. The security and accuracy of empirewide elections is paramount, especially in rapidly changing times such as these. It was necessary, therefore, to ensure that such security was to be looked after.

When we first received indications that there may be problems with numerous machines in the Pataliputra urban area, we acted quickly and decisively to ensure that all precautions are taken so that the people's true and unadulterated voices may be heard.

Continuing in that spirit, we therefore wholeheartedly accept the offer of the State of Iraelia to send observers to assist in our efforts, and we thank Iraelia for stretching out its hands rather than devolving into hostility and vitriol, as many other entities have so recently done. Iraelia shines as an example to all of moral virtue and human compassion that we will not forget.

Chirag Thakur
Imperial Secretary of State​

 

[Prydania]

One week later

Levi David took a sip of water as the assembled media gathered at the press conference at the Iraelian embassy in Pataliputra.

Why did he have to do this? He wasn't a public speaker! He wasn't trained to deal with the media! He was a forensic data analyst! But here he was, stuck in front of cameras from news outlets the world over!

These Foreign Affairs schmucks. They thought they could just take someone like him- someone with a lot on his mind, mind you!- and then dump all their farkakte nonsense on him?
"Oh make sure you emphasize this but don't assign blame. Keep this in mind. Talk about that!"

If it was so damn important they could do it! But no... they insisted on him as the head of the team.

"Oy," he muttered as he sipped more water before setting the glass down. The journalists were all seated and it was about time to start.

"Ok... hello! Hello!" he said, his voice strained with a mild since of annoyance.
"Ok. We got the cameras running? Ok, let's start this," he said as he looked down at his notes and re-adjusted them.

Shaddai, what a mess this whole thing was. What a waste of time. And for what? That's what got him. These idiots did this and they thought he wouldn't figure out the truth? All of this, him having to schlep all the way up here, for what?

"Ok, hello! Right. Hello, my name is Levi David. I work for the State of Iraelia's electoral fraud taskforce. And I'm here to discuss the 2021 Imperial elections in Pataliputra!"

"So to recap, the voting in the Imperial capital was shut down because someone... someone thought there might be some fraud. My team's been going over the data and we can conclude a few things. First..."

The crowd of journalists erupted into a mob of questions, and Levi's eyes rolled into the back of his head. He wasn't even done!

"Um... um...." he looked over the crowd and pointed to a guy wearing an IBC press badge.

"You, the IBC fella. Yeah you."

"Anand Narasimhan, IBC News?"

Oy. He pointed to him. Wasn't an invitation to give his life story.
"Ok. Anand. What's up buddy?"

"I think the question everyone wants to know is... was there fraud or were any irregularities found?"

Levi sighed. He was getting to that. But the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wanted things worded a specific way and...

"Well. Anand. If you'd let me finish, can I finish? If you'd let me finish you'd find out, ok? This was a delicate procedure. A lotta data to uncover!"

He straightened his tie a bit and continued.

"We listened to Imperial authorities about where they felt the problems were..." that was good. He was instructed not to throw the Syrixian government under the bus.

"We took the concerns seriously! Election fraud... it's you know... it's a serious... a serious thing! We wanted to do it right! So we looked at their concerns and..."

"And?" Anand asked, sitting on the edge of his seat. Recorder in hand.

Levi looked nervously at him. And then at the cameras from news outlets from Gothis, Iteria, Craviter, Meterra, Kian, Icenia, the Aurorias...this was the big one. He wanted to ease into this but Anand had jumped the gun and put him on the spot. He shrugged a bit and nervously shook his head.

"Nah."

Everyone looked at him in stunned silence.

"Nah," he repeated.
"We looked over all... all the stuff, the data, we listened to where they felt the issues were... didn't find anything."

The crowd of reporters rose up into a rabble again all demanding his attention. He haplessly shrugged and just pointed to Anand again out of desperation.

"So you're saying the alleged irregularities in the voting machines in Pataliputra were non-existent?"

Levi sighed. He'd ripped it off, like a bandaid. Now he had to finish the job.

"Yeah that's what I'm saying. Look folks, we've been through the data over and over and over. We compared it to non-compromised samples, we double checked the voting rolls ten times over... it's all here."

He held up a report.

"We published it with the Iraelian and Imperial governments. It's free to check, and all that. You'll see what we did! Didn't find anything."

"Are you saying the Imperial government lied about voting irregularities?" Anand asked, stunned.

"No! No," Levi replied pointing back at him.
"I didn't say anything like that. They had concerns, we looked, didn't find anything. Who knows why people do what they do?"

He was nervous. The Imperial government absolutely lied. Nothing about their accusations was proven by any of the data. It was as secure and efficient election as he ever saw. The only way anyone could have claimed fraud were if they were intentionally taking the piss. But Iraelia was an ally of Syrixia. He couldn't say that.

"They had concerns," he repeated, "but we didn't find anything. The vote was... it was legitimate."

There. He said it. And the mob of reporters asking him even more questions got louder. He shrugged haplessly. Knowing at the very least, he'd be home free once this press conference was over.

 

[Syrixia]

---

IBC GENERAL ELECTION LIVE BLOG​

Supervised by Smita Patel
December 26, 2002

---

Anand Narasimhan
@ANarasimhan

Did you guys hear that?

RESENDS ~ LIKES
6,283 ~ 8,592

Pranav Sharma
@PranavSharma

Who didn't? Good job. I don't think it gets any clearer than that.

RESENDS ~ LIKES
5,163 ~ 6,172

Ravish Kumar
@RavishKumar

I have a feeling that in a decade or two the kids are gonna be seeing Mr. David's words in textbooks.

RESENDS ~ LIKES
5,294 ~ 6,183

Pranav Sharma
@PranavSharma

I'm getting word that people across the city are scrambling to public squares and stock exchanges. The Election Commission already has the results. They may release them any moment now.

RESENDS ~ LIKES
4,998 ~ 6,011

Smita Patel
@smitapatel4

This is it. We've all been waiting for this for how long now? It seems the big moment's finally here. #TheEmpireDecides

RESENDS ~ LIKES
5,016 ~ 6,087

Anand Narasimhan
@ANarasimhan

Guys. They just released it. I can't believe what I'm seeing.

RESENDS ~ LIKES
8,923 ~ 11,202

 

[Syrixia]

---

GENERAL ELECTION 2021: CIVIC LEAGUE RETURNS TO POWER IN STUNNING REPUDIATION OF THE ESTABLISHMENT​

by Prakash Patel in Pataliputra
27 December, 2002

---

The victorious Party Supremo of the Civic League, Ananda Sato, soon to be dubbed Ananda Sahab.​

---

PATALIPUTRA, SYRIXIAN EMPIRE: The Civic League has swept back into power for the first time since 1997, in not only a very similar way to how A.K. Varam's Samajwadi Party swept them out of power, but also in a way that has officially broken barriers, with the first non-Sanvasi State Curator in the history of the Empire's parliamentary democracy now poised to take office. The League's victory, firstly, shows a significant reversal of what had been the zeitgeist of Imperial politics for decades following the Emergency. There existed a united right wing while the left, scarred by the legacy of the Emergency, lay battered and divided, feuding with itself as it struggled to choose a direction for itself, between the League's social democracy and the Samajwadis' democratic socialism.

More importantly, however, the League's victory has amounted to a national catharsis - a repudiation of not just this zeitgeist but of both the stagnation and increased isolation the popular majority that elected the League feels it caused. It is a repudiation of decades of economic and foreign policies, and an embrace of Mr. Sato's call for a change in the direction and the tone of the country. Mr. Sato, formerly an MD from a rural Durban district, rose rapidly to prominence not only with his ineffable charisma, but more importantly, with his ability to personally undo that decades-long zeitgeist and unite the left to face down an ever-increasingly divided right. While Hon'ble Rahul Sahab and Mahant Pawar were fighting for control of the right, Mr. Sato, as it was revealed soon after the results were announced, brokered a deal with the Samajwadi Party Supremo, Dr. Nisha Srinivasan, to formally unite the left.

Her party, which had been floundering for years and losing members to the League after A.K. Varam left politics, will be formally joining the League's ranks, uniting the left in the Diet for the first time since the Emergency, with a majority of 328 seats. Even if the PFP were able to do something similar with the CMP their combined total would be 322, giving the League a slim but still absolute majority of 50.4%. In exchange? Srinivasan is to be named Secretary of State for Finance and the new government will be pursuing Dr. Srinivasan's flagship economic policy - a Universal Basic Income. Hon'ble Rahul Sahab offered a gracious concession speech at the M Hotel Pataliputra, shortly after 11:15 PM last night. "Mr. Sato has achieved a great thing for himself and for the Empire", he said over some supporters booing while others looked on in stunned silence, stating further that "though I have disagreed and will continue to disagree with his views on how we need to move the Empire forward both at home and abroad, it is clear that his victory, at the very least, is a vindication of the cosmopolitan spirit we all cherish."

Of course, not everyone has shared these conciliatory views. Mr. Pawar, in a series of statements on Shira which were then translated and posted on Twitcher, stated that the Government's decision not to re-count the votes in Pataliputra following Iraelian observer Levi David's press conference - and instead to release them as counted - early yesterday afternoon was a "travesty" that showed Imperial democracy in the Samani Era is "without quality". Meanwhile, in light of the controversies around the brief suspension of the vote count surrounding the Palace, neither the Banamantri nor any other spokesperson for the Imperial Household has commented on the results. It is likely, however, that the process from here will be an orderly one, with Mr. Sato set to engage in the customary imperial audience to be confirmed as State Curator and become Hon'ble Ananda Sahab.

Though Mr. Sato has not yet formally announced his cabinet, from previous interviews it is clear that his policy at home will not be the only deviation from the past decade or so, but foreign policy as well - there will likely be fundamental shifts both in terms of economic outreach policy and in terms of political outreach policy, less in favor of brute force market expansion and instead shifting towards bilateralism. A shift away from Meterra and Iteria in favor of Craviter may also be on the horizon, though only time will tell on the specifics. What is clear is that this unexpected result has not only stunned the Empire, but the world, as the electorate has shown that it is done with decades of established convention, instead preferring to begin a new chapter in the annals of modern Imperial political history.

Translation by Vijay Dongre
27 December, 2002​

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