1945 Trjebian General Election

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1945 Trjebian general election
June 7, 1945 (1945-06-07) 1949 →

All 41 seats to the Legislative Assembly
22 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
Turnout70.4%
  First party Second party Third party
 
GBD
RDB
DB
Leader James Ghej Johannas Sza Michael Dhe
Party United Trjebia Society Liberal National Royalists
Leader since June 1937 November 1944 January 1945
Seats won 14 8 6
Popular vote 4,739 4,030 495
Percentage 32.9% 28.0% 3.4%

  Fourth party Fifth party
 
DG
GGS
Leader Paul Ne Andrew Bhe
Party National Union Communists and Sosymets
Leader since December 1944 December 1944
Seats won 3 2
Popular vote 2,035 2,180
Percentage 14.1% 15.1%

Prime Minister before election

None

Prime Minister after election

John Ghej
United Trjebia Society

The 1945 Trjebian General Election was held on May 7, 1945 to elect the 41 members of the Legislative Assembly of Trjebia. It ws the first democratic and partisan election to the body, after succeseful protests pushed the royal family to give into a consitutional monarchy and establish the office of Prime Minister of Trjebia. The electoral franchise was restricted to only men over 25, and voting was done based on occupational "districts" with disproportionate seat allocation, alongside 6 appointed members from the royal family.

The election was won by the United Trjebia Society, who formed government with the Royalists faction and several independents. Due to the unequal seat allocation amoungst districts, parties popular with the aristocracy and wealthy such as the Royalists and National Union won more seats then parties popular with working class voters, such as the Communists, despite winning less votes.

Background

Political Parties

Name Ideology Position Leader
GBD United Trjebia Society
Ghabheī Bherrasj Drhedhri
Conservatism Centre-right John Ghej
RDB Liberal National
Rebhesj Dhrena Bharti
Liberalism Centre Johannas Sza
DGG Communists and Sosymets
Dhredhje Gheseī Ghamisasosjemedh
Communism Far-left Andrew Bhe
DG National Union
Dhrena Ghese
National conservatism Right-wing Paul Ne
DB Royal Party
Dhrijena Bharti
Monarchism Right-wing Michael Dhe

Electoral system

The electoral system was designed as a compromise between the upper class, who opposed democratization and liberalism, and the middle to lower class. Concerned that the much larger in number lower class would outvote them if a single member district system was used (like in the United Kingdom), aristocrats demanded that they be allocated seats for them specifically compete in, and that they be awarded as many seats as the largest voting bloc. Thus, the final system would be based on voters occupational category, as definded by the new electoral board. The categories and their subsequent seat counts were as follows:

District Registered Voters Seats Seats per voter
Aristocrats 231 10 23.1
Commoners 12,433 10 1,243.3
Finacial 1,043 8 120.4
Labourers 6,754 7 964.8

This system gave the Aristocrats and Financial categories vastly more voting power then the Commoners and Labourers. Such a discrepancy would lead to parties like the Royalists to win more seats than the National Union or Communists combined, despite getting a tenth of their votes (3.4% compared to 14.1% and 15.1% respectivly). This system would last until 1960, when a proportional electoral system would be introduced.

Campaign issues

The primary issues facing voters in this election were:

  • Liberalization of Trjebia society, specifically how far reaching such reforms should be implamented. Parties like the Royalists and National Union opposed these changes, with United Trjebia taking a softer and cautionous approach. The Liberal National's supported many of the reforms, particularly the democratization and end to royal priority within the financial and trade system. The Communists were devided on the issue, with disagreements over whter the party should engage with the reforms to guide in favour of workers, and others wanting to boycott the new democratic system out of protest.
  • Post-WWII financial boom. Despite not participating in WWII, Trjebia was still effected by its impact, particularly given its newfound position as a safehaven of business and commerce amoungst the volatile Nelborne scene. United Trjebia, Liberal National, and National Union all pushed to support the sector of the economy, though disagreed about the role of the Royal Family in its affairs. The Communists opposed what they saw as an "ever encoaching bourgeois system". The Royalists were neutral, talking positivly about the new wealth in the country but professing how such money should be used to promote the royal house.
  • Nelborne security and stability. Since the end of WWI and the subsquent Nelborne Revolutions, the island had been a hotbed of nationalism and volatility. From 1938 to 1942 Trjebia's neighbours of Seketan and Alquiya had fought a war over disputed land, raising concerns about the kingdoms safety. Most parties agreed that Trjebia aught to improve relations with the United States and get securities from the new superpower. The Liberal Nationals furthered this by proposing closer economic ties between the Seketan, Alquiya, and Trjebia to bring economical stability. The only party to oppose this was the Communists, who belived that Trjebia should persue neutrality and suppor the global revolution.

Results

Trjebia Legislative Assembly 1945.svg
Party Votes % Seats
United Trjebia Society GBD 4,739 32.9 14
Liberal National RDB 4,030 28.0 8
Royalists DB 495 3.4 6
National Union DG 2,035 14.1 3
Communists and Sosymets DGG 2,180 15.1 2
Independent 926 6.4 7
Total 14,404 - 41
Registered voters/turnout 20,461 70.4

Notes