2018 Alaoyian Presidential Election

2018 Alaoyian Presidential Election

19 November 2018
Registered	135,339,391
Turnout	79.0%
Nominee Adriaan Breytenbach Ikenna Onyekachukwu Mbu Darake Party Christian Social Union Socialist Party League of Unions Alliance Democratic Republican Home state Seekant Ụlọm Calawene Popular vote 57,842,702 23,201,232 7,911,941 Percentage 54.1% 21.7% 7.4%   Nominee Benjamin Macklemore Jenna Mafferson Party National Populist Eastern Centrist Party Alliance Farmer's Alliance Home state Contae Kinsal Teksaas Popular vote 7,270,432 5,987,415 Percentage 6.8% 5.6%
Entities won by Adriaan Breytenbach      Entities won by Ikenna Onyekachukwu      Entities won by Mbu Darake      Entities won by Benjamin Macklemore      Entities won by Jenna Mafferson
President before election Adriaan Breytenbach Democratic Elected President Adriaan Breytenbach Democratic

The 2018 Alaoyian presidential election was the 8th quintannual presidential election, on 19 November. In addition to president, voters also elected members of the Senate and many local offices as well. Incumbent president Adriaan Breytenbach received a majority of votes in the first round, and was thus re-elected president outright without the need for a second round.

As the incumbent president, Breytenbach was renominated by the Democratic Alliance without serious opposition. The Socialists, the primary opposition to the Democrats, experienced a much more competitive nomination session. Former Minister of Foreign Affairs Ikenna Onyekachukwu consistently led in polls and won the support of party leadership in August. Other major nominations included Benjamin Macklemore of the National Populists, the Farmer's Alliance nominated business woman Jenna Mafferson, and community organizer Mbu Darake was nominated by the Republican Alliance.

The early campaigns focused heavily on domestic issues, and debate centered largely around a growing but sluggish economy under Breytenbach as Alaoyi entered the middle income trap and ways to avoid the trap. Other issues included federal budget issues, the future of social welfare programs, and expansion of healthcare access. However, tensions with Inglaterra and Dilania escalated in early November after volunteers from those countries attacked Alaoyian marines stationed in Dumatina. This brought foreign policy and security issues to the front of the campaign. Onyekachukwu attacked Breytenbach as an out of touch upper class businessman who could not understand issues faced by the average Alaoyian and insinuated that his lack of military service. In contrast, Breytenbach sought to portray Onyekachukwu as soft on security and foreign policy. The other major candidates are considered to have had weak performances in comparison to the major parties.

Breytenbach soundly defeated all major candidates in the first round, the first and only candidate to win an election in the first round since the two-round system was implemented in 1998. Breytenbach won 54.1% of the vote, far ahead of his closest challenger, Onyekachukwu, who won only 21.7% of the vote, the worst performance by a Socialist in any Alaoyian election. In doing so, Breytenbach became the first president to win re-election since the end of ewezuga.