1945 Trjebian General Election

1945 Trjebian general election

June 7, 1945 (1945-06-07)
All 41 seats to the Legislative Assembly 22 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
Turnout	70.4%
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

See also: Gardeners Revolution (Trjebia)

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

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	–