Vyvlander general election, 2013
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The 2013 Vyvlander general election took place throughout Vyvland on the 30th of October 2013. It saw the end of the sole term of Vren Dens and her centre-left Liberal-Socialist-Green coalition, which was replaced by a centre-right Conservative-Liberal-Capitalist-Libertarian coalition under Kurt Blymont. All constituency members and all regional list members were elected. As such, all 568 seats in the Vyvlander Parliament were up for election.
Background
The Left-Centre Coalition of the Greens, Socialists and Liberals fared reasonably well for the term and stayed intact for the full four year term limit. As such, an election was called by president Robert Ujson, to be held in October, on a Wednesday as per usual convention.
On the 2nd of September 2013, the final election date was announced by Ujson; this marked the beginning of official campaigning. As is customary, Parliament dissolved three weeks prior to the election, on Tuesday 9th October in order to enable Parliamentary candidates to travel and campaign. Official results were announced between the Thursday and the Saturday of the week of the election, with a coalition formed three weeks later after conclusions of lengthy negotiations mainly focusing on the admission of the National Party.
Three debates were scheduled for the pre-election weeks; the first on the 17th September, the second on the the 3rd October, and the third on the 16th October. The first two debates showed only the leaders of the four largest parties - Vren Dens, Kurt Blymont, Niklas Brule and Willem Winkelman, while the third showed the leaders of three minor parties. Each debate focused on one area of government policy.
Polling
The majority of polls have forecast the Conservatives to become the largest party, followed by the Liberals, Socialist and Nationals. Overall, right-wing parties are forecast to gain at the expense of those on the left. In the August 2013 Accu poll, the right-wing parties (C, N, P, M, V) along with the right-leaning members of the Alliance (those affiliated to the Helish Unie/HU, Nieuw Fries Front/NFF and Christian Democrats/KDH) are predicted to gain 49.5% of the vote, in contrast to the left's 28.0% without the Liberals (S, G, K, D, DPP in Alliance) or 49.0% with. Results similar to this were experienced on polling day.
Gainers included the Nationals, who experienced a surge in popularity along with the more extreme Vyvlander Front, predicted to gain their first seats in Parliament. On the left, the Greens are also likely to win more seats than in 2009, while the new Democratic Socialists may make their way into Parliament. Among losses include the Liberals, who some suggest will lose a third of their current seats, the Alliance, and the Communists.
The incumbent Liberals will likely face losses due to their response to the crisis in Roubao, perceived as mishandling by many sides of the political spectrum. Robert Ujson's blunder at the Esquarium Summit concerning Crolacian Prime Minister Larisa Reutt's breasts is also postulated to negatively impact their performance.
| Polling Firm | Date | Conservatives (C) | Liberals (L) | Socialists (S) | Nationals (N) | Capitalists (P) | Greens (G) | Alliance (A) | Communists / United Left (K) | Monarchists (M) | Front (V) | Democratic Socialists (D) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accu | August 2013 | 25.2% | 22.2% | 18.5% | 12.7% | 6.3% | 5.0% | 3.1% | 1.9% | 1.6% | 0.9% | 0.8% |
| Accu | 16-17 October 2013 | 26.2% | 21.4% | 18.7% | 12.8% | 7.2% | 5.2% | 2.8% | 1.6% | 1.0% | 1.1% | 1.0% |
Debates
Three debates were organised by VNB (two debates) and VBC (one debate), and were broadcast live nationally.
First debate
The first debate was on the topics of law and order, security and foreign policy, and was broadcast on VNB1 from Mafiy on the 16th October. In this debate, the right-wing leaders Willem Winkelman and Kurt Blymont were judged to have performed best, due to definitive policies on militarisation in the wake of regional unrest in Roubao.
Second debate
Health and education were the topics of the second debate, which was conducted in the Koncerthal in Lyksdal, just outside Brule's constituency. The left-wing Socialist Party and centre-left Liberal Party performed best in these debates, with generally more comprehensive policies on the topics.
Third debate
The third debate focused on finance, the economy and welfare. It was broadcast on VBC from Jesel on the 16th October. Unlike the other two debates, the third showed leaders from the Greens, Capitalists and United Left in addition to those of the four main parties. Again, Kurt Blymont was judged to have performed well, along with Vren Dens and Katarina Lursen-Valmokiyr, leader of the Greens. The debate proved less successful for Winkelman and United Left leader Jorjena Smef, who poured a glass of water over Winkelman, prompting a spat which necessitated a commercial break being shown.