1917 Inglaterran Election
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All 350 seats in the General Assembly 175 seats needed for a majority | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Registered | 30,657,901 (4.6 pp) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Turnout | 22,196,320 (72.4) ( 3.0 pp) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1917 Inglaterran Election was held on Sunday, 27 May 1917. It was the third election since Inglaterra's independence in 1899. All 350 seats in the Inglaterran General Assembly were up for election in a proportional election with a minimum threshold of 5% to enter the Assembly.
The election saw a third consecutive victory for the ruling Confederal Party led by Leon Bitte
over the Social Republicans led by Karl Blivin, with the Confederalists winning by 5.5 million votes, over 27.3% of votes cast. As a result, the Confederal party took 225 seats, an increase of 42 seats. The Social Republicans and one indepedent took 125 seats.
Future chancellors Gustaf Anders, Joannes Vinge, Mattias Bäckström, and the infamous Arjen Vanhelst would enter politics during this election.
Background
Incumbent chancellor Max van Raydel was easily renominated as his party's leader in the 1911 Confederalist Party Convention. No other candidates ran for the leadership position other than token opposition. However, due to a limit of serving no more than 12 years in any 16 period, Van Raydel was inelligible for another term after this election. As such, his chosen successor, Leon Bitte, was elevated to the powerful position of Minister of Economics, in an attempt to elevate him to prominence.
The Social Republican Party was, in contrast to the stable Confederalists, splitting. Scandals had racked the party while the economy steadily improved. An intense debate at the 1911 party conference returned that 54.2% of the assembled delegates no longer approved of Karl Blivin. However, Social Republican procedure at the time required 55% to remove a leader within six months of an election. Regardless, Blivin would do his best to unite the party around a singular goal.
Increasing militarism, including the buildup of the armed forces, had proved expensive but popular with constituents. A prosperous economy led to signifigant growth of urban areas, including those in Middle Inglaterra, setting the stage for a powerful proletariat movement in coming decades. Foreign policy proved important in the electiom, particularly relations with Greater Niagara and the Alannan Empire. However, Van Raydel's personal popularity and popular laws such as the Pensioner's Act effectively sealed the election.