1912 Nova-País Legislative Election
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
250 seats in the National Cortes 126 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered | 3,621,904 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 85.9% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
107
111
The 1912 Nova-País Legislative election was held on 15th July, 1912, to elect all 250 members of the National Cortes. The election saw the opposition Liberal Party return to government after a 3 year absence, defeating the incumbent National Preservation Party. This election was the last legislative election to ever take place in Nova-País, and the penultimate election to take place with King Duarté III as head of state. This election had the greatest number of eligible voters of any election to take place in Nova-País, with 3,621,904 eligible voters of whom 85% turned out, a total of 3,111,215 votes cast. This represented approximately 15% of the entire Nova-País population.
The Liberal Party achieved its second-ever legislative majority, with a total seat count of 201, representing a majority of 150 seats. This was their greatest majority until the 1915 General Election. The majority was the largest majority achieved by a party in Nova-País since 1868. The Liberal's vote share was also exceptionally large, representing 57% of all votes cast.
The National Preservation Party suffered a bruising defeat, losing 111 seats and being forced into opposition. Their vote share also fell considerably to -----. Although their vote share remained relatively constant in New Venapli, they suffered heavily in and around Wanmachi and medium-sized cities. This was the last time the National Preservation Party would enter government in either Nova-País or País-Sukoku, and the party would only continue to decline after the introduction of universal suffrage in 1915 and the formation of País-Sukoku in 1916.
This election was significant as it was when the Social Democrat party made their electoral debut, gaining 1.1% of the vote and 0 seats. Most of the Social Democrat's vote share at this stage was made up of recent white Amnisian immigrants and converted Mathetist Sukoki. Although the People's Union grew both their seat and vote share, this was still their second worst electoral performance (after 1909). Although the People's Union earnt 17% of the popular vote, they only gained 20 seats, representing 8%. After the 1915 Election, the People's Union would dissolve and most politicians would join the Social Democrats.
Background
After five years of governance from 1904-1909, the Liberal Party lost the 1909 Legislative Elections due to disgruntled white voters, particularly in New Venapli, believed the party had broken their promises and become too focused on improving the civil rights of native Sukoki. Additionally, the National Preservation Party under Xenophobe McXenophobeface promised to curb the growing working-class immigration from Amnisian nations such as Tussia and Vabas, which was significantly hurting job prospects for the Nueva Borealian working class. After winning the 1909 Legislative Elections with a slim majority, McXenophobeface was appointed Prime Minister by King Duarté III.
The National Preservation Party was rocked by internal division over the problem of immigration, leading to them failing one of their key manifesto objectives of reducing white immigration. Instead, immigration grew between 1909-1912 thanks to much of the party's leadership, including McXenophobeface himself, being part of the party's old wing which had initially championed white immigration as a way of growing the Nueva Borealian population. When this was discovered in the press, many of the party's grassroots members chose to desert the party and others still tried to provoke McXenophobeface's retirement. This pressure from below was a key factor in McXenophobeface's ultimate downfall.
Another large problem for the 1909-1912 government was that of internal security, with the 1909 Castelo Haishi rising organised by the banned Sukoki Nationalist Party harming the adminastration's credibility early on. Rising violence from Sukoki Nationalists became an increasing issue across the period, despite the government's promises of crackdowns against nationalist movement's which furthered this violence. White voters lost faith in their ability to maintain order and prevent a full-blown civil war, whilst converted Sukoki voters were concerned that the crackdowns and escalating violence would merely intensify existing discrimination.
The economy was another front where the adminastration faltered. Whilst the Liberal Party had taken steps to make business easier and enhance free trade, these were controversially reversed by new government. Their continuing hard-line against Sukoki rebels led to economic sanctions and many businesses refusing to operate in the country, creating greater instability. McXenophobeface and his factional loyalists began espousing rhetoric against international businesses and even encouraged 'Mathetist autarky', whereby they reimposed restrictions on Sukoki employees and tried to encourage a self-sufficient economy. This rhetoric and their policies were poorly recieved all over Nova-País, even in their traditional base of New Venapli thanks to New Venapli's stance as an international city. On 28th June 1912, against the backdrop of growing political unrest in the National Preservation Party against McXenophobeface's premiership and a failing economy, King Duarté III dismissed Xenophobe McXenophobeface as Prime Minister and called for fresh legislative elections the next day, scheduled for 15th July.