2016 Vonzumierian general election
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| Turnout | 82.4% (first round) 75.5% (second round) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2016 Vonzumierian general election was held on the 3rd and 17th of June 2016. Incumbent president Lorenz Wasskes declined to run for a third term, citing low approval ratings and his desire to retire. Legislative elections were held concurrently with the presidential election to elect members of the House of Deputies. Ernst Greifelt of the Constitutionalist Party and Jonas Strauch of Civic Revival advanced to the presidential second-round runoff, as no candidate won a majority in the first round. Greifelt secured an upset victory over Strauch, becoming the most recent conservative president to lead Vonzumier since the end of Jakob Bridling's presidency in 2001.
Greifelt announced his candidacy in late 2015 and led first-round opinion polling, while Strauch, who announced his run in early 2016, became a dark horse candidate that gradually surpassed candidates from the more traditional centrist and left-wing parties. Strauch, the youngest candidate, portrayed himself as a "common sense" liberal who would counter extremism from both sides of the political spectrum. Greifelt, on the other hand, campaigned as an anti-establishment war hawk that would cut taxes and regulations while promoting "family values". On 3 June, Greifelt and Strauch secured 41.3% and 29.6% of the first round vote respectively, thereby advancing to a run-off election.
The tone and coverage of the campaign was widely considered to be negative and hostile. Both major candidates were criticized by parties and individuals from across the political spectrum; Greifelt was accused of homophobia, xenophobia, and extremist populism, while Strauch was viewed by many as a "snob" and member of the "liberal elite". Greifelt in particular was subject to widespread protests against his campaign for his intolerant attitude on social issues and alleged complicity in war crimes committed in the Preisland War, where he served as an air force enlistee.
Strauch led second-round opinion polling by a 3-5% margin, but was defeated on election day by a margin of 4.6%. The Electoral Commission announced Greifelt as the winner on 18 June, but Strauch refused to concede until 20 June. On 11 July, Greifelt was inaugurated as the 15th President of Vonzumier. Greifelt's Constitutionalist Party formed a coalition with the Social Union Party and the Alliance–21st Century party, with Constitutionalist leader Albert Brodmann elected chancellor.