New Archon faces fragmented Daarbur
LA HARROULETTE, Vaashnapoor, Duureanta, Harroule IV - 02/03/122
The Archon’s chair in Vaashnapoor’s Daarbur has a new occupant this morning, Tanvir Vasumati. However, without a majority in the Daarbur, Vasumati’s ability to govern will depend on building and maintaining a coalition of minority partners.
Announcement of the results was delayed as the margin between Vasumati and Gopala Lochan fell below the threshold triggering an automatic recount and Duureanta’s constitutional court had to give judgment on a petition to suspend the election based on Federal Government directives following recent violence elsewhere in the Federation. The final results, with a voter turnout of 78%, are as follows:
- Tanvir Vasumati: 31%
- Gopala Lochan: 29%
- Jairah Kaaron: 8%
- Garick Mahabir: 6%
- Sayani Narallan: 4%
Vasmati had been expected to win comfortably after Lochan’s recent behaviour allowed critics to question his self-professed ‘traditional values’ but many voters appear to have accepted to Lochan’s public apology, while others were more reluctant to back reformist Vasumati in the wake of the series of terror attacks that swept the Federation just before Election Day.
For many years there has been a clear winner as Archon which, under Duureanta’s constitution, makes the Daarbur assembly relatively weak. Not this time, though, so here is a refresher for those who may have forgotten or are unfamiliar with Duureanta. The Daarbur has 100 chairs. Twenty-two of these will be left unoccupied as a reminder of those who did not vote but must be represented. The remaining 78 will be filled by nominees of the candidates proportionally to their respective shares of the vote. Only the Archon may propose a motion. Motions must be approved by a simple majority of the occupied chairs, in this case 40 votes. The Archon can propose motions as he or she sees fit but must propose any motion requested in a petition signed by two thirds of the occupied chairs, in this case fifty-two signatures.
Our coverage of the election has not focussed on the three minor candidates to date but they now, unusually, find themselves king makers. Jairah Kaaron is the spokesperson for an ultra conservative Reborn constituency, who we expect attracted many former Lochan voters and would be a deeply uncomfortable partner for Vasumati. Sayani Narallan leads Durreanta’s independence movement, with links to other secessionists across Viriette. Garick Mahabir is a former star for the Duureanta Lions kendu team, a popular local hero and something of an unknown quantity politically. While there are a number of possible coalition combinations, our tip is Vasumati with Mahabir and Narallan (holding 41 votes) but the dust is still settling and, as this election has illustrated, five days let alone five years is an awfully long time in politics.
[[Art Credit: Adam Kuczek]]