Decision(s) 2026 (Huenyan elections RP, open) - Printable Version

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Decision(s) 2026 (Huenyan elections RP, open) - Xiomera - 05-28-2026

Ketsalli restaurant, Chuaztlapoc
Private dining room
May 15th, 2026

"There's nothing else for it. We have to convince him to run," Ilhuicacihuatl said. She sighed irritably as she spooned sugar into her coffee. "I know that's not what either of you are wanting to hear, but you didn't hire either of us to mislead you."

Sitting next to Ilhuicacihuatl, Tochnehnemi issued his own slightly exasperated sigh. Tapping his fork against his plate pensively, he looked at the two men sitting across from him. "I hate to agree with her, seeing as I also hate her," Tochnehnemi said coolly. Ignoring the tongue that Ilhuicacihuatl stuck out at him, he continued. "If you both continue to run separate campaigns, as you are now, Xiadani is going to beat you both by at least fifteen points. And that's the number from the pollster that's friendly to us. You don't want to see the other numbers."

One of the men at the other end of the table adjusted his already perfectly-tied tie, shaking his head. "Unbelievable. It's really come to this." Popol, the presidential candidate for the Huenyan Conservative Party, took a large sip of wine from his wine glass. The other man next to him frowned at that. Acxopotl, presidential candidate of the Party of Huitzilopochtli, took a rather ostentatious sip from his glass of water in response. Popol rolled his eyes at the gesture. Seeing this, his campaign manager Tochnehnemi intervened to prevent yet another in a well-worn series of arguments between the two. "If we want to win, and for our parties to have any chance of boosting their own numbers in the Legislature to keep the Unificationists from steamrolling us, this is the only way. It sucks, but it is reality."

The other man across from them looked angry, unlike the resigned expression Popol had on his face. "Ilhuicacihuatl, do you agree? Do I really have no chance at all?" Acxopotl's expression, despite being angry like it often was, carried a faint hint of pleading as well. Ilhuicacihuatl shook her head bluntly. "Even if Popol dropped out alone, which he won't, the best you're likely to do against Xiadani is a fifteen to twenty point loss. It could even be worse. I also hate it, but if we want our parties to be anything more than a speed bump to the Unificationists, this is our only shot." Acxopotl was clearly stunned by her bluntness, but after a moment, nodded. "Then let us enact your brilliant plan. If you can make it work."

Ilhuicacihuatl and Tochnehnemi looked at each other briefly, realizing that they had just gotten their way. But sitting across from two of the most powerful men in Huenyan politics, something about being careful what you wished for couldn't help but run through their heads.

---

Press conference, outside the Tecpancalli Tonaltzintli
May 16th, 2026

"This is not a decision we make lightly," Popol said. Standing at a podium with the Huenyan flag draped on it, the Conservative candidate cut an elegant figure. On looks alone, he was exactly what a casting director would pick for someone playing president in a movie. Right down to the distinguished-looking gray at his temples and perfectly cut suit. The irony that such a perfect-looking candidate was basically handing his role to another escaped no one, including Popol. But he continued.

"Huenya's future is more important than any two men, or two parties. President Xiadani and the Unification Party cannot simply be given a blank check to run the country with no real opposition, or checks on their power. For a democracy to work, there must be a meaningful opposition. So today, the Conservative Party and the Party of Huitzilopochtli are joining forces. And we are making a personal appeal to the one leader in Huenya who has a chance at preventing us from becoming a defacto one-party state."

Popol gestured to Acxopotl, who was standing next to him. Acxopotl stood in front of the microphone, lights glaring on his clean-shaven head. "We are bringing two great parties together, in order to draft one great man. Director Cuetlancaona of the FIS, we know you're watching this press conference. So we are appealing to you, as a son of Huenya and a patriot, to take up our banner and run for president with us. Both Popol and myself are willing to step aside on your behalf, and put all of the resources of both our parties behind you. You're the one person who can help us ensure that Huenyan democracy and representative politics are protected. Milintica showed the dangers of being a one-party state. Huenya must avoid that fate. And Director Cuetlancaona, we know you can save our country from that. We'll be waiting for your call."

Acxopotl and Popol stood in front of the podium, hands raised together in what they hoped was an optimistically triumphant pose. "God, your hands are sweaty," Popol murmured disdainfully through his smile. "Shut up, you soft little drunk," Acxopotl murmured back through his own smile as they posed for the cameras.

As the two of them posed outside the Huenyan presidential residence, a curtain rustled slightly in an upper window. President Xiadani sat back down at her desk, thinking. After a moment, she picked up her phone. "We have a problem," she told the person on the other end of the line. "I need you and Yacanqui here in an hour."

Precisely an hour later, the two people that the President had summoned arrived. They were not a minute late, as Xiadani was notorious for disliking tardiness. Natcahuacu, the Chair of the Unification Party, took one seat in front of the large wooden desk. Yacanqui, Xiadani's campaign manager, took the other seat. Xiadani closed the lid to her laptop, looking steadily at them both. "I trust you both saw that press conference?"

Yacanqui nodded. "Sure did. Rather bold of them, to do it right on your front steps."

"It's a hollow gesture. They're trying to seem strong and unafraid, which doesn't really go well with their current messaging. 'Oh, big strong Director Cuetlancaona, save us from the monsters we can't actually defeat with our lousy campaigns.' Not exactly pictures of confidence," Natcahuacu said as he rolled his eyes.

"Perhaps. But we can't take them for granted. If they manage to somehow convince Cuetlancaona to take their offer, it changes everything. His poll numbers are ridiculously good for someone who isn't even running officially. He could pose a real threat to the President." Yacanqui took out her own laptop to begin taking notes. "We need to consider either warning Cuetlancaona off, or having a plan ready to weaken him if he does run."

"A plan? What kind of plan?" Xiadani's expression turned skeptical as Yacanqui continued. "Well, you could always indirectly or directly demand that he not run to remain FIS Director - privately, of course. We can also research some negative campaigning approaches. See if there's anything dirty or harmful in the Director's past that could hurt him politically. We could also 'find' such things if needed," Yacanqui continued, slowing as Xiadani's expression continued to shift. "Or, we could just redirect some of your negatives to him. We know that there are some in the electorate who blame you for the Golden Blade insurgency kicking off as badly as it did. He was FIS Director at the time, and would make a nice juicy target to bounce that blame to - "

Yacanqui suddenly halted as Xiadani raised her hand. "No. We are not going to do anything that weakens Cuetlancaona." Before either Yacanqui or Natcahuacu could object, Xiadani raised her hand again. "Cuetlancaona has done a superb job as FIS Director. We know that. More importantly, the voters know that. How can you be sure that people won't just see right through such tactics, and blame us for the smears?" Xiadani shook her head. "More to the point, even if he runs, I can take him. And after that election, I still have to work with the man. We still need him at FIS. Anything that weakens him in his role with the agency weakens Huenya. I don't want that on my conscience, when I can win this thing without it."

"So then...um...what do you want us to do?" Yacanqui said after a long pause.

"Just keep running the campaign as it is. Do not go negative, not even a little. You can hit the Conservatives and the PH for being so electorally weak that they had to pull this stunt in the first place, but that's it. Otherwise, focus on our accomplishments and our platform. That's the route we need to take," the President said firmly and confidently. "As for Cuetlancaona, I will handle that matter directly."

After another long pause, Yacanqui nodded. She stood up and left with Natcahuacu. The two of them exchanged a look as they exited the office that Xiadani recognized. It bore the same skepticism that the President had on her own face just a moment earlier. When she was alone, the President sighed. She was going to have to make another call later that day. 

---

Eztic Tower 3 residential block, Ixtenco
Five hours later

Five black SUVs pulled up at the entrance of Eztic Tower 3. FIS agents in black suits with blue ties exited two of them, forming a tight security perimeter. Two of the other SUVs disgorged another set of similarly clad FIS agents, as a single man exited the one in the middle of the convoy. FIS Director Cuetlancaona smiled and greeted the doormen as he entered the tower, followed by his security detail. The group boarded the two elevators in the lobby, using special keys to redirect them both only to the top floor. 

At the top of the tower, Cuetlancaona went inside his residence. The penthouse suite at Eztic 3 had been chosen both for its comforts, and its security. The Eztic tower block housed many important Huenyans and foreigners, and had top-notch security to include bulletproof windows and blast-resistant doors. FIS even maintained agents on top of Tower 3 with anti-aircraft missiles, in case someone decided to go after the FIS Director from the air. All of the security and duties attached to his role vanished, though, once he got inside.

"Tatsin!" A young girl came rushing to the entrance, throwing her arms around Cuetlancaona. "Well, hello, Yoyontli," he said as he wrapped his daughter up in a giant hug. "How are you doing, love?" Yoyontli proceeded to tell her father how she was doing and literally everything that had happened to her that day. A soft chuckle from the living room interrupted the girl's rapid-fire speech. "Your father just got home, let him rest a bit, child. Go wash up for dinner." Animitl, Cuetlancaona's wife, gently ushered her daughter off to wash up before giving Cuetlancaona a hug of her own. "Glad you're home," she said.

"I'm glad to be home. It's been a day. Had to deal with a residual Golden Blade cell in Aquiyahuatl, and the leftover mess from our Milintican intervention." Cuetlancaona sighed as he shrugged off his suit and began loosening his tie.

"And some people trying to draft you for president," Animitl replied with a mischievous smirk on her face. Cuetlancaona sighed again, pausing mid-tie-removal. "There was also that, yes."

"Have you....thought about that?" Animitl asked. Cuetlancaona shrugged. "It's tempting, I won't lie. I know I could win, if I ran. And I know I could do the job."

"I heard a but there," Animitl said. Cuetlancaona chuckled; she really knew him too well. "There are several buts. FIS is still doing extremely important work, and still learning how to do it. We've only been an intelligence agency for a couple of years now, going up against countries who have been playing the spy game forever. Especially the Empire. I don't know how I feel about leaving that - it's not a complete task. There's also the other questions that go along with this. Would I do a better job than Xiadani, or at least as good as she's done? Has she done anything, or not done anything, that is worth her losing her job? Also...men like Popol and Acxopotl are hardly the generous or self-sacrificing sort. What if they expect to be the power behind the throne? What if they expect to be able to control me, or puppeteer me, once I get elected? That would be a problem."

"You could appoint someone at FIS to make sure the job continues to get done right, and be in an even stronger position to protect Huenya as president," Animitl said calmly. "And you would make a damn fine president, if I do say so myself. And I do," Animitl smirked, earning another laugh from Cuetlancaona. "But you're right...Xiadani hasn't done anything that disqualifies her. I still think her heavy-handed response to the insurgents triggered the last big uprising. But if the rumors are true, it's also her threat to stuff a nuke down Calhualyana's throat that ended the insurgency. So there's that." Animitl paused. "I know you probably won't answer me...but are those rumors true?"

Cuetlancaona simply smiled and tapped his lips silently. Animitl smirked back. "Of course. So what else is making your decision hard?"

"The biggest reason of all. There are already people out there who want me dead, being FIS Director." Cuetlancaona looked around his apartment, eyeing the bulletproof windows and contemplating the security gauntlet around his residence. "If I become president, that only gets worse. You and Yoyontli would be even more at risk."

"There's no reward without risk. I knew that when I married you," Animitl replied. "You will protect us, as always. And it's not like I'm unfamiliar with how to protect myself or Yoyontli." Cuetlancaona nodded in agreement; Animitl had fought on the side of Huenya during the Civil War, earning a medal for her actions at Chuaztlapoc in defense of Yauhmi. She wasn't, by definition, a typical housewife. Cuetlancaona placed his head on Animitl's shoulder as she gave him a hug. "Whatever you decide to do, president or not, we're going to be right here with you."

A soft ping interrupted their hug. "Director? There is a call coming in from the Tecpancalli Tonaltzintli. It's the President," a voice echoed over the intercom. Cuetlancaona stepped back slightly, looking at Animitl. "Don't let her grill you," she said with a grin. Cuetlancaona smiled as he went into his private office.

Once seated at his desk, Cuetlancaona steeled himself before answering the call. "Madam President," he said in a neutral voice. Xiadani smiled slightly on the screen. "Director. I hope I am not interrupting you. I know you're at home with your family, so I'll keep this brief."

Here it comes, Cuetlancaona thought. He had done enough interrogations to feel like he knew when one was beginning. But to his surprise, Xiadani's usual smile turned into something warmer. "We've worked well together over the past few years. We've worked to keep Huenya safe, helped it become more secure, and thwarted a bunch of Imperial schemes along the way. I think thwarting those schemes was my favorite part."

Cuetlancaona smiled despite himself, as Xiadani continued. "If you decide to run for president, I will run a hard campaign against you. But I will keep it decent. No lies, no smears, no personal attacks, no diving into the mud. All I ask is that you do the same." The FIS Director nodded as Xiadani continued. "I want to make sure that no matter what, whether as president or continuing as FIS Director, that you can do your job without being tarnished. Just extend me the same courtesy, and we'll be good."

"I agree. I have no wish to tarnish you either. Just so you know, I haven't decided if I am even running yet."

"I figured as much." Xiadani smiled again. "I honestly do not intend to try to influence your decision or place undue pressure on you. There are some that would like me to, but that's not how I want to be in power. Whatever you decide, I want us to be fair to each other so that we can both continue to serve Huenya no matter how this all plays out. As for your decision...sleep on it. Don't decide now. I'll hear about it like everyone else, on the news. Have a good night, Director."

Cuetlancaona nodded, a bemused smile on his face, as Xiadani ended the call. That went better than I expected. His always-analytical mind processed the call. Did Xiadani really mean it, or was she playing nice to throw him off? Cuetlancaona was, by sheer necessity, a very good judge of character. But this was a challenge to read even for him. The FIS Director continued to think as he went out into his apartment to have dinner with his family.

---

RE: Decision(s) 2026 (Huenyan elections RP, open) - Xiomera - 07-13-2026

May 20th, 2026

Cuetlancaona was the type of person who preferred to remain laser-focused on his work. That was his temperament in general, and always had been. But ever since becoming FIS Director, that preference had only grown more intense. The work, in his mind, was too important to allow for unnecessary distractions.

It was with great annoyance, then, that the day of May 20th unfolded for him. The most recent poll of likely voters showed that he was still the only person with any chance of defeating President Xiadani. And with Election Day fast approaching, everyone who hoped to defeat her was beating an increasingly desperate path to his door.

The first call came around 8:30 in the morning, when the Director had just started his day. When his assistant told him who was calling, Cuetlancaona sighed internally before asking him to route the call to his office. The videoconference screen came to life. On the screen, Popol and Acxopotl were sitting next to each other. Cuetlancaona always marveled at the difference between the two men. On one side, the burly and bald Acxopotl looked like he was slightly constipated, and angry about it. On the other, the slickly dressed Popol looked like he was about to ask what it would take to put the FIS Director into a new HAV HS-6 SUV today. The Director hid his internal thoughts skillfully, schooling his face to a neutrally polite expression. "Good morning, gentlemen. Thank you for the call. I think I know the reason for it."

"Indeed, Director, and thank you for taking our call," Popol replied briskly. He gave a dazzling smile, whitened teeth gleaming as he looked up. "We have been communicating through intermediaries for the past few days, but with our window closing, we felt it was best to have a personal chat."

"Of course. I have no desire to keep you both waiting much longer," Cuetlancaona replied calmly. "But this is a very serious decision, one that has required some thought. I can assure you, I am close to making a final announcement."

"Will that be soon?" Acxopotl rumbled like a stone golem suddenly given the gift of speech. "As Popol stated, the window is closing. We need to know quickly what our plan is going to be, whether or not you accept our offer."

Cuetlancaona's expression sharpened ever so slightly at Acxopotl's pressure. What plan? Without me, you lose, and you both know it, he thought.

Popol's own expression crinkled almost imperceptibly as well, conscious of his would-be partner taking exactly the wrong tack with a man like Cuetlancaona. "Of course, of course. We don't intend to pressure you," he said in a professionally friendly tone. "Please take the time you need, and let us know as soon as you are comfortable what you decide."

Cuetlancaona nodded. "It will be soon, I promise. Later today, or tomorrow at the absolute latest."

With something akin to a more definite timeline given, the two politicians were appeased. With a few more pleasantries and gestures of polite conversation, the call came to an end. Cuetlancaona sighed, and closed his eyes a moment. He then opened them, and began buckling down for the long day of an intelligence director for a nation still dealing with a cold war and random terrorists here and there.

---

The next call came at 7:00 pm. Cuetlancaona had just arrived home from work and told Animitl about the call from the conservative alliance leaders when the phone rang. "Director, I have Deputy Finch and Deputy Yarecapan on the line for you," the evening switchboard operator for FIS said. Cuetlancaona sighed internally, looking over at Animitl. "Go ahead and start a conference call with them, I will take it at my computer here."

Cuetlancaona began walking over to his office. "Private conversation?" Animitl asked. Cuetlancaona thought for a moment, then shook his head. "You might want to sit in on this one, actually. The decision related to it affects us both." The Director pulled up a chair in front of his computer, Animitl settling into another chair next to him.

The video soon turned on at the other end, revealing the two Centrist Coalition leaders. "Good evening, Director. I am sorry to trouble you at this hour," Eileen Finch said. The Huenyan legislator's eyes narrowed ever so slightly in the corners upon seeing Animitl on the call as well. "Good evening as well, ma'am," she said politely as Animitl nodded. "I don't mean to take any time from you or your family. I was just hoping for a moment to discuss our recent offer to share our presidential ticket, and what you thought."

"It's an offer well worth considering," Cuetlancaona said politely. Whether he felt any of the politicians seeking meetings were offering anything worth accepting or not, he still had to work with the Federal Legislature after the election was done. It wouldn't benefit FIS for him to antagonize anyone. Nor would it benefit a possible President Cuetlancaona, if that was the eventual choice.

"I know the conservatives are offering you quite a bit of inducements to take their offer, and that on the surface, they may seem more attractive as a partner. But I do hope you'll consider all the ramifications. The conservatives would lead Huenya in a very bad direction. Acxopotl is so far to the right he makes Xiadani look like a communist. Popol won't be able to restrain him or that wing of their alliance. They will push you to do things that are very dangerous for Huenya and its future. The Centrists are the safest choice for our future. Especially given how Xiadani also keeps pushing the Unificationists further and further right, and doing things domestically and internationally that put Huenya at risk." Finch paused as Yarecapan leaned forward. "Everyone's giving her credit for ending the Golden Blade insurgency, all because she threatened to wage nuclear war with the Empire like a crazy person! You and FIS did far more to end the insurgency than Xiadani did. Hells, the insurgency might never have escalated the way it did if Xiadani hadn't provoked the ethnic Xiomerans the way she did," Yarecapan exclaimed.

Cuetlacaona's expression remained polite, but inwardly he labeled Yarecapan an idiot for repeating that often-used claim by Xiadani's opponents. Yes, the President had made missteps in the run-up to the insurgency fully kicking off. But Cuetlancaona, more than anyone, had seen the intelligence and the data behind it all. The Golden Blade insurgency happened because Calhualyana wanted it to, and would have happened regardless of what Xiadani did or didn't do. You know the Golden Blade insurgency started under Tiacihitli, back when Xiadani was just a legislator like you two, right? Cuetlancaona really wanted to throw that question back at Yarecapan's smug face making his facile point. But instead, he simply nodded in response.

"We are offering you the chance to help restore reasonable and responsible leadership to Huenya," Finch said. "As a Vice-President, you can expand on the pivotal role you already play with FIS."

"That's a point worth considering," Animitl said suddenly. "You're offering my husband the chance to be Vice-President, when the conservatives' alliance is offering to make him President. That doesn't seem like quite an equal offer to me. Why would he accept a lesser role, if you see him as so capable? The Vice-President, let's be honest, mainly exists as a spare for the President in case of emergency. They otherwise stand at a podium, or do ceremonial things. Most people don't even know who our current VP is." Animitl's eyebrow rose. "How's he going to continue to fill a 'pivotal role' when his main job description will be 'wave the Huenyan flag and look pretty' and 'stand inside this In Case of Presidential Emergency, Break Glass box'? I mean, my husband is a rather handsome man if I do say so myself. But the VP slot seems intended to just leverage his popularity and charisma in a way that wins the election, then reduces him to a pretty figurehead while the real decisions are made by others."

Cuetlancaona just managed to keep the polite smile on his face, as the expression on Finch's own congealed into a doggedly civil one. "I can assure you both that I would not allow that to happen. I truly value your insights and the work you do at FIS, Director. That's the kind of advice I really want as President. I do believe that being VP would enable you to deliver that advice and guidance in a more direct pipeline, while giving you the political seasoning and resume for a future presidential bid as a Centrist candidate."

"I appreciate that viewpoint," Cuetlancaona said in the same neutrally polite tone he had been using throughout the call. "And you do raise an interesting offer. I will admit at this point, it is down to either the Centrists or the conservatives' alliance if I decide to run."

That was definitely true. In addition to the Centrists and the conservatives, Cuetlancaona had been busily dodging multiple outreaches and entreaties from just about every player in Huenyan politics, large and small. The Greens and the Communists were the only ones who hadn't bothered. The desperation from the splintered Huenyan opposition to slow down the Unification Party juggernaut was very real. But only two parties had any actual shot at it.

"I am going to talk things further through tonight and make a final decision. Tomorrow I will let everyone know," Cuetlancaona said. While polite, the statement had a tone of finality to it. "I will make an announcement at noon." Seeing that there would be no decision that night, the Centrist leaders ended the call with more polite pleasantries and conversation.

After that final call, Animitl smirked as she looked at Cuetlancaona. "What are you thinking?" An answering smile crossed the Director's face as he told her his decision.

---

RE: Decision(s) 2026 (Huenyan elections RP, open) - Xiomera - 07-24-2026

May 21, 2026
Federal Intelligence Service Headquarters, Ixtenco

The press briefing room at FIS Headquarters was standing-room-only packed. Normally, only the usual reporters and staff from the capital press corps would be present at a press conference there. But today was different. The rumor had gotten around that Director Cuetlancaona would finally break his silence about the presidential race, and his planned role in it.

The room bustled with noise and movement as reporters, cameramen and the like jostled irritably with each other to try to get better seats up front or a better line of sight to the podium. The established press corps, who jealously guarded their seats in the room in an unofficial but understood pecking order, were not pleased with the sudden influx of "outsiders" cramming into the space and trying to steal "their" spots. FIS uniformed officers organized the chaos as best they could in a manner that was polite and professional, but firm.

The noise abruptly cut off as Cuetlancaona walked through the door at the back of the room, leading to the podium. As he reached it and adjusted the microphone, all eyes turned to him. "Good morning," he said briskly. "Before we go through our usual weekly director's briefing to the press about current intelligence and security matters, I do have an announcement to make. And it is, I imagine, the reason I am seeing so many new faces in the room," he added with a slight chuckle. The ironic lilt to his voice clearly suggested that the Director thought it would be nice if the media was this interested in attending FIS briefings on a regular basis, and not just for his expected announcement.

"So. As we all know, there have been several offers extended to me, by various parties, to run for political office. I had promised that I would announce my decision on that today." The silence in the room grew even deeper, if possible. That silence was echoed in thousands of places around Huenya. Politicians and campaign operatives were watching the live broadcast from their offices. Everyday citizens around the country were eagerly waiting for the next words around their televisions, computers and phones. And across the Gulf of Epeloc, certain eyes in the Palace of Flowers and the headquarters of Imperial Intelligence were watching and preparing to make their own calculations based on the next few minutes.

"Since Election Day is getting pretty close, it is definitely time to make a decision. There were several questions I had to ask myself when making this decision. Has our current President's performance merited her replacement? Could I do a better job in the role? Would my departure from FIS to the Presidency make Huenya stronger, or weaker? Those questions are why it took me so long to decide. They are not unimportant questions."

Cuetlancaona tapped the podium. "There were also other questions to consider. Taking the position of FIS Director means making a commitment not just to the job, but to the thousands of people in FIS who work every day to keep Huenya safe and secure. Would I be upholding my commitment to them, just from a new position? There are also the concerns any of us with families would have, about my family and their well-being. I have considered all these questions, and the ramifications of my choice, thoroughly as they should be. And I have reached a decision. The offer I have decided to accept...."

In the room, the people who had been lucky enough to snag seats scooted forward unconsciously. Those standing leaned forward, drawn by the same unconscious impulse. Their gestures were echoed by thousands watching, waiting as the Director almost teased them before letting the shoe drop.

"The offer I have decided to accept....is none of them."

The press room erupted in a collective combination of gasps and sighs. In the other places people were watching, the same sounds echoed. This was with some exceptions. At multiple party and campaign offices, the combination of cursing and lamentation drowned out all other noise. And at the offices of the Unification Party and the Xiadani campaign, the sounds drowning everything else out were cheering with an undertone of relieved sighs.

And at the Palace of Flowers, a single perfectly manicured eyebrow rose. A note was carefully made next to a name, followed by the writer sipping her coffee and looking out at her expansive gardens in thought.

Back in Ixtenco, Cuetlancaona tapped the podium again. "I decided that right now, where Huenya needs me is exactly where I am. Leading the fight against those foreign and domestic threats that would seek to harm our citizens, or attack our Federation. This work is essential. Our nation has reached a point of stability, after a long fight for independence and battle against terrorists. The last thing we need right now is to change leadership in the middle of that continuing fight. That is true of FIS. It is also true of the Presidency. We can always play the game of 'who made mistakes' or 'how we should have done this', or 'how I would have done that'. But overall President Xiadani has provided the decisive and strong leadership Huenya needs at this moment. Under her leadership, Huenya has finally begun to direct its course, instead of letting others direct it for us. If I truly believed the President wasn't doing a good job, or that I could do better, I would run. But I don't, so I won't."

Cuetlancaona shrugged. "Now that we've got that out of the way, let's focus on what I should be focusing on. This is our weekly report from FIS for this week...."

---

The aftermath of Cuetlancaona's announcement was immediate. Within hours, the marriage of convenience between the Conservative Party and the Party of Huītzilōpōchtli collapsed. Popol would announce that the Conservatives would once again run with him leading them, declaring that his party and the PH had "irreconcilable differences".

Acxopotl, meanwhile, would denounce Popol and the Conservatives as "fake conservatives" and resurrect his own presidential bid. He would also take a swipe at Cuetlancaona, who he called "Xiadani's puppet" and "too weak to be anything other than a functionary". His decision to insult Cuetlancaona did make a difference in the poll numbers for both himself and the PH. It caused an immediate ten point drop in following polls and sent their already low numbers to a position somewhere akin to the sub-sub-basement.

Eileen Finch and the Centrist Coalition would also continue their own campaigns, although with a profound sense of resignation and stubbornness. Their goal shifted from "come from behind and defeat the Unification Party" to "try not to be as far behind the Unificationists as everyone else."

Xiadani and the Unification Party would also continue their own campaigns. A different word starting with C would describe their demeanor, though - coronation.

---

RE: Decision(s) 2026 (Huenyan elections RP, open) - Xiomera - 07-27-2026

DTNS Evening News broadcast
June 2nd, 2026

Max Halliday, DTNS weekend news anchor: "And we're back. Yesterday, Huenya held a historic set of elections in which the office of President went up for vote for the first time in that nation's history. And as expected, the incumbent, President Xiadani, pretty much mopped the floor with her opposition. Her Unification Party did as well, dominating both legislative and gubernatorial elections. Lower offices went pretty much their way as well. Here now with us is Huitzilchel, a professor of political science at the Huenyan National University of Ixtenco. Professor Huitzilchel, thank you for coming on with us today."

Huitzilchel: "Thank you for inviting me."

Halliday: "So the elections were pretty dominant for the Unificationists, as many expected. Did the extent of their dominance surprise you at all?"

Huitzilchel: "It did, but only to a point. Those in my field were pretty sure overall that the UP would have a strong position, especially after FIS Director Cuetlancaona declined to run against the President. But I don't think even the most sure among us thought it would be this strong."

Halliday: "Indeed. The Unificationists now control an outright majority in the Federal Legislature, all the governor slots, and even most of the lower slots such as county executives, mayors, etc. What do you think accounts for this strong showing?"

Huitzilchel: "The Unification Party has just done a superb job of wrapping themselves in the mantle of Huenyan pride. Ever since Xiadani took over, they have really played up the idea that they led the independence fight, and that they're the only party capable of standing up to Xiomera. They've built up a strong messaging that they faced down the Empire and ended the Golden Blade insurgency. The events in Milintica, in which Huenya took the lead in helping topple Neina Arana and thwarting Imperial designs for expanded empire there, were a more recent development that the President and the UP also used to their great benefit to burnish their 'tough on security' and 'tough on defense' credentials."

Halliday: "That's been a big swing for the Unification Party. When Tiacihitli was in charge, they were getting battered for an inconsistent and often changing stance on security and defense between being tough and trying to appease Huenya's perceived enemies. What changed between then and now?"

Huitzilchel: "The Unification Party, when it started, had essentially two wings vying for power. The more moderate wing, under Tiacihitli, definitely favored negotiation and compromise over dropping the hammer. That approach was decidedly ineffective when it came to internal security, because neither the ethnic Xiomeran nationalist insurgents nor their Imperial masters were interested at all in compromise. Eventually, you began to see the rise of the more conservative wing of the party under Xiadani take control because the party rank-and-file began to believe that either the party had to shift to a tougher stance, or lose out to its rivals. Also, as the insurgency ground on and as Xiomera took more and more land from Huenya in defiance of the Jinyu Agreement, many Huenyans felt humiliated and no longer in the mood for a words-based approach. They wanted, frankly, to smack Xiomera back as hard as Xiomera was hitting them. And that wasn't just what Unification Party members wanted. As time has passed, more and more Huenyans as a whole have come to believe that Xiomera is a bully, and you only beat a bully by smacking them in the mouth, not talking. The Unification Party's conservative wing has come along at just the right moment to ride the wave of this shift in Huenyan attitudes. And they haven't been above encouraging that wave, either."

Halliday: "Interesting. So the Unification Party found its way back out of the darkness, so to speak, because Xiadani and her crowd were especially apt at reading the national mood and capitalizing on that."

Huitzilchel: "Exactly. For one example, they've really messaged hard around the ideas that they're responsible for the economic renewal and the improved security situation that Huenya is seeing over the past two years. The economy and security have consistently been the two issues, by far, that most Huenyans have been concerned about according to the polls. The President and her team have been superb at not just reading the room, but guiding the conversation in the room their way. And it showed last night."

Halliday: "But why haven't other parties been able to capitalize on that? The Centrists, or the other conservative parties?"

Huitzilchel: "Here's the thing. Most Huenyans, they like Eileen Finch. They like the Centrists. Most polls reflect that. But most polls also reflect that neither Finch nor the Centrists are trusted to be strong enough on either internal security, or foreign affairs. Whether we're talking about dealing with the Empire, or dealing with terrorists, most Huenyan voters look at Finch and they see Tiacihitli. Most Huenyan voters look at the Centrists and see the Unification Party's inconsistent and inept mishandling of threats before Xiadani's lot took over. They look at all that and they say 'no thanks, we don't want that again.' Eileen Finch is popular, respected and well-liked. So is her party. But elections are ultimately won or lost on trust. And right now, Finch and the Centrists have not done enough to convince people that their more moderate approach wouldn't lead Huenya right back into internal insecurity or being Xiomera's plaything on the world stage. You can like someone and not trust them. But that's bad for relationships, and even worse in politics."

Halliday: "Well, you certainly laid out the case against Finch and her Centrists, as I suspect Xiadani and her Unificationists did as well during the election - "
Huitzilchel: "Oh, they absolutely did, to amazing effect."

Halliday: "Indeed. But what about the other conservative parties?"

Huitzilchel: "Their collapse has been even more amazing. The PH, the Conservatives, they've just fallen flat on their faces. Xiadani has stolen their mantle right out from under them of being the ones to trust with the economy, with security, with leadership. And she's done it so skillfully that the rest of the mainstream conservative movement is essentially dead. The PH and the Conservatives were the leaders of that movement before Xiadani came along, but she used a combination of messaging and political action to just take it completely over. She sidelined the moderates in the Unification Party in the process, to where the party once started by Cozamalotl under the ideas of non-violence and peaceful coexistence is now low-key threatening to nuke Calhualyana in her own palace. The other conservative parties never knew what hit them, frankly. Their own failures have not helped. They have singularly failed to distinguish their platforms or messaging in a way that would inspire voters to choose them instead of the now right-leaning Unificationists. Their candidates are also not likable. Popol comes off as a smug used-car salesman who always seems slightly buzzed. Acxopotl comes off as a mean, churlish thug. Neither of them were good candidates against Xiadani, and they kind of dragged down their already struggling parties with them."

Halliday: "Acxopotl choosing to snipe at Cuetlancaona after he declined to run for them surely did not help."

Huitzilchel: "It surely did not. But that's just another sign of how bad the political instincts of the other conservative parties' leaders are. Insulting the second most popular figure in the government, after he rejected you, much like an angry spurned romantic interest would, was just the most notable example of the singuarly inept political instincts of the Huenyan right outside of the UP."

Halliday: "You mentoined the mainstream conservative parties in Huenya. What about the others?"

Huitzilchel: "That's another noteworthy development. We saw the presidential candidate for Huenya Standing Tall, the extreme nationalist party, rake in over 500,000 votes. Admittedly, that's less than two percent of the total. But it's far better than anyone expected them to fare. They also retained their six seats in the Chamber of Deputies despite a huge push by the Unificationists and Centrists to unseat them. But even more surprising was the successes of the even more extreme party, the Party of the Advancing Liberation. That's the party whose entire platform is basically 'war with Xiomera now' and 'destroy the Empire and make them join Huenya whether they want to or not'. Their candidate got almost 280,000 votes. Again, basically a drop in the bucket compared to Xiadani's 20 million plus. But the PAL also gained two seats in the Chamber of Deputies - they had never won seats in the Legislature before. That is significant in terms of a political attitude shift, if not yet significant statistically."

Halliday: "So we may be seeing the more conservative parties start to make an end-run around Xiadani by becoming even tougher and more nationalist than she has been?"

Huitzilchel: "I would not be surprised at all by that. And I wouldn't be surprised if we see, say, the PH emulate that strategy as well to put more daylight between themselves and the Conservative Party to try to regain a position of strength among the more right-wing parties."

Halliday: "So that covers the right. What has happened to the Huenyan left though? They were in a position of relative strength when Huenya first gained independence. But in this election, they've been reduced to irrelevance. The Democratic Socialists and the Greens are the only ones left in the Legislature, and they have a grand total of four seats now out of 320. They hold no governorships, only one county seat, and very few municipalities. The other left-leaning parties such as the Peoples' Party and the Communists have been kicked out of the Legislature completely. Why have the leftist parties in Huenya cratered so badly?"

Huitzilchel: "The same thing that happened to the Centrists, only on a bigger scale. Most voters no longer trust them to manage the economy, or the security situation. Most voters no longer trust them to deal with Xiomera. The UP has definitely hammered that point home. But, to be blunt, things didn't get really bad for the left-leaning parties until Neina Arana's coup in Milintica. The UP seized on that to absolutely shatter the left. They saw that Huenyans were appalled with events in Milintica, and were relentless in advertising and campaigning to that. The Communists and the Peoples' Party, in particular, got absolutely wiped out by that. But even the Greens and the Democratic Socialists suffered from the splashback. There was a particularly notorious campaign ad that a PAC ran mixing scenes from Arana and the Milintican debacle with the leftist Huenyan leaders campaigning, and saying 'Milintica First, Huenya Next'. It was, of course, absolute garbage. But sometimes garbage is effective in politics."

Halliday: "Indeed. Well, that is all the time we have. Thank you, Professor, for your insights. Any last thoughts before we end?"

Huitzilchel: "Only that while I did vote for Eileen Finch, I kind of wish Camaxtle and the Have Fun Party had won. I could use a party or two, and not the political kind after this past few months."

Halliday: (laughs) "Agreed. Thank you again for your time, Professor. Up next, we go to Evie Wallace for what's happening in the world of sports."

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