02-17-2013, 10:12 AM
[/hr]POLITICS | OPINIONS | SPORT | NATIONAL | LIFESTYLE | BUSINESS | INTERNATIONAL
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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2013
[/hr]VOL. XCV .. Num. 34,393 | In the News: Elections -- Weekend Sport -- Monetary Markets
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by SARAH PLEDYS, Political Editor
Sanctus - Millions of Sanctarians go to the polls today to elect a new government for the next five years after what has been an uncharacteristically tame election campaign. For the first time in Sanctarian history ballots will also be cast for members of parliament's upper house, with each borough returning two Senators. Polling opens at 6am and ends at 11pm in stations across the country.
Outgoing Prime Minister Joshua Turner, who is not contesting the election, has expressed confidence that his successor as leader of the Sanctarian Conservative Party, Mark Kindle, will lead the party to victory. Meanwhile, Charlene Hendry, leader of the Democratic Left Party, told this paper yesterday evening that party polls were showing her party would easily cruise to victory. Counting of the votes begin tomorrow and are expected to end on Monday evening; who will be taking government should be clear around noon on Monday as seats begin to be called for candidates.
The Senate will be the first chamber back in action, with members being sworn in on Monday, February 25th. Committee assignments are expected to be doled out on this day too. The House of Deputies is to return on Thursday, February 28th, with the Prime Minister officially elected by the house by 11am. The new Prime Minister will then nominate fellow Deputies from his/her party to be members of the cabinet; these nominations will be sent to the Senate for approval, with Senate Committees being permitted to question nominees. The new government will then officially take office at noon on Friday, March 1st.
As is tradition, President Marian Woodstrom cast the first vote in Sanctus this morning as the stroke of 6am, before returning to Eagleston Manor for scheduled appointments. While elections are on-going, the day-to-day operation of Sanctaria is being ran by the civil service, with them being legislatively forbidden from taking any executive action.