[Lauchenoiria]

Liaville Times – Referendum Special

18th February 2019

Pro-Lauchenoiria parties issue joint statement against Aelurian independence

The Liberal, Communist, Conservative and Social Democratic parties today issued an unprecedented joint statement calling on Aelurian voters to reject independence in the referendum scheduled for the 1st March. Josephine Alvarez, leader of the Liberal Party stood alongside interim Communist leader Javier Flynn in front of the Federal Parliament in Buttercity to make an emotional plea to Aelurians to stay with Lauchenoiria.

Alvarez asked Aelurian voters to consider “the shared history between the people of Aeluria and the wider Federation of Lauchenoiria, and that Lauchenoirians everywhere would be heartbroken to see the island leave.” This was followed by Flynn, reiterating her sentiment and adding that “Aeluria is a valued part of Lauchenoiria, and no Lauchenoirian wants to see the island leave forever.”

Meanwhile, Conservative leader Thomas Averforth was on Aeluria, speaking to voters in various town halls, echoing the words of his Liberal and Communist counterparts. “I have family on Aeluria,” he told the Liaville Times, “and I don’t want them to become foreigners. While it’s true that many Aelurians dislike both the Liberals and the Communists, that is no reason to abandon the rest of Lauchenoiria to these two constantly fighting parties, instead of using their influence to try and change things.” Cassidy Laurens, leader of the Social Democrats was also on Aeluria, knocking on doors and speaking to voters.

Nazario Macías, First Minister of Aeluria and leader of the Aelurian Independence Party, countered the joint statement, telling Aelurians: “nobody wants to cut off all relations with the mainland. If we vote for independence, we will maintain close ties with our friends and neighbours in Lauchenoiria. Regardless of what the leaders of the Lauchenoirian parties say now, if we vote against independence, it won’t be long before they ignore us once more.”

In other referendum related news, a group of independence supporters have begun to camp in the city centre of Liaville, stating that they will not leave “until independence is achieved.” Meanwhile, a new opinion poll carried out over the last 2 days shows support for independence is currently at 48%.

Issue Focus – Potential Supply Shortages

During the 2018 Lauchenoirian Civil War, the regime led first by Suleman Chaher and later Charissa Clarke blockaded the island of Aeluria for two months from the 20th June until the 19th August. During this time, the island suffered from a variety of food and medicine shortages.

This has been used by some opponents of independence as the main reason why Aeluria should not become independent. They claim that as the island is presently incapable of supporting its current population, and if Aeluria was to become independent, it would be overly reliant on international trade.

Proponents of independence do not directly dispute the island’s inability to survive without outside trade. However, they argue that unlike in the war, it would be highly unlikely that Lauchenoiria, or indeed other nations would be willing to cut them off completely. Opponents say that while a similar situation to the blockade is indeed unlikely, that the people of Aeluria can’t afford to take the chance.

Some independence supporters even claim that the lack of support from the Lauchenoirian government to Aeluria is directly responsible for their low agricultural production in the past several decades. They claim independence would be a solution to the food supply problem, rather than the food supply problem making independence impossible.

Among farmers on Aeluria, the question of independence receives a mixed response. Around 57% of farmers support independence, with those who are also Lurite being much more likely to support it. Pro-independence farmers say that they will receive greater support from an independent Aelurian government than they ever have from Lauchenoiria. Meanwhile opponents say it would restrict trade and could have a detrimental impact on all Aelurian industry, including agriculture.

The question of supplies is a major issue in the independence debate, especially after the effects of the blockade during the war. It is seen by many as evidence that Aeluria simply cannot become independent. If the pro-independence parties want to succeed, they will need to come up with a persuasive argument to counter this.