[Lauchenoiria]

Liaville Times – Referendum Special

22nd February 2019

Campaign leaders gear up for tomorrow’s debate as campaign enters final week

First Minister Nazario Macías and leader of the No campaign Ally Wallis are set to face each other in a televised live debate tomorrow at 7pm local time. With one full week to go before the referendum, the number of Aelurians who have yet to decide how they are voting has declined from 18% two weeks ago to a mere 7% now, but both campaigns hope that the debate will help that remainder come to a decision.

The presence of the campaigns on the streets has increased rapidly as the referendum date approaches, with some residents in Liaville and the larger towns having several individuals knock their doors on the same day. Some residents have complained about the intrusion, while others welcome the increased political engagement across the island.

The question of independence is the main topic of conversation in many arenas, from universities and schools, to places of worship, and even in the corridors of hospitals. With only a week to go, it is unavoidable. Today, Lurites, who pray at sunrise and sunset, were among the first to discover that overnight, all of Liaville had been covered in Aelurian flags by some enterprising pro-independence individual.

In other independence news, today the President of Zamastan issued a statement of support for Aelurian independence, in a move that was warmly welcomed by the pro-independence campaign, who had lost support following the endorsement of the widely-disliked Matriarchy of Kerlile. It is expected the endorsement of a democratic state will provide a boost for the campaign.

In tomorrow’s Referendum Special, the Liaville Times will post a partial transcript of the debate for our readers, instead of the usual issue focus.


Issue Focus – General Political Differences

The political landscape in Aeluria is markedly different to that of mainland Lauchenoiria. The Social Democratic Party, fifth in national polls, enjoys much greater popularity on the island, and of course there is the large amount of support for the Aelurian Independence Party. Notably, both the Liberals and the Communists have much less support on the island.

As the Liberals and the Communists are the only parties with a feasible chance of gaining power at a federal level, this means many on Aeluria usually feel unrepresented by the federal government. Many supporters of independence list political differences as their main reason for supporting independence.

The civil war has only exacerbated these differences. Due to the prominent position of both the Liberals and the Communists in the two opposing factions during the war, support for the parties has fallen across all Lauchenoiria, but even more so on Aeluria. Support for the Liberal Party on Aeluria has dropped to a record low of 9%, while support for the Communists is not much higher at 11%. Proponents of independence point to these figures as evidence that Aeluria will never get the governments it votes for while it is part of Lauchenoiria.

Opponents of independence argue that Aeluria still has representation in the Federal Parliament – and, indeed, has had disproportionately larger representation per capita in recent years. Some opponents of independence even argue that Aeluria leaving Lauchenoiria would be unfair to the other opponents of the big two parties, as it would decrease the amount of opposition, and further cement their rule. Those who support this view suggest that Aeluria would be ‘abandoning’ the rest of Lauchenoiria to its fate.

Regardless of the outcome of the referendum, the political divide between Aeluria and Lauchenoiria seems set to only increase. If Aeluria remains within Lauchenoiria, it will undoubtedly be a point of contention in the future.