[Lauchenoiria]

Lauchenoirian Guardian

One week until election day: voters make priorities known
9th June 2019

Next week’s election is seen by many as a chance for Lauchenoiria to finally move on from the divisions caused by last year’s civil war. The elections were originally scheduled for August 2018, however were cancelled by Suleman Chaher’s government during the war. These elections are unusual in that voters have vastly different priorities to those listed in elections that took place before the conflict. Opinion polls show that military spending is now one of the top 3 issues, with migration and gun control also up high in fifth and sixth place respectively – all issues that had never been priorities for Lauchenoirians before.

Top 5 issues for Lauchenoirians:
1. The economy
2. Military spending
3. The environment
4. The constitution
5. Migration

The economy

Economic issues are the priority for many Lauchenoirians in the aftermath of the war. The war itself was caused by the dispute between capitalists and communists over the economic system, while the war in turn had a detrimental effect on the Lauchenoirian economy. The number of Lauchenoirians living in poverty has trebled since the war, a result of the destruction of many homes and workplaces across southern Lauchenoiria.

The wealth gap between the richest and poorest in Lauchenoiria has increased, with wealth incomes remaining stable while poor incomes have dropped massively. Many people made homeless in cities such as Summersea and Annatown have had to rely on foreign aid to feed themselves, as non-existent incomes and food shortages combined have pushed up food prices to completely unaffordable rates.

The Communist Party and the Left Alliance both blame these issues on capitalism. They say that a return to the communist system of pre-1993 Lauchenoiria would wipe out the wealth gap and give the poorest Lauchenoirians better chances. Most of the other parties are widely opposed to this stance, arguing that the current situation was in fact caused by the communists, in their attempt to grab power last year.

The Conservative Party have advocated for necessary austerity to cut down on government spending and try to reduce the debts owed by Lauchenoiria to other countries, most notably Sanctaria. The Liberal Party and the LDA, the two centrist political parties, also broadly support this course of action. Lauchenoiria First also supports this policy – their manifesto is largely focused on ways to decrease foreign influence in Lauchenoiria, which includes reducing the national debt. This is in contrast to the SDP and the Feminist Party support increasing government spending to stimulate the economy and assist in the rebuilding effort following the war, regardless of that effect on the budget deficit.

Military spending

Before last year’s war, Lauchenoiria was historically pacifist and had avoided getting involved in international conflicts, even during the communist period. Military spending had always been comparatively low, especially following 1993, and had reached a record low in 2018 before the war.

Many now argue the war, and accompanying invasions by multiple foreign powers, is proof that this was bad policy. Others, meanwhile, argue in favour of cutting spending further, to try and prevent another war becoming possible, and re-commit Lauchenoiria to pacifist policies.

The Liberal Party and the SDP both support keeping military spending at or close to current levels. This policy is relatively unpopular amongst Lauchenoirians, most of whom have strong opinions in favour of increasing or decreasing spending. Both parties are projected to lose seats, and it is thought this may be a contributing factor.

Parties in favour of increasing spending include ideological opponents, the Communist and Conservative parties, along with the Feminist Party and Lauchenoiria First. The Feminist Party has surprised people by taking this position, which is a contrast with their policy in previous elections. They say that the war has shown that Lauchenoiria is in a weak position and greatly needs better defences.

The Pacifist Party, naturally, support cutting military spending – although they are the only party seeking to reduce it to zero. They are joined by the Greens, who argue that we should be seeking peaceful solutions, and that war is not the answer. Also in favour of decreasing military spending are the Left Alliance and the LDA, who seem to be aiming to win votes from Communists and Liberals respectively who were disappointed in the two main parties’ roles in the war.

The environment

Environmental issues have been at the forefront of Lauchenoirian politics throughout this decade. The Green Party were the junior coalition partners in the government overthrown by Suleman Chaher last year, and reached historic levels of support in 2014.

Most political parties in Lauchenoiria support environmental legislation, with the Green Party calling it their number one priority. The Liberals and the Pacifists also have environmental issues as a priority, while the Communists and Conservatives are less concerned, but still support legislation. The only party who are opposed to environmental legislation is Lauchenoiria First – whose leader, Paul Doberman, is a known climate change denier.

The constitution

The Haven Accords which ended the war instructed the provisional government to draft a new constitution for Lauchenoiria – something former Prime Minister Laura Moore’s side had advocated for in peace talks. The previous constitution, suspended by President MacKenzie in June 2018, was written in 1952 by the Communist regime, which Moore argued lacked sufficient protections to prevent another attempted coup in the future.

The new constitution will be the first thing the newly elected parliament will vote on – and Lauchenoirians have been following the drafting process closely. It is expected that the new constitution will include greater protections against an event like that which enabled Suleman Chaher to take power in 2018.

Migration

Lauchenoiria has traditionally been very welcoming of immigrants, however in recent years a number of political parties have been campaigning to change that. There is also a secondary issue in the category of migration – that of emigration. Lauchenoiria’s population has been steadily dropping for years, and since the war, the rate has only increased. In the past year, many countries have welcomed Lauchenoirian refugees fleeing the conflict and its aftermath, to a mixed response at home.

Four parties that oppose immigration – interestingly, the two leftmost and rightmost parties. The Communist Party and the Left Alliance both want greater immigration restrictions, as well as the Conservatives and Lauchenoiria First. The two left-wing parties say they want to stabilise the population, and prevent subversive foreign elements, especially from Kerlile, entering the country. Lauchenoiria First wants to completely ban all immigration – including sending Kerlian refugees back.

The Liberals, Communists and Lauchenoiria First – three parties who do not often agree – all believe Lauchenoiria should be taking measures to discourage emigration, too. Lauchenoiria First have repeatedly said it is ‘offensive’ that countries such as Laeral and Gnejs have deemed Lauchenoiria dangerous enough that they are accepting Lauchenoirian refugees. While the Liberals and Communists have not gone so far, it is clear they find the situation somewhat distasteful.

Parliamentary voting intention, 09/06/19 (change from previous poll on 08/06/19 shown)
Liberal Party: 23.6% (-0.2)
Communist Party: 16.3% (-)
Green Party: 14.8% (+0.2)
Conservative Party: 14.2% (+0.3)
Left Alliance: 8.2% (+0.1)
Lauchenoiria First: 7.6% (-)
Lauchenoirian Democratic Alliance: 6.3% (-0.1)
Pacifist Party: 4.0% (+0.2)
Feminist Party: 2.7% (-0.1)
Anarchist Party of Yervia: 0.9% (-0.1)
Social Democratic Party: 0.8% (-0.3)
Aelurian Independence Party (AIP): 0.1% (-)