[Zamastan]

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[/hr]Zamastan | World - IDU | Politics | Economy | Opinion

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The Tofino Times
Click Here to Visit The Tofino Times Website
[color=#800040]Monday, November 11th, 2019

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[/hr]VOL. XXXII .. Num. 6320 | In the News: UNE TRADE DEAL

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SPECIAL ELECTION BALLOTS RELEASED
Here are the People Who Made the Ballots For The November 17th, 2019 Election

In the wake of President Anya Bishop's departure from office under the Vote of No-Confidence, Senate has approved a Special Election to be held on Sunday, November 17th, 2019. While anyone is capable to run in these elections, there are only eight spots on official ballots that the Senate and House have bilaterally agreed upon (voters can write in candidates of their choice if their names do not appear on the ballot). They include candidates who polled consistently in nine un-politicized ranking survey's, as well as their current standings in the September 22nd, 2020 election cycle. These are the candidates who made the ballots.

Foley Sakzi (Speaker of the Chamber, BCP) - Blue Conservative Party
-Speaker Sakzi shook the political landscape in June when he announced his candidacy against President Bishop in the 2020 Election cycle. His candidacy, as well as his position in the Blue Conservative Party, caused a major division in the Conservative realm, as he began openly criticizing Bishop for her policies. Upon her condemnation and subsequent removal from office, he remained on the side lines to the best of his ability as the leading member of Congressional Hall, abstaining from the Congress Chamber's vote and speaking in terms of political unification after her removal in testimonial settings.

His provided domestic views are largely centered around middle and lower class economics, and he has stated that he hopes to provide systems of free enterprising that doesn't infringe on the rights of the everyday citizen, while also maintaining a faithful and open government system. He has advocated for a strong military, sanctions against Xiomera and Kerlile (though he strongly criticized President Bishop's handling of the July-August Trade War), and an increase in trade with nations who don't have strong current connections with Zamastan, as well as Catican nations such as Trive and United New England. He has advocated for gun reform and was one of the leading voices in the August legislation that banned semi-automatic rifles in Zamastan, though he has stated that he believes in the right for citizens to have conceal and carry permits for hand guns.

Before his tenure in politics, Sakzi was a corporal in the Zamastanian Armed Forces, seeing action during the Second War in Vulkaria. He was shot in the chest by enemy combatants during the Battle of Amstelveen and critically injured, but recovered and rewarded several medals honoring his bravery and sacrifice during the fighting.

Cain Blackwater (Former Speaker of the Chamber, GLP Leader, CEO of Blackwater Energy) - Green Liberal Party
-Cain Blackwater has been in politics for the majority of his adult life. He is a Zamastanian energy tycoon and politician who serves as the leader of the Green Liberal Party. He served for six years as the Speaker of the Chamber before being voted out in the 1994 election and being replaced by Shauna Lultquist when the Libertarian Party took the majority in Congressional Hall. During his time as speaker, he was a representative from Zian's 58th District. He remains active in politics to this day, and uses his influence as a major politician and billionaire to his party's advantage, funding many events and campaigns. He made his fortune from his acquired energy company, the Blackwater Energy Industries, which applies green, clean energy such as windmills, solar, and hydro electric sources. He has been a candidate for President multiple times over his career, running in 1992, 1998, and 2014 against Cassious Castovia, 2018 against Zacharias Castovia, and in the emergency election of 2019 against incumbent president Anya Bishop.

Shauna Lultquist (Former Speaker of the Chamber) - Libertarian Party of Zamah St'an
-Shauna Lultquist is a politician, humanitarian, and activist who served as the youngest ever Speaker of the Chamber as a member of the Libertarian Party. She was also the first black Speaker elected. Lultquist was elected at the age of 23 in 1994, beating Cain Blackwater and serving for one term before losing her seat to Randolph Forrester. Following her tenure, she established a non-profit organization: the Free Water for IDU Initiative, which provided fresh water utilities to nations and regions struggling to recover from natural disasters or conflicts. She also joined political and civil rights activists groups working towards increased women's rights around Zamastan. On July 17th, 2019, she announced her candidacy for president in the 2020 Zamastan Presidential Election, making her the first ever black woman to run for the Presidency.

Euan Gunn (Senator) - Green Liberal Party
-A Church of Zian pastor and Zamastanian senator, Euan Gunn is representing the Northern Isle's 19th District. He is a member of the Green Liberal Party. He is known for his roles in extending voting rights and pressing gun-control legislation, which has put him at the forefront of the GLP's political spectrum. Considered by most political experts to be, as The Tofino Times once described him, "a classic liberal in the tradition of Cassious Castovias", Gunn once said that he wanted to create a "Melting-Pot Coalition" of various minority groups. Though heavily pro-LGBT, same-sex marriage, pro-gun control, and pro-cutting defense spending, Gunn is more conservative on his views of abortion, thanks in part to his religious heritage.

While most aspiring presidential candidates traditionally wait until February of election year to announce their intent to run, Gunn announced his candidacy on April 3rd, 2019, making him the first politician to enter the 2020 Zamastanian Presidential Election cycle. He was also the member of the Senate who introduced the Vote of No-Confidence upon Anya Bishop.

Zacharias Castovia (Former President, Founder and CEO of ZSuites Incorporated, Son of Cassious Castovia (President from 1982-2015)) - Independent
-Zacharias Castovia is a Zamastanian politician and businessman, who served as the 12th President of Zamastan, assuming power after the unexpected death of his father, Cassious Castovia in 2016 until his resignation on January 23rd, 2019. Before becoming President, Zacharias Castovia was the founder and CEO of ZSuites Incorporated, a multi-billion dollar real-estate company. As President, he was seen as a divisive figure on the world stage, acting as one of the prominent leaders in the founding of the United Crown Alliance and ultimately joining the International Democratic Union. His presidency was defined by a unprecedented rise of economic prowess, numerous polarizing military conflicts such as the Gladysynthia Crisis, and legislative actions that have had unique impact on everyday life in Zamastan. He was also the youngest President elected in Zamastanian history, as well as one of the youngest heads of state in the IDU.

Castovia resigned the Presidency on January 23rd, 2019 following a scandal in which he was found not guilty, though he lost significant staff members during the course of the investigation. He was succeeded by Anya Bishop in a special election.

Yerran Mann (PPZ Leader, Former Speaker of the Chamber) - Progressive Party
-Yerran Mann is the leader of the Progressive Party. He served for six years as the Speaker of the Chamber before being voted out in the 2012 election and being replaced by Foley Sakzi when the Blue Conservatives took the majority in Congressional Hall for the first time since 2000. He has an anti-war stance, advocating for Zamastan's military to be restricted from engaging in war zones outside the nation, famously demanding an end to the wars in Vulkaria and opposition to all preemptive wars, strikes, or other offensive or interventionist military actions, such as the Gladysynthia Crisis. Mann is very supportive of LGBT rights and members of the party were involved in the legalization of same-sex marriage in the country.

Economically, Mann also calls for converting the minimum wage to a living wage and having it tied to inflation rates, having the economy focus on small and local businesses, empowerment of worker cooperatives and publicly owned companies as democratic alternatives to multi-national corporations and to decentralize the economy, for the strengthening of state law to protect the right to unionize, for implementing a progressive income tax and repealing the tax exemption and residential education property tax, and for all trade to be subject to international standards on human rights. Mann is also critical of privatization.

Leanne Dale (Senator) - Green Liberal Party
-Leanne Dale is a Senator of the Green Liberal Party. She has been outspoken on sexual assault in the military and sexual harassment, having criticized Senator Cormac Hammer (a fellow liberal) for sexual misconduct. She supports paid family leave, a federal jobs guarantee, and the abolition and replacement of the Customs Enforcement Agency (CEA). She is the chairwoman of the "STOCK Committee", which overseas insider trading and lobbying within the Congress and Senate.

WHO WINS AND HOW?

Because there are eight people on the ballot, votes are expected to be close across the board. The Senate has laid out rules to curb the potential for a close vote and an indecisive winner. If a candidate gets 50% of the vote or more, they automatically win. However, anything less than that, and the votes will take the top four contenders into a run-off election two days following the first vote. This will be the one that determines the next President of Zamastan.

In official polling, Speaker Sakzi has led at around 31%. Blackwater follows at 23%, while Lultquist and Gunn are tied at just about a rounded 20% each. Castovia has roughly 5%, leaving the remaining two candidates with less than 1% each.

See full article here: https://zkcastor.wixsite.com/thetofinotimes