Democracy Protest Marches Take Place As Government Delays Election
Thousands of people join the protests against the government in Skavejo.
Tens of thousands of people across the nation took to the streets to demonstrate over the Zardic government's decision to push back the Republic Assembly election by 12 months to March 4258.
Chief Minister Olimpio Gracchus called for the extension to the current legislative term so that the vote could take place on the same day as the scheduled inaugural presidential election. He said the date to the elect the new Republican head of state could not be arranged any earlier due to "pro-monarchy elements trying to put a spanner in the works".
He added that having the assembly and presidential votes at the same time would help to stimulate interest in the democratic process, increase turnout and cut the costs of staging elections.
However, many people were not buying his explanation and said the decision to extend the legislative term to six years was merely an "excuse" to cling onto power for longer. The decision comes on the back of other sweeping constitutional reforms which include making the position of president largely ceremonial and drastically cutting down on the number of bills a party can propose in the Republic Assembly.
Among those who joined the mainly peaceful protests was civil rights activist Joshuria Ecclesios. He said: "I voted for the Socialist Republicans and was delighted when they swept to power. Many of their social and economic decisions have been extremely popular with people but the constitutional amendments of the last few months have really started to raise eyebrows.
"We cannot have a government with too much power in one person, which also limits the ability of parties to propose law changes and now cuts down on accountability by extending the legislative term. That's why we are protesting to let the government know the changes are not acceptable."
Chief Minister Gracchus rebutted the accusations and the need for the protest marches. In a statement issued to the Zardic World Report he said: "The government has taken progressive steps to enhance democracy in our nation and encourage more people to participate in the voting process by bring the two most important national elections together on one day. It is also a considerable saving for the public purse to hold them jointly.
"We believe the marches are unnecessary and, in the main, have been instigated by pro-monarchist supporters who are still smarting from our decision to take this nation in a republican direction. To have those who believe in hereditary rule to be protesting about democracy is, of course, an ironic notion."