OOC: once again I'm behind time for a news storyWhy Her: McFarland Shot by Two BulletsOne event from both gay-rights and SLP activicts held in the aftermath of the successful assassination June 13th, 4130- A great tragedy has come onto the trail with only a few weeks until the election. SLP Presidential nominee Claire McFarland was shot twice by gunman Dennis Hamilton, a self-identified "crusader". The event occured at 2:12 PM as Ms. McFarland was greeting voters in rural Iliathar. Police arrived quickly and arrested a man armed with an illegal pistol. He was quickly arrested and plead guilty to the assassination, claiming that "God had willed it".
Mr. Hamilton, aged 32, is a native of Iliathar. According to the police report, he is mentally unstable and is a fanatic Horsian. Police say that he had become a self-radicalized individual through his readings and skewed to blatantly wrong interpretations of religious texts. He was able to give his motive, which was to "stop the spread of the gay agenda". This confirmed the speculations among the left that this was a hate crime, fueled by the disbelief in the individual that a bisexual could become president of Beluzia. So, when the campaign event was planned and announced on June 11th, Mr. Hamilton made his move.
McFarland was pronounced dead at 2:18, with one bullet striking her heart, the other hitting her arm. She was 38 and unmarried, though she leaves her longtime lover. Her identity, always anonymous out of respect, is now confidential by police order. She is also reported to be given a temporary police escort for the time being. Ms. McFarland was killed in a hateful act amid a renewed debate on LGBT rights. Throughout the night, several LGBT rights groups gathered in cities across Beluzia to say their goodbyes and pay their respects. They were joined by men and women, straight or gay, minority or majority, to condemn Mr. Hamilton's actions.
Being the first assassinated political figure in Beluzian politics since the 4050s, she now joins a very small list. An assassination like this is thought of as impossible, especially one brought on by hate. Today's events show how wrong those assumptions are. The general shock across the nation is a symptom of the fortunate rarity of these events. Fortunately for Beluzians, attacks of this caliber are some of the rarest events in Beluzia, but that seems to only worsen the feelings many are having.
The proximity to the election is a problem for SLP leadership. Party rules adopted at the 23rd National Convention make it that, "should a candidate not be able to continue their campaign for any reason and there is less than 1 month until the general election, the second place candidate on the first nominating vote shall be offered the nomination. Should they refuse or be unable to accept the nomination, the 3rd place candidate will be considered. This process is repeated until either a 1st ballot candidate accepts the nomination or no candidate from the first ballot remains. Should no one remain from the 1st ballot or there is more than 1 month until the general election, then the delegates of the national convention shall meet within 48 hours of the initial vacancy to choose a nominee".
This system gives the nomination to Cooper, who accepted it at 4:30 PM today. He gave this speech
While we all wish these circumstances to be different, I accept the nomination for the SLP's presidential candidate. What we witnessed today was a total disregard for human rights and an act of pure hate. A man, unable to fathom a gay president, decided that the best course of action was to take her life. With his decision, Beluzia has lost a bright leader that fought hard for all that she stood for. With her we lose the closest we've gotten to a recorded LGBT Head of State across all of our history. With her we lose the figure-head of a movement.
While I am honored to be nominated for president of Beluzia, I feel as though I don't want it. I would rather accept the nomination the way Claire did, a stage with the iconic balloon drop of the convention. This moment is a bitter one, a moment where the words "I accept your nomination" have a negative connotation. As a party, a movement, and a community, we have seen one of the most dreaded acts of violence that could be committed by anyone.
However, we must move forward. Claire would not want us to sit around and just mourn; rather, she'd want us to take her torch to the presidency. Furthermore, she'd want us to preserve and take this party and this nation past grieving and into a future of prosperity. We must show the world that these acts of terror and pure hatred will not deter us. We must show that these acts will unite us and help to push us forward.
and now, the presentVictory Was Never So BitterNewly elected President Karl Cooper of Iliathar at his victory rally July 4130- Despite major losses for the governing coalition in the assembly, Karl Cooper managed to win a nail-biting second round in the presidential race. President Cooper emerged with a lead of about 1.7 million votes or about 3 percentage points. However 2 things cloud his victory over the BTP's Isaac Keltcher. 1st is the assassination of Claire McFarland, the whole reason he became the candidate. Second is the makeup of the Assembly, which shows tricky ground for both sides of the isle. The BPP appears to hold the ability to oust the coalition it is a part of if it chooses to side with the BTP and BNP. This legislative position could possibly make an early election possible, which has the real chance of ousting Mr. Cooper.
However, this has not deterred Mr. Cooper, who is already laying out some domestic policy with center-left SLP assemblymen. This has also involved a new shadow cabinet team, but the current ministers have their jobs until uncertainty has been cleared. President Cooper has also announced his intentions to immediately begin planning some foreign relations projects.