Radio Suyu Llaqta
Schubert vs. Lulling- Presidential Election Coverage Live7th November 4206; 21:00
Ollin Tada: Ladies and gents, that is it: nine o'clock and polling stations are closing as I speak. Simultaneously, the forty-eight hour prohibition on media coverage of electioneering reaches an end, meaning I can report- for the first time- on the result of today's Presidential election. Several months ago, Radio Suyu Llaqta commissioned an exclusive exit poll with the MRI Group and over the course of today, they have spoken to more than ten thousand voters across the country- particularly in those so-called 'bellwether' areas. On the basis of their findings, we believe that the result of this election will be a narrow but historic victory for Coatl Lulling of the Democratic Worker's Party. At present, we predict that Lulling will receive around fifty-three percent of votes, with Kuzco Schubert of the National People's Party polling about forty-four percent. Stay with us throughout the night as the results come in, as we speak to political analysts, voters and hopefully the candidates themselves.
7th November 4206; 21:09
Ollin Tada: Right, I'm now delighted to be able welcome our first guest of the evening to the show. He's just arrived from across the city at the Llaqta School of Economics where he is a Professor of Political Science, specialising in voting behaviour. Pashaun Fersen, what do you make of these exit polls? Do they reflect the educated view on the way the election would go?
Pashaun Fersen: Certainly so. In the run-up to voting, Mr. Lulling was the consistent front runner over the incumbent President. His reputation as a hard-working and principled politician proved a stark contrast to the characterisation of Schubert as somebody who was bought by foreign corporations and elected as a result of state intrusion into the democratic process. Nonetheless, that doesn't take away from the enormous upset that the DWP have inflicted, within the historical context. A common refrain from Lulling was the fact that the National People's Party had won every Presidential election for over a century and a half; they pitched this as an opportunity for change at last and it seems they've been successful.
Ollin Tada: What about the impact of the Representing the People Act, legislation which drastically altered the demographic make-up of the electorate? Do we know how effective it was and whether it was implemented properly?
Pashaun Fersen: With regard to the voting process, we're getting a mixed picture so far. On the face of it, the government seems to have recognised that they couldn't possibly hope to impose some of the contrived measures which they have in the past; there was no ID requirement this time round and greater police presence helped to ensure that militant NPP supporters could not terrorise voters in the DWP strongholds. Nevertheless, reports have surfaced, anecdotal though they may be, that many Klikut voters up north had a difficult time in gaining access to a ballot paper. It seems the trouble was in relation to their communities not being recognised as settlements by the state; this meant they had to travel long distances to reach a polling station.
Ollin Tada: Have we seen any response from the government yet?
Pashaun Fersen: Not yet, Schubert will likely wait until the result is a certainty before he makes a public appearance. His critics, the Chief Councillor for example, may be more willing to comment, given that they appear to have been vindicated about his ability to secure re-election.
7th November 4206; 21:44
Ollin Tada: We're expecting the first results to be announced within the next hour or so, in the meantime, we've got former Minister for Voting and Elections Catl Outman on the telephone to explain in further detail what the procedure is for counting and declaring the results. Good evening Mr. Outman, the Presidential election is a straight first-past-the-post vote so where do the districts factor in to the equation?
Catl Outman: Evening Ollin, thanks for speaking to me. As you identified, there is no district voting in Presidential elections; voters simply cast their ballots and the total for each candidate is added up. However to make this process quicker and to help break down the results, ballot boxes are counted at specialised counting stations in the district capital. Although the districts are intended to be roughly the same size, this isn't possible for a number of reasons. As a result, we expect that the smaller, urban districts, where there are fewer voters and where the distance that boxes must travel is considerably shorter, will declare their results much earlier in the night.
Ollin Tada: Okay and what about the so-called 'bellwether' districts- areas where we expect the result to be a strong indicator of the national trend?
Catl Outman: Bellwether districts are often difficult because it is likely that the vote will be particularly tight in those places, meaning that extra precautions have to be taken to ensure the ballots are counted correctly. Consequently, they are often reported later than the rest of the country and this means that early in the evening, the results can be unrepresentative of the final outcome. Exit polls tend to be far more accurate indicators until at least the early hours of the next day.
Ollin Tada: You've given me the perfect segue, Mr Outman, because the exit polls present a crippling defeat for your colleague President Schubert. How does the National People's Party recover from this result?
Catl Outman: Nothing is certain at this stage. We'll wait and see what happens for now.
7th November 4206; 22:50
Ollin Tada: I'll have to cut you off there I'm afraid because I believe we can now cross directly to the Icnoyo North district, where the first declarations are being made.
Xoco Den:--ting officer for Icnoyo North do hereby declare that the results for the presidential election 4206 were as follows. Chinpukilla Ccora- Party for the Environment: 20,856; Acalan Huama- Popular Llaqta Front: 89,425; Coatl Lulling- Democratic Worker's Party: 6,587,319; Ilhuitl Paucarchuco- Union for a Social Republic: 3,240; Kuzco Schubert- National People's Party: 2,814,446. There were 2,401 ballot papers rejec--
Ollin Tada: Lulling winning Icnoyo North, the first district to declare in this election, by a substantial margin. Pashaun, we expected a victory for the DWP here- an area with one of the largest ethnic minority populations in the country- did we expect a victory that emphatic?
Pashaun Fersen: I don't think we did, Ollin. Like you say, the result here was never in doubt but to accumulate nearly 70% of the votes is impressive. It will, undoubtedly, be balanced out by regions where Schubert wins large majorities, but I do wonder whether we could be in for a result which is not quite as tight as earlier reports would lead us to think.
8th November 4206; 00:04
Ollin Tada: We'll take the opportunity of a short break in declarations to briefly speak to Minister of Business and Labour Oqllo Cuya, a prominent ally of the President in the Council of Representatives. Mr Cuya, pleasure to have you. We've had more than a third of districts declared and the President is trailing by about five million votes: you're finished here, aren't you? It's time to admit defeat.
Oqllo Cuya: I disagree, Ollin, and I think that's a rather cynical view. There are still plenty of areas where we can make up that lost ground, as was mentioned earlier on your programme. Throughout the campaign, I spoke to thousands of voters who vehemently back the President and his platform; based on those conversations, I think a DWP landslide is unlikely. Either way, we have plenty of results still to report and it would be foolish for anyone to jump to a conclusion at the present time.
Ollin Tada: If the President is unsuccessful tonight, you and your allies must take much of the blame, mustn't you? His unpopularity was repeatedly pointed out yet you insisted he was the right man for the job.
Oqllo Cuya: Let's not dive into hypothetical questions. The National People's Party held a primary election and President Schubert was chosen, without a challenge, as our candidate. He clearly retained his authority within the party and I hope he'll be back in office for a second, even better, term.
8th November 4206; 01:37
Ollin Tada: It now seems that Coatl Lulling will be the first of the two major candidates to appear publicly since the polls shut, as he is moments away from speaking to a group of committed supporters at a rally in the capital. His victory is not a certainty at this point but it would require something like a miracle for him to be defeated. Here he is now.
Coatl Lulling:--u for joining me here as we celebrate what is destined to be the best night in the Democratic Worker's Party's history. Across the country, we have seen people who have been denied the right to vote, or who have felt the process was useless, finding their voices and having their say. Yesterday's election looks set to be the largest democratic exercise ever recorded in Suyu Llaqta; that is something we have to be proud of. At the moment, we can't tell for sure who has won but if the current indicators are to be believed, President Schubert may be packing his bags in a few short hours.
8th November 4206; 02:55
Ollin Tada: We're hearing reports that Schubert could be on the brink of making his first appearance of the evening. We've already heard from several of his camp, all of whom denied that the result was confirmed. If Schubert does decide to break his cover, it may well be the case that he is admitting defeat. I'll ensure that we keep you up to date on that story as it develops. Meanwhile, I have Kumya Mallma- Chairman of the DWP in the studio. Ms. Mallma, what is the mood within your party at the moment?
Kumya Mallma: Cautiously hopeful. We know we are getting closer to a triumph by the minute but obviously, we cannot take that for granted. In addition, success in this election is just a means to an end; we want to fundamentally transform this nation for the benefit of its people. Our economy is rigged in favour of foreign interests and our democracy is deeply, deeply flawed, those things require our full attention. We cannot spend too much time thinking about celebration because we've got work to do!
Ollin Tada: Indeed, you have. I can tell you that Orccachi, earmarked as a district Schubert needed to win if he was to be re-elected, has just declared for Lulling. The President only managed forty percent of the vote, his opponent reaching close to fifty-three. We have now received declarations from more than three-quarters of districts.
Pashaun Fersen: I think that's game over for Schubert. Oraccachi is generally regarded as a conservative region and he represented the district as a Councillor for eight years. If he can't win there, where can he win?
8th November 4206; 04:12
Ollin Tada: I'm going to interrupt because I am now able to issue an historic declaration. With only five districts yet to declare, Coatl Lulling has been elected as the next President of the Republic of Suyu Llaqta. Presently, he sits on fifty-six percent of the vote compared to his rival Kuzco Schubert's forty percent however it is mathematically impossible for the latter to overtake him. For the first time ever, the President of the Third Republic will not be a member of the National People's Party. We are still waiting to hear from the President, despite rumours over an hour ago that he was due to make a public appearance soon.
8th November 4206; 06:44
Pashaun Fersen: The Chief Councillor Pidru Francke will definitely be somewhat pleased by these results. Strange though it may seem, his legislature holds much of the power in the country and the new President will have to reach compromises if he wants any of his measures passed. It gives Francke the chance to deflect the blame for policy failures away from the Council. On top of that, his instinct in doubting Schubert's credentials has been clearly justified. Simply put, Schubert was far less popular than his opponent and voters did not trust him. Voting reform played a part but I dare say that Lulling would've have won this election anyway. Take these statistics with a pinch of salt but we believe turnout among Klikuts, the group who were enfranchised for the first time in this election, could be as low as fifty-five percent.
Ollin Tada: Interesting. Now, the President has emerged outside his residence and is speaking to the nation: we think he will concede defeat at this point.
Kuzco Schubert: Citizens of Suyu Llaqta, I am speaking to you as your President to confirm that I recognise the result of yesterday's election. On the largest vote in our history, I was defeated by Coatl Lulling: there can be no disputing or ignoring that fact. I wish to congratulate Mr. Lulling on his fantastically hard-fought campaign and wish him good luck in his quest to make our country a better place to live. Tomorrow morning, I will chair a regular meeting of the cabinet. Before the end of that meeting, as is traditional after an election, I will hand over the chairing of the cabinet to Mr Lulling who will assume the office of President of the Third Republic at that point. At this time, I have nothing further to add. Thank you and good morning.