March 4258
Populist Sangiri Nebhet to Become Grand Vizier
Sangiri Nebhet (center) celebrates his victory in the Royal Assembly
The Democratic People’s Front won a surprise victory in the snap elections called by the Coburan Unionist Party. The Front won resoundingly despite constant controversial comments by Sangiri Nebhet, a former colonel and the leader of the party. The leader's rhetoric had been derided by the political mainstream as both absurd and inflammatory, with talking points from distributing free alcohol to every Coburan citizen to accusing the Unionist Party of being in the pockets of the Zardic government. Due to the overwhelming victory, the Kandake is expected to lift the state of exception that has kept the current Unionist government in power.
However, this was not a protest vote against the restrictive measures taken by the Kandake during the declaration of the state of exception. In fact, the Democratic People’s Front has gone even further, calling for a national DNA registry and the reinstatement of capital punishment. Recent events such as the terrorist attack in Cobura’s sister nation of Hawu Mumenhes and instability in Badara have led to anxiety in Cobura, which the Front has been accused of exploiting for political gain. The Front has also filled a hole left by the Worker’s Party of Cobura, which has taken a policy of abstention in protest following the Kandake’s declaration of the state of exception. The Front, while not particularly left-wing, has proposed policies far to the left of the economic liberalism championed by the Unionist Party, including reintroduction of the minimum wage and regulated working hours. This has been coupled with the Front’s usual xenophobia, with Nebhet supporting the ending of all international aid and labor protections for foreign workers.
The Front’s most prominent position has been opposition to Zardic influence. Sangiri Nehbet has fiercely opposed the Kandake’s reset in relations with Zardugal, arguing that Cobura has been too lenient with its northern neighbor. Nebhet has demanded the renegotiation of the Treaty of Cezareo, which has permitted the Zardic government to station 600 troops in the Coburan city of Augusta since the end of the Tokundian War. In a campaign rally one month before the election, Nebhet stated,
There can be no reset until the Zardic guard is purged from Augusta! You know what a reset with Zardugal would look like? We force the Zards to move their troops out of the Imperial Throne of the Augustans, or we storm the place and throw the so-called “Emperor” into a Tokundian shithole prison. There’s your fucking reset.
Accordingly, Nebhet has made the removal of the Zardic troops in the Imperial Throne of the Augustans his top priority following his election victory. The Front's first action with a majority in the Royal Assembly was passing a resolution to adjust the treaty, which Nebhet claims is invalid as it was signed during the period of military dictatorship. With the recent placement of 8,000 additional troops on the Coburan-Zardic border, tensions between the two nations seem destined to increase.