Shine Vyerkhem Medeelliin AgyentlagShine Vyerkhem Medeelliin Agyentlag (New Verham News Agency) is the state news network of New Verham,
owned by the national government under a 55% share. NVNA strives to report all major news with integrity and honesty.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
21st May 5091Snap elections bring victory to United Liberal Party -
President-elect Shudargaünen promises "radical" reformsWith polls closing, the results have been confirmed by the State Electoral Commission -
the United LIberal Party has won the presidency, after months of arduous campaigning.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
by:Janggi Kyeinnüdtei
Political commentator and analystBAATRYNSENTII - Running on a platform of government transparency, economic deregulation and loosening of taxes, the United Liberal Party has trailblazed in the campaign months leading up to the recent snap elections, garnering broad support among the nation. These successive victories among the electorate have paid off, as the party officially enters the position of government after the final polls have closed, and the results have been confirmed by the State Electoral Commission. In a brief, yet optimistic victory speech from his own office at Baatrynsentii National University, former legal professor and practicing attorney Medekhgüi Shudargaünen, now president-elect of New Verham, gave his sincerest thanks to voters and his supporters that rallied around his party since its very recent formation only a mere year ago. During the campaign, a core value of the ULP's policies was the renewal of public faith in democracy - after three prior centuries saw the country be marred by political instability and military strong-arming.
Despite the optimism of his organization and himself, critics of Shudargaünen have sharply criticized his liberalizing reforms, specifically with regards to the economy, calling them "deeply alarming" and "haphazard". On economic policy, the president-elect has favored a doctrine of heavy privatization, hinting that if elected, his administration would even take aim at privatizing critical services currently under state control, a vestige of old military administrations. Sectors at the forefront of both partial and full privatization efforts by Shudargaünen come in the form of the education, healthcare, and transportation networks in the country. The president-elect claims that this spur of privatizations would incentivize private companies, both foreign and domestic, to engage in a "buyup spree", generating millions of much needed funds into economy, kickstarting the "rebirth" of private businesses. Said critics have stated that a swift and immediate privatization of core government services would potentially worsen the already lower-income economy of New Verham.
In his speeches to voters, economic deregulation aimed at clearing out bureaucratic red tape to ensure newfound entrepreneurship and lowered taxes were also key policies of note. "The people of New Verham, in their great diversity, have been strangled by a confusing web of uneven taxation, and decrepit military bureaucracy", Shudargaünen stated in a speech last summer. After a new session of parliament is sworn into session, alongside his own swearing-in ceremony, the president-elect promised to slash a variety of taxes, most importantly halving the current income and property taxes imposed on the working and middle class. His administration stated it would also work to fully implement the transition into a market economy for the country, after having been guided for three centuries under military-backed autarky. "Our nation deserves to reconnect with the global economy. Self-sufficiency seems the correct idea, but in the end, it leaves less to our citizens and leaves them poorer," president-elect Shudargaünen stated in his final campaign speech last week.
Other smaller reforms on the ULP's agenda included an increase in government transparency, fostering a government that is more accountable to its citizens and working to build a stronger democracy overall. Chief among this is the implementation of dedicated term limits for legislative officials and the presidency. Shudargaünen has favored the implementation of three-year terms for the presidency, believing such a small term to be fair in giving "all voices" a chance to inherit the country's leadership. As to whether or not a maximum term limit would be implemented, the president-elect was vague when pressed on the issue during press conferences.
Whilst most voters celebrate the change of pace in their country's political establishment, other senior politicians have raised their uneasiness about the self-described "radical" reforms of the ULP and its leader. Another significant contingent of old guard anxiousness has come from the military establishment, long having a sizable influence over domestic affairs, with the coups and juntas of the past five centuries leaving a lasting effect on New Verham, on the political scene, economy, culture, and social structure of the country.
The United Liberal Party's presidential candidate, and current Chairman of the organization, Medekhgüi Shudargaünen, speaks during an internal party meeting. Shudargaünen, now President of New Verham, has promised "radical" new policies aimed at pursuing free market reforms and to introduce sweeping privatization efforts.