Polaris May 2021

On May 12, The North Pacific’s May General Elections wrapped up, with the region having witnessed one of the closest Delegate contests in history. Robespierre (Francois Isidore) was elected Delegate in a nail-biter race against Nimarya, while Cretox State was overwhelmingly re-elected Vice Delegate and East Isles was elected Speaker by large margins.

Robespierre was the first person to announce their candidacy for Delegate, soon after candidacy declarations opened on May 1. This was followed by the incumbent Delegate McMasterdonia announcing their intentions not to run for re-election, and Nimarya accepting a nomination made by McMasterdonia.

Robespierre was serving as Speaker at the time of the election, having been elected to that role in January. He previously had served as Minister of Home Affairs and Minister of Defense, and was elected Vice Delegate in January 2020, though he resigned just over halfway into the term, without having reached the required second-most WA endorsements in the region.

Robespierre’s campaign, titled “Robespierre for Rejuvenation: A Delegacy,” was posted early, citing a desire to have a government that “gets people inspired again” and the many promises made in the January election that did not come to fruition as their reasons to run for Delegate.

Key planks of the campaign included weekly press briefings, boosting applications for the Executive Staff through targeted recruitment efforts by the Ministry of Home Affairs, a focus on developing authors for the new Polaris news program in the Ministry of Communications, and a full audit into the Ministry of Cards, which has fallen into inactivity. On the Foreign Affairs front, the campaign included promises to update the existing World Factbook project, expand the content variety of the Ministry of Radio, and foster talent in the Ministry of World Assembly Affairs by providing more support for prospective authors.

Nimarya last served as Minister of Defense under outgoing Delegate McMasterdonia, having made the move after two terms as Minister of Home Affairs. Her campaign focused on the need to revitalize struggling ministries by providing better training and resources for staff and thus cultivate new talent.

Nimarya’s specific campaign goals included a revitalization of the mentorship program within the Ministry of Home Affairs; a return to basics for the Ministry of Cards by restarting its original programs and increasing card farming; increasing resources for writers and encouraging creative writing to add variety in the Ministry of Communications; promoting and increasing visibility for broadcasts by the Ministry of Radio; publishing comprehensive manuals for the North Pacific Army; providing guides and training, including history lessons, for Ministry of World Assembly Affairs staff; and creating more opportunities for Ministry of Foreign Affairs staff to observe and participate in foreign affairs discussions.

Both campaigns shared several similar elements, such as a focus on casual games for the Ministry of Culture and plans for more engagement with WALL, albeit in different ways. Robespierre proposed an initiative for WALL staffers to discuss one passed resolution per week, while Nimarya proposed an IFV (Information For Voters) writing process that could take into account input from WALL.

As voting began, it soon became clear that the election would be close, as the two candidates traded leads throughout the voting period, never leading by more than a few votes at any given time. Outgoing Delegate McMasterdonia, for his part, endorsed Nimarya. However, in the final few days of voting, Robespierre began gradually pulling ahead, ultimately winning with 59 votes to Nimarya’s 53, while joke candidate 2 and 2 is Fish received 3 votes.

The contest for the other two positions at stake in this election were not nearly as close, with Cretox State easily winning re-election as Vice Delegate, 86-28, against Rom, a General in the North Pacific Army and former Minister of Defensce. Cretox promised to continue the projects started in their first term such as Vice Delegate Mentoring and the Security Council Handbook, as well as to explore new ideas such as the Vice Delegate’s Staff and improvements to World Assembly Development Program (WADP) infrastructure and community engagement.

East Isles, who was a Deputy Speaker in the previous term, won election as Speaker, promising to continue the Speaker’s Office’s efficient Speaker checks and monthly audits. They won with 67 votes against 29 votes for The Democratic Kingdom Of Skaraborg, a prominent player on the RMB, who ran a joke campaign.

After the conclusion of the election, Robespierre announced their Executive Council as follows:

Minister of Cards: 9003
Minister of Communications: Fregerson (PotatoFarmers)
Minister of Culture: Prydania
Minister of Defense: Westinor
Minister of Foreign Affairs: St George (MadJack)
Minister of Home Affairs: New Celoveniortan
Minister of Radio: The Cascadian Bioregion
Minister of World Assembly Affairs: Cretox State

Advisors to the Delegate: Pallaith, El Fiji Grande

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