96 AE Akarvian Election

The 96 AE election process in Akarv was one of the most contentious and politically charged to date.
==Prelude==
In 92 AE the Akarvian political system was rocked when for the first time in decades, a candidate won the Presidency that was not from the nations two primary political organizations: the Karavist Party, and the Populous Party. Instead, Victoria Khan won the election as a candidate for the up and coming Reformation Party, causing confusion and internal chaos among the other two parties. Victoria Khan was able to use her wealth as a member of the Khan Family to fund her campaign, and was able to strike a chord with the nations isolationist desires at the time, promising to mend poor relations and even end Akarv's nearly 15 year long occupation of Altenahnenwalde.
Victoria Khan made good on her promises and began a campaign of what her critics called "appeasement" to other nations. She ended the Alten occupation, she turned over custody of war criminal Lao to the Lirun, reduced military spending, and even made attempts to mend relations with Ralkeis. Her supporters praised her cooperation with other nations, and her capability to raise Akarv's reputation in New Voldrania. Her critics accused her of making rash, illogical decisions for the sake of "Making other people like Akarv", rather than doing what was right for Akarv.
Regardless of whatever one's opinion was of the President before, everything changed in 94 AE. The Monitor Invasion occurred on the dawn of the new year, and Victoria Khan was among the world leaders who were quickly captured and forced to surrender their nation, or risk it being shot by a massive weapon the Monitor had constructed near the Siphon. Victoria Khan was helpless to do anything, as was most of the world, and it was only be sheer chance that the assault on New Voldrania was ended, and the world leaders allowed to fight back. The Monitor Invasion through most of the region into chaos, especially the Isles of Jarul, and it forced a response from everyone.
While the fact that the Monitor Invasion occurred during her presidency did not hurt her reputation too much, the cry to oust her as the nations leader only grew in its aftermath. She made the decision to focus Akarv's efforts on helping the world to rebuild, rather than focus solely on rebuilding the damage done in Akarv, and increasing security to ensure something like the Monitor Invasion could never happen again. The Citadel of Diplomacy is Alred City was struck by the Monitor's superweapon, and though it did not collapse, it left it extremely structurally unstable, and it had to be torn down. It was considered by many to be the worst attack on Akarv since the Fall of Voldrania, but Victoria Khan's administration was slow to appropriate the resources to repair the damage, and so it took far longer than it should have.
Then, in 95 AE, a war nearly broke out in the Isles of Jarul when Krolesk demanded the Navirian Islands cease their attempts at becoming a "New Fallnavor", and to surrender their leader James Navor II immediately. When they refused, Krolesk sent a war party to take the islands by force, but they were intercepted by Ralkish forces sympathetic to the cause of breaking off from Krolesk. The Great Navirian War, as some were beginning to call it, looked to effect the entire world, and so Victoria Khan instructed her diplomacy team to host a peace summit between Krolesk and Ralkeis in an attempt to stop the war before it could begin. It was hosted on the ANWS Akarvon, and both Krolesk'Kan consul Ostavius Dravicus and Ralkish President John Vyros attended. While the meeting did result in something resembling a peace treaty, critics argued that it heavily favored Ralkeis over Krolesk, Akarv's long time ally. In addition, the Monitor's enforcer Tougur Vazen was somehow able to sneak onto the Akarvon and amputate consul Dravicus' arm.
Though Philip Trenduz and Adam Pyro were present at the peace summit, and President Khan was not, she fully backed the decisions that were made and would not budge when further peace talks were recommended by both diplomats. Akarv's relationship with Krolesk quickly deteriorated following this, especially after consul Dravicus' supposed suicide and the implementation of nationalist Seidrik Hargen as consul. Victoria Khan was directly blamed by many for the collapse of Krolesk'Kan relations, as well as the empowerment of Ralkeis and a failure to properly protect the rights of the Voldranians in the Navirian Islands.
Victoria Khan also authorized the deployment of naval forces to a battle against Tethris without knowing all of the information, just a request by Varrenholm. She was again criticized by many for making hasty and illogical decisions, but her supporters defended her actions, claiming that Tethris was a threat Akarv should absolutely have gone up against, just as they had against the Void Devourer in the Nether War.
All of these things were on voters minds as 96 AE began, and the candidates for the presidency began their campaigns.
==The Candidates==
Despite their loss in 92 AE, both the Karvist and Populous Parties came forward with new candidates for the 96 AE election, with a renewed drive to push the incumbent, Victoria Khan, out of office. Victoria Khan, for her part, steadfastly chose to run for reelection, despite the great deal of controversy and disdain towards her from members of her rival parties. The other two parties quickly found a champion to run against Khan, and so it began.
===Victoria Khan===
Victoria Khan was the incumbent president and the nominee for the Reformation Party, and her chosen Vice President was Catherine Zen, whom she had served with during her last four years as the President. She had been forced to lead throughout the Monitor Invasion and all of the chaos that followed it, which would have been difficult for any President. Her decisions to mend relations with other nations Akarv typically did not get along with earned her both praise and controversy, but she lost a lot of support when she was credited with souring Akarv's relationship with long time ally Krolesk. Her policy stances included:
*Reducing both taxes and spending, even if that means cutting back the military and public programs.
*Make an active effort to work with other nations, even those that Akarv has been in conflict with in the recent past.
*Each of Akarv's regions should focus on maintaining themselves with minimal assistance from the national Government, even Alred.
*The military is necessary but should be minimized as much as possible, and efforts should be taken to encourage the rest of the world to follow suit.
*Magic should be embraced and explored to a much greater degree.
*Religion should be completely and utterly ignored by the Government.
*Akarv should ignore and cease its activities in other realms, and make due with the resource stockpile it currently has.
Her stances have made her incredibly popular with Akarv's anti-war, pro-globalism community, but many that fear events such as the Nether War or Monitor Invasion could happen again argue that Akarv needs to be strong out of necessity. In addition, a strong majority of Akarv's population is Seryist, and so Victoria Khan's fairly dismissive policies on religion, and her full-hearted acceptance of magic, don't sit well with them. In addition, a small pocket of conspiracy theorists argued that she was somehow in league with Namess, due to the fact that she is the niece of Vala Khan, and therefore the cousin of their current ruler, Valeria Khan. This is a fairly small, insignificant pocket, though.
===Kati Nava===
Kati Nava was the head of Akarv's Senate from 88 to 91 AE, and had been a member of it for a long time before that. She was the Populous Party's candidate, and her running mate was Ryan Theo, another long time Senator who was the Head of the Senate before her. She was born in 41 AE during the Akarv-Fhia War, making her the oldest of the three presidential candidates, and the only one who was an adult during the Fall of Voldrania. She was an outspoken isolationist, and often came into conflict with president Abigail Kosch, who was the President during her time as the Head of the Senate, over her rapid expansion of the military. Her policy stances included:
*Taxes should be raised and military spending drastically cut so that the nation can focus on internal affairs, rather than external ones.
*Alliances and relationships should be maintained, but their wars and politics are their business. Akarv never should have gotten involved in The Great Navirian War.
*The nation should consolidate into a single entity, and the regional governments should only have enough power to manage day-to-day tasks. The nation is stronger together, not divided by "Sub-nations".
*The military should only exist for defense, not aggression. Production of war vessels should cease, and instead increase domestic defense efforts.
*Magic is dangerous and should be explored carefully, for the sole purpose of understanding how it works, and how to create counter-measures.
*Everyone has a right to believe in what they want, but Akarv was founded by Seryists and those values that the nation was founded on should not be replaced or diminished.
*Efforts to explore and utilize other realms should be done slowly and carefully, as they are a part of reality just like the Overworld.
Loyalists to the Populous Party flocked to Kati Nava, though in the wake of the Monitor Invasion many Akarvians felt that the nation needed to be more proactive in the world, to help shape its reality and prevent further catastrophes, and so her isolationist policies were not as favorable as they had once been. That being said, Kati Nava is unusually pro-religion, even for a member of the Populous Party, and has often implied, but never outright said, that only Seryists should serve on the government. This is in despite of the fact that the nations founder, Adam Akarvon, was not a member of the religion himself.
===Vasa Daari===
Vasa Daari was the youngest of the presidential candidates in the 96 AE election, born in 58 AE, just before the Fall of Voldrania. He was the Karavist Partys candidate, and his running mate was political newcomer Quinten Bex. Both were loyal members of the Karavist Party, but Vasa was considered to be among its more "extreme" members, while Quenten is a more moderate candidate brought on to "appease" the rest of the party. Daari rose to political prominence as the Governor of Arsos in the 80s, and was one of Victoria Khan's most outspoken critics in the wake of the Monitor Invasion. Most of his speeches involve attempts to undermine her credibility, while largely ignoring his other opponent, Kati Nava. His policy stances included:
*In the wake of the Monitor Invasion and other events going on in the world, Akarv should put more than ever before into military spending and defense, without raising the nations taxes.
*Akarv should be a leader in New Voldrania, and set an example for other nations, through actions or by force if necessary. Nations he believes assisted the Monitor in some capacity, including Varrenholm and Skylyn, should be held accountable and even punished. Akarv should have supported Krolesk in The Great Navirian War, and opposes the Navirian Islands. He cites James Jaykay's rise to power as a reason they should have been "crushed".
*The national government should exist solely to defend the nation, and the presidency should manage the military and international affairs full time, allowing the Senate and Governors to manage the nation.
*The military should be drastically expanded, and Akarv should have a military presence in every corner of New Voldrania as only it is fit to protect it.
*Magic is dangerous and unnatural and private use of it should be outlawed. The military should study it for defense purposes.
*He had no strong opinions on religion, and was cited as a being a member of Divinity.
*The realms are a natural part of reality and should be exploited.
While Vasa Daari had the support of the Karavist Party, largely due to the popularity he gained as one of Victoria Khan's loudest and most influential critics, many of his policies differed from the party's typical platform. He was much more anti-magic and pro-realms than most Karavist's, and his stances on the military were far more militant than any candidate before him. Still, he was able to rally a following behind him by pressing on peoples fear that more "disasters" might strike, and Akarv needed to be ready. Many prominent older members of the Karavist Party, such as Adam Pyro, actively opposed Daari's nomination, claiming he is too extreme, and his vice president is too "green".
==The Campaign==
The campaigning process was unusual for an Akarvian election, and consisted of far more hostility than any before it, due in large part to Vasa Daari. Still, both he and Kata Navi were particularly critical of Victoria Khan in all of their speeches and campaign events, undermining her credibility and effectiveness as a leader. Navi even went as far to question if she was elected because of her merits, or because of her money and her name. Victoria Khan, for her part, remained fairly passive and agreeable towards her opponents, attempting to maintain a sense of cooperation while also trying not to give the nation any more reason to question her or her decisions. Lashing out was the last thing that would help her. She did, however, repeat the assertion multiple times that she was being so viciously attacked because she was an outsider candidate who "broke" the nations former two-party system.
Campaigning lasted throughout the entire year, right up until the election date, and surprisingly enough the three candidates only ever partook in one, single, debate together. The general reception was that Vasa Daari, a generally charismatic if not extreme person, performed the best while Victoria Khan remained fairly quiet and defensive, and Kati Nava struggled to out-debate her Karavist opponent. Before the debate the three candidates were about equal to one another in "test polls", but Victoria lost a lot of support after her fairly weak performance. She was the top advocate for a second election, but "conveniently" one could never be organized.
==The Election Results==
The 96 AE Akarvian election has not yet occurred, and results are typically not announced until the end of the year.
Category:New Voldrania
Category:Akarv
Category:Politics