Elections

The **elections**, officially known as **general elections**, are the democratic procedure through which the citizens of the Kingdom of Game City choose their candidates for President and Vice President. The elections in Game City are held every 2 years.

### General elections.

In a **standard general election**, held every two years, there are usually various candidates, each representing a specific political party. There are various political parties in Game City, such as the Conservative Party, the Labour Party or For a Better World; to name a few. Alongside the candidate for President is their running mate, who upon their victory becomes the Vice President.

Game City uses a first-past-the-post voting system, in which voters cast their vote for a candidate of their choice, and the candidate who makes it across or the closest to the 50% mark becomes President. Previously under the red-blue two-party system, it was much simpler: whoever got the higher percentage won. However, now that there are more than two parties, it is more complex. If the candidate with the highest percentage doesn't pass the 50% checkpoint, they will have to form a coalition with another party (usually one of the smaller ones) in order to form a strong government, or risk leading a weak government with no majority.

### Snap elections.

**Snap elections** are emergency elections held earlier than scheduled, and can be announced due to various unusual reasons related to Parliament, the ruling Government or by practically unanimous popular demand. This has only ever happened once: in 2023. A snap election can be held due to:

* The inability or permanent unavailability of both the President and Vice President.
* Extreme popular demand for one (if it were ever proposed by more than one citizen, the King would consult the general population for their opinion. If the population were practically unanimously – at least 80% – in favour of a snap election, the King would announce them).
* After a vote of no confidence within Parliament.

In any case, these snap elections must be held a minimum of 2 months after their announcement, in order to give candidates time to quickly prepare a campaign. The King (and only the King) can call for a snap election to elect a new government (and if there are no candidates, the King will hand-pick a President, but this is an absolute last resort).

## Requisites for candidacy

For a person to run for President, the individual must:

* Be a citizen of the Kingdom of Game City (possessing a passport and living in a home).
* Be at least 13 years old.

Candidates for the presidency typically seek the nomination of one of the various political parties in the Kingdom, which is awarded by climbing to the top of the ladder within the party or by being personally chosen by the party's leader to be their electoral candidate.

When it comes to the campaign program, there are a series of conditions that must be followed. First of all, the candidate must have a clear motive and a set of pledges. Secondly, the candidate must form part of a political party. The candidate may either join one of the existing parties or form their own (although starting up a new political party is costly). If the candidate wishes to (and is able to) set up a new political party, they must choose a colour, emblem and clear name for said faction. Thirdly, any candidate's bid or intention to start a campaign must be communicated to the King. They have until exactly 4 months before the election to do so, if not, they are out of the "race". Fourth and finally, the candidate must be firmly committed to their cause and willing to expose oneself to a more severe criminal justice system that will put its eye directly on them and scrutinise any controversial action.

## Election results

In order to gain an absolute majority, a candidate must reach a voting percentage of 50% or over. This would lead to the formation of a strong government.

However, if the winning candidate does not pass the post, he/she must choose one of the following options:

* Carry on alone, but with a weak government. This risks instability in Parliament and in the approval of laws.
* Form a coalition with one of the minor parties in order to pass the 50% post and form a stable government. If a coalition is formed, the other party in the pact gets to sit in the Government benches in Parliament and its leader receives the title of Deputy House Leader. The President and Vice President would still be the winning party and would sit at the front.

## Inauguration ceremony

Once a candidate wins the elections, there will be an inauguration ceremony held at Government House in which the winning candidate and their running mate must swear loyalty and allegiance to the King and to the people of Game City.

The King, who conducts the ceremony, and the new President are to exchange the following lines:

* "(New President’s username), *it has been decreed, by majority vote from the citizens of this holiest Kingdom of Game City, that you are to serve as the head of our executive offices. It is with this faith, the will of our people and that of Notch himself, that you may serve this Kingdom dutifully for the next term of two years. Do you swear, by oath, that you will make due practice of this responsibility?*"
* To which the new President would say: "***I do***".
* *"Do you,* (Username), *swear, in the name of almighty Notch, to maintain loyalty to the Crown and to the people of Game City who have elected you to this most respectable office?"*
* *"**I do.***"
* "*Then, in the name of Notch, I officially name you President of the Government of Game City. May your term be better than those who came before you.*"

Once the new President and Vice President have sworn their oath, the crowd cheers: "Notch save the President!" "Notch save the Vice President!". Celebration and merrymaking usually follow for the rest of the day.