2020 Libirachi National Congress Election

The **2020 Libirachi National Congress Election** was held on April 16, 2020 across the Libirachi Empire to elect congresspeople to the ongoing 26th National Congress, which had been in session since November 11, 2019. The elections were the first elections to be held under the Fox Dynasty, and the first legislative elections under the new regime. As of 2040, the 2020 congressional elections were the first and only elections to an already ongoing session of the Libirachi National Congress.

During the presidency of Nathan Jackson, the reformist pro-democracy government became increasingly at odds with the more conservative and autocratic Libirachi National Congress as the two fought a political battle for control over major state institutions and over the nature of the constitution. Despite Jackson's Revolutionary party controlling government and having an absolute majority in congress, Jackson's tolerance of party dissent and the size of the congressional party allowed for the formation of a faction within the Revolutionary party opposed to democratic reforms, which frequently threatened to vote down government legislation. Following the introduction of the Patriot Act in September 2019, the Libirachi Imperial Army under the command of Supreme Commander Kanan Garel launched a coup d'état against the government and installed education secretary Laura Fox as president on September 27, 2019, whilst arresting parts of congress. Within months, the 25th National Congress passed the Assent Bill of November 2019, proclaiming Fox as empress of a new imperial dynasty; consequently, the 25th National Congress became the 26th National Congress on November 11, 2019, the first day of the new Fox Dynasty.

Between November 11, 2019 and April 1, 2020, every province held elections across each tier of local government, which each tier electing members to the level above themselves. On April 16, 2020, all of the fifteen sector congresses nominated approximately 200 representatives to multi-member constituencies to serve 5 year terms in the national level Libirachi National Congress. Out of the 2980 seats, 581 were reserved for military officials, giving them a significant position of influence within the legislature. Following the removal of the pro-democracy faction within the Revolutionary party, more authoritarian figures within the party seized control over electoral apparatus with the backing of Empress Laura Fox and the Commission for the Preservation of the New Order, allowing the Revolutionary party to dominate the elections and continue to position themselves as the party of government.

With no major opposition, Li Zhanshu was re-elected to a 5 year term as Chairman of the National Congress; with the 26th National Congress having been ongoing since November 11, 2019, the 2020 congress elections were a mixture of default re-selections and competitive selection processes, and as such there were no overall seat changes between the political parties contesting the election - however, the Kuomintang made a gain of 12 seats after previously independent candidates joined the party. Whilst the Revolutionary party remained in power following the 2019 coup d'état and the proclamation of the Fox Dynasty, party leader Xi Jimping used the 2020 congressional elections to reshape the party as an authoritarian establishment entity and packed the party with loyalists. Similarly, other major political parties used the elections as an opportunity to purge their ranks of dissidents and appoint loyalists into key positions. Following the election, the "National Front" of non-government parties was revived to support the Xi Jimping administration.

In the final weeks of the 2019-20 local election cycle, war broke out between the Fox Dynasty and its neighbouring rival Bovido Has after the Bovido leader was assassinated using Libirachi weaponry in late March 2020. As such, the 26th congress was largely dominated by war efforts and on April 27th, 2020 the congress handed over much of it's already limited legislative powers to the Xi Jimping War Cabinet to help the war efforts. With the death of Empress Laura Fox on May 27, 2022, elected members of the 26th Congress carried over into the 27th Congress under Regent Penny Fox, but remained equally powerless during the last months of the Has Wars and the entire duration of the Libirachi Civil War, but following the Coronation of Fox II on November 11, 2024, the government of President Damien Salamander returned the legislative powers to the National Congress in advance of the 2025 Libirachi Presidential Election as part of Empress Fox's plan to provide limited democracy to the Libirachi Empire.