November & December 2022 Council Elections

The public elections to select the candidates to sit in the new term as heads of the Municipalities, Commonwealths and Realm, forming the fourthImperative Council, took place on the 26th November, for the Marquis and the 19th December 2022 for the Grand Councillor.

This Council election marked the first time in Easwegian history where Grand Councillor and paramount founder Emizerri has been directly challenged for the position of chief head of state. Etch, M.O.P leader hopes to be elected as the second Grand Councillor of Easway, after 5 years of Emizerri's leadership.

## Background and Election Conditions

The third Imperative Council saw much responsibility and change added to it during 2022. It was originally composed of returning members Grand Councillor Emizerri, Marquis of Boriopa City Csyeigo, Marquis of the Pomors Eichorn (Squirrel) as well as new members Marquis of Essrina Hellmut and Marquis of Urdport Teireet. After the passing of the second Aldermen Acts on the 16th January 2022, two new members entered the Council as Alderman of Bear Island Gaia Grìbhinneach and Alderman of the Pomors Strait (now Pomors Frontier) Demitrou Chostacovitch. This decision to add two new members of the Council allowed it to become more democratic in its decision making and more consensus driven in its verdicts. Originally, Gaia and Demitrou were less philosophically aligned to the rest of the Council, the latter being aligned to the philosophies of Emizerri, although the year's turmoil, such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine in late February, which brought Easway into full solidarity, led the Council to be more pragmatic. The Council, alongside Etch of the National Directorate, helped formulate the Administrative and Resource Maximisation Plan, later in the year; a plan that that reallocated resources and considered where political reform was needed. A large focus in Council affairs became working towards this goal and Emizerri helped spearhead and administer its direction, across departments. The June 2022 Seventh National Directorate Elections saw Etch's M.O.P dominate the National Directorate, as well as having government representatives in other organs, such as the Council with Hellmut and his party ally Teireet. This, alongside his members in the judiciary, gave him the confidence to announce he would run against Emizerri for the top position of Grand Councillor, a first in Easwegian history, on the 14th November 2021, a month before Easway's five year anniversary of independence.

## Candidates

#### Etch - Just Vote Etch (X)

Etch announced he would stand to be the second Grand Councillor on the 14th November 2022. His main running platform was the economy, stating his ambition was to bring economic diffuculties in the Realm, "due to the Putinist government" to and end. The following promises saw the M.O.P leadership shift to the right, announcing his wishes for a capitalist economy with "regulated private markets where pragmatic" and a new market in healthcare with a credit system. Lower taxes for corporations to allow for further foreign investment was also promised. It appeared that Etch wanted a platform that stood for the right wing in Easway, with policies very often left wing in nature, due to the political and constitutional direction of Easway. Etch believed that there was an underrepresented capitalist core of Easway that needed to be heard. Very controversially, Etch stated on the 18th November that he would seek to remove the supreme co-commander in chief position of Grand Marshal if elected, giving the GC full supreme commander status. This was dismissed by many, including in his own party as authoritarian. Etch promised to "drain the swamp" on the 27th November, whilst promoting parliamentarianism. He also stated that he would fund healthcare to remove "diseases able to be removed."

Furthermore, Etch promised a radical shift in the governance of Easway, possibly ushering in a new third governing state structure for Easway (after the provisional government and the current Directorial Union). He promised to remove the Imperative Council from Easway's constitution and replace it with a Republican Federal Directorate. The RFD would follow the style of the Westminster system, in that the executive are made up of members of the legislature. Etch stated that "a new country will be born by my rule." In this pledge, the position of Grand Councillor would be replaced by a 'Chief Federal Director.' Originally, Etch promised not to change the structure of the National Directorate and its Commonwealth branches, but changed this stance on the 8th December, whereby he stated one unicameral governing organ would legislate over all. He stated his opposition to federalism, saying that it complicated Easway, due to its small size and was a waste of tax payer money. Under this plan, the name of Easway would become the 'United Realm of Easway.'