2008 Notoshan general election

A **general election** was held in Notosha on 1 November 2008 to elect all members of the State Assembly. The date was selected by the State Assembly on 2 June 2008, after passing a bill to declare 1 November an election day. The election was mandated to fall between 9 August and 9 December 2008.

## Date

The date of the election was selected on 2 June 2008, after the State Assembly passed a bill to declare 1 November an election day. General elections must be held every four years in Notosha, with flexibility to land up to two months before exactly four years after the preceding election, or two months after exactly four years after the preceding election.

Snap elections were allowed in the event of a vote of no confidence against the incumbent government, or at the request of the SC-appointed administrators, which would push the regularly scheduled general election back another four years.

## Electoral system

The electoral system at the time of the election used proportional representation and closed party list voting. Political parties created a list of candidates in each electoral constituency, or the constituencies in which they chose to stand, and voters cast a ballot for the list of their choice. Seats were then distributed proportionally using the d'Hondt method with a 3% electoral threshold.

Due to the closed-list system, voters could not alter the order of names that appeared on the list, meaning candidates placed in a higher position had a greater likelihood of being elected, and candidates at the bottom of the list were likely to not receive a seat. Additionally, each party must nominate a prime ministerial candidate, who would serve as prime minister should the party lead the government. These candidates were barred from appearing on a party list in any constituency, in order to develop a clear distinction between the legislative and executive branches of government. For the first time, two major parties did not select their party leaders to serve as their prime ministerial candidates.

### Constituencies

The 105 members of the State Assembly were elected in six multi-member electoral constituencies, directly corresponding with the districts of Notosha. Each district was assigned a number of seats in proportion to its share of the Notoshan population in the August 2000 census.

The six constituencies are Astina District, Bulvajë District, Çelisekë District, Durnaj District, Makës District, and Mamurshtë District.

### Eligibility

At the time of the election, legal permanent residents within the territory of Notosha who were aged 21 or older at the time of the election were eligible to stand for election. No citizenship requirements were implemented due to the demographics of Notosha at the time, with Notoshan citizenship not yet existing, and most residents holding citizenship to Lorbia, Asbania, or another nearby nation. Candidates were not required to reside in the constituency they were running for election in, but did have to reside within the territory of Notosha. Additionally, individuals with a criminal record, or those who have held political office in Lorbia or Asbania, were banned from standing for election.

All Notoshan permanent residents who were aged 18 or older on the day of the election were eligible to vote in the election, regardless of citizenship status. For the first time since the inaugural general election in 2000, refugees who had left Notosha and not yet returned were not eligible to vote.

## Contesting parties

The following parties held seats in the State Assembly at the time of the election, and were considered the three major parties during the election:

Much like in the 2004 election, the three parties lacked detailed political proposals, and instead were mainly differentiated in their visions for the future of Notosha. The New Notosha Party campaigned on behalf of Notoshan sovereignty and Notoshan independence from Lorbia, the Democratic People's Party campaigned on behalf of the unification of Notosha and Asbania, while the Lorbian People's Party campaigned on behalf of the dissolution of SC-administered Notosha and the full reabsorption of Notosha into Lorbia.

However, by the 2008 election, observers began to characterize the New Notosha Party as a center-right party, while the Democratic People's Party began to be identified as solidly right-wing, although this was not universally observed. The Lorbian People's Party remained a catch-all party for all Notosha Lorbians. The New Notosha Party were seen as the frontrunners in the election, but were experiencing fractures for the first time since their establishment, in the aftermath of Zgur Xhanari's retirement. Zjarrmor Ymeri replaced Xhanari shortly before the election and established his first government as a continuation of the second Xhanari cabinet, but faced detractors both in his party and in the electorate who did not view him as a viable successor to Xhanari.