Luschian General Election 2008

After the General Election in Luschia was delayed following the Riviera Crisis, voters went to the polling booths last night at 22:30. The future of Lady President Bonham Carter's fragile Coalition Government hung in the balance, with the Liberals, Federalist-Republicans and Independent Democrats competing for the top job in Luschian politics. There has been considerable controversy, of late, over the upsurge in the fortunes of the so-called 'Populist Liberals', or, rather less flatteringly, the 'Despots of the Delta' - a loosely organised faction based in Southern states such as Louisia; Mexia; and Alabannia, headed by Governor Richard P. "Willie" Starke of Louisia as de facto leader.

Nevertheless, a spate of huge-scale platform speeches and electioneering, Liberal Leader Sir Kelsey Grammer Viscount Frasier said this morning that he felt "immeasurably more confident [of victory] in this election" than he had when Emmanuelle Béart led them into combat against Lord president Sir Jack Nicholson in May-April. Equally hopeful was Governor Valeria Twite of Pansylvania, who last week formally announced that she would stand as Conservative candidate for the Senate in Pansylvania, the state currently represented by The Hon. Ellen Page as Junior Senator. Said Twite, "If I were elected as Ellen's junior senator, then I would endeavour to serve the Tories as I have served my state - with integrity, honesty and patriotism for Luschia and for Duetaria."

But the electoral results counted this morning shocked everyone - from political pundits to newsmen, from senators to bureaucrats. On a platform of "Change for the Century", incumbent Lady President Bonham Carter swept to a massive landslide victory, virtually wiping out Liberal bases in West Coast states such as Sacramentia, Olympia and Damagon. The Central states, as well, proved easy pickings for the Tories, with such senior Liberal figures as Senator Julia Roberts (Sierrada) and Representative Sir Colin Firth (Darcey) without seats for the first time in two decades.

Predictably, the East Coast was more evenly divided - Defence Minister Page came far too close for comfort to losing her capricious state (Governor Twite crusied to victory over Pansylvanian Liberal senior Senator Emile Hirsch, however), while, in a stunning upset, both Homeland Security Minister Andy Garcia and Lord Privy Seal Alec Baldwin lost their seats in New Devonshire and Malta Island, respectively. Finally, in the South, the Liberals (to quote Liberal Senate Leader Olivia Thirlby) "were able to destroy the Conservatives' powerbase of hypocrisy and lying half-truths."


Lord Frasier, during his Friday 11 July campaign Radio Broadcast, who today suffered a mjor setback in his national leadership hopes

Quite whether Senator Thirlby will remain so delighted has yet to be seen, however, with the Liberal establishment to which she belongs now in great danger. With his crushing defeat, and despite an increase in Lords seats, Viscount Frasier has been threatened with a leadership bid from Governor Starke, who enjoys the support of such politicos as House Leader Ian McDiarmid and Senate Whip Melissa DeRoy Wolfe, and who was elected Senator for Louisia with a record 38% Victory Margin.

"Many of us think that Senator Starke is the party's only hope for modernisation," commented Senator Wolfe of Angeva today at 12:20 outside the Senate in Grundia D.C., "because, let's be frank, the iron-hard armour of the grand old Liberal establishment has about 16million dents in it [a sly reference to the 16million votes that led to the Liberal victory in the South]. We need a change, from the Tories and from the elitists like Lord Frasier, and only Richard Starke can provide that change."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcmeV83K02E&feature=related
Richard P "Willie" Starke campaigning in Hickeyville, Louisia, on Thursday 10 July (subtitles in Morovian)


Liberal Senate Whip Melissa DeRoy Wolfe, leader of the "Ivy League Starkeites"