Elections of 2023

[Baltica]

Elections of 23

Following the highly volatile Baltican Civil War, the Federal Government of Baltica, which has now established itself as the ruling political structure of the newly formed nation, has yet to follow up on one of its fundamental promises, a free and fair democratic election. The political turmoil induced by the highly autocratic governments of both the Republic and Kingdom of Baltica both led to the conditions that would inevitably result in both the civil war in the 1960s and the recent one in 2022. As such, one of the goals of the new government was to finally hold fully free elections, something that the Republic had never done in its 60 years of governance. The “Elections of 23” or the “Federal elections”, as they have been labelled, would involve a nationwide vote for not only the role of “Federal President”, but also to fill the seats of the newly formed “Federal Parliament”. Although the Republics (Liplan-Kretin, Raskia, Kauni and Dokestva) also promised to hold their own local elections to determine the positions of the regional administrations in each respective Republic, it was decided that these elections would take place in June, following the Federal elections. 

Elections for Federal President

The position of Federal President, although somewhat ceremonial, is still a highly sought-after position, as the Federal President not only gets to sign in new legislation but is also able to appoint members of the Federal Cabinet. Surprisingly enough, the presidents which ran for the position all chose to do so independently of any political parties. The main two contenders for the position were former president Hornumas Vytis, who was the Federal President and head economic minister of Baltica during its reconstruction, as well as Lingrinas Nalel, who was the former head of state of the “Baltican Government” before the establishment of the North Baltican Federation. Although others also tried to run for the position, it was mainly Hornumas and Lingrinas who stood any realistic chance of actually successfully obtaining the title. 

Hornumas Vytis was already well-liked among the populace, largely due to his effective economic policies, and the successful reconstruction of Goja post-civil war. Controversially, he based most of his campaign within Liplan-Kretin and Kauni, and not his home Republic of Raskia. Hornumas was also quite popular with the existing political parties, especially the “United Federalists of Baltica”, a party comprised of many of his former peers. Lingrinas on the other hand chose to campaign primarily in Dokestva and Dolch majority areas, attempting to sway a majority of the Dolch, who still very much disliked the Federal parliament to his side. Lingrinas did not have the support of the many political parties, as many grouped him along with the former “Old Guard” of the Baltican Republic.

The elections for Federal President would take place between March 11th to March 16th, and the initial polling saw Lingrinas take the lead. However, as became evident, Hornumas would quickly gain a majority and eventually win out over Lingrinas. Overall, Hornumas was able to obtain 58.7% of the vote, whereas Lingrinas only obtained 39.2%, with the other remaining 2.1% of votes going to minority runner-ups. After his inauguration as Federal President of the Baltican Federation, Hornumas would hold a televised speech, showing great joy in the success of democratic reform in Baltica, as well as hope for greater Dolch and Ras unity. The Federal Cabinet was assembled shortly after, with Hornumas appointing a total of 14 Cabinet Members, surprisingly also relinquishing his former position as Economic Minister to Yvo Sibler. 

(Hornumas Vytis celebrating his victory.)

Elections for the Federal Parliament

The Federal Parliament of Baltica was formed shortly after the Initial Civil War and was largely made up of former representatives of the Baltican Republic, as well as newly appointed Representatives from Raskia and Kauni. Before the elections, the Parliament  structure would be finalised during the Implementation of the Goja Constitution, during which it would be decided that the Federal Parliament would consist of 180 Members, 160 of which would come from the Republics, 15 of which came from the Sister Republics (Govir, Westoria and Belgorta), and the remaining 5 of which would come from Baltican Territories. Due to no major parties having existed during the aftermath of the Civil War, many new ones would form before the elections, with both Ras and Dolch parties being allowed to run for the first time in Balticas democratic period. Some parties that formed included…

United Federalists of Baltica: Formed out of many former members of the North Baltican Federation government. Largely Liberal, aiming for greater economic rights and a more open economy. Aiming for more regional autonomy.

Democratic Labour Party of Baltica: Formed out of former members of the North Baltican Federation government. Much more left-leaning in policies, with the primary goals of expanding education and healthcare throughout Baltica, and a greater transition to a stable welfare state.

The Green Wheel: Formed out of multiple former green and farmers parties. Aims to continue the growth of the “Green Economy” of Baltica, and offer greater subsidies and expansion policy towards agriculture in Baltica.

Dolch Unity Party: Formed from many members of the former Dokestvan Government. Aims to ensure the representation of Dolch Interests in Baltica, and protect Dolch culture and autonomy within the new Federation.

The New Conservative Party: A newly formed party consisting of members from the former Republic of Baltica. A centre-right party aiming to preserve individual rights and maintain economic recovery and growth post-civil war. 

Some other minor parties had also established themselves in Baltica before the elections, being considerably more regional-focused compared to the parties listed above. This included the likes of the “North Baltican Peasants Union”, the “United Industrialist League” and “The Greater Western Prosperity Party”. The elections for the Federal Parliament would start on March 15th and go on till March 20th. During this period, the United Federalists of Baltica, as well as The Green Wheel and Democratic Labour Party would form a coalition government and would obtain over 71% of the total seats. Meanwhile, the Dolch Unity Party and the New Conservative Party would form an opposition union, backed by various smaller parties, obtaining 20% of the total seats. The rest of the seats would be filled by smaller minority parties. The final result, can be seen below. 

(Baltican Parliament Info graphic.)

(Baltican Federal Parliament Logo)