Op-Ed: Winners and Losers from the 63rd Senate Elections
Written by United Vietussia
(Europeia – December 12, 2017) – The campaign for the 63rd Senate of Europeia could be one of the first in a long time centered around a hot topic. This time, proposals for World Assembly reforms within Europeia took center stage in the questioning of candidates running for the 5 seats available in this Senate. The hot topic was tracked in a release from private news outlet NewsGrumps, which rated the candidates on their support of the proposed reforms.
Malashaan and GraVandius led the way, each garnering more than 50 votes. Incumbent Senator Vac, previously elected in a by-election, was reelected with 42 votes, while incumbent Festavo didn't fare as well, only mustering 23 votes. Festavo was considered one of the candidates in the race with the most opposition to proposed WA reforms. Rounding out the Senate are Vlaska and Mr. Verteger, receiving 39 and 37 votes respectively.
What is most interesting about this election is the fact that only candidates who were considered as approving of the WA reforms were elected, supporting the conclusion that the topic was at the forefront of voters' minds as they went to the ballot box.
The election created some winners and losers, as with any other election. Let's try and identify them:
Winner: Advocates for WA reform
An obvious winner of the election, signatories and people who campaigned for WA reform got their message across, packing the Senate with pro-reform candidates who will enact action on the issue. With the huge win, reform will likely see some, if not complete, implementation in the 63rd Senate.
Loser: Anyone not on board
Former Senator and current Justice JayDee as well as incumbent Senator Festavo were slighted for not completely supporting WA reforms. Verteger, who some considered a lesser candidate than JayDee or Festavo, was elected over both, and it's likely his support for WA reforms had something to do with it.
Winner: Future Presidents
If the proposed legislation in the original petition, which was supported by all 5 elected Senators, is implemented, the President has a lot more leeway in WA affairs, including its organization and, most notably, appointing the delegate. It marks the dawn of Presidents being more involved with the World Assembly aspect of the game and not just having the Minister of the World Assembly and WA Delegate do all of the work.
Loser: Players with bad reputation
In all seriousness, I found it interesting that Keshiland's platform received nearly just as many views as all other Senate platforms from the most recent election combined. It shows a trend in Europeia, in my opinion, that candidates with a bad reputation among Europeians are usually subject to more scrutiny than someone with a good reputation, even if the platform has just as little substance. Name recognition still goes a long way in Europeia, and that can be good or bad depending on the individual.
Winner: WA affairs
WA affairs in Europeia will now take on a much larger role with the proposed legislative changes, as it will become a larger part of future Presidential candidates' platforms due to the increased role of the President in the World Assembly. This is likely signaling an increase in Europeian interest for WA affairs, which is already high.
From the election, the new Senators selected a Speaker from among them. Returning Senator Vac and GraVandius were the two candidates for the position, although during discussion, Vac withdrew his name from consideration, leaving GraVandius as the Speaker of the 63rd Senate, the first time he has held the position.
In the coming 70 days, WA reforms will be something to watch for on the Senate floor after the push for said reforms in the election. It is imperative for the 63rd Senate to get something substantive done on that front, otherwise they will be staring at a slim chance for reelection come February.
