The Candidates' Criteria
A mixlr supplement of Sopo's Presidential Q&A and Calvin's Presidential Q&A
A mixlr supplement of Sopo's Presidential Q&A and Calvin's Presidential Q&A
When I decided to join Europeia, there was no way for me to have known that within 5 days I would be exposed to the region's engaging and interesting election system. The elections for President in Europeia are surely no small affair, with every politically-minded citizen in the region pulling out their notepads and scrutinizing the platforms of the candidates word-for-word and digging into their political histories in order to make an informed decision once the time to vote arrives. On the other side of the mirror, the candidates themselves came out in full force, retaliating with elaborated answers to specific questions, even coming out and answering citizens' concerns in real-time through Mixlr Q&A sessions. Out of all the hot-topic issues and calls for clarification, one thing is abundantly clear; being the President of Europeia is a big deal.
Sloth vs. Panda
The big names on the ballot for this Presidential election are the current Vice-Presidential Sloth Sopo and his running mate for Vice President the Interior Minister Writinglegend and the Panda in charge of Foreign Affairs Calvin Coolidge and his running mate for Vice President the Associate Justice Drecq. These candidates declared their intentions of running for the Presidency and then shortly thereafter posted their platforms for the citizens of Europeia to scrutinize. And, in overwhelming force, the citizenry did just that. With great vigor, the citizens posed the very popular questions of, "Why?" and "How?". (You can view Sopo/Writinglegend's platform here, and Calvin Coolidge/Drecq's platform here.)
To first take a look at "Why?", we should start with the most basic question for all candidates; "Why are you running for President?". When posed with this question in his Mixlr Q&A session, Sopo responded, "I feel left, sort of, incomplete by my past two terms", adding "I think I have a plan to move us forward". In response to the same question in his Mixlr Q&A session, Calvin responded, "My main vision here, like the title of my platform 'Communication Without Borders', is to establish an effective communication network... foreign communication-wise".
Why Sopo is running (33 Seconds, Youtube)
Why Calvin Coolidge is running (1 min 11 seconds, Youtube)
Although both platforms address all of the aspects of the Executive, Sopo's focus seems to be on the entire Executive branch, while Calvin's focus is firmly rooted in his desire to use the Presidency to establish an effective foreign communication network. To a newcomer such as myself, this type of question was especially interesting due to the fact that I hadn't even thought of it myself. As such a simple question, it is an interesting aspect of running for political office that should be the primary foundation of any campaign. If you know "why" you're running for President and what you want to accomplish, then you can now start to answer the fundamental question of "how" you're going to get there.
A Grand Demand for Plans
The next big question for the Presidential hopefuls was "How?". Specifically, "how are you going to accomplish your goals?". The main point of contention for this question was planted in Foreign Affairs, more specifically Foreign Updates and the EON, as well as Calvin's proposed split in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with a newly established Ministry of Foreign Communication. In Calvin's platform, he states that,
"This Ministry will work on actually utilizing the EON to its fullest, by talking with our allies, setting up EON bases across the world, and actually generating and gathering content to distribute. This term we have proven that we have the ability to generate content, so it is not too large of a leap to continue producing content, along with distributing it. This Ministry will also be in charge of the Foreign Updates, as part of the EON program."
When asked his opinion on this decision in his Mixlr Q&A, Sopo responded, "I think EON has been a failure, in that it simply isn't anything...I don't think trying to open foreign media outlets is going to work out well". He cited three main reasons why the proposed Ministry of Foreign Communication would be undesirable:
1) There are going to be some regions who are suspicious of our intentions, simply going in.
2) We already have embassies all over the place that we can put in whatever we want.
3) It's going to be a lot easier to open up new embassies in other regions than it will be to open a media outlet.
What Sopo thinks of the EON (1 min 46 seconds, Youtube)
As a newcomer who has not seen the failures of the EON or any type of foreign communications network, it is a difficult balancing act to try and weigh the potential benefits of the proposed project and the realistic feasibility of the entire ordeal. I think what can safely be said regarding this issue is that in order to convince the citizens of Europeia to support an idea, a Presidential candidate needs to be able to show "why" the idea is viable and necessary, and show specifically "how" the ultimate goal of this idea will be achieved. I think it is clear that there are still lingering questions Calvin will need to answer as to exactly how this project will succeed where the EON has failed, and on the other side of the debate, Sopo will need to show exactly how the current Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be managed if it is to include a revamped EON.
Proficient President with a Plan
What Europeia excels in is its demand for the highest standard of excellence from its elected officials. Even before taking office, the candidates for the highest elected seat in the region must show the region "why" they are seeking the office and what they intend to accomplish once in the position, and specific plans detailing "how" exactly they will reach those goals. While some may fear the Presidential elections becoming a popularity contest, those fears are unfounded. The citizens of Europeia are keen on prodding the prospective Presidential candidates until they are satisfied and can decide in good conscience which ticket has the skills, reasons, goals, and plans necessary to lead their region for the next term.
By Sigma
Edited by hyanygo
