Landslide victory for Buryatian Socialist Alternative Coalition (BSAC)

[Imperator Azenquor]

BCNA: Landslide for the Buryatian Socialist Alternative Coalition

-Parliament (People's Khural) Results

-Senate (People's Committee) Results

-Presidential Results

“With 92% of the votes counted and verified, the Buryatian Electoral Commission has released the results from the election. In an election that saw record turnout across the country, voting proceeded smoothly and with a clear result. The Socialist Alternative Coalition, made up of the Party of Workers and the Party of Labor, is set to control 525 of the 750 seats in the People’s Khural, a whopping 70%. The Democratic Party of Buryatia (DPB) increased their influence to 150 seats in Parliament, making them the second largest political party.

In line with the Constitution, Prince Regent Yuri appointed 45 MPs to the Parliament by Royal Decree. These 45 MPs will serve life terms at His Majesty's Pleasure. The Royal Appointees ranged from senior MPs, Independents, Economists and Diplomats to give a wide spectrum of experience to their posts. The Prince Regent also announced his selection for the 24 of the 25 Senators who are appointed by the Monarchy. The last remaining Senator, who would be from the Carmagh province has not been appointed as the Monarch will wait until the President appoints his 25 Senators before making the last appointment.

In the Presidential election, the candidate from the Party of Labor, Ms. Katerina Rokossovska, won by a landslide with 57% of the vote to avoid a runoff. The Party of Workers candidate Mr. Ivanjaav polled 12% of the vote, but is expected to be named First Deputy President by Ms. Rokossovska once she is sworn in. This election has been historic as it has marked several firsts in Buryatian politics, namely the first time a woman was elected to the Presidency, the first time a single party controlled more than 55% of the Parliament and the first time a coalition was formed prior to an election.

Once the remaining votes have been counted, the MPs, Senators and President-elect will have an audience with the Prince Regent, who will administer their Oaths of Office. The Prince Regent has congratulated the victors in the election, and has also called on all political parties to ‘work together in the common interest of the people of the nation’.

The BSA held a victory rally at their campaign headquarters in Yakutsk where the President-elect addressed a large crowd of her supporters. The President-elect celebrated her victory and the ‘triumph of the will of the people’ but also struck a conciliatory tone stating that ‘I am committed to working not only with our coalition partner, but with all of the parties elected to the Parliament. We may hold the majority, but we always need to recognize the importance of alternative view points and healthy debate. We also need to ensure that we remember that we are to be the government of all Buryatians, not solely the government of the Socialist Alternative'.

Despite the verified election result, a group of people who led a campaign to elect the Pan Asia Party's leader in exile to a seat in Parliament have registered a complaint with the Electoral Commission to appeal the decision to not count those ballots. The Commission has acknowledged receiving the complaint, and that the complaint was dismissed as 'the candidate in question could not hold legal office under law and therefore could not be nominated, appointed, or elected to hold any political office'"-News Reporter

Edited August 28, 2009 by Imperator Azenquor