Vauleyo-Buryatian Presidential Election results

[Imperator Azenquor]

[b][u]BCNA News: Presidential Election Results contested[/b][/u]


[i]“As the [b]Vauleyo-Buryatian Electoral Commission (VEC)[/b] announced the final results of the Presidential elections, legal teams from the [b]Vauleyo-Buryatian Democratic Party (VDP)[/b] have announced their intention to contest the results of the Presidential election. The [b]Vauleyo-Buryatian Democratic Party (VDP)[/b] is expected to claim that some of the ballots that were rejected by the [b]Electoral Commission[/b] should have been included in the results and would thus change the outcome of the election.

The official results, certified by the [b]Electoral Commission[/b] indicate a very narrow victory for the [b]Social Democratic Party[/b]’s candidate Dmitri Andropov. The results indicated that Mr. Andropov gained [b]50.001%[/b] of the vote, while the [b]Vauleyo-Buryatian Democratic Party’s (VDP)[/b] Natalya Rokossovska gained [b]49.999%[/b] of the vote. In numerical terms, Mr. Andropov gained a mere [b]232[/b] more votes than Dr. Rokossovska, the smallest margin of victory in Vauleyo-Buryatian Election history.

In an ironic twist of fate, the 232 votes that pushed Mr. Andropov to victory were cast in the East Ingushetia Autonomous Region. The region had the lowest turnout nationwide as separatist politicians called for a boycott of the electoral process. According to data from the Electoral Commission, the southern regions of East Ingushetia had an average turnout of 5% of eligible voters. In many of these regions, the absence of separatist candidates in the election guaranteed victory for pro government candidates on a disproportionately large scale.

While the legal team of the [b]Vauleyo-Buraytian Democratic Party (VDP)[/b] has not commented on the content of the lawsuit they have filed with the Supreme People’s Court, they expressed their confidence that the courts would render a [b]‘truly impartial verdict that ensures that all votes are counted’[/b]. The Electoral Commission has shrugged off the lawsuit and released a statement saying that the Commission is [b]‘always ready to resolutely defend the election procedures it oversees’[/b].”[/i]-Reporter

[Imperator Azenquor]

[b][u]BCNA: Supreme Court hears case, East Ingushetia protests[/b][/u]


[i]“The Supreme People’s Court today heard arguments by the [b]VDP[/b] legal team against the procedures followed by the [b]Vauleyo-Buryatian Electoral Commission (VEC)[/b] in the last Presidential election. The case, brought by the [b]VDP[/b] legal team, claims that the Electoral Commission discounted 251 valid ballots as spoilt which would change the outcome of the Presidential poll. The [b]Vauleyo-Buryatian Electoral Commission[/b] mounted a staunch defense of its procedures in its opening statement and claimed that every vote that [b]‘met the standard requirements’ [/b]was counted in the poll.

The presiding judge Lt. General Yulia Symonova listened to the opening statements of both sides and reviewed the 34 page document submitted by the VDP legal team. After opening statements lasting almost an hour, Lt. General Symonova withdrew to private chambers to review the documents submitted and to decide if there was enough evidence to proceed with the case. Lt. General Symonova is expected to deliver her decision in the next three hours.

In other news, Imperator Pyotr met in private with representatives from both the [b]Social Democratic Party (SDP)[/b] and the [b]Vauleyo-Buryatian Democratic Party (VDP)[/b] at the Imperial Palace. It is believed that the Imperator discussed the importance of a stable government in the aftermath of the closest elections in history, and called upon both sides to recognize the result of the elections as the democratic will of the people of Vauleyo-Buryatia.

Protesters have taken to the streets in southern regions of the [b]East Ingushetia Autonomous Region (EIAR)[/b] to protest against the recent elections and to voice their support for several East Ingushetian separatists who remain behind bars. The groups have condemned the elections as being [b]‘a sham’[/b] and have vowed not to recognize the regional MPs elected during the boycott of the polls. The protesters have also called upon the government to release hundreds of individuals linked to the [b]Liberation Army of East Siberia (LAES)[/b] who they are calling [b]‘political prisoners’[/b]. The protesters have vowed to continue protesting until the central government meets their demands and begins a [b]‘total withdrawal of the occupying forces from East Ingushetia’[/b] as a precursor to complete [b]‘independence’[/b]. The government has refused to classify those in custody as [b]‘political prisoners’[/b] and has so far ignored the protests."[/i]-Reporter