The 2485 Imperial Parliamentary Elections

The 2470 Imperial Parliamentary Elections were a major election held near the end of the 25th century. They were delayed from the scheduled date of 2480 due to the Zzenddi invasion and many worlds being under occupation

The Imperial Parliament
The Imperial Parliament was set up not long after the Empire was founded but it was given "advisory" power and not empowered to create or amend laws. Its budget was repeatedly slashed and interest in it was low, with low voter turn outs and a media narrative of its irrelevance.

It was slated for being closed completely on more than one occasion. However, there was a ground-swell of support for the Parliament and several governors, Lord Stafford Collingwood chief among them, spoke of the need to reform the parliament and to empower it. This was later granted in 2460 after the elevation of Empress Aurora Valane and her appointment of liberal Chancellor Stafford Collingwood, who agreed the new Democratic Reform Act of 2462.

The Zzenddi Invasion and the Occupation
The 2475 Zzenddi Invasion and the subsequent occupation of six Imperial worlds, along with Gaia, saw the 2480 elections postponed to allow elections to take place on the occupied worlds. These worlds were then liberated in the 2480s, allowing the election to take place.

Due to the post-war political climate, there were many new political parties, though most political pundits believed that the field of existing parties would thin down after the election. Several political pundits predicted that due to the wide array of choice, along with the huge number of regional parties, that no one party would be able to build a majority and in fact that no party could really hope to get more than 30% of the seats held.

Parties

 * Anarchists - the radical left wing alliance of political parties campaigned on a platform of ending the Empire and not replacing it with a new government. The Anarchist movement struggled to get onto the ballot on all worlds due to being outlawed on a great number of planets.  They also struggled with fund-raising and organisation.  The Anarchists rejected attempts by the left wing parties to form a Joint List, referring to them as "counter-revolutionary"
 * People's Emergent Party (PEP)- A Marxist left-wing party dedicated to a platform of breaking down the Empire and replacing it with a more just, centrally governed society, it also took shots at the Hansa referring to them as the power behind the throne. The PEP campaigned also on the concept of the state taking control of certain concerns such as energy, healthcare and transport.  It formed a working agreement with the regional Martian Workers Party (MWP)
 * Justice and Peace Party (JPP)- a left-wing Valtinist Party with a social liberal agenda and a bent towards pacifist reform of the Empire. The JPP drew support from left-wing Valtinists, academics and pacifists.  Unlike some other Valtinist movements, it was not opposed to AI but it did campaign on a promise to vote to outlaw TND
 * New Democratic Alliance (NDA)-a progressive left-wing Party born out of the former Progressive and Radical left, the NDA's platform called for an immediate move to a democratic Republic, based on the rule of law. It also opposed the Hansa, though not with the same passion as the PEP.  It also promised to scrap TND.  NDA drew a lot of support from the Unions and students
 * Democratic Federalist Alliance (DFA)-the largest left-wing Party in the old Parliament campaigned on the idea of government reform and the need to move, gradually, to a constitutional monarchy. It gained support from some left-leaning moderates as well as many pragmatic liberals.  The DFA also promised to build a strong central state, though it avoided criticism of the Hansa and shys away from alliances with the more radical left wing parties.
 * New Coalition for the Empire (NCE)- a pro market Centrist Party campaigned on the concept of free markets, more deregulation and reforms to the Empire. It took a mildly pro-AI stance in the election and a pro military stance.  The NCE's campaign strategy seemed to be an attempt to try and split the difference between left and right.  The NCE was largely formed from the more moderate members of the AFP who had split away, as well as centrist independents.
 * Union of Libertarian Parties (ULP) -a loose coalition of libertarian minded political parties who want to reform the Empire and reduce the power and scope of the central state. Popular with some on the frontier as well as corporate backers who saw a less powerful central state as being pro-business.  The ULP did struggle during the election with organisation and presenting a coherent voice.
 * Alliance for Prosperity (AFP) - the largest party in the old parliament had fallen on very hard times after its falling out with its coalition partner, Destiny, saw many top AFP donors and strategists defect to the newer party. The AFP also saw a lot of its centrists break away to form the NCE.  The weakened AFP still had considerable mainstream conservative support, as well as backing from the Hansa.
 * Destiny Party (DES) - first established for the 2470 election, this centrist or center-right Party that had a very well funded campaign. Espousing a populist message of being pro-imperial, pro-military, pro-business and AI friendly, the Destiny Party promised that if elected they would make the Parliament relevant and make sensible decisions in line with the majority views of the people of the Empire. Destiny had made the most out of a coalition agreement with AFP
 * Raven Heart Coalition (RHC) - a somewhat conservative Valtinist Party that campaigned strongly to halt AI production and to vote to reduce AI rights, as well as to make TND illegal. It faced legal challenges for alleged promotion of hate speech, all of which were struck down by judges who ruled that RHC was campaigning on a legal basis. The RHC had a major influx of donors after Lord Hallam Tancredo openly endorsed them.
 * Strength and Unity (SUP) - A populist, pro military and largely pro imperial conservative Party attempted to gain support with disaffected blue collar voters and military veterans who may have felt let down by the old political;establishment. SUP offered a blend of tax cuts, military spending and reforms that they claimed would restore fairness to the Empire.
 * Steelheart Coaliton (SHC) - A radical right wing political party that campaigned in support of the Empire as it is.  Steelheart rejected the need for reform, instead offering a pro-authoritarian platform of strong national defense, self-reliance and legal reforms to crack down on crime and terrorism.  Steelheart '' s message was again created to appeal to those whose worlds had fallen under occupation.

In addition to these parties, there were another 35 regional parties standing to try and win seats in the parliament, often just on one world. There were also hundreds of candidates running as Independent candidates. Many regional parties formed joint list arrangements with "national" parties with a similar ideology.

The Raven Heart Coalition announced that it would form a Joint List with the Steelheart Coalition to prevent them competing for the same votes.

Campaign Finance
The rules on campaign finance were vague and enforced by an underfunded Imperial Parliamentary commission on Campaign Finance (IPCCF). As expected, huge amounts of money was donated to various parties from various sources but major lobbying groups such as ADVANCE (on behalf of AI rights) Horizon (on behalf of the Valtinist movement) and Sunderland (pro military and anti-AI).

There had been talk after the 2470 election of reform to the political system but this had never materialized and Great Houses, corporations, Unions and lobbying groups were all able to spend lavishly on the election.

According to campaign estimates, over A$28 billion was spent on the election, with more than 50% of the money raised from the Hansa.

Results
On the 1st of March 2485, the Civil Service Department for Elections announced that the results had been completed and announced the results. Exit polls showed that no one party had won a majority and the vote had been split in multiple directions. One of the early picks ups however, was the disastrous performance for the previously largest party, the Alliance for Prosperity. Early exit polls predicted disaster for the party.

Results were confirmed by the Civil service below. The percentage shown is the percentage of seats won.


 * 1) Destiny Party (DES) - 22%
 * 2) Ravenheart Coalition (RHC)-16%
 * 3) Democratic Federalist Alliance (DFA)- 14%
 * 4) New Democratic Alliance (NDA)-11%
 * 5) Union of Libertarian Parties (ULP)- 10%
 * 6) New Coalition for the Empire (NCE)-9%
 * 7) People's Emergent Party (PEP) -6%
 * 8) Justice and Peace Party (JPP) -5%
 * 9) Alliance for Prosperity (AFP) -5%
 * 10) Steel Coalition (STC) -2%

Turnout for the election was 75% and there was a huge number of first time candidates and parties.

Destiny Party chairman Heidi Cutbill gave an interview declaring "victory" for her Party, now the largest Party in parliament. However, she acknowledged that there would be a complex discussion for control of parliament and therefore assignment of the committee chairmanships.

Another big winner was the newly formed Ravenheart Coalition. Dr Ragnick Leeson, chairman of the Party and a newly elected MP, spoke of the parties huge debut victory and that they would be part of the conversation for the future of the parliament. He also spoke to the deep well of concern among the citizens of the Empire regarding AI.

The Democratic Federalist Alliance, turning out the third biggest party but seeing a fall in their overall support, stated that the overall vote for the "left-wing bloc" had gone up and they spoke of the need to find the best possible consensus agreement for the parliament.

An early estimation of the "bloc" vote was placed as:


 * 1) Conservative Bloc- 55%
 * 2) Liberal Bloc - 36%
 * 3) No clear bloc - 9%