The 2495 Imperial Parliamentary Elections

The 2470 Imperial Parliamentary Elections were a major election held near the end of the 25th century

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.

Parties

 * 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, The JPP did quite well in 2485 and drew support from moderate and liberal Valtinists.
 * 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 AFP barely qualified for the 2485 parliament and may expected it to be wiped out in the 2495 parliament.
 * 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 lead a coalition of uneasy allies during the 2485-2495 parliament and were the largest single party in a hugely fractured parliament.
 * 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. RHC enjoyed a major success in the 2485 election and many felt it may emerge as the main conservative party in the 2495 parlaiment.
 * 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. Steelhear only made it into the 2485 parliament thanks to a Joint List agreement with Raven Heart and most expect it to be wiped out in 2495.

Campaign Finances
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.

Around A$20 billion was spent on the election, largely by the corporations and by lobbying groups such as ADVANCE.

Issues and Problems
Many of the parties running in 2495 make the recent Cobalt attack a key issue, with the general consensus being talk of what a terrible event it was. Ravenheart, with their strong base of support being "anti-AI" sentiment, move instead to how vulnerable the reliance on AI had made the Empire and a more general conservative Valtinist sentiment, as well as criticizing "radical secularism"

A number of parties also campaign with ideas for reform. The New Democratic Alliance call for an elected cabinet and more law making powers for parliament whilst the Democratic-Federalist Alliance calls for making cabinet posts independent to the current Council of Governors.

This is also the first election where only illegal parties can be proscribed from the ballot, affecting a dozen elections across the Empire. Parties who openly espouse criminal plans are still planned, keeping Seperaist and many Anarchists from the ballot but on conservative planets like Technopolis or Fort Verekker, ballot access is broadened.

There are reports of voter suppression on some of these worlds, including intimidation and legal challenges. Several legal challenges are made but the Court of Appeals has its hands full with the backlog of Burning Path militants.

Results
The results for the election were announced in March 2495:


 * 1) Ravenheart Coalition (RHC) - 23%
 * 2) Destiny Party (DES)- 17%
 * 3) New Democratic Alliance (NDA)-12%
 * 4) New Coalition for the Empire (NCE)-12%
 * 5) Democratic Federalist Alliance (DFA)-11%
 * 6) Union of Libertarian Parties (ULP) -11%
 * 7) Justice and Peace Party (JPP)-7%
 * 8) People's Emergent Party (PEP)-7%

The Ravenheart Party had won out as the single largest party,. Fewer parties were elected but once again it seemed that any coalition in the parliament would need to have a broad alliance to have enough seats to have operational control of the committee structures.