Großgermanian general election, 2009

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The 2009 Großgermanian Reichstag Election, formally the First General Election in Großgermania, was held on Sunday, 4 January 2009, to elect members to the First Reichstag of Großgermania. The election formed the first elected government of the Empire; the previous de facto Reichstag was comprised of six members appointed by the heads of state of the constituent countries. The election yielded a majority government for the National Unionist Party of Großgermania (NUPG), the only party allowed to run in the election (although many independent candidates did run). As per a previous Supreme Court judgement, the election of the NUPG to a majority of seats served as a ratification of the Constitution with regard to the institution of the principles of National Unionism.

Background
Upon the formation of Großgermania, Emperor Michael von Preußen decreed that the first election for the Reichstag (the only portion of the Imperial Government directly elected by the population) would occur on 12 January 2009, exactly one month following the creation of the Empire. On 24 December, the National Unionist Party (NUPG) demanded the Supreme Court interpret the Preamble of the Constitution of Großgermania, which appeared to many members as mandating an automatic majority of Reichstag seats to the NUPG. Although the Supreme Court did not agree with this interpretation, it stated that the NUPG was, in fact, the only party allowed to stand for election. It reserved that the election of the NUPG to a majority of seats in the First General Election would constitute a ratification of the political aspects of National Unionist rule in Großgermania, and that if the NUPG failed to be elected to a majority of seats, a multiparty election would have to be held.

With the suspension of the majority of its opposition, the NUPG petitioned the Emperor to prepone the election to 4 January. The petition was granted on 29 December, despite large-scale opposition by Christian citizens who objected to an election being held on a Sunday. It was confirmed by the de facto Reichstag (which was entirely appointed) the next day. There was much public speculation on the reasons why the NUPG wished for the election to be moved forward, as well as the reasons the petition was granted. Many felt that the NUPG simply wanted to prevent independent members from being able to effectively campaign. The NUPG, however, stated that it simply wished to lessen the period of time during which the public had no elected representation.

Results
The final results showed a decisive vidtory for the National Unionists, who easily won a majority of seats. This is due not only to widespread public support for the Party, but also due to strategic campaigning. As the only organized party running in the election, the NUPG was able to ensure that no vote being cast for a National Unionist candidate was wasted.

The NUPG put forth exactly seven hundred sixty candidates in the election, the same number of seats in the Reichstag. Running less than this number would have resulted in an inability to win every seat; running more would have resulted in a wider spread of votes across all NUPG candidates. If this would have happened, the NUPG may have received less votes cast for an individual candidate than any other independent candidate, resulting in the loss of a seat.

Furthermore, the NUPG campaigned relatively equal amounts on behalf of all its candidates, generally promoting different candidates in different areas of the Empire. This was to ensure that all candidates received votes, and that no single candidate recieved significantly more votes than any other. In this way, the NUPG succeeded in overcoming the largest obstacle it faced: the inability to run a slate (see Voting System below).

Despite winning a majority of seats, the NUPG is faced with a strong opposition of independent candidates that will have the ability to prolong debate on issues should it so wish.

Repercussions
As per the Supreme Court ruling in December 2008, the election of a majority government under the National Unionist Party (NUPG) constitutes a ratification of the Constitutional provision granting the NUPG the privilege of being the sole legal political party in Großgermania. Although the elections did show significant public support for the NUPG, many independent politicians have noted that the Supreme Court ruling did not specify whether or not its decision is perpetual. For this reason, many believe that if the NUPG fails to win a majority of Reichstag seats in subsequent elections, multiparty elections will still have to be held. Should such occur, the oppurtunity to call multiparty elections will most likely be presented to the Emperor, with the approval of the Reichstag, in a petition. Many independent politicians have vowed to seek another Supreme Court ruling demanding multiparty elections, should such a situation arise and the Emperor fail to do so.

Voter Turnout
As expected, voter turnout was exceptionally high, as people flocked to cast their vote to form the first elected government of Großgermania. Under election regulations issued by the Office of the Greffier shortly after the unification of Germania, all citizens age fourteen years and over were eligible to vote. Although individuals under the age of fourteen were granted the right to petition for the ability to vote, very few (under 2,000) actually did so. In total, approximately 94% of the electorate cast a ballot.

Timeline

 * 12 December 2008: Großgermania formed.
 * 24 December 2008: The National Unionist Party of Großgermania (NUPG) asks for a constitutional interpretation from the Supreme Court.
 * 28 December 2008: The Supreme Court rules that the NUPG is the sole party eligible to run in the elections; the NUPG petitions for the election to be preponed.
 * 29-30 December 2008: NUPG petition granted.
 * 4 January 2009: Election Date.
 * 5 January 2009: Results finalized, First Reichstag summoned.

Voting System
Großgermania uses plurality-at-large voting in its general elections. Plurality-at-large voting is an electoral system by which the candidates for office all run in a singular electoral district. In the case of Großgermania, the entire Empire acts as the electoral district. Every citizen receives one vote (although those under fourteen years of age must petition for it), and may vote for any of the candidates. Those candidates receiving the highest overall number of votes, as many candidates as there are positions available, are the ones who win the election. In the case of the Reichstag, there are seven hundred sixty seats, therefore the seven hundred sixty persons recieving the highest number of votes win the election.

Plurality-at-large voting results in the Reichstag gaining an amount of members directly proportional to the popular vote.

In order to safeguard the ability of independent candidates to be elected, several safeguards are instituted in the election regulations. Among them, it is prohibited for any party to campaign for election under a single ballot option (commonly known as an electoral slate), where a vote for any one of the members of a particular party running would constitute a vote for all of them. This prevents the National Unionist Party from running seven-hundred sixty candidates, and winning all seats simply because it recieved a majority of votes.