Summary:
The
Candidates At A Glance
By F. Joannes Mulsus, PhD. Political Science (Rome)
(Special to the Roman Free Press)
It must be election time again. I mean, why else would
Roman Consul Gnaeus Valerius Maderia and Rümayyi Emir Ali al-Tabin be
announcing their intentions of vying for the Office of Caesar if elections
weren’t near?
All sarcasm aside, the 2006 race looks to be one of the
tightest in recent Roman history. Its significance- with the successful
candidate carrying their term to 2012, exactly 100 years since the start of
Keylusus II’s reign- cannot be underestimated, and the presence of al-Tabin in
this race is a clear indication of the evolution of the Roman democratic
process.
When the elections began early in Keylusus’ reign, some
questioned whether or not the elections would be valid, and, after audits
proved they were, some questioned whether or not voting against Keylusus would
undermine the democratic process. After all, voting against the revolutionary
could have meant the voter opposed the revolution, and, at the time, there was
no greater revolution to support than democracy. That Keylusus did not abuse
his power in his unprecedented 80-year reign is beside the point: commentators
then and now talked frequently about the “fear of change” that voting in an
opponent would bring, an indication that the Romans’ newfound freedoms were not
yet understood.
However, by 1992- when Keylusus retired- the Romans gave
every indication that they now finally understood the democratic process.
Although Keylusus was himself a progressive- legalizing pre-marital sex and
abortion in 1913, introducing sexual education in 1945, outlawing the death
penalty in 1956, legalizing homosexuality in 1961, among other policies- he
gained less and less of the electorate as the years and decades wore on,
slipping to lows of 49% approval and 71% of the votes in the final runoff in
1982. He rebounded slightly in 1987, getting to 51% approval and 75% of the
final runoff votes, but for a man whose approval peaked to an astonishing 85% in
1924 and carried approval ratings in the 70s right into the 1960s, it was a
sign that Romans were beginning to understand that alternatives don’t
necessarily destroy democracy. While Keylusus’ Roman Consul, Ti. Julius Paulus
(better known as Paul XII) was re-elected to an overwhelming majority in 1997,
he was crushingly defeated in 2002 when Romans had enough of Paul’s obviously
ruinous policies and voted in our current Emperor, businessman Rodin Hartian,
an indication that when change was needed, the Romans were more than willing to
pursue it.
Now people all over the Empire understand the
significance of the elections. While candidature turnout was always high- as
many 7,258 candidates ran in the 2002 elections- the fact that al-Tabin, the
first high profile, non-Italian to run in the election indicates populations
all over the Empire now fully understand that they too can affect some serious
Imperial changes. While the task of appealing to the entire electorate- and not
just their obvious support base within their native population- is a daunting
task, it is not impossible, and al-Tabin’s candidature indicates that now even
native Italians such as Hartian and Maderia are not immune to the task as they
might have been previously.
With that out of the way, here is a detailed description
of the election in these preliminary stages, including an overview of the
issues facing this election and how each candidate stacks up overall:
The Economy. No. 1
on any Roman’s list, especially considering the economy hasn’t been relatively
stronger since the turn of the 19th century. Most of the turnaround
has been Hartian’s doing in undoing many of Paul’s damaging policies, and while
the overall economy has improved, there are still large disparities in wealth,
both regionally and overall.
The Confederacy.
Hartian’s brainchild is now the laughingstock of the international community.
Intended as an alliance of states formerly belonging to the Roman Empire
similar in structure to the British Commonwealth, it has shown itself in
Hartian’s time to be ineffectual and fundamentally flawed. While a strong case
could be made that a changing political landscape really led to its undoing,
all everyone- not just Romans- sees are its ineffectiveness and its overall
failure. It has several fundamental flaws that need to be addressed if it is
ever to be the force Hartian wanted it to be.
The Dominions and the Constitution. Hartian did well in shaping them as autonomous regions
and can be applauded for leaving their business to themselves while the Emperor
tackles larger issues. However, Hartian has been criticized for not dealing
with the flaws in the Imperial Constitution, such as its lack of mention of
fundamental civil and political rights that many of the Dominions (including
Rome itself) have enshrined in their own Constitutions, leading to fears of
polarization. Most of the talk has been speculative, but as Christine Tomkin’s
situation in Utah has shown, the Constitutional issue becomes more pressing
with every day.
Same-Sex Marriage.
A relatively new issue on the Roman landscape (brought largely by the work of
Gaius Julius Antonina, the head of the Roman Homosexual Alliance and also an
Imperial candidate), and while the major politicians have attempted to stay
away from the issue in the past so as not to scare off potential voters, the
issue has grown in importance to such a point where it cannot be ignored. Most
Romans are undecided on the issue, but as the election draws nearer, a clearer
sentiment of public opinion will probably emerge.
Gaius
Romanus Rodinus Hartianus (com. “Rodin Hartian”)
Political Status: Reigning Emperor (since 2002)
Place of Birth: Augila, Egypria
Date of Birth: August 15, 1971
Citizenship Status: Roman citizen since March 20, 1975
Place of Residence: Rome
Claim to Fame: CEO of the Hartian Group (a completely
self-created venture), a conglomerate of several industries including
publishing, nightclubs, department stores and other “specialty” industries such
as cigar manufacturing.
Education: PhD, Business, University of Rome
Political Career: Involved in many business-oriented
political organizations in Rome since graduating University in 1993, including
the Society of Economic Growth, a primarily capitalist think tank that was
instrumental in exposing Paul’s ruinous policies and in the campaign that
eventually elected Hartian to the throne.
Background
Hartian was born in Augila, the capital city of Egypria,
on August 15, 1971 to relatively poor parents. They moved when Hartian was four
to Rome to pursue better job opportunities and to ensure their son would get a
better education. Not only did Hartian get a better education, he also became
very active politically to the point where he is the current Emperor. His
parents don’t share the same zeal for politics that he does, but they are
extremely supportive as is his wife Gn. Julia Amorus Hartianus, the latter
being a leading figure in many women’s rights movements.
His supporters make frequent mention of his economic
successes since gaining the throne, doubling Rome’s overall GDP and paving the
way for it to be tripled since ascending the throne by 2010. He has also
received a lot of praise for ending Rome’s isolationist stance that Paul took,
getting active on the international scene and creating the Confederacy, as well
as clearly delineating the jurisdiction of the Dominions.
His detractors, meanwhile, have made considerable mention
of the lukewarm response the Confederacy has received since Hartian created it,
as well as the alliance’s overall ineffectiveness. He has also been criticized
for lack of attention to the overall Constitution, as it leaves out many
political and civil rights that are enshrined in many of the Dominions’ own
Constitutions, including that of Rome itself. Also, while the economy has
improved, disparities- both class and regional- still exist, meaning that
Rome’s boom hasn’t been beneficial to all.
Platform
Hartian has promised in his second term that he will
continue his economic policies as before, looking for more ways to give Romans
tax savings while looking to increase funding to essential services such as
education, public transit and health care. He has also promised Constitutional
reform to tackle the growing problem of Imperial fracture, but he has not
specified yet what he plans to do.
On The Issues
The Economy. Technically
a fiscal conservative, Hartian favours mainly tax breaks as his overall
economic objective, but not to the point where those breaks are ruinous, and
says that he will forgo cuts if it means cutting from essential services,
services he promises to “prop up”. He may not have been as pro-business as some
expected, but there’s no questioning the success of his businesslike approach
to running the Empire.
The Confederacy.
Like many Romans, he wants to see it fixed. He has promised to re-evaluate the
Confederacy once elected to office, as well as to better campaign for it
internationally and better work with international governments to see it fixed.
“Obviously the system didn’t work the first time,” said Hartian on the issue,
“but there’s potential here and we must tap into that.”
The Dominions and the Constitution. He has promised reforms in these areas but has so far
refused to expand on what exactly he plans on doing. Inside sources say Hartian
favours more or less the status quo, insisting that restricting the Dominions’
freedoms may be the catalyst to the break-up of the Empire.
Same-Sex Marriage.
He has been on record as saying that his personal view is that homosexuality is
“simply a lifestyle that I don’t agree with but respect”, but so far on the
issue of same-sex marriage he hasn’t been specific on his plans. Sources say he
favours extending rights to homosexual couples but he isn’t sure how he’d do it
at the present time, opting “to wait for public opinion to play out before
moving on.”
The Path To Victory
Hartian may have been an astute businessman and his businesslike
approach won him many successes on the Throne, but he hasn’t been much of a
populist, identifying more easily with corporate types than with the common
Roman. He probably has the patrician vote nailed, but if he wants to keep the
Throne he needs to convince enough plebeians that he’s the one for the job, and
given that patricians have benefited more than the plebeians in the recent
upsurge that may not be likely. In 2001, he had the advantage of running on the
anger that Paul’s reign brought, meaning that as long as he positioned himself
as a viable alternative- which he easily did- he pretty much had victory
assured. This time around it won’t be as easy, since it’s now him who has to
prove he’s worthy of staying Emperor. While he hasn’t engendered the same kind
of anger that Paul did and his approval ratings are strongly in the 50s,
Maderia and al-Tabin are not lightweights and he must treat them seriously. He
does have an impeccable economic track record, and if he can not only emphasize
it but also convince enough Romans that they too will share in the Empire’s
newfound wealth, he just may have this election secured.
Political Status: Consul of Rome
Place of Birth: Rome
Date of Birth: December 12, 1966
Citizenship Status: Lifelong Roman citizen
Place of Residence: Rome
Claim to Fame: Consul of Rome since 1995, has had
approval ratings in the 70s throughout his career.
Education: PhD, Political Science, University of Rome, Honours
Degree in History
Political Career: A political lobbyist in Rome since his
high school days, and his active role in Roman politics gained him the
Consulship in Rome’s most influential Dominion.
Background
Maderia was born on December 12, 1966 to parents whose
family have lived in Rome since at least the 10th century. An
unabashed Roman nationalist, he founded the SPQR movement while in high school,
and has since become a staunch advocate of national self-determination. He has
been married since 1985 to D. Julia Margerita di Iuvius (com. Margerite
d’Youville), an American actress and model whom he met while at a rally. While
in University, he studied American History and Politics extensively, and has
thus brought many American ideals to the Roman political landscape, a fact that
he does not conceal. However, Maderia is far from simply “an American in Roman
clothing”- rather, Maderia has been a firm believer that many of the US’
ideals, such as liberty, populism and equality are congruent with Roman ideals,
and believes that elements of the American system- such as the Electoral
College- can be applied to Rome’s system as well. “ ‘American’ has become such
a loaded term,” said Maderia recently, “but it shouldn’t be. When the Founding
Fathers created the United States of America they created a system nearly as
perfect as Augustus’ and Keylusus’, but later generations destroyed what they
did. America has a lot of good in it, and it is that good that I wish to bring
to the Empire.”
Platform
Maderia’s chief position is Constitutional reform,
because, as he put it, “the current situation is a joke.” He’s been a strong
advocate of enshrining basic civil and political rights into the Imperial
Constitution, especially after Tomkin’s escapades in Utah, of which he has been
at the epicentre. He is also pushing for the introduction of the Electoral
College system in Rome to give smaller Dominions such as the Pacific Federation
a greater voice in the Imperial system, believing that “open communication can
bring the Empire closer together”. He has also been on record as saying he
favours “an economic union” format for the Confederacy, but also says that he
wants to make the Confederacy “a more viable, visible and vocal force” in the
world.
On The Issues
The Economy. On
this issue, he is similar to Hartian in that he’s more or less a fiscal
conservative, but he does not favour tax breaks as much as Hartian does. He is
in favour of a slight tax increase for patricians (to 55% from 45%) to cover a
tax cut for plebeians and to increase funding to the essential services.
The Confederacy.
He favours an economic union-type Confederacy, but says he wants the
Confederacy to be “more viable, visible and vocal”. He also wants to reform the
Confederacy to make it “a proper international institution” and wants to work
with international governments so it can serve their needs. He is also in
favour of turning its scope from the Mediterranean to the entire world, noting,
“It is not just the Mediterranean that shares Roman ideals”.
The Dominions and the Constitution. He is in favour of reform in both areas, opting to
create a system where the Dominions are given an equal voice in Imperial
politics (such as through the Electoral College system), and to enshrine basic
political and civil rights into the Imperial Constitution to give the Empire
greater unity. “If there’s anything Utah has taught us,” Maderia has said,
“it’s that the Empire sorely needs a guarantee of basic human rights, because
the current situation is ridiculous.”
Same-Sex Marriage.
Maderia is in strong support of this, but in a way that is unexpected- he wants
to remove the word “marriage” completely from the legal code. “Marriage is a
religious term,” said Maderia, “so let’s take it out of the law. If people want
to call these civil unions in any other form, they’re fully allowed to do so-
Rome just won’t call it marriage.”
The Path To Victory
What Hartian lacks Maderia has- he has an undeniable
charm that goes along well with his populist message, and like Hartian did with
Paul, Maderia hasn’t held back in his criticisms of Hartian’s government and
his policies. The problem is that now Maderia doesn’t face the same kind of
situation Hartian did with Paul- public support is still strongly with Hartian,
meaning that Maderia can’t rely on dissatisfaction with the previous regime to
carry him through the polls. His populist message may be enough to bring the
plebeian vote, and his moderate economic stance and his pro-Dominion stance may
be enough to swing enough patricians and non-Italians (respectively) to his
camp. This is where he needs to work his charm and really sell his populist
image, since that is the advantage he has over Hartian that might be able to
win him the election.
D. Aemilius Alus Tabinus
(com. Ali al-Tabin)
Political Status: Rümayyi Emir
Place of Birth: Sabkhat, Rümayyia
Date of Birth: January 20, 1960
Citizenship Status: Lifelong Roman Citizen
Place of Residence: Riyadh
Claim to Fame: Has been Emir of Rümayyia since 1990,
first Rümayyian Emir to tour the Empire in 1997.
Education: PhD, History (Rome), Honours Degree, History
(Los Angeles)
Political Career: Foreign Minister of Rümayyia, 1986-90,
Emir since 1990.
Background
Ali al-Tabin is Rümayyia's most recognizable citizen,
both inside Rümayyia, the Roman Muslim world and outside of it, known for his
humanitarian contributions and heartfelt pleads for the needy all across the
world. Among his many successes is the Ramadan Food Drive, started in 1992
where people all over the Empire are encouraged to donate food to the
impoverished throughout the Empire, a program that has netted some C100 million
in food donations since it began. He has also been instrumental in leading the
charge for greater recognition and acceptance of Muslims all across the Empire,
and for greater tolerance and acceptance by all Muslims for non-Muslims within
the Muslim world. He’s also been an ardent supporter of Islamic reform, saying
that it had become “outdated” for the modern world. Right-wing Islamic groups
have called him nothing more than “a Western puppet”, but the vast majority of
Muslims within the Empire uphold their support for a man they see as “a peace
broker able to bring the West and Islam closer together”.
Platform
He said he intends to run to bring “Islamic values” to
the Imperial scene, but he is not a fundamentalist, a group he denies as “not
being real Muslims”. Al-Tabin overall runs mainly as a democratic socialist (a
stance he says is congruent to Islamic values), and while he’s still
technically on the centre-left, he’s the furthest on the left to Hartian and
Maderia. Outside of the Muslim vote, he is targeting mainly the youth and
impoverished of the Empire with promises of “free houses” and with vast
spending increases in infrastructure, education, public transit and health
care. He also intends to channel a lot of Roman Coins to the “poorer regions of
the Empire” (including- but not limited to- the Muslim areas of the Empire),
promising to step up Hartian’s infrastructure program immensely so that they
can compete economically with the core areas of the Empire.
On The Issues
The Economy. His
platform is one of “equalization”, where the poorer regions of the Empire will get
infrastructure upgrades before the richer regions, but he says he won’t ignore
those needs completely. “I’m not going to ignore Italy or California,” he said,
“but my attention will be on Siam, Rümayyia, Ethiopia, and the Solomon Islands
because those places need help the most.” He has also said he will increase the
tax threshold for the rich to as high as 60% so the lower income bracket can
have drastically lower taxes (or no taxes at all), and so that entities such as
education (including post-secondary) and health care can become “free”.
The Confederacy.
Sides mainly with Maderia on this issue in that he too wants to make it as more
of a world bloc, but wants to bring Rome closer to “the poorer areas of the
world”, which many believe is the Islamic world but a statement al-Tabin
refuses to expand upon. He has said that he wants Rome to take a greater part
in the Arabic world, since Rome has come to rely on the Arabian Peninsula for
its oil.
The Dominions and the Constitution. Favours creating a “Five Empire System” where the Roman
Empire would be subdivided into five smaller regional blocs, similar to what
Diocletian did at the end of the 3rd century. These blocs would then
have equal say enshrined in a similar scheme to Maderia’s Electoral College
idea, with a candidate needing to win three of the five Empires to win the
entire Empire. He also favours the enshrinement of basic rights into the
Constitution, as well as clauses guaranteeing free education and health care.
Same-Sex Marriage.
“Islam does not condemn homosexual love,” said al-Tabin once, “so this issue is
really a non-issue.” He did not go any further, however.
The Path To Victory
As a democratic socialist in a largely capitalist Empire,
al-Tabin faces the most difficult challenge of all the candidates, but it’s not
insurmountable. He clearly has the Muslim vote, since, like most Roman Muslims,
he is a liberal Muslim, which may also be a stance that will allow him to get
votes from non-Muslims since he does not represent “an Islamic fundamentalist
threat”. He also very clearly positions himself to the youth of the Empire,
with promises of free housing, health care and education, and will probably
carry that electorate. However, some may be afraid of voting for him because of
a fear that he’d be “too Islamic” for Rome itself (though his track record in
Rümayyia suggests otherwise), but if he can convince non-Muslim Romans that
he’s not an Islamic fundamentalist threat (which he has so far been able to do)
he may just become the first ethnic Arabic Emperor since Philip the Arab in the
3rd century. However, even if he does that, it is debatable how many
patricians- both moderate and extreme- would side with his obviously plebeian
stance. Still, there’s a reason why he’s been Emir of Rümayyia since 1990- he’s
as charismatic as Maderia is, and his way with words and his more moderate
stances (in relation to other leftists) could be enough to carry him over the
hump.
Gaius Julius Antonina:
The leader of the Roman Homosexual Alliance is running for the fifth time under
the banner of gay rights, and, while he’s too hardcore for mainstream voters
(being known for his often scantily-clad leather outfits), he has been
instrumental in bringing gay marriage to Imperial attention. He will be making
a lot of noise during the campaign and will be someone to watch out for.
Julius Caesar Aurelius Iulius: Leader of the Jovian Party, he wants to reintroduce the
ancient Roman religion back to the Empire. Anachronistic, far too extreme and
will carry few- if any- votes, but he will still be very visible during the
election.
D. Joanna Marcia:
A moderate female candidate, she’s been viewed as “the next best choice” when
it comes to potential Imperial candidates. She’s a long shot, however, since
the culture of male-dominance in Rome is too ingrained for voters to really
latch onto an Empress.
F. Joannes Paulus:
He’s the most influential of the Christian right within the Empire, and, like
Iulius, he’ll carry almost no votes in the election due to his extremist
stances. Still, his charisma will get him noticed.
Anarchus: An
ardent anarchist who changed his name to highlight “the uselessness of
government”, he wants to dissolve the Empire upon election. Noisy, but lacks
support.
P. Appius Demos: A
centre-rightist, he wants to impose sweeping changes to the economic system to
drastically cut taxes for the wealthy. May get some patrician votes.
Ti. Julius Rosas: An
extreme leftist, he’s been known for wanting to impose a 100% tax on
patricians. May get some plebeian votes.
Gn. Marcus Timaus:
A libertarian, he’s not as extreme as Anarchus is but he does want the
government out of everything except police and defence, intending to legalize “victimless
crimes” but also wants to scrap the government’s subsidization of public
transit, education and health care because it “interferes” with free choice.
May get some plebeian votes.
S. Aemilia Rodena:
Marxist Feminist who pushes for women’s rights, and while she’ll get a lot of
the extreme feminist votes, the most she’ll do in the mainstream is make some
noise.
Q. Claudius Mohammedus Husaynus: The “counter al-Tabin”, he’s a hardcore Muslim who wants
to turn Rome into an Islamic state. A noisemaker on the campaign trail and sure
to be al-Tabin’s most vocal critic.