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South Pacific Independent News Network · 10-14-2020, 11:23 PM

Year 18 | 14 October 2020

REAL NEWS
ELECTION COMMISSION ACCUSED OF SUPPRESSING VOTE
Gale Weathers | News Editor

RON, a perennial candidate for all executive offices, saw unexpected success in this election season as a candidate for Ministry of Crazy. Their platform of expanding freedoms and getting the government off people's backs found reception in the electorate, resulting in consistent first and second place rankings in most polls. Come the final election night, however, supporters who had gathered in the campaign headquarters witnessed in shock as Election Commissioner Somyrion announced that Purple Hyacinth, not RON, had won the election.

In what several political analysts have called a "blatant violation of electoral law", Somyrion altered voter eligibility rules to consider only votes cast by non-legislators. Jake Cobalt, Senior Elections Analyst for FiftyPlusOne, says that "some legislators are privately telling [him] that this is a dangerous exercise in voter suppression". When asked to comment, Somyrion said that "people should've read the rules before voting" and insisted that nothing improper was done.

RON himself has remained silent since results were announced but Abigail Stain, his campaign manager, has said that "the campaign is very concerned about allegations of voter suppression" and will explore all possible options, including "taking the matter all the way up to the High Court" to ensure that all votes are properly counted.

The South Pacific Independent News Network (SPINN) is an independent news organisation established in 2003 with the goal of providing good, insightful and timely commentary on regional events for the citizens of the South Pacific. This publication is satirical and does not necessarily reflect the facts or the views of the Editorial Board. Content is published via pseudonyms. The SPINN is not associated with the Government of the South Pacific.