For the fifth straight year, Dale Hauser was re-elected to the Presidency of Nova Albany with 98.33% of the overall vote, following his Ricci-based re-appointment to the board of Lugus, the country’s nationalized media empire, one week ago. His closest rival, Tier VII executive and entrepreneur Douglas Schiffer, received 0% of votes among the leading bodies, and 1.67% of the vote among citizens as a whole. Unlike the democratic vote for presidency, the Chairmanship of Lugus is determined by the Ricci Equation, which measures personal and corporate wealth, influence, and other factors to determine the most “successful” citizen of the nation. In Albanite culture, it is considered a grave insult to vote for a candidate in the Presidential election who has not been already chosen by the equation.

 

For it’s workforce, Nova Albany makes heavy use of the alien population of the Ring Isles. Sometimes known as the “ghetto isles,” these communities are notable for their high living standards despite housing a population consisting of 100% non-citizens. Islanders are not allowed to vote, but polling of these communities is conducted year round, due to their status as the primary pool from which new citizens are culled. Isle polling skewed heavily in Schiffer’s favor this year, with Cort-Singer reporting 61% in favor of Schiffer. Masters reported 59.2%. Alliousent reported a remakable 79.9%. Alliousent’s numbers line up surprisingly closely with reports made in the last year by the Oddfellows Order; though often disputed by the th islanders themselves, the order is considered the de facto mouthpiece of the Isle population. The accuracy of the Order's reports are also a common matter of dispute, but these latest numbers are giving pause to some in the current administration Nova Albany. Schiffer’s communications director, Rebecca Nair, said “Islanders will no doubt be the focus of Hauser’s outreach efforts this year, despite his notorious anti-alien stance. Douglas Schiffer will continue to champion their cause as his success inevitably eclipses Hauser’s in the next cycle.”

 

This evening, Oddfellows spokesperson Trina Lane told The Way, “These ‘surprsing results’ are not surprising at all. They reflect growing discontent among the Isle populace about the direction the country is going, and Hauser’s miunderstanding of the part we play in the national economy. For many of us, Schiffer represents a chance to return to previous norms.”

 

Leaders throughout the interstellar community were quick to congratulate Hauser, including Premier Sofia Mancuso of North Italy, United States President Robert Ishihara, and Emperor Felix I of the Roman Empire of Cornelia. “I look forward to continuing a longstanding and fruitful relationship with Chairman Hauser and his administration,” the Emperor stated in a press conference. “His fairness, understanding, and intestinal fortitude will ensure great things from him for many years to come.”