Inquista Decides - 2020 Inquistan Election Centre

Inquista · 29 Apr 2020, 06:59

April 12, 2020
Answering Common Questions

The campaign period in Inquista has already been underway for nearly five days. However, before we begin catching up with the current state of the ecclesiastical campaigns, it is important to address several questions that viewers might have in regard to the election and how it works.

Why is Inquista's election called an 'ecclesiastical election'?
Inquista is a theocratic ecclesiastical republic. Ultimate and supreme power is held by the Inquistan people, who elect and choose their representatives. The Inquistan people select bishops to represent them in the Inquistan Orthodox Church, which is the government of Inquista. The Inquistan Orthodox Church is divided into 230 dioceses, which represent ecclesiastical seats of power.

The 230 dioceses of Inquista:

What is the College of Bishops?
The College of Bishops is the sole and supreme legislature of Inquista. It is a unicameral assembly compromised of 230 bishops, who are all elected in the ecclesiastical election. The Archbishop of Inquista is also a member of the College.

Do Inquistans elect the Archbishop?
Not directly. The Archbishop of Inquista is elected by the College of Bishops. Only an incumbent bishop can be elected as Archbishop. The College of Bishops will elect a new Archbishop of Inquista on May 1st, two days after the ecclesiastical election.

What happened to political parties and what are 'theological blocs'?
In 2018, the College of Bishops passed legislation which dissolved all political parties in Inquista and replaced them with theological blocs. Theological blocs are formal groupings of bishops inside of the College, which are groupings that are similar to political parties, but are less institutionalized, more decentralized and have substantially less structural power. Theological blocs are similar in structure to EU-level eurogroups. Bishops can move freely between blocs and may also form their own. However, blocs are compromised only of incumbent bishops in the College. Thus, no theological blocs can exist outside of the College, and only bishops inside of the College can officially belong to a theological bloc.

So are most candidates running for election non-affiliated with any theological bloc?
Not necessarily. Candidates for election may be endorsed by an existing theological bloc, but they are not an official member of that bloc. If candidates do not receive an endorsement from any bloc, then they shall run as non-affiliated candidates. Non-affiliated bishops may form or join a bloc should they be elected into the College. Voters shall see theological bloc endorsements on their ballots, beside the name of candidates. Theological blocs do not fundraise, and instead, all candidates for election must fundraise for themselves.

Inquista · 17 Jun 2020, 04:47

April 14, 2020
The State of the Race

[Inquista Decides intro]

Let's catch you up on the latest state of the ecclesiastical campaigns.

Craticist Bishops Will Be Running Without Affiliation
In 2018, the Black Swan Movement won 186 of 230 seats in the College of Bishops. The Black Swan Movement was then reformed into the Craticist Bloc, and following the March Revolution and the shocking revelations concerning the previous Archbishop, almost all of them have since shed their affiliation to the bloc and are running for re-election without the backing of any bloc. 26 bishops of the former bloc are currently barred from running in the upcoming election due to violations of the country's anti-corruption laws. As such, only 159 bishops of the former bloc will be running. Some of these bishops remain popular in the northern parts of Inquista, and could possibly be returned to office. It is possible that these non-affiliated bishops could play kingmakers in deciding the next Archbishop of Inquista. Furthermore, these non-affiliated bishops are likely to create a new theological bloc of their own once they have return to office, possibly establishing a powerful political force in the College.

Other Non-Affiliated Candidates to Watch Out For
El Caudillo Juan-Bernardo Fernandez-Velasquez is running as a non-affiliated candidate. El Caudillo is joined by Air Marshal Hariett Copala, who is also running for election as a bishop as well. The two are likely to work together in order to shore up support among other non-affiliated bishops, who could possibly crown one of the two as the next Archbishop of Inquista.

Current Polling Suggests the Reformist Bloc Will Win the Most Bishops
Currently polling suggests that the Reformist Bloc is the most preferred theological bloc among Inquistans. Aggregate polling data suggests that 42.6% of Inquistans are leaning toward supporting candidates endorsed by the Reformist Bloc, 18.6% of Inquistans support candidates endorsed by the Progressivist Bloc and 39.1% of Inquistans support candidates who are non-affiliated.

Ecclesiastical elections in Inquista are generally seen as highly localized contests that are contained between each diocese, and thus country-wide data on theological bloc preference does not necessarily indicate which bloc - if any - will win the most seats in the College of Bishops. If this data is to be accepted as face value support for each bloc, then the Reformist Bloc is en route to win the largest share of seats in the College of Bishops.

The 9 Possible Future Archbishops of Inquista

1. Cllr. Edward Firoux

Councillor Edward Firoux has been Councillor of Inquista to the European Union since 2013. In 2017, Councillor Firoux was elected as Deputy Speaker of the European Council, and then eventually became Speaker in 2018. Councillor Firoux was elected as the leader of the League in 2018, but was barred from leading the party by Archbishop Craticus in 2019. The League has since transformed into the Reformist Bloc. While Councillor Firoux is not the de jure leader of the bloc, he is widely seen as the person pulling the strings behind the scenes. Councillor Firoux was recently at the centre of the polarizing protests in Inquista, which saw more than 7.5 million Inquistans come out to support him.

Councillor Firoux is considered to have liberal-leaning theological beliefs. He wrote and passed an amendment to the European Constitution which legalized gay marriage across Europe. The Councillor also wrote and passed the Capital and Unusual Punishment Act, which outlawed capital punishment. Councillor Firoux has spoken out against abortion and has maintained the belief that the Inquistan Orthodox Church will never condone the killing of an unborn child. More than anything, Councillor Firoux regards himself as a europhile and is a known supporter of further European integration.

The Councillor is supported and popular among many different demographics and cross-sections of Inquista. He is currently the most preferred person to become Archbishop of Inquista (the number one choice among 20% of Inqusitans).

2. Bp. Karinn Lallana

Bishop Karinn Lallana is the leader of the Progressivist Bloc and has been Bishop of Sundance since 2010. Before leading and founding the Progressivist Bloc in 2019, Bishop Lallana led the Green Inquista party. Bishop Lallana came to international prominence in 2016, when Pravoslaviyan media used an image of the Bishop as evidence that Taylor Swift was alive in Pravoslaviya. Bishop Lallana has since formed a kindred bond with Taylor Swift, and has been embroiled in a public feud with Dragan Trympov.

Bishop Lallana describes herself as a 'Progressive Orthodox' who adheres to tenants of liberation theology and 'ecotheology'. Bishop Lallana is widely seen as the most politically left-leaning bishop of the Inquistan Orthodox Church.

Bishop Lallana is especially popular among Twitter users and online social media users, who are often conveniently dismissed as Nicoleizian bots or as 'Karens' whenever they make a good point that somebody does not like. Bishop Lallana has the full support of the bishops of the Progressivist Bloc and their electoral base, and is thus the second most preferred person to become Archbishop of Inquista (the number one choice among 17% of Inquistans).

3. Silas Kligenberg

Silas Kligenberg is an entrepreneur and philanthropist who is the presumptive heir to the Kligenberg fortune in Inquista. Silas Kligenberg became a public pariah in 2011 when his frivolous and combative behaviour on Keeping Up With the Kligenbergs received widespread condemnation and scrutiny. Silas Kligenberg was eventually ousted from the show for bad behaviour in 2013, and then became the black sheep of the Kligenberg family. Silas Kligenberg has since successfully rehabilitated his image through far-reaching philanthropic efforts and a public battle with sobriety which has won widespread public sympathy. Silas Kligenberg became politically ambitious in 2018, challenging Councillor Firoux for leadership of the League, which he ultimately lost.

Silas Kligenberg is seen as having generally liberal-leaning theological beliefs, but has several political and theological stances which have polarized the country. For instance, Silas Kligenberg has spoken about the need for Inquista to acquire nuclear weapons in order to protect itself, has called for the decriminalization of all drugs, and has signaled beliefs that are viewed as being accepting of abortion (Silas Kligenberg once bragged about paying for more than 20 of his former girlfriends to get overseas abortions). Silas Kligenberg is seen as being somewhat eurosceptic, having at times criticized the European Union, and calling for Inquista to adopt a more hawkish foreign policy that should include a military and economic alliance with the Duxburian Union. Silas Kligenberg's ecclesiastical campaign is widely viewed as aggressively pro-business and he proudly labels himself as the 'corporate candidate'.

Silas Kligenberg is popular among Inquistan business owners, people in the Youtube comments with anime avatars and people who play Paradox games. He is the third most preferred person for Archbishop (the number one choice among 14% of Inquistans).

4. Bp. Anja Emerett

Bishop Anja Emerett is the leader of the Reformist Bloc and has been the Bishop of City Gates-New Chapel since 2018 (a position she previously held from 2010 to 2015). Bishop Emerett rose to prominence as the chairperson of the youth-wing of the League from 2010 until 2013. Bishop Emerett served concurrently as the Minister for Youth and as the Minister for Immigration of Citizenship from 2010 until 2014. Bishop Emerett was sacked from her ministerial positions a year after Archbishop Craticus came into office, who viewed her as being too lenient on immigration and criticized her for accepting too many Sahrawi refugees. Bishop Emerett was elected as Premier of the European Union in 2016. When Bishop Emerett returned to Inquistan politics in 2018, she became deputy leader of the League under Councillor Firoux, and then rose to leadership of the party when the Councillor was barred from his position in 2019. Bishop Emerett has since led the Reformist Bloc as the de jure leader in the College of Bishops, but is widely perceived as remaining subordinate to Councillor Firoux. Bishop Emerett sparked and spearheaded the recent protests in Inquista, and has since become an avatar for youth activism in the country.

Bishop Emerett is considered to be generally liberal-leaning in her theological beliefs, but is widely viewed as one of the most moderate bishops of the Reformist Bloc. Bishop Emerett has built a reputation as a pragmatic politician who has crossed political divides in order to pass legislation. However, Bishop Emerett has not shied away from her strong pro-European beliefs, and is regarded as the most pro-European bishop in the College.

Bishop Emerett is popular among young voters, Sahrawis, europhiles and recent protesters. Despite being the leader of the Reformist Bloc, many doubt that Bishop Emerett has any personal ambitious to become the next Archbishop. Instead, many believe she is supporting Councillor Firoux for Archbishop. Bishop Emerett is the fourth most preferred person for Archbishop (the number one choice among 10% of Inquistans).

5. Mikaela Kligenberg

Mikaela Kligenberg is a 'singer,' socialite and television personality. She is the daughter of Archbishop Alexander Kligenberg, who is considered to be the unifier of modern Inquista. Mikaela Kligenberg reached international fame as the central cast member of Keeping Up With the Kligenbergs, which ran from 2009 until 2017. Mikaela Kligenberg succeeded her father as Councillor of Inquista to the European Union in 2012, and held that position until she was elected as European Commissioner for Internal Affairs in 2013. Mikaela Kligenberg became first ever commissioner to willingly resign from office, departing from her job two months into her term. Mikaela Kligenberg maintains strong public friendships with many of Europe's royals and heads of state. Mikaela Kligenberg is currently engaged to El Caudillo Fernandez-Velasquez.

Mikaela Kligenberg's theological and political beliefs are not well documented or understood. As the Councillor of Inquista, Mikaela Kligenberg generally followed the EFP party line and did not write any legislation of her own while she was a councillor. Mikaela Kligenberg did make some waves near the end of her councillorship, when she stated her support for the legalization of gay marriage across Europe, becoming the highest ranking and one of the first Inquistan politicians to endorse equal marriage rights. Mikaela Kligenberg ran an infamous media campaign in her run-up to becoming a European Commissioner, which was criticized as being too personality driven and lacking in policy substance by many of her European peers. Mikaela Kligenberg was eventually made Commissioner for Internal Affairs, in large part due to her perceived close relations to the heads of state of the EU member states. Mikaela Kligenberg resigned from office shortly after the kidnapping of Premier Liszckoszi and the invasion of Dromund Kaas, citing her belief that the conflict could not be resolved.

Mikaela Kligenberg is popular among LGBTQIA Inquistans (and is the only Inquistan who polls favourably with both tops and bottoms), Inquistans who are quirky and relatable and VSCO girls. The recent revelations concerning Archbishop Craticus's involvement with the assassination of Archbishop Kligenberg has reignited public sympathy for Mikaela. Despite being regularly chastised by the Inquistan media for her perceived lack of intelligence, Mikaela Kligenberg is widely celebrated as the expression of 'the common Inquistan' and is regarded as a national heroine. She is the fifth most preferred person for Archbishop (the number one choice among 8% of Inquistans).

6. Bp. JennaMarelle Johnson

Bishop JennaMarelle Johnson, also affectionately known as Mrs. JJ, Mama JJ or Auntie JJ, has been the Bishop of City Marches-Hillfort since 2018 (a position she also held from 2010 to 2015). Bishop Johnson served a brief term as a European Commissioner for Economics in 2015, filling a vacant position left by an impeached commissioner. Bishop Johnson then went on to become the Commissioner for Defence and Peacekeeping in the following Commission election. Since returning to Inquistan politics in 2018, Bishop Johnson has led Black Bishop's Conference in the College of Bishops and has worked as Bishop Emerett's deputy leader.

Bishop Johnson is considered to have the most liberal-leaning theological and political viewpoints of any Reformist bishop. In addition to leading the Black Bishop's Conference, Bishop Johnson is viewed as the unofficial leader of liberal-wing of the Reformist Bloc. Perhaps in part to her progressive theological stances, Bishop Johnson has built a strong working relationship with Bishop Lallana of the Progressivist Bloc. As such, Green Inquista did not field a candidate against Bishop Johnson in the 2018 election and the Progressivist Bloc has not endorsed a candidate in her diocese for this upcoming election. Bishop Johnson is a self-professed 'war dove', who has dedicated much of her public life to opposing overseas conflicts, pushing Inquista to become a neutral state and opposing nuclear proliferation. Bishop Johnson famously proposed a bill to the European Council which placed a moratorium on the production of nuclear weapons. The bill was passed but was later repealed.

Bishop Johnson is popular among black Inquistans, former supporters of the late Tulsi Gabbard of Icholasen and anti-war activists. Bishop Johnson is the sixth most preferred person for Archbishop (the number one choice among 7% of Inquistans)

7. Caudillo Juan-Bernardo Fernandez-Velasquez

Juan-Bernardo Fernandez-Velasquez is the Caudillo of Inquista. He is often referred to by one of his monikers, which include El Capitan, El General or El Caudillo. Caudillo Fernandez-Velasquez was a captain of the Spanish Legion prior to moving to Inquista in 2019. Caudillo Fernandez-Velasquez was brought to Inquista by Mikaela Kligenberg, who landed him in hot water with Spanish authorities following her much publicized Ibiza debacle of the summer of 2019. Caudillo Fernandez-Velasquez has since gotten engaged to Mikaela Kligenberg. The Caudillo is widely believed to have used Mikaela Kligenberg's fortune and influence to leverage himself several commercial opportunities and political positions, such as his position as the Inquistan High Commissioner to Spain and his position as the General of the Holy Inquistan Armed Services. The Caudillo used his position as General to declare himself as the Caudillo of Inquista on the evening of the March Revolution.

The Caudillo's theological stances are a public mystery. The Caudillo was a former Catholic, but converted to Inquistan Orthodoxy in 2019 in order to become a naturalized citizen of Inquista through the Law of Ascension. As Caudillo of Inquista, Fernandez-Velasquez has moved Inquista's High Commission in Spain from Antequera to Sant Antoni De Portmany, Ibiza. Not much else is known about the Caudillo's beliefs.

Caudillo Fernandez-Velasquez is popular among Inquistan F1 fans, Inquistans who frequent Ibiza, people who have OnlyFans accounts, unemployed people who refer to themselves as 'hustlers' or 'money chasers', and people who have a 7-day streak on Duolingo who are learning Spanish. El Caudillo is the seventh most preferred person for Archbishop (the number one choice among 5% of Inquistans).

8. Air Marshal Hariett Copala

Air Marshal Hariett Copala is the Air Marshal of Holy Inquistan Airforce. The Air Marshal oversaw the bombing of East Moreland in Reitzmag and was the architect of the peace agreement that was later signed between Reitzmag and several foreign powers in Vayinaod. In addition to her career in the Holy Inquistan Airforce, Air Marshal Copala spent some time as a judge advocate in the Judge Advocate General's Corps. Air Marshal Copala supported General Fernandez-Velasquez's machinations to make himself Caudillo of Inquista and she has since served as his deputy.

Air Marshal Copala's theological viewpoints are not very clear, but she maintained a reputation as a stern judge advocate in the Inquistan military and became the most feared chief of staff when she was appointed Air Marshal. Air Marshal Copala labels herself as being 'smart on crime', 'tough but approachable', and as 'the fant - the fun aunt'. The Air Marshal is a vocal critic of school truancy and marijuana use.

The Air Marshal is popular among Inquista's police and military personnel. Air Marshal Copala is the eighth most preferred person for Archbishop (the number one choice among 4% of Inquistans)

9. ... Somebody else

15% of Inquistans have identified 'somebody else' as their most preferred Archbishop. This likely due to no clear leader emerging out of the former Craticist Bloc.

Archbishop Preference

Inquista · 5 May 2020, 01:16

May 4, 2020
Election Night

[Inquista Decides intro]

RB: Good evening and welcome to Inquista Decides, Inquista Today’s live coverage of the 2020 ecclesiastical election in Inquista. My name is Rosemary Barker and I will be one of your hosts this evening. I am joined to my right by the great Kathy Vickers, who is covering her third Inquistan election with us.

KV: That’s right. Hi, my name is Kathy Vickers. I am glad to be here tonight as we uncover how Inquistans have decided to shape the future of the Inquistan Orthodox Church.

RB: You’re currently watching us live from Saint Dominico, Inquista. It’s just past ten o’clock in the evening here in Inquista, which means polls have been closed for almost an hour. Tonight will surely be an exciting evening as we see who Inquistans have decided to elect as their bishops. Which bloc, if any, will emerge as the largest political force in the College of Bishops? Who could potentially become the next Archbishop of Inquista? How has the March Revolution shaped Inquista’s democracy? We will find out soon enough.

KV: This is a historic evening. This is the first time in Inquista’s modern history where an early election has been called. The March Revolution, the protests, the revelations made by Mr. Bradley Costa, as well as communist uprisings all across Europe are weighing heavily on Inquistans. This is also a historic night, because no matter what the outcome is, the College of Bishops will have to elect a brand new Archbishop later this week, who will become the third and new Archbishop of Inquista.

RB: Exactly right. We are currently living in a time of great change in Europe. As you mentioned Kathy, great changes have swept Reitzmag, Icholasen, Neo-Venetia and Inquista in the last month. There’s currently a bitter Commission election erupting in Europolis, and there are several elections unfolding across Europe, such as in Fremet and in neighbouring Malborya. Vayinaod also held an election and elected a new Archkonsul just the other day. Did you catch the election in Vayinaod, Kathy?

KV: I sure did, Rosie. It was historic evening. I have to say, VTV1 really had a nice studio and great election graphics. Where is our budget at? Inquista Today needs an upgrade.

RB: Unfortunately, we spent most of our budget developing the new Inquista Decides intro.

KV: The intro is really good, so I am not too mad about it. But yes, great changes are sweeping across Europe and I think it’s fair to conclude that the momentum won’t stop tonight. I think we’re going to see a very different kind of College of Bishops by the end of the night.

RB: Let’s quickly go over the 2018 eccliestical election results.

KV: Let’s do it.

RB: This is the result from the 2018 election.

KV: Seriously? Is our graphics department still drawing this stuff up on MS Paint? But oh, what memories! Political parties… look at that! The Black Swan Movement, the Christian League and Green Inquista are no longer with us.

RB: That’s right, these political parties no longer exist and have been replaced by theological blocs. The Reformist bloc has succeeded the Christian League, the Progressivist Bloc has succeeded Green Inquista, and the Black Swan Movement was succeeded by the Craticist Bloc, but they’ve since dissolved completely.

KV: The Black Swam Movement, aka the Craticist Bloc, won a supermajority in the College of Bishops in 2018. Winning just over 50% of the vote was a great triumph. It’s interesting to geographically note that neither the Reformist nor the Progressivist Bloc have any representation in central or northern Inquista, which was the Craticist stronghold. They will need to make some inroads there if either of them hope to form a majority in the College this go around.

RB: The Progressivist Bloc is the most popular in the western outskirts of Saint Dominico, but they have pockets of support in the former East and South Inquista, all the way in the southeastern corner of Inquista. The former South and East Inquista are the Reformist stronghold. The Reformists will need to spread their support in the former North, and I think the coast and central Inquista will be their target areas for picking up College seats.

KV: It’s worth mentioning that Councillor Edward Firoux is taking quite the gamble. He’s running for his childhood diocese of Swanridge Heights, located all the way up in far northern reaches of Saint Dominico, right in the middle of the former Craticist heartland. The diocese of Swanridge Heights was the second safest Black Swan Movement dioceses at the time, which was won by Craticist bishop Aaron Carlyle by 72.8% in 2018, one of the biggest blow outs of the entire election. Bishop Carlyle is one of the 21 bishops barred from running due to pending corruption charges, so his seat is wide-open battlefield, but it will be quite the feat if Councillor Firoux can take it.

RB: It’s undoubtedly a massive risk. However, it’s a powerful signal. Councillor Firoux is demonstrating that he’s trying to build a coalition across Inquista, including in the former Craticist heartland.

KV: I also think it’s a very full-circle kind of moment to run for the diocese you grew up in. I applaud it.

RB: Mhm. With 186 non-affiliated bishops, well actually just 185-

KV: Because the one died.

RB: Err, yeah, because of that. Well, with 185 non-affiliated bishops, 24 Reformist bishops and 20 Progressivist bishops, the last election has now become a blank slate. Everything is up for grabs.

KV: It’s a new dawn, a new day.

RB: I’m hearing we will have a couple of our first results coming shortly. Please join us again in a few moments as we deliver these results… don’t go anywhere. We’ll be right back.

Inquista · 5 May 2020, 01:24

RB: Welcome back to Inquista Decides. We have our first four results declared. Let’s take you to Trinity Hope-Mission, which has the first result declared this evening.

RB: This is a hold for Bishop Secretary Michael Cunard in Trinity Hope-Mission. A pretty strong win, with an 8.6% margin of victory over his closest rival. Bishop Secretary Cunard is the Bishop Secretary for Trade, one of the most senior Bishop Secretaries, and one of the very few who are believed – so far – to not be involved with the Crusade Against Corruption. He remains very popular, so no surprise that he won here.

KV: He’s down 7% from 2018, which is when he beat his League competitor by an astounding 17% margin. A strong win for sure, but if this is the trend tonight, then the Craticits bishops are going to lose more than a couple of seats.

RB: Notice that voter turnout is substantially higher. 72% turnout is very good.

KV: What was the voter turnout in 2018?

RB: 65%.

KV: Considering everything which has transpired recently, I have no doubt that more people are itching to have their voices heard.

RB: Now, let’s take you to all the results so far.

RB: Three non-affiliated bishops have been elected and one Reformist bishop has been elected. All four of these outcomes are holds for their respective candidates, so no changes from 2018 in terms of seat count.

KV: Yeah, these are all holds and could be considered pretty safe seats. No drama as of yet. These non-affiliated bishops in the northern reaches must be pretty happy to have held onto their seats. We’re seeing some reaction against them in the vote count, but nothing costly as of yet.

RB: They are in the heartland of Craticist territory, so they were all very likely to be safe. Despite having 53.2% of the vote count, it is important to remember that each diocese has at least one, two, three or more non-affiliation candidates running in them. They’re not a united front. Those votes are fractured and have gone to multiple candidates in each diocese. With that said, more votes have gone to non-affiliated candidates than candidates which have been endorsed by any theological bloc.

KV: We’re still very early into this thing, Rosie.

RB: That we are. We will back in a few short moments with the latest results. But first, here are Europe’s top news stories for the hour. Please stay tuned.

Inquista · 5 May 2020, 01:34

RB: Thank you for joining us. Let’s take a look at latest from the Inquistan ecclesiastical election. Our first result from central Inquista has just been reported.

RB: Air Marshal Hariett Copala has been elected to City Centre-Viewpoint. While the diocese was previously held by a non-affiliated bishop, Cato Marchesi, he has lost this election to Air Marshal Copala, making it a nominal gain.

KV: This is actually a major upset. Bishop Marchesi came last! His vote share has absolutely tanked. The Air Marshal was a relentless campaigner, wasn’t she? She vowed to prosecute Mr. Machesi for alleged connections to the Crusade Against Corruption, even though there isn’t any evidence to substantiate these claims. She went for him at every turn and she decimated him.

RB: This was actually a diocese the Reformist bloc was also hoping to win as well. City Centre is an area where Reformist candidates were apparently making a lot of inroads. Air Marshal Copala has snuffed the hopes of both Bishop Marchesi and the Reformist bloc here.

KV: A 3.5% win over the nearest candidate is pretty good for such a tight race.

RB: Let’s take a look at the rest of Inquista.

RB: Non-affiliated bishops continue to lead the pack with 15 victories. The Reformist bloc has 4 so far, while the Progressivist bloc has none.

KV: The far north are returning their Craticist bishops. No losses so far for them, except in central Inquista, where the Air Marshal has won.

RB: No seat losses for the Reformist bloc so far, who are holding onto their seats in the former East and South Inquista in the southeast corner there.

KV: The vote share for the Reformist bloc is creeping up. At the end of the election in 2018, the League ended up with almost 26% of the votes. We’re mostly reporting from the north at this point and they’re already at 33%.

RB: That’s true, the Reformist vote share has already increased significantly in comparison to 2018. However, it hasn’t resulted in any new wins for them as of yet.

KV: But again, these results are mostly from the far north, who always report first and they’re certainly not friendly territory to either the Reformist or Progressivist bloc.

RB: Well, if they either of those blocs aim to form a majority in the College, then they ought to begin winning new seats somewhere. Councillor Firoux is running in the far north in one of the top safest Craticist seats in the entire country, and so far none of the signals look good for him.

KV: I’m sure he’s extraordinarily nervous. He was always taking a gamble.

RB: Allow us to give you the latest international headlines before we come back to even more election results, where we can expect results to begin coming in much more rapidly. Stay with us.

Inquista · 5 May 2020, 23:37

RB: Welcome back to the live coverage of the 2020 ecclesiastical election in Inquista. Let’s now take you to result from Sundance.

RB: Bishop Karinn Lallana, the leader of the Progressivist Bloc, has been returned to her diocese with 44% of the vote.

KV: No real surprise here. Bishop Lallana is very popular in Sundance. She is the leader of a theological bloc and she has widespread name recognition. I’m actually more surprised, especially after recent events in Inquista, that Bishop Lallana didn’t win more than 50% of the vote there.

RB: Sundance has safely been represented by Bishop Lallana since 2010. The Reformist candidate, Carli Pruitt, can definitely hold her chin up with this result.

KV: Definitely.

RB: Let’s now take you to City Marches-Hillfort, where a certain ally of Bishop Lallana has just been declared the winner.

RB: In what has been the more lopsided and secure victory of the night, Bishop JennaMarelle Johnson has been re-elected to City Marches-Hillfort.

KV: Wow look at that, 72.7% of the vote.

RB: Bishop Johnson is widely considered to be the most liberal member of the Reformist Bloc, and she is both a close friend and political ally of Bishop Lallana, so the Progressivist Bloc did not endorse any of her opponents. This was basically always a one-horse race for the Reformist Bloc to win.
KV: Don’t forget that Bishop Johnson is also the leader of the Black Bishop’s Conference in the College. She is extremely popular among Inquista’s black community, and City Marches-Hillfort is an especially diverse diocese. I’m not surprised with this one-sided result.

RB: Bishop Johnson could perhaps become the next Archbishop of Inquista. She has deep influence within the Reformist Bloc and maintains strong connections with the Progressivist Bloc.

KV: Certainly. If there needs to be some sort of coalition between the Reformist and Progressivist blocs, I could see her as the bridge between the two.

RB: Let’s take a look at the results across the country then, to see how the blocs are faring.

RB: 43 non-affiliated have been elected thus far, alongside 18 Reformist bishops and 6 Progressivist bishops.

KV: The Progressivist Bloc are finally starting to produce some wins now. All 6 of them, however, are holds.

RB: The Reformist bloc has actually picked up some seats on the southern shore there. Three gains so far for the Reformist bloc, all from non-affiliated bishops who were once in the Craticist Bloc.

KV: We’ve been seeing the Reformist candidates picking up quite a lot of votes alongside the country’s shore, even in Bishop Lallana’s diocese of Sundance. Non-affiliated candidates are not doing well. All three incumbent non-affiliated bishops have lost their seats. This doesn’t bode well if the trend continues.

RB: It’s worth pointing out that the Reformist Bloc is still struggling in the far north. Not one bishop elected there. Even though they’re picked up some new seats, the Reformist Bloc has slipped in the vote share. They're’ now at 30.9%. Their results from the north haven’t been as good as hoped.

KV: We’re probably going to see a battle develop over central Inquista. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if no theological bloc wins a majority tonight.

RB: Results are already beginning to come in by the second. We won’t have to wait too much longer to see how the rest of this play out. However, before we continue, let’s quickly catch you up with the latest international headlines. We’ll be right back.

Inquista · 6 May 2020, 00:57

RB: Thank you again for joining us. Let’s go to Swanridge Heights, where a result has been called for what has arguably been described as the most important race in this election.

RB: Councillor Edward Firoux has been elected to the College of Bishops!

KV: Oh my word, he really managed to pull it off? I have to say Rosie, I’m really surprised by this. After seeing the results come in from the north, I really didn’t think he stood a chance.

RB: This is the first victory for the Reformists in the far north of Inquista. Swanridge Heights was the second safest Black Swan Movement seat in 2018, only second to Archbishop Craticus’s own seat of Valaranthine. It was a total blowout in 2018. In 2018, Swanridge Heights didn’t even vote for Councillor Firoux in the Councillor election. At the time, the diocese was a stronghold for his opponent, Adrian Flemming. Now it will be represented by Councillor Firoux in the College of Bishops.

KV: The Councillor defeated his opponent by a margin of only 0.3%. 923 votes to be exact. I don’t understand why anyone voted for Ms. Pictor or Mr. Barabatus. Totally wasted votes.

RB: I thought we agreed that you wouldn’t editorialize tonight? This is what democracy looks like.

KV: Hey, I fully respect people’s democratic right to throw away their votes. I really do. I just don’t understand it. Councillor Firoux and Mr. Salvitto are both quite divergent and distinct in their beliefs. We all knew it would be an extremely tight race. By voting for anyone besides those two, you really were throwing way your vote. Voters for Ms. Pictor may as well given the victory to Councillor Firoux, and voters for Mr. Barabatus could have almost costed Councillor Firoux his loss. The difference was 0.3%, Rosie!

RB: Look, people have the right to vote as they wish. This is simply just how first-past-the-post works.

KV: We need voting reform! Ranked choice? Proportional representation? The EuroVoice voting system? I want to give someone 12 points, Rosie. We haven’t had EuroVoice in ages! I’m itching to give away 12 points.

RB: That’s enough now, Kathy. Councillor Firoux has pulled a historic victory here. This is his first time being elected to the College of Bishops. This victory might rubberstamp him as the candidate for Archbishop with the great claim to Inquistan unity.

KV: With Councillor Firoux now in the College of Bishops, he will very likely become the leader of the Reformist bloc, and as you say, the next Archbishop of Inquista. It all depends on how the rest of the votes shake up tonight.

RB: Another prospective, albeit longshot, candidate for archbishop has just been proclaimed as a victor. Let’s take a look.

RB: El Caudillo Fernandez-Velasquez has been duly elected to City Circus-Twin Pillars.

KV: This is the former diocese of Bishop Secretary Jordyn Finsch, the Bishop Secretary of State. Bishop Secretary Finsch has been in hiding in Angleter following the exposure of his involvement in the Crusade Against Corruption. So this was basically an open battlefield. Congratulations to El Caudillo, who scored a decisive victory here.

RB: The Reformists were initialling hoping to score a victory here, but after El Caudillo decided to field himself as a candidate, I think it became very tough to beat his name recognition and presence.

KV: Also tough to beat such a babe, Rosie. He’s so handsome. Mikaela Kligenberg is a lucky lady.

RB: Let’s take a look at the all the results so far.

RB: With just over half of all results reported, non-affiliated bishops have secured 59 seats, the Reformists have secured 46 seats and the Progressivists have secured 14 seats.

KV: With more results from the south reporting, the Reformists are picking up momentum, as we predicted. It’s worth pointing out that the Reformists only started with 24 incumbent bishops this evening, so they’ve now already almost doubled their caucus size. The Reformists have picked up gains all over the southern shore. No former Craticist bishop has won re-election there tonight. It also seems like the Reformists have secured the former East and South Inquista.

RB: Interestingly, the Reformists have also won a couple of Progressivist seats alongside the southern shore, close to the Sunset region, in the southwest. Despite their losses here, the Progressivists have also managed to make several gains at the cost of the former Craticist bishops, alongside the western border.

KV: The Progressivist Bloc is holding up with about the same vote share as 2018 so far, with 22.8% of the vote. The Reformists are climbing with 34.7% of the vote.

RB: 116 is the magic number for tonight. With 116 seats in the college of Bishops, a bloc will be able to form a majority.

KV: If the Reformists keep this momentum up, and take central Inquista, they could reach it. It’s a matter of making sure the Progressivist don’t make any new gains of their own, and making sure there aren’t more than 100-some non-affiliated bishops elected.

RB: We will back in a few short moments with the lion share of the results. But first, here are Europe’s top news stories for the hour. Please stay with us.

Inquista · 6 May 2020, 00:16

RB: This is Inquista Decides. Welcome back. Let’s catch you up with the latest results from the election in Inquista.

RB: Bishop Anja Emerett has been returned to her diocese of City Gates-New Chapel.

KV: A great result for Bishop Emerett. She won her diocese with 48.3% of the vote in 2018, so she’s increased her margin by 4.9% tonight. A resounding victory. It’s well disserved, she’s campaigned really hard and she’s been riding the momentum of the protests she initiated earlier in March.

RB: It will be interesting to see her in action in the College alongside Councillor, err, or rather, I should say Bishop Firoux.

KV: Bishop Firoux still sounds rather strange to say aloud. But yes, it will be. Bishop Emerett is the current leader of the Reformist Bloc and I’m doubtful that she aims to keep the position, which is a shame, because I think many people would fancy her as the next Archbishop of Inquista.

RB: Bishop Emerett has been integral in leading the Reformist Bloc, the recent protests in Inquista, as well as the Reformist campaign strategy this go-around, so I have a strong feeling she will be integral in also deciding the next Archbishop of the Inquistan Orthodox Church.

KV: That’s for sure.

RB: A winner has also been announced in the diocese of Eamony, the former diocese of Archbishop Alexander Kligenberg.

RB: Mikaela Kligenberg has been proclaimed as the next Bishop of Eamony with 70.4% of the vote. This will be Mikaela Kligenberg’s first time entering the College of Bishops… who would have thought?

KV: …Silas Kligenberg, that’s who. The poor man wanted to run in the diocese of Eamony so bad. I was hoping for a Kligenberg showdown between the two, but alas, we can’t have nice things. In any case, the Kligenberg dynasty lives on in Eamony. No surprise that it was total landslide. Mikaela Kligenberg is, well, a Kligenberg running in Eamony, the former diocese which was once represented by her own father, who was a national hero. Mikaela is also a cultural icon in her own right, possessing more name recognition than possibly anyone else in this entire country, so this contest was basically nothing but her crowning.

RB: This is one of the most decisive wins we’ve seen so far this evening. I know that for many in Eamony, the assassination of Archbishop Kligenberg has been in their thoughts and minds recently, following these Crusader revelations. I think Mikaela’s victory tonight will bring some peace and hope back to their community.

KV: Ah yes, one of Inquista’s richest and wealthiest dioceses really needs peace and hope at this vulnerable time. It’s time that we take care and cater to rich people again! Finally! I do think she stands an excellent chance to become the Archbishop of Inquista, though. Archbishop Kligenberg round two.

RB: Really?

KV: Seriously. Look, she-

RB: I think we’ve had enough of your crazy tangents this evening. Let’s take a look at the national results, where there has been a lot of movement.

RB: With just over two-thirds of the results in, the Reformist Bloc has taken the lead with 85 seats. Non-affiliated bishops account for 70 seats declared thus far and the Progressivist Bloc trails with 19 seats.

KV: The Reformist Bloc has also taken the lead in the vote count by 0.2%, which is quite astounding, because most seats have had several non-affiliated candidates who have been performing quite well.

RB: Basically all of the former East and South Inquista have declared their results and it’s been a sweep for the Reformist Bloc. The Progressivist Bloc have held up their own there as well. However, the Reformists have picked up basically all former Craticist and Progressivist seats on the southern shore and they’re expanding to central Inquista, which is looking to become the battleground.

KV: Non-affiliated bishops have frozen the Progressivist Bloc out of the north it seems, except for Councillor Firoux. Their last hope is to freeze the Reformist from central Inquista.

RB: Even though they’ve lost quite a couple of their seats to the Reformists, the Progressivists have continued to make some gains in the western reaches, alongside the border. Their vote count is also quite strong at 23%.

KV: 23% isn’t that strong when the next strongest bloc is winning with 38.6% of the vote. As you yourself mentioned, Rosie, this is a first-past-the-post system. 23% of the vote doesn’t matter when you’ve won only 10% of the seats so far. I don’t think we will see the Progressivists win many more seats. They’ll likely place around the same as 2018, with 20-some seats. Once we see how the first few non-affiliated bishops perform in central Inquista, we can probably call this election.

RB: The final results will be trickling in very soon, so we can ready ourselves to call this election within the hour. Before that, let’s catch you up with some news from around Europe.

Inquista · 6 May 2020, 00:56

RB: Thank you for staying up late and joining us at Inquista Decides. Results from central Inquista are now pouring in. Shall we take a look?

RB: Silas Kligenberg has been duly elected to Zion Canal-New Market. This is a gain for the Reformist bloc. Bishop Emilian Falto has represented this diocese since 2015. This is a pretty big loss for him. However, we have our second Kligenberg elected this evening.

KV: Zion Canal-New Market is a big get for the Reformists. Even though Silas Kligenberg has big name recognition, and is a Kligenberg, this was considered a pretty open race. Everyone knew that Silas Kligenberg’s first preference was to run in Eamony, but this diocese is tailor made for him: it’s one of the wealthiest dioceses in the country and it’s known to have a bit of wild side. Silas Kligenberg, on the surface, makes sense as a representative for them.

RB: Fun fact! Alphabetically, this diocese comes last on the list. When it comes time to vote for the next Archbishop of Inquista, it means Silas Kligenberg will vote last.

KV: I imagine Silas Kligenberg’s win here bodes well for the rest of the Reformists in central Inquista?

RB: Yes, it has. Let’s take a look at the national results.

RB: The Reformists have managed to run away with victories in central Inquista. The Reformists are up to 111 seats now, just 5 seats away from a majority in the College of Bishops. Only 27 seats are left. Even though it’s pretty close, we at Inquista Decides are actually going to project a Reformist majority in the College of Bishops.

KV: A Reformist majority? You’ve heard it here first. It’s just a matter of how large their majority is now. They’ve won basically most of the contests in the centre. At this rate, they will basically take all of them. I can easily see them winning the remaining seats.

RB: The Progressivists have picked up one more seat, bringing their total to 20. They won 20 seats in 2018, so they’re currently resting on par. 72 non-affiliated bishops are now elected, almost all of whom are in the far north. There’s quite a stark geographical divide developing here.

KV: However, looking at the historical divides of South, East and North Inquista… the Reformists appear to have won all three of them. I think this is the first time since 2012 where one political entity has established a majority over the former North, East and South.

RB: Historic. We’ll be back with the final results of the evening in just a moment. Don’t go anywhere, we’ll be right back. Here are the latest news stories.

Inquista · 6 May 2020, 01:24

RB: Welcome back to Inquista Decides. It's been a long evening, and we finally have the final results with us.

KV: Thank God.

RB: Let's take a look at the final results of the night.

RB: The Reformist Bloc has won a majority in the College of Bishops, with 136 seats. This a net gain of 113 seats.

KV: A tremendous victory.

RB: Non-affiliated bishops have won 73 seats. Should they be able to organize themselves, then they could establish the second largest theological bloc in the College.

KV: I imagine that we’ll see all the former Craticist bishops reorganize themselves. I think we’ll see a new bloc emerge soon.

RB: The Progressivists have won 21 seats, increasing their seat by one and their vote share by 0.2%.

KV: This is actually still a great outcome for the Progressivist Bloc. After the protests, I really thought we would see all anti-Craticist support coalesce around the Reformists. I mean, clearly most of it has, but not all of it. I was genuinely expecting them to get decimated and reduced to a handful of seats.

RB: The Progressivists lost ground to the Reformists, but they offset their losses by making inroads with former Craticist supporters. They lost some seats, but they also won some brand new ones. Let’s take a look at a comparative map of the 2018 results against tonight’s results.

RB: For the most part, the Progressivists have held their seats in the east. However, in the west, they’ve lost some to the Reformists and have gained new ones at the expensive of the non-affiliated bishops.

KV: The Reformists have made ground everywhere. As I mentioned earlier, the Reformists have managed to win the largest share of seats in the former North, South and East Inquista. This is the first time since 2012 that any political entity has been able to do so. However, the far north seems to have rejected the Reformists entirely, except for Councillor Firoux, who is their sole representative there. He will have to be a voice for them.

RB: Well, the next step for this brand new College of Bishops is to elect a new Archbishop. Councillor Firoux will certainly be the favourite.

KV: At this point we can rule out any Progressivist or non-affiliated bishop becoming the next Archbishop. It will be someone from the Reformist bloc. However, the Reformist Bloc is not a united front. Far from it. It's basically two camps. You have the Firouxian camp and then you have the Kligenbergist camp. We’re probably going to see a Firoux-Kligenberg showdown. It might very well come down to the non-affiliated and progressivist bishops who will get to play kingmaker. That’s why I think someone like Bishop Johnson actually stands a good chance to become archbishop, because she has outside support from the Progressivists. However, it really could by anyone.

RB: Well, that will be exciting to watch as it unravels. We at Inquista Today will keep you up to date on the latest with those developments. Stay tuned on May 15th, when the new College of Bishops convenes and acclaims a new Archbishop. Thank you all for watching and staying up late with us. From all of us at Inquista Decides, we thank you and wish you all a good night. Bye bye.