Utanian Press Agency, Release 29 July 300 AP

UPA (Utanian Press Agency)
Release: July 29, 300 AP.

Parties finalised in Election 300

The Utanian Electoral Commission has finalised the list of parties that will be contesting the 300 election after the deadline expired yesterday afternoon. A mock ballot paper has been provided below.

However the key item of information that the Utanian Electoral Commission requires before the election can be held is When?. The Prime Minister has not yet announced a date, and only has until Tuesday (Aug 1st) to do so. This leaves the UEC a mere four weeks to print ballot papers and prepare for the country's first ever election, too short a time frame most MP's agree.

So, is this why the Prime Minister has been visiting the office of the UNVCOCN administration so often recently? Speculation is rife that the Prime Minister and President will seek an extension of the election deadline agreed earlier this year with UNVCOCN. While no Presidential or Government spokespeople are prepared to admit this, neither have they flatly denied such a suggestion.

A postponement by two weeks would have little effect on the election, technically, though it would allow the UEC to fulfill its commitment to a "fair" election at a significantly reduced cost - having to use commercial helicopters to ferry election materials to the remote mountain communities is being considered under the "four weeks remaining" plan. However, opposition parties, though conceding that the UEC has too little time, are also grumbling about the President capitalising on his party's significant improvement in the polls over the past four weeks.

Free Green Collective canditate and leader, Dawn K'njosa, is more vocal claiming it is merely a clever plan to prolong the election to maximise the chances of a conservative victory.

The final and approved ballot paper for Election 300