At 2:30 PM EST today, Friday 22 May, Magistrate Sir_Dogeington sent a message to Electoral Secretary ItsStormcrafter in #politics: “Hey, isn’t the playtime requirement 4 hours?”
Stormcrafter replies: “It’s six.”
Doge sends an image of the election thread on the forums, showing that it clearly says “Have at least 4 hours of playtime”. Storm replies with one message:
“[Capt11543], you are a liar.”
What followed was nothing short of a fiasco. Leader of the Order of the Scarlet Rose and Deputy Speaker of Parliament Kaiserin_ stated her intention to sue the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MoIA); Member of the Royal Family GoldBlooded called for new elections; Electoral Registrar Capt11543, who posted the incorrect information, immediately resigned from his position. When the declarations closed at 2 PM EST, the MoIA disqualified candidates that did not reach the 6 hour playtime mark, which included Kaiserin_ and leader of the Alexandria National Party (ANP), Thritystone. The MoIA declared its intention to continue elections as scheduled unless ordered by a court to stop, prompting criticism such as that from disqualified ANP candidate Nimq_, who stated that “mistakes happen, but the government upon discovering them standing fully behind them is what blows my mind.”
The Royal Screamer will keep readers updated with how the situation develops.
Author’s Note: Electoral Secretary ItsStormcrafter reached out to The Royal Screamer to clarify that ANP leader Thritystone did not get disqualified for lack of adequate playtime but instead because he did not have a valid passport. He added that the only candidates disqualified for playtime that had over four hours were Kaiserin_ and ComplexKing. Deputy Prime Minister and Electoral Director Rubilubi55 also reached out, clarifying that the Ministry of Internal Affairs intends to find a solution to this issue, and is not fully committed to maintaining the decision to continue on with elections. He echoed what Minister of Internal Affairs Talion77 stated earlier: “In fact, we have, together with the [Ministry of Justice], been looking into a way to petition the Court to allow us to [restart elections].”