2021 Georgienstinian presidential election

2021 Georgienstinian presidential election

18–19 July 2021 (first round) 1-2 August 2021 (second round)
Turnout	58.3% (first round) ▼ 1.7 pp 58.3% (second round) pp
Nominee Raphaël Olivier Ben Olson Party Georgienstine First Socialist Labour Alliance Social Democratic Farmer-Labour Labour-Democratic Home state Castel Augustine Running mate Tom Mark Saionji Kintsune States carried 5 + NS (R1) 4 (R2) 1 (R1) 4 + NS (R2) Popular vote 21 (R1) 24 (R2) 14 (R1) 18 (R2) Percentage &1000000000000005000000050.00% (R1) &1000000000000005714000057.14% (R2) &1000000000000003332999933.33% (R1) &1000000000000004285999942.86% (R2)
Results of the second round by state      Raphaël Olivier      Ben Olson      Azerianus Severanus      Tie
President before election Raphaël Olivier Georgienstine First Elected President Raphaël Olivier Georgienstine First

The 2021 Georgienstinian presidential election was held on 18 July 2021. As no candidate won a majority in the first round, a runoff election between the top two candidates, Raphaël Olivier and Ben Olson, was held on 1–2 August 2021. Voters re-elected incumbent president Raphaël Olivier and his vice presidential nominee, former Speaker of the National Congress Tom Mark with 57.1% of the vote, while Minority Leader Ben Olson and his vice-presidential nominee Saionji Kintsune recieved 42.9% of the vote. The 2021 election included the largest field of presidential nominees in Georgienstinian history, surpassing the 2018 election in Coronia.

Raphaël Olivier, the first and incumbent president, won the Georgienstine First nomination without any serious opposition. On 30 January 2021, Olivier announced that his running mate would be Secretary of State, Jimmy Foddle, making him the first African-Georgienstinian vice-presidential running mate. On 26 April 2021, he was replaced by former Speaker of the National Congress Tom Mark, who will become the first European vice president, however he is not the first European to be a vice-presidential nominee.

Congressional Minority Leader Ben Olson secured the Socialist Labour nomination over his closest rival, former Speaker of the National Congress Ali Farrokhzad. On 28 April 2021, Pickles announced that his running mate would be Congressman Saionji Kintsune, making him the first Chinese-Georgienstine; Asian; and the second person of colour (after Jimmy Foddle) to serve on a major party ticket.

Former Congressional Minority Leader Azerianus Severanus won the Liberal Party nomination on 4 May 2021. On 9 May 2021, Salem governor Renzo Wessels and lieutenant governor Furkan Altay, both SLP members, formed the Salem National Party, and the two were unanimously nominated as the party's nominees for president and vice president respectively. A few days later, Altay was removed from the ticket and ran as an independent politician instead. The Social Democratic Party nominated Sean Dunkerque on 25 April 2021, but Dunkerque withdrew on 7 May, endorsing Pickles.

Raphaël Olivier and Tom Mark were inaugurated on 24 August 2021 following a three day delay.

Background

On 18 July 2020, Raphaël Olivier was re-elected president of Georgienstine, defeating Labour Party candidate Ben Olson.

Simultaneous elections

The presidential election occured simultaneously with gubernatorial elections in three states, Nassau, Qaucasia and Drayton. Amelia Brown of Georgienstine First was elected in Drayton, Guy Watts of Georgienstine First was elected in Nassau and Owen Philbin of the Labour-Democratic Party was relected in Qaucasia.

2020 constitutional reforms

On 21 November 2020, the National Congress passed the Shorter Presidential Terms Amendment, shortening presidential and vice-presidential terms from two years to one year. The act was passed 11-1 with three not voting.

On 2 December 2020 the National Congress passed the Presidential Terms Amendment, abolishing all presidential and vice-presidential term limits. The amendment was passed 10-2, with three not voting. Speaker Sean Dunkerque had refused to hold a vote on the amendment but the amendment was passed following his resignation. The amendment was vehemently opposed by the Movement for Socialism. Party leadership would later admit to having opposed the amendment since polling showed that Olivier was the Georgienstine First member polling the highest. During the presidential campaign, Ben Olson announced that he had changed his position on term limits.

New states

This presidential election was the first to be held after the admission of the states of Georgopol and Drayton.

Nominations

Georgienstine First nomination

First round

Primaries

With no incumbent president running for re-election against token opposition, the race for the Georgienstine First nomination was largely uneventful. The nomination process consisted of one primary. Olivier cemented his status as the Georgienstine First presumptive nominee on March 21, 2021, by securing the minimum number of pledged delegates needed to obtain the nomination.

Despite being term-limited, Olivier had promised to pass a constitutional amendment allowing him to run for a fourth term. Speaker Tom Mark and Secretary of State Ann Mark announced their candidacies and promised to drop out if Olivier were to run. After Sean Dunkerque's controversial victory in the November 2020 Speaker of the National Congress election, the amendment was not expected to be voted on. This led to popular Georgopol Governor Jimmy Foddle announcing his candidacy and Ann Mark dropping out. Nassau Governor David Hawthorne had announced his candidacy a few days before.

Presidential term limits were abolished on 1 December 2020 after Dunkerquea's resignation as speaker. Olivier announced his re-election campaign three days later. All of Olivier's primary challengers dropped out shortly afterwards. During the primary season, there were rumours of a possible primary challenge by Majority Leader Alexandre Olivier or former Speaker of the National Congress Tom Mark. Both announced that they would not run and endorsed Olivier via press statements.

Olivier gained enough delegates on 21 March 2021, winning 92.3% of the vote.

Vice presidential selections

See: First 2021 Georgienstine First vice presidential candidate selection and Second 2021 Georgienstine First vice presidential candidate selection

Secretary of State Jimmy Foddle was announced as President Raphaël Olivier's running mate on 30 January 2021. It was announced on 10 March 2021 that a second selection process was going to be held. Olivier and Georgienstine First members had expressed their displeasure with the first selection process's duration. Only one interview had been held and had lasted a few minutes according to Olivier. As well as this, Foddle had been criticized for making the party "unserious" as he had become an internet meme.

Following a long and secretive process, it was announced via a press statement that Foddle had been replaced by former Speaker of the National Congress Tom Mark. If elected, Mark would become the first European vice president. He would also be the first one with English as their first language.

Nominee

2021 Georgienstine First ticket
Raphaël Olivier	Tom Mark
for President	for Vice President
	File:Tom Mark.png
1st President of Georgienstine (2016–present)	4th Speaker of the National Congress (2020–2020)
Campaign

Primary candidates

The following major candidates have either: (a) held public office, (b) been included in a minimum of five independent national polls, or (c) received substantial media coverage.

Candidates in this section are sorted by date of withdrawl
Jimmy Foddle	Ann Mark	Jean-Marie Gagnon	David Hawthorne	Tom Mark
				File:Tom Mark 2021.png
2nd Governor of Georgopol (2020–present)	3rd Secretary of State (2020-2020)	2nd Secretary of Francophone Affairs (2020-2020)	3rd Governor of Nassau (2020-2020)	4th Speaker of the National Congress (2020-2020)
Exploratory Committee: 25 November 2020 Campaign: 25 November 2020 Withdrawn: 29 November 2020 (endorsed Olivier)	Exploratory Committee: 8 October 2020 Campaign: 9 October 2020 Withdrawn: 21 November 2020 (endorsed Olivier)	Exploratory Committee: 8 August 2020 Campaign: 9 August 2020 Withdrawn: 20 November 2020 (no endorsement)	Exploratory Committee: 20 November 2020 Campaign: None Withdrawn: 4 December 2020 (endorsed Olivier)	Exploratory Committee: 26 September 2020 Campaign: 26 September 2020 Withdrawn: 27 September 2020 (endorsed Olivier)

Declined to be candidates

• Guy Fawkes, Member of the National Congress (2020-2021); Secretary of Defense (2020-2020); Governor of Nassau (2020-2020) from Nassau (endorsed Olivier)
• Alexandre Olivier, Congressional Majority Leader (2020–present); Vice President (2016-2020); 1st and 3rd Governor of Salem (2020-2021, 2021–present); Member of the National Congress (2018–present) from Salem (endorsed Olivier)
• Aidan Clifford, Chief Justice (2020–present); Member of the National Congress (2020–present); Governor of Raphaelistan (2020–present) from Raphaelistan (endorsed Olivier)
• Hugo Grenier, Governor of Drayton (2020–present); Member of the National Congress (2020-2020) from Drayton (endorsed Olivier)

Second round

Primaries

On 24 July 2021, Olivier won the Georgienstine First primary for the second round.

Nominee

2021 Georgienstine First ticket
Raphaël Olivier	Tom Mark
for President	for Vice President
	File:Tom Mark.png
1st President of Georgienstine (2016–present)	4th Speaker of the National Congress (2020–2020)
Campaign

Socialist Labour Party nomination

First round

Primaries

Main article: 2021 Socialist Labour Party presidential primary

Delegates casting their votes at the Socialist Labour Party nominating convention.

On 25 August 2020, one month after the 2020 election, Secretary of Agriculture, former Senator and 2020 Labour Party nominee Ben Olson announced his candidacy for president under the Movement for Socialism. Days later, Senator Leo Yaskanovic announced his candidacy for president. The campaign remained largely inactive and Pickles withdrew after several months, stating that it was too early to run for president.

On 26 August 2021, Renzo Wessels announced his candidacy for president. On the same day, the Movement for Socialism held a virtual convention. Pickles received 57.1% of the members' votes, Wessels received 14.2% and 28.4% did not vote. Wessels then announced that he wished to run for president as an independent candidate and support Pickles at the same time. The idea was largely mocked by the media and Wessels did not file to run for president. Sean Dunkerque was nominated as vice president receiving 42.8% of the members' votes, Wessels who was attempting to win the vice-presidential nomination received 14.2%, 14.2% abstained and 28.4% did not vote. Wessels was promised the position of House Majority of Minority Leader after the convention. Weeks later, the convention's results were annulled as many new members complained that they did not vote.

On 15 November 2020, Pickles once again announced his candidacy for president. He ran on a largely environmentalist platform. On 18 November 2020, Speaker Sean Dunkerque announced his candidacy for president. Pickles suspended his campaign days later and said that he would announce his candidacy closer to the election. On 2 December 2020, the Movement for Socialism dissolved after congresswoman Addison Dillon crossed the floor to join the New Democratic Party.

On 5 December 2020, Pickles announced his candidacy for president under the newly formed Socialist Labour Party with Gaia Grìbhnneach as his running mate, one day after incumbent president Raphaël Olivier announced his. Former speaker Sean Dunkerque announced hers on 10 January 2021. On 24 January 2021, Pickles defeated Dunkerque to become the party's presumptive nominee, and declared that a formal vice presidential selection process would take place. On 16 March 2021, Dunkerque joined the Social Democratic Party.

Vice presidential selection

See: 2021 Socialist Labour Party vice presidential candidate selection

Presidential nominee Ben Olson announced that he would allow members of the party to select the vice presidential nominee in a direct-popular vote primary. Sean Dunkerque, who was largely seen as the front-runner, declined to run. Minority Whip Roy Jackson announced that he was considering a run. Pickles has been highly secretive about who he is considering, and is expected to announce his endorsement for the vice-presidential primary in April. On 7 April 2021, Furkan Altay was jokingly announced as Pickles' running mate. On 28 April 2021, Pickles announced Saionji Kintsune as his running mate following a secretive selection process. Saionji won the primary on 29 April 2021.

Nominee

2021 Socialist Labour Party ticket
Ben Olson	Saionji Kintsune
for President	for Vice President
7th and 10th Congressional Minority Leader (2020-2020, 2021–2021)	Member of the National Congress (2021–present)
Campaign

Primary candidates

The following major candidates have either: (a) held public office, (b) been included in a minimum of five independent national polls, or (c) received substantial media coverage.

Candidates in this section are sorted by date of withdrawl
Sean Dunkerque
File:Jhmarino portrait.png
2nd and 5th Speaker of the National Congress (2020-2020, 2021-2021)
Campaign: 10 January 2021 Lost primary: 23 January 2021 (endorsed Pickles, then ran for Social Democratic nomination)

Declined to be candidates

• Gaia Grìbhinneach, member of the National Congress (2020-2021) (endorsed Pickles)
• Eugenia Latoya, member of the National Congress (2020-2020) (endorsed Pickles)
• Leo Yaskanovic, member of the National Congress (2020-2020) (endorsed Olivier)

Second round

Primaries

On 24 July 2021, Pickles won the Socialist Labour Party primary for the second round.

Nominee

2021 Socialist Labour Party ticket
Ben Olson	Saionji Kintsune
for President	for Vice President
7th and 10th Congressional Minority Leader (2020-2020, 2021–present)	Member of the National Congress (2021–present)
Campaign

New Democratic Party nomination

Ben Olson delivering remarks on behalf of Addison Dillon during the Socialist Labour Party convention, where the New Democratic Party nominated Pickles and Saionji Kintsune.

The New Democratic Party was seen as one of the main opponents to Georgienstine First. Since the formation of the Liberal Party, and the Socialist Labour Party, the party has lost most of its supporters. They were founded following the dissolution of the Movement for Socialism by moderate members of the party and members of the Libertarian Party. The primary was initially one of the most competitive in the election, but all of the party's candidates have since withdrawn.

Party leader Addison Dillon announced her intention to merge the party into the Socialist Labour Party. In May 2021, Addison Dillon (who became the sole authority of the New Democratic Party) announced that the New Democratic Party had nominated the Socialist Labour Party ticket of Pickles-Saionji for President, further indicating that a merger may occur in the near future. The New Democratic Party merged with the Socialist Labour Party on 29 May 2021, but due to Georgienstine's election registration rules, remained on the ballot.

Labour-Democratic Party nomination

First round

Primary

The Labour-Democratic Party previously had a competitive primary, but due to a dramatic decrease in membership, all of the candidates withdrew and joined different parties. On 26 April, the party nominated Ben Olson as its nominee.

Vice presidential selection

On 28 April 2021, Pickles announced Saionji Kintsune as his running mate.

Nominee

2021 Labour Democratic ticket
Saionji Kintsune
for President	for Vice President
7th and 10th Congressional Minority Leader (2020-2020, 2021–present)	Member of the National Congress (2021–present)
Campaign

Primary candidates

The following major candidates have either: (a) held public office, (b) been included in a minimum of five independent national polls, or (c) received substantial media coverage.

Candidates in this section are sorted by date of withdrawl
Logan White	Renzo Wessels	Eugenia Latoya	Tukat Ætimak
2nd Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (2020–present)	5th House Minority Leader (2020-2020)	Activist	2020 Libertarian nominee for Vice President
Exploratory Committee: 28 September 2020 Campaign: 16 October 2020 Withdrawn: 28 October 2020 (endorsed Olivier)	Exploratory Committee: 14 September 2020 Campaign: 14 September 2020 Withdrawn: 26 September 2020 (endorsed Pickles, then ran for New Democratic nomination, then accepted Salem National nomination)	Exploratory Committee: 14 September 2020 Campaign: 14 September 2020 Withdrawn: 15 September 2020 (endorsed Pickles)	Exploratory Committee: 14 September 2020 Campaign: 14 September 2020 Withdrawn: 14 September 2020 (endorsed Wessels, then Pickles)

Declined to be candidates

• Owen Philbin, Governor of Qaucasia (2020–present)

Second round

Primaries

On 24 July 2020, Pickles won the Labour-Democratic Party primary for the second round.

Nominee

2021 Labour Democratic ticket
Ben Olson	Saionji Kintsune
for President	for Vice President
7th and 10th Congressional Minority Leader (2020-2020, 2021–present)	Member of the National Congress (2021–present)
Campaign

Liberal Party nomination

First round

Primary

The Liberal Party was widely expected not to run a candidate for president. On 2 May 2021, Azerianus Severanus announced the revival of his defunct campaign. On 5 May 2020, Severanus was unanimously chosen as the Liberal Party's nominee for president.

Vice presidential selection

The Liberal nominee for vice president will be selected in a direct-popular vote primary. Ariel Lederman, who was widely expected to receive the vice presidential nomination, declined to run for it. Dom Victor, a political activist, was selected as their nominee.

Nominee

2021 Liberal Party ticket
Azerianus Severanus	Dom Victor
for President	for Vice President
9th Congressional Minority Leader (2021-2021)	Activist
Campaign

Declined to be candidates

• Ariel Lederman, leader of the Liberal Party; Associate Justice of the Supreme Court (2021–present); Member of the National Congress (2021–present, 2020-2021); Governor of Harrisburg (2021–present); 8th Congressional Minority Leader in Georgienstine (2020-2021) (endorsed Severanus)

Farmer-Labour Party nomination

The Farmer-Labour Party appeared on the ballot in the first round as the Green, Farmers, and Local Party.

First round

Primary

On 9 May 2021, Renzo Wessels was unanimously chosen as the Green, Farmers, and Local Party's nominee for president.

Vice presidential selection

On 9 May 2021, Furkan Altay was announced as Wessels' running mate. Altay left the party on 16 May 2021, but rejoined on 2 June 2021, and was once again announced as Wessels' running mate. Altay left the party again on 16 July 2021. Addison Dillon was nominated as Wessels' running mate, but did not appear on the ballot.

Nominee

2021 Green, Farmers, and Local Party ticket
Renzo Wessels	Addison Dillon
for President	for Vice President
Member of the National Congress (2020–present)	Member of the National Congress (2020-2020, 2021–present)

Second round

Primaries

On 24 July 2021, the Farmer-Labour Party nominated Ben Olson for the second round.

Nominee

2021 Farmer-Labour Party ticket ticket
Ben Olson	Saionji Kintsune
for President	for Vice President
7th and 10th Congressional Minority Leader (2020-2020, 2021–present)	Member of the National Congress (2021–present)
Campaign

Social Democratic Party nomination

First round

Primary

The Social Democratic Party had originally endorsed president Raphaël Olivier for re-election, but the endorsement was retracted on 2 April 2021 after Sean Dunkerque announced his candidacy for president. On 25 April 2021, Dunkerque won the nomination, defeating three write-in candidates. On 7 May 2021, Dunkerque withdrew from the race and endorsed Ben Olson. The deadline for parties to nominate candidates for president passed on 10 May 2021, meaning the party will not be on the ballot in the election.

Vice presidential nomination

The Social Democratic nominee for vice president will be selected in a direct-popular vote primary. Louis de Blois was incorrectly reported by several media outlets to have been selected by Dunkerque as his running mate, but Dunkerque had stated that this is false and that he had not yet decided who he will endorse in the primary.

Declined to be candidates

• Andrew Foddle, Governor of Nassau (2021–present); Lieutenant-Governor of Nassau (2021–present)
• Archie Mark, Governor of Drayton (2021–present) (endorsed Olivier)
• James Mark, Member of the National Congress (2021–present) (endorsed Olivier)
• Logan White, member of the National Congress (2021–present); Governor of Harrisburg (2020-2021) (endorsed Olivier)

Second round

Primary

On 24 July 2021, party leader Archie Mark announced that the party had nominated Raphaël Olivier for president, despite a primary election never taking place.

Nominee

2021 Social Democratic ticket
Raphaël Olivier	Tom Mark
for President	for Vice President
	File:Tom Mark.png
1st President of Georgienstine (2016–present)	4th Speaker of the National Congress (2020–2020)
Campaign

Independent candidates

Furkan Altay

On 16 May 2021, Furkan Altay registered for president, with Hicham Soyuz as his running mate. Despite leading the newly founded Reformist Party, he ran as an independent as party nomination registrations had closed. Altay had been nominated for vice-president by the Green, Farmers, and Local Party, but the party had cut ties with him following accusations of voter fraud against him. He remained on the ballot though, due to Georgienstine's election laws.

Altay qualified for all four presidential debates and his vice-presidential nominee automatically qualified for the vice-presidential debate. He attended the first presidential debate along with the four other candidates. Altay did not speak much during the debate and was only confronted once by Raphaël Olivier on the topic of the cabinet.

On 2 June 2021, Altay announced that he would suspend his campaign and rejoin the Green, Farmers and Local Party in order to serve as Wessels's running mate. Soyuz and Altay would remain on the ballot due to Georgienstine's election laws. Wessels and Altay both argued that he should've been invited to the 13 June debate, but the commission declined as Altay had suspended his campaign and endorsed Wessels.

Altay renounced his citizenship and on 20 June 2021, was replaced by Addison Dillon. Altay remained on the ballot as an independent candidate and as Wessels' running mate. During the first round, Altay received one write-in vote (2.4%) with Ezra Grey as his running mate.

General election campaign

An advertisement attacking Ben Olson created by Olivier campaign manager Ann Mark.

Party conventions

The Georgienstine First National Convention was held in Castel from 29 April to 2 May 2021. The Socialist Labour National Convention was held in Augustine on 9 May 2021.

Debates

The Commission on Presidential and Vice Presidential Debates hosted three presidential debates and one vice presidential debate during the first round campaign. One presidential debate was cancelled. No debates were held during the second round campaign.

Qualification of candidates

In order to qualify for the CPVPD-sponsored debates, presidential candidates have to meet the following criteria; vice-presidential candidates qualify by being the running mate of a qualifying presidential candidate:

• Be constitutionally eligible to hold the presidency.
• Appear on the ballot.
• Either:
  • be nominated by a political party with representation in the National Congress.
  • hold or have held previously a political office.

Schedule

2021 Georgienstinian presidential election debates sponsored by the CPVPD
Date	Organizers	Moderators	P  Present   S  Surrogate   NI  Not invited   A  Absent   I  Invited   N  No debate
			Olivier	Pickles	Severanus	Wessels	Altay
30 May	GNC	Alexandre Olivier	P	P	P	P	P
13 June	GNC/Post	Addison Dillon Alexandre Olivier	P	P	P	P	NI
6 July	GNC/The Industrialist	Sean Dunkerque (cancelled)	N				NI
13 July	GNC/Post	Addison Dillon	P	P	A	A	NI

2021 Georgienstinian vice-presidential election debates sponsored by the CPVPD
Date	Organizers	Moderators	P  Present   S  Surrogate   NI  Not invited   A  Absent   I  Invited   N  No debate
			Mark	Kintsune	Victor	Dillon
28 June	GNC	Raphaël Olivier	S Logan White	P	A	P

Publishing of the debates

Only the first fifteen minutes of the hour-long first debate were published due to a recording error made by the moderator. A request was made to not upload the first debate by Furkan Altay, who did not want his voice to appear on the internet, so it was made an unlisted video. The second debate was not published due to issues with Youtube. The first vice-presidential debate was live-streamed and posted to Youtube in its totality, the same was done with the last presidential debate which took place on July 13.

Endorsements

First round

Raphaël Olivier

Federal executive officials

• Jimmy Foddle, 5th Secretary of State; member of the National Congress (2020-present); 1st Governor of Georgeopol (2020-present); 1st 2021 nominee for Vice President
• Hugo Grenier, 1st Secretary of the Interior (2020-2020); 1st Governor of Drayton (2020-2021); member of the National Congress (2020-2020)

Federal judicial officials

• Aidan Clifford, Chief Justice (2020-present); 2nd Secretary of the Interior (2021-present); member of the National Congress (2020-present); 1st Governor of Raphaelistan (2020-present)
• Derik Johnson, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court (2021-present); Lieutenant Governor of Augustine (2021-2021)

Military personnel

• Guy Fawkes, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (2021-2021); member of the National Congress (2020-2021); 2nd and 4th Governor of Nassau (2020-2020, 2021-2021); 4th Secretary of Defense (2020-2020); Speaker of the National Congress (2020-2020)

Members of congress

• Amelia Brown, Speaker of the National Congress (2021-2021); member of the National Congress (2021-present)
• Ann Mark, member of the National Congress (2020-present); Congressional Majority Whip (2021-present); 3rd Secretary of State (2020-2020); 1st Governor of Georgopol (2020-2020)
• Tom S. Mark, member of the National Congress (2020-2021)
• James Mark, member of the National Congress (2021-present) (Social Democratic)
• Alexandre Olivier, member of the National Congress (2020-present); Congressional Majority Leader (2020-present); 1st and 3rd Governor of Salem (2020-2021, 2021-present); 1st Vice President of Georgienstine (2016-2020); Olivier's twin brother
• Logan White, Speaker of the National Congress (2021-2021); member of the National Congress (2020-2020, 2021-2021); 1st Governor of Harrisburg (2020-2021) (Social Democratic)
• Sébastien Olivier, member of the National Congress (2018-2019)

Governors

• David Hawthorne, 3rd Governor of Nassau (2020-2021); member of the National Congress (2020-2021)
• Andrew Foddle, 6th Governor of Nassau (2021-present); Lieutenant Governor of Nassau (2021-2021)
• Archie Mark,1st Governor of Drayton (2021-present) (Social Democratic)

Lieutenant Governors

• Isabelle Miller, Lieutenant Governor of Castel (2021-present); member of the National Congress (2018-2019)

Intermicronational heads of state and government

• Joseph I, King of Wallenia (2017-present)
• Andrew I, Duke of Ponchartrain-Maurepas (2020-present); Member of the National Congress (2021-present)

Newspapers, magazines, and other media

• Central Daily News
• The Express
• Tom and Guy Show (defunct)
• The Mail
• Infobattle
• Concordian National Broadcasting Corporation (Concordia)

Ben Olson

Members of congress

• Eugenia Latoya, Governor of Augustine (2021-present); member of the National Congress (2020-2020), women's rights activist
• Sean Dunkerque, Speaker of the National Congress (2020-2020, 2021-2021), member of the National Congress (2020-2020, 2021-present), 1st and 5th Governor of Nassau (2020-2020, 2021-2021), 2021 candidate for president
• Gaia Grìbhinneach, member of the National Congress (2020-2020, 2021-2021)
• Gus Rósínśtí, member of the National Congress (2020-2020); Governor of Qaucasia (2020-2020); 2020 Labour nominee for Vice President (Farmer-Labour)

Governors

• Owen Philbin, Governor of Qaucasia (2020-2021, 2021-present); Lieutenant Governor of Qaucasia (2021-2021)

Intermicronational heads of state and government

• Logan Jack, First Minister of the West River Confederation (2020-present); President of the Socialist Republic of Logastan (2018-2020, 2020-2020) (Green)
• Arsal Abbas Mirza, Supreme Leader of the People's Republic of Arsalania (2019-present); leader of the Socialist Party of Arsalania (2019-present) (SPA)

Intermicronational organizations

• New Micronations Internationale

Newspapers, magazines, and other media

• People's Voice

Other political parties

• Labour-Democratic Party
• New Democratic Party

Azerianus Severanus

Federal judicial officials

• Ariel Lederman, leader of the Liberal Party; Associate Justice of the Supreme Court (2021-present); Member of the National Congress (2021-present, 2020-2021); Governor of Harrisburg (2021-present); 8th Congressional Minority Leader in Georgienstine (2020-2021)

Newspapers, magazines, and other media

• The Liberty Bell

Renzo Wessels

No endorsements

Furkan Altay (defunct)

Newspapers, magazines, and other media

• Simple News (defunct)

Second round

Raphaël Olivier

Other political parties

• Social Democratic Party

Ben Olson

Members of congress

• Addison Dillon, member of the National Congress, former minority leader of the National Congress, nominee for vice president in 2021 (Farmer-Labour)
• Azerianus Severanus, member of the National Congress, former minority leader of the National Congress, member of the National Congress, nominee for president in 2021 (Liberal) (endorsed Ben Olson (LDP))
• Renzo Wessels, member of the National Congress, former minority leader of the National Congress, nominee for president in 2021 (Farmer-Labour)

Other political parties

• Labour-Democratic Party

Issues

Activity

The National Congress had been very inactive since the beginning of summer. Candidates' views on how to make the body more active differed. Candidates also blamed different people and groups for the inactivity. Olivier blamed the speaker and floor leaders, while Farmer-Labour vice presidential candidate Addison Dillon blamed Georgienstine First and its leadership. The Cabinet had also been very inactive since the beginning of summer, with the candidates disagreeing on what had caused the inactivity. This issue was a very significant one throughout the campaign, with all candidates at the exception of Olivier calling for the abolition of certain departments. Olivier promised to replace many important secretaries deemed inactive by him.

Economy

Candidates' views on economic policy differed significantly. Olivier and Severanus supported a free-market capitalist economy, Pickles supported a market socialist economy, and Wessels also supported a free-market capitalist economy, but his running mate Addison Dillon was a socialist. On 19 September 2020, the Olivier administration introduced a new currency, the Georgienstinian Dollar (GD).

In September 2020, a nationwide referendum on banknotes narrowly passed, with opposition from the Movement for Socialism due to some banknotes having figures associated with the political right. On 23 June 2021, Sean Dunkerque was confirmed as Secretary of the Treasury, despite opposition from the Farmer-Labour Party. The new Georgienstinian Dollar is essentially worthless and some politicians have called for it to be replaced by another currency with value, including Severanus.

COVID-19 pandemic

Several events related to the 2021 presidential election were altered or postponed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on Georgienstine, such as stay-at-home orders in Canada and social distancing guidelines by local governments. On 5 July 2021 Olivier's campaign held an in-person rally in Salem, a state which had not implemented any COVID-19 restrictions. Seven people watched the event on the Georgienstine News Corporation's live events channel on Georgienstine's Discord server. This rally was the first one to be held since the introduction of restrictions by some state governments.

Olivier self-isolated twice during the election, which was widely seen as having a negative effect on his campaign because it shifted the attention of the public back onto COVID-19, an issue that was generally ignored in Georgienstine because the nation had no cases. Presidential candidates Raphaël Olivier and Ben Olson both received the COVID-19 vaccine during the campaign. At the first presidential debate, all candidates with the exception of Olivier announced their support of a vaccination campaign.

Environment

Candidates' views on environmental policy differed significantly, though all candidates have acknowledged that climate change exists. The Olivier administration was criticized for not taking action on climate change, though Olivier claims that "there was not much he could do". Renzo Wessels ran on an environmentalist campaign after he stopped supporting Salem independence.

Same-sex marriage

On 26 April 2021, then-Nassau Governor Sean Dunkerque signed the Nassau LGBTQ Rights Act into law, which recognized same-sex marriage at the state level in Nassau. Days later, a gubernatorial election in Nassau was held between Dunkerque and Andy Foddle, who opposed the law. Dunkerque and Foddle were both members of the Social Democratic Party. Olivier endorsed Foddle and Pickles endorsed Dunkerque. Foddle won on the promise that the law would be repealed, but did not do so. Dunkerque later repealled the act after campaigning on its repeal.

On 4 May 2021, the Defence of Marriage Act, which defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman, was passed by the National Congress. The bill was unsuccesfully fillibustered by members of the Socialist Labour Party and Liberal Party. During the fillibuster, Ben Olson read from the books Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss and The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. A poll by the Georgienstine News Corporation during the campaign found that a majority of Georgienstinians supported same-sex marriage.

Policing

As a result of the murder of George Floyd in May 2020 and other incidents of police brutality against African-Americans, large protests took place around the world as part of the Black Lives Matter movement. The movement was a central point of both the 2020 and 2021 presidential campaigns in Georgienstine. Pickles supported the protests while Olivier did not. Severanus and Wessels did not take stances on the issue. On 4 April 2021, Chief Derik Johnson released a statement on behalf of the Sureté of Georgienstine that condemned Pickles' stance on policing. Johnson was criticized by Pickles and other members of the SLP for being partisan.

"Operation Red"

Throughout the electoral campaign, Olivier claimed that the Olson campaign would attempt to get foreign supporters to become citizens and vote for him. The allegations came after Furkan Altay claimed that the New Micronations Internationale had launched "Operation Red" to get foreigners to become citizens and vote for Olson. Altay has since left Georgienstine after he was charged with voter fraud in the 2021 Salem recall election.

The claims have been debunked repeatedly by Pickles and the NMI. According to them, "Operation Red Georgienstine" was the name of a project to invite left-wing micronationalists to become active citizens of Georgienstine in order to move the country politically to the left but the project had become defunct and ceased operations. Three individuals were invited to Georgienstine by Logan Jack on the morning of election day, but they expressed unfamiliarity with the concept of a micronation.

Second-round candidate endorsements

Candidate	Olivier	Pickles
Azerianus Severanus		Y
Renzo Wessels		Y

Polling

Polls with a sample size of <10. have their sample size entries marked in red to indicate a lack of reliability.

Actual polling

First round

Olivier VS Pickles VS Severanus VS Wessels

Poll source	Date	Sample size	Raphaël Olivier	Ben Olson	Azerianus Severanus	Renzo Wessels
GNC	11 May 2021	17 (LV)	47.1%	41.2%	5.9%	5.9%
UNC	30 June 2021	15 (LV)	46.7%	20.0%	13.3%	20.0%
AVERAGE	24 July 2021	16 (LV)	46.9%	30.6%	9.6%	12.9%
RESULTS	24 July 2021	42 (OV)	50.0%	33.4%	9.5%	4.8%

Second Round

Olivier VS Pickles

Poll source	Date	Sample size	Raphaël Olivier	Ben Olson	Undecided
GNC	26 September 2020	29 (LV)	55.2%	44.8%	–
GNC	17 January 2021	24 (LV)	54.2%	45.8%	–
GNC	7 March 2021	17 (LV)	55.9%	44.1%	17.6%
The Express	4 April 2021	7 (LV)	85.7%	14.3%	–
GNC	4 April 2021	30 (LV)	53.3%	46.6%	–
GNC	30 April 2021	12 (LV)	58.3%	41.7%	–
GNC	11 May 2021	17 (LV)	64.7%	35.3%	–
GNC	28 May 2021	22 (LV)	56.9%	43.1%	–
GNC	13 July 2021	16 (LV)	56.5%	43.5%	–
GNC	17 July 2021	11 (LV)	54.5%	45.5%	–
GNC	29 July 2021	9 (LV)	55.6%	44.4%	–
GNC	1 August 2021	13 (LV)	53.8%	46.2%	–
AVERAGE	3 August 2021	17 (LV)	58.8%	41.7%	–
RESULTS	3 August 2021	42 (OV)	57.1%	42.9%	–

Olivier VS Severanus

Poll source	Date	Sample size	Raphaël Olivier	Azerianus Severanus
GNC	11 May 2021	17 (LV)	62.5%	37.5%
GNC	19 May 2021	8 (LV)	75.0%	25.0%
GNC	28 May 2021	13 (LV)	68.8%	31.2%

Pickles VS Severanus

Poll source	Date	Sample size	Ben Olson	Azerianus Severanus
GNC	11 May 2021	17 (LV)	70.6%	29.4%

Olivier VS Wessels

Poll source	Date	Sample size	Raphaël Olivier	Renzo Wessels
GNC	11 May 2021	17 (LV)	76.5%	23.5%

Pickles VS Wessels

Poll source	Date	Sample size	Ben Olson	Renzo Wessels
GNC	11 May 2021	17 (LV)	76.5%	23.5%

Severanus VS Wessels

Poll source	Date	Sample size	Azerianus Severanus	Renzo Wessels
GNC	11 May 2021	17 (LV)	88.2%	11.8%

Hypothetical polling

Hypothetical polling First round Pre-2021 Poll source Date Ben Olson Addison Dillon Jean Marie Gagnon Renzo Wessels Ann Mark Eugenia Latoya Logan Blanc GNC 4 August 2020 55.6% 22.2% 11.1% 11.1% - - - GNC 17 August 2020 - 22.2% 19.5% 19.5% 55.6% 9.52% - GNC 21 September 2020 57.89% 21.05% 10.53% - 0% - 10.53% Being Conservative 27 September 2020 27.3% 18.2% 36.4% - - - 18.2% Generic GF VS Generic SLP VS Generic NDP VS Generic FM VS Generic LDP Poll source Date Sample size Generic GF Generic SLP Generic NDP Generic FM Generic LDP GNC 17 January 2021 24 (LV) 45.8% 29.2% 12.5% 12.5% 4.2% GNC 28 January 2021 22 (LV) 51.1% 26.6% 14.3% 5.0% 3.0% Olivier VS Pickles VS Dunkerque Poll source Date Sample size Raphaël Olivier Ben Olson Sean Dunkerque Undecided People's Voice 4 April 2021 8 (LV) 50.0% 37.5% 12.5% – GNC 30 April 2021 12 (LV) 58.3% 33.3% 8.3% 0% Second round Olivier VS Dunkerque Poll source Date Sample size Raphaël Olivier Sean Dunkerque Undecided GNC 26 September 2020 29 (LV) 65.5% 34.5% – GNC 17 January 2021 24 (LV) 66.7% 33.3% – The Express 4 April 2021 7 (LV) 100% 0% – GNC 30 April 2021 12 (LV) 66.7% 33.3% – Pickles VS Dunkerque Poll source Date Sample size Ben Olson Sean Dunkerque Undecided The Express 4 April 2021 7 (LV) 42.9% 57.1% – GNC 30 April 2021 12 (LV) 66.7% 33.3% 25.0% Olivier VS Dillon Poll source Date Sample size Raphaël Olivier Addison Dillon GNC 26 September 2020 29 (LV) 51.7% 48.3% Olivier VS Jackson Poll source Date Sample size Raphaël Olivier Roy Jackson GNC 26 September 2020 29 (LV) 72.4% 27.6% GNC 17 January 2021 24 (LV) 62.5% 37.5% Olivier VS Brienović Poll source Date Sample size Raphaël Olivier Ivan Brienović GNC 17 January 2021 24 (LV) 87.0% 13.0% Mark VS Pickles Poll source Date Sample size Tom Mark Ben Olson GNC 26 September 2020 29 (LV) 48.3% 51.7% Mark VS Dillon Poll source Date Sample size Tom Mark Addison Dillon GNC 26 September 2020 29 (LV) 37.9% 62.1% Olivier VS Dunkerque Poll source Date Sample size Tom Mark Sean Dunkerque GNC 26 September 2020 29 (LV) 58.6% 41.4% Olivier VS Jackson Poll source Date Sample size Tom Mark Roy Jackson GNC 26 September 2020 29 (LV) 58.6% 41.4% Mark VS Olivier (Ind.) Poll source Date Sample size Tom Mark Raphaël Olivier Undecided GNC 30 April 2021 12 (LV) 60.0% 40.0% 16.7% De Blois VS Lederman Poll source Date Sample size Louis de Blois Ariel Lederman Undecided GNC 30 April 2021 12 (LV) 41.7% 58.3% 0% Olivier VS Olivier (Ind.) Poll source Date Sample size Alexandre Olivier Raphaël Olivier Undecided GNC 30 April 2021 12 (LV) 55.6% 44.4% 25.0% Mark VS Mark Poll source Date Sample size Archie Mark Tom Mark Undecided GNC 30 April 2021 12 (LV) 50.0% 50.0% 0% Foddle VS Foddle Poll source Date Sample size Andrew Foddle Jimmy Foddle Undecided GNC 30 April 2021 12 (LV) 36.4% 63.6% 8.3%

Results

First round

Release of results

On 22 July, the Georgienstine News Corporation released a video with interviews and exit polls where presidential candidates Raphaël Olivier and Ben Olson were interviewed. On 23 July, four days after voting had ended, a live election-night was organized by the Georgienstine News Corporation. The election night consisted of two videos, one lasting fifteen minutes and the other lasting seven. Throughout the election night, seven individuals provided live commentary.

Throughout the first part, Olivier led, except for a brief moment where he was in a tie with Pickles and one where he was in a tie with Wessels. Olivier began with a strong lead over his opponents, having either majority of the vote or being at 50% for the first five minutes, though he took back this strong lead, two minutes later. When the first part ended, Olivier was at 47%, trailed by Pickles at 38%, Severanus at 9% and Wessels at 6%. The gubernatorial races in Qaucasia and Drayton had been called with Sean Dunkerque and Guy Watts tied in Nassau.

Thirty minutes separated the two parts. Olivier declared that he would win the most votes in the first round through a small press statement. When results resumed, a coin was flipped to determine the winner in Nassau. Dunkerque was declared the victor, however, the coin-toss was nullified as it had not been done using the website approved by the electoral commission. Throughout the second part, Olivier stayed in the high 40s and low 50s. Five minutes in, Alexandre Olivier called the race for Olivier and claimed that there would not be a second round with Olivier at 53% and 95.2% of the vote in and. One minute later, Olivier's lead sank to 50%. As no candidate received a majority of the vote, the top two finishers—incumbent president Raphaël Olivier and challenger Ben Olson advanced to a runoff election held on August 1, 2021.

Candidates had been promised another video to deliver post-election remarks, but the Georgienstine News Corporation never organized this. On July 30, Raphaël Olivier made a speech where he attacked Pickles and called for the citizens of Georgienstine to unite by voting for him.

Electoral results

Results of the first round

	Party	Presidential candidate	State	Vice presidential candidate	State	Votes	%
	Georgienstine First	Raphaël Olivier (incumbent)	Castel	Tom Mark	Augustine	21	&1000000000000005000000050.00%
	Socialist Labour	Ben Olson	Augustine	Saionji Kintsune	Salem	12	&1000000000000002857000028.57%
	Labour-Democratic	Ben Olson	Augustine	Saionji Kintsune	Salem	2	&100000000000000047599994.76%
	Total	Ben Olson	Augustine	Saionji Kintsune	Salem	14	&1000000000000003332999933.33%
	Liberal	Azerianus Severanus	Nassau	Dom Victor	N/A	4	&100000000000000095199999.52%
	Green FL	Renzo Wessels	Salem	Addison Dillon	Harrisburg	2	&100000000000000047599994.76%
	Independent	Furkan Altay (write-in)	Salem	Ezra (write-in)	Salem	1	&100000000000000023799992.38%

By state

State	Raphaël Olivier		Benjamin Pickles		Azerianus Severanus		Renzo Wessels		Other
	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%
Augustine	4	40.0%	4	40.0%	1	10.0%	1	10.0%	0	0.0%
Castel	3	60.0%	1	20.0%	0	0.0%	0	0.0%	1	20.0%
Drayton	2	100.0%	0	0.0%	0	0.0%	0	0.0%	0	0.0%
Georgopol	1	100.0%	0	0.0%	0	0.0%	0	0.0%	0	0.0%
Harrisburg	2	50.0%	1	25.0%	0	0.0%	1	25.0%	0	0.0%
Nassau	1	25.0%	1	25.0%	2	50%	0	0.0%	0	0.0%
Qaucasia	0	0.0%	2	66.7%	1	33.3%	0	0.0%	0	0.0%
Raphaelistan	1	100.0%	0	0.0%	0	0.0%	0	0.0%	0	0.0%
Salem	2	50.0%	2	50.0%	0	0.0%	0	0.0%	0	0.0%
No state	5	62.5%	3	37.5%	0	0.0%	0	0.0%	0	0.0%

Second round

Release of results

On 3 August at 13:00 EDT, the Georgienstine News Corporation premiered the 15 minutes long election night on Youtube. Present during the election night were Alexandre Olivier, Andrew Perdomo, Addison Dillon and David Hawthorne.

Ben Olson won all the absentee votes and led for the major part of the results. However, a few times, Raphaël Olivier was tied with him. When around 80% of the vote was in, a batch of votes from the state of Drayton, a Georgienstine First stronghold, started to come in. Citizens of Drayton are known to cast their votes late due to their time zone. Olivier then took the lead, and Andrew Perdomo and Alexandre Olivier announced that Raphaël Olivier would be re-elected as president.

At 13:25, Pickles called Olivier to concede the election. Olivier and Mark were congratulated by several congresspeople, governors, lieutenant-governors, secretaries and activsts. According to Olivier, the call lasted one minute where Pickles conceded the election, Olivier congratulated him for his campaign and predicted that Pickles would run again in 2022.

During the results, one of the anchors said that there would be a results analysis with speeches on 5 August, it was cancelled a few days later.

Electoral results

Olivier receiving a concession call from Pickles.

Results of the second round

	Party	Presidential candidate	State	Vice presidential candidate	State	Votes	%
	Georgienstine First	Raphaël Olivier (incumbent)	Castel	Tom Mark	Augustine	21	&1000000000000005000000050.00%
	Social Democratic	Raphaël Olivier (incumbent)	Castel	Tom Mark	Augustine	3	&100000000000000071399997.14%
	Total	Raphaël Olivier	Castel	Tom Mark	Augustine	24	&1000000000000005714000057.14%
	Socialist Labour	Ben Olson	Augustine	Saionji Kintsune	Salem	12	&1000000000000002857000028.57%
	Labour-Democratic	Ben Olson	Augustine	Saionji Kintsune	Salem	4	&100000000000000095199999.52%
	Farmer-Labour	Ben Olson	Augustine	Saionji Kintsune	Salem	2	&100000000000000047599994.76%
	Total	Ben Olson	Augustine	Saionji Kintsune	Salem	18	&1000000000000004285999942.86%

By state

State	Raphaël Olivier		Benjamin Pickles
	Votes	%	Votes	%
Augustine	4	50.0%	4	50.0%
Castel	4	80.0%	1	20.0%
Drayton	5	100.0%	0	0.0%
Georgopol	3	100.0%	0	0.0%
Harrisburg	1	33.3%	2	66.7%
Nassau	1	20.0%	4	80.0%
Qaucasia	0	0.0%	2	100.0%
Raphaelistan	2	100.0%	0	0.0%
Salem	2	40.0%	3	60.0%
No state	1	25.0%	3	75.0%

Polling accuracy

In the first round, polls generally predicted an Olivier victory, though the national polling average underestimated him by three points. The national polling average underestimated Pickles by three points, though the GNC overestimated him by seven points and the UNC underestimated him by thirteen. Azerianus Severanus's performance was correctly predicted by the national average, though it was considered an upset as the GNC had underestimated him by three and the UNC had overestimated him by three. The national polling average overestimated Wessels by eight points, though the GNC overestimated him by one and the UNC overestimated him by fifteen.

In the second round, the national polling average underestimated Olivier by two points.

Aftermath

Certification of the election results

On 3 August 2021, acting administrator Alexandre Olivier certified the results by state.

On 5 August 2021, governor Raphaël Olivier certified election results in his state, two days after Olivier had been certified the winner by the Federal electoral commission. All states have certified their election results.

Harrisburg governor Roy Jackson released first-round results showing Ben Olson winning one vote and his opponents winning none, despite Olivier having won the state with two votes. The second round results showed "Raohael Pickles", an obvious mistake, with two votes and Raphaël Olivier with one, despite Olivier having won the state with two. One minute later, Jackson removed these results. On 5 August 2021, Jackson certified the state’s election results.

Nassau governor Guy Watts released first round and second-round results, both showing Olivier with one vote and his opponents winning none, despite Severanus having won the state in the first round with two votes and Pickles having won the state in the second round with four votes. The results released by Watts were condemned by Augustine governor Eugenia Latoya. Four hours later, Watts corrected the results citing that he was in a hurry and forgot to include Severanus and Pickles.

On 15 August 2021, the National Congress met to certify election results by state. The session was cancelled and instead, another session was held on 16 August 2021. Addison Dillon jokingly stated that she would object to the election results.

Inauguration

Olivier and Mark were set to be both inaugurated on 20 August 2021, at 12:00 AM. Olivier missed the inauguration date and Secretary of State Jimmy Foddle assumed the presidency. On 23 August 2021, Olivier and Mark were both inaugurated. Footage of the inauguration ceremony was deleted because of technical problems.

Congressional election

Main article: August 2021 Georgienstinian congressional election

On 6–7 August 2021, shortly after the second round, a congressional election was held. Georgienstine First received 6 seats and 37.1% of the vote, the SLP/FLP/LDP joint list received 5 and 31.4%, the newly-formed Solidarity Party received 3 and 17.1% and the Liberal Party received 2 and 11.4%. The results of the election were different from the results of the first round. Georgienstine First underperformed Olivier by 13 points, the SLP/FLP/LDP joint list underperformed Pickles by 2 and the Liberals overperformed Severanus by 1. The Liberals caucused with Georgienstine First, giving them a narrow majority, but from 7 to 11 September the newly-formed New Progressive Party held the majority.

New Progressive Party

Twelve days after the second round, on 15 August 2021, the Socialist Labour and Farmer-Labour parties merged together to form the New Progressive Party. Both parties had run a joint list in the congressional election and had similar policies. The new party had a similar ideology to the Socialist Labour Party, but adopted a different organizational structure.

Notes

References