Election of 1867
The election of 1867 was one of the most competitive elections of the century. The conservatives, who wished to see themselves return to the executive office after twelve years, and the liberals, who wanted to keep the executive office from falling back into the hands of the conservatives. Both sides would hold nothing back in terms of mudslinging, debate, and campaigns. Thousands of dollars were spent on the campaigns for both parties. However violence would not be used. Even though the battle for the office was going to be a hard fought battle, blood would not be spilled.
The conservatives for their candidate had an ace in the hole. He was a former chancellor of the UBP, had years of political experience, and even at 75 was extremely popular among the people. The man was Alexei Rybak. Rybak, who had recently retired from the chancellery, had put his name forward for the conservative nomination. He easily won and became the conservative's presidential candidate. Rybak wanted to push colonialism on the Baltic state, by expanding further into west Africa. "These primitive states will be no match for us, and we will take them and reap the reward!" Rybak also promised to secure more alliances among the nations of Europe, and with France, secure the Baltic in European society.
(Rybak, 1867)
President Gulbis was the liberal candidate, hoping to cement a liberal victory for a fourth liberal term. Gulbis, like his predecessors, wanted to expand the prestige of the nation via economics and by trade on the world market. To the population though, especially to craftsmen and laborers, the conservatives were the ones who brought the economy up, they were the ones that fed the starving people in Latvia, and they were the ones whom cemented an alliance with a great power. The liberals were loosing support, and the conservatives were gaining support.
The election began, debates rolled on, etc. The biggest debates came from the question of economic policy. It was between the Laissez Faire of the left, and the State Capitalism of the right. Industrialists argued that Laissez Faire was destroying the industry, and that state capitalism was the one thing keeping factories going. Liberals argued that without their economic policy, the UBP would turn into a feudal society. Craftsmen wanted the state to control the economy since they could get a job that way. Without any backing by a capitalist social class, the liberal idea was shot down in favor of the conservative's policy.
Election time came and the electorate went to the ballots. Soon the results came back in. Rybak won 59% of the vote, Gulbis won about 41%. Thus, Alexei Rybak won the election and was declared president.
The election also brought about a new chancellor by the conservatives. Chancellor Oja, while as popular as he may be, was not in-line with conservative policy. The conservatives wanted a state capitalistic policy, but Oja thought differently. Oja believed that a "planned economic system" was the most beneficial system, complete total government control of the economy. Oja also disagreed with the approach to promoting Christendom across the land, and making it regularly part of political affairs. For this, the conservatives sacked Oja, and removed him from his office. Enraged, Oja left the Baltic, and went to Brussels (Part of the Netherlands after the Dutch annexed Belgium in the 1840s). His successor was Filips Godmanis, a more conservative acting man. Godmanis was a statesmen, a man who can debate, speak, and get things done. Godmanis would be the perfect man to further the conservative cause further among the people, and would allow the conservatives to easily spread their policies to the masses. Oja would be gone, but what he will find in Brussels will transform the Baltic forever, and he will not be gone for long.....
(Godmanis)