1937 Castillianan general election
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| Registered | ~5,200,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Turnout | 740.11% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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A general election was held in Castilliano on 1 January 1937 with voters electing a prime minister. The election occurred during a period of political and social unrest in Castilliano which began as a result of the 1934 Castillianan coup d'état and occurred in the fourth year of the Creeperian Civil War. The election was rigged by the military and has subsequently been declared as the most fraudulent election in Terraconservan history, with an official voter turnout of 740.11 percent being recorded.
Contents
Background
In the 1933 Castillianan general election, the Liberal Socialist Party's (PSL) Ángel Lancóme e Reinas won a plurality in the Parliament of Castilliano, and with the Coalition of the United Social Left (CISX), the left-wing Workers United coalition held a majority at 120 of the 232 seats. The election was protested by the right-wing Castillianan Coalition of Autonomous Rights (CCDA) and the centrist National Centrist Republican Party (PRCN) since no election results were posted, despite there being no results posted after the PRCN's victory in the 1925 general election and after the CCDA's victory following the 1929 general election.
The day following the election, the Creeperian Civil War erupted in the neighboring nation of Creeperopolis between the far-right Catholic Imperial Restoration Council (CRIC or Romerists) and the far-left National Council for Peace and Order (CNPO or Miguelists). On 4 January, Prime Minister Patricio Curbelo Salinas declared Castillianan neutrality in the conflict, despite his party, the CCDA, being in heavy support for the Romerists. His decision was heavily protested by the CCDA but it was accepted by the PRCN, the PSL, and the CISX, however, the PSL and the CISX were in support for the Miguelists. Lancóme e Reinas assumed the Premiership on 24 March 1933 and immediately reaffirmed Castilliano's neutrality, although, his government did politically support the Miguelists. His government refused to send any direct aid to the Miguelists as he did not want to get Castilliano involved in the civil war which be believed would unnecessarily cost Castillianan lives.
On 7 May 1934, the Castillianan Army staged a coup d'état against Lancóme e Reinas' government. General Óscar Benléu e Laréira declared removal of and arrest of Lancóme e Reinas as prime minister, the suspension of the Constitution of 1901, the institution of martial law, the dissolution of the Parliament, and the suspension of political activities. He also declared that the coup had the support of King Jórdi X and he promoted himself to the rank of Field Marshal, a title rarely held in Castillianan history. The coup was heavily protested by all four political parties of the Parliament, even by the CCDA, despite the Army being dominated by right-wing ideologies and sympathies.
On 10 May 1934, Benléu e Laréira declared that Castilliano would begin militarily and diplomatically supporting the Romerists in the Creeperian Civil War, which gained his military government the support of the CCDA, and to an extent, the remnants of the Neo-Saelicist Renewed Nationalist Front for the Fatherland (FRNP). The decision was heavily protested by the three remaining political parties, and around 50,000 civilians marched in the streets in protest not only against the coup and the military government, but also against the decision to join the war.
Election prelude
On 15 May 1934, a riot erupted in Chalatenango, the capital city of Castilliano. The riot was incited by Eusebio Lancóme e Moléu, the leader of the CISX, who called for rioters to overthrow Benléu e Laréira, cancel Castilliano's participation in the Creeperian Civil War, the the scheduling of snap elections for 1 January 1935 to reelect the Parliament. The rioters burned down the headquarters of the CCDA and attacked several government and military buildings. The army and police used live ammunition in an attempt to quell the riot. The riot ensued for three days, and after it was crushed, around 3,419 people died, another 5,128 were injured, and another 4,229 were arrested. Lancóme e Moléu himself evaded capture and fled for exile in Creeperopolis under the shelter of the Miguelists. Lancóme e Reinas was suspected of having a role in the riot, but there was not enough sufficient evidence to prove so as he was still in prison during the riot. Despite the riot being crushed, Benléu e Laréira agreed to hold an election, but at the originally scheduled date of 1 January 1937. He would complete Lancóme e Reinas' term and serve until 24 March 1937.
Protests continued throughout Benléu e Laréira's term as he continued to support the Romerists without the approval of Parliament. In October 1936, Benléu e Laréira disqualified the CISX from participating in the election since Lancóme e Moléu was still officially its leader. The decision was met by protests which were promptly crushed by the Army and Police.
Election procedure
Due to Benléu e Laréira's policies and responses to protests during his administration, a large portion of the population boycotted the election, deeming it to be illegitimate and rigged. Soldiers were stationed in polling stations, intimidating voters to vote in favor of the Nationalist Pro-War Front of Patriots (FPGPN), a pro-war far-right political party which was established the day of the election and was led by General Luís Sanchés e Cerro, an ally of Benléu e Laréira. The CCDA, PSL, and PRCN were de jure allowed to run in the election, but de facto, they were prohibited from doing do. The CCDA supported the FPGPN and was a apart of its Castillianan Nationalists political coalition, while the PSL, PRCN, and the disqualified CISX formed the Anti-War Front to oppose the war.
Results
Results were posted on 2 January by Benléu e Laréira's government which declared Sanchés e Cerro and the FPGPN to be the winner of the election. The results listed the FPGPN as winning 38,485,578 votes, however, only around 5,200,000 people were registered voters at the time of the election and Castilliano only had a population of around 38,500,000, implying that nearly the entire population voted in the election. Using the official results, the election received a voter turnout of 740.11%. The only other political party to gain any votes was the CCDA which won only a single vote. The other three political parties won zero votes.
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationalist Pro-War Front of Patriots | 38,485,578 | 100.00 | 1 | New | |
| Castillianan Coalition of Autonomous Rights | 1 | 0.00 | 0 | –111 | |
| Liberal Socialist Party | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | −113 | |
| Coalition of the United Social Left | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | −7 | |
| National Centrist Republican Party | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | −1 | |
| Total | 38,485,579 | 100.00 | 1 | ||
| Registered voters/turnout | 5,200,000 | 740.11 | |||
Aftermath
Mass protests erupted in the wake of the election results being declared. The army and police crushed several protest movements and marches from January to March 1937. On 30 January, Benléu e Laréira ordered the arrest of Lancóme e Moléu and Antoniér Maura e Ortega, the leader of the PRCN, due to suspicions of their involvement in the protests. Lancóme e Reinas was executed by a firing squad on 1 February on the orders of Benléu e Laréira. Maura e Ortega was arrested on 17 February and later hanged on 28 February.
Legacy
Sanchés e Cerro became prime minister of Castilliano on 24 March 1937 and was promoted to the rank of Field Marshal by Jórdi X. During his Premiership, he continued and increased Castillianan support for the Romerists in the civil war. He banned the PSL, PRCN, and CISX on 7 May 1937. Following the conclusion of his term, the CCDA was established as the only legal political party in Castilliano as the FPGPN was dissolved on 24 March 1941, and it would rule until it was annexed by Creeperopolis on 25 December 1949. Sanchés e Cerro was assassinated on 9 May 1944 along with Creeperian Supreme Caudillo Adolfo Cabañeras Moreno.
Historians have declared the 1937 Castillianan general election to be the most fraudulent and rigged election in Terraconservan history. Estimates put the actual turnout of the election at around 32.11% or an estimated 1,670,000 votes. It is impossible to predict how many votes each political party received during the election due to the lack of transparency and documentation on the part of the Castillianan government and later Creeperian government. The election is one of the biggest criticisms aimed at the Castillianan Army and the Castillianan political system.
See also
- 1925 Castillianan general election – another controversial election
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