1937 Castillianan general election

1937 Castillianan general election

1 January 1937
Registered	~5,200,000
Turnout	740.11%
First party Second party Third party   Leader Luís Sánchez Cerro Agustín Martí Puig Ángel Illescas Reyes Party Nationalist Pro-War Front of Patriots Castillianan Coalition of Autonomous Rights Liberal Socialist Party Alliance Castillianan Nationalists Castillianan Nationalists Anti-War Front Leader since 1 January 1937 13 December 1932 3 May 1930 Leader's seat Chalatenango Sonsonate San Pablo Last election New party 111 113 Seats won 1 0 0 Seat change 1 111 113 Popular vote 38,485,578 1 0 Percentage 100% 0% 0% Swing 100%  ?  ?   Fourth party Fifth party   Leader Eusebio Otálora Moledo Antonio Maura Ortega Party Coalition of the United Social Left National Centrist Republican Party Alliance Anti-War Front Anti-War Front Leader since 2 December 1920 13 December 1928 Leader's seat Jicalapa Nuevo Santiago Last election 7 1 Seats won 0 0 Seat change 7 1 Popular vote 0 0 Percentage 0% 0% Swing  ?  ?
Prime Minister before election Óscar Benavides Larrea Military Elected Prime Minister Luís Sánchez Cerro Nationalist Pro-War Front of Patriots

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% being recorded.

Background

In the 1933 Castillianan general election, the Liberal Socialist Party's (PSL) Ángel Illescas Reyes 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. Illescas Reyes assumed the Prime Ministership 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 Illescas Reyes' government. General Óscar Benavides Larrea declared removal of and arrest of Illescas Reyes 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 José 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, Benavides Larrea 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 Otálora Moledo, the leader of the CISX, who called for rioters to overthrow Benavides Larrea, 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. Otálora Moledo himself evaded capture and fled for exile in Creeperopolis under the shelter of the Miguelists. Illescas Reyes 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, Benavides Larrea agreed to hold an election, but at the originally scheduled date of 1 January 1937. He would complete Illescas Reyes' term and serve until 24 March 1937.

Protests continued throughout Benavides Larrea's term as he continued to support the Romerists without the approval of Parliament. In October 1936, Benavides Larrea disqualified the CISX from participating in the election since Otálora Moledo was still officially its leader. The decision was met by protests which were promptly crushed by the Army and Police.

Election procedure

Due to Benavides Larrea'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 Sánchez Cerro, an ally of Benavides Larrea. 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 Benavides Larrea's government which declared Sánchez 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, Benavides Larrea ordered the arrest of Otálora Moledo and Antonio Maura Ortega, the leader of the PRCN, due to suspicions of their involvement in the protests. Illescas Reyes was executed by a firing squad on 1 February on the orders of Benavides Larrea. Maura Ortega was arrested on 17 February and later hanged on 28 February.

Legacy

Sánchez Cerro became Prime Minister of Castilliano on 24 March 1937 and was promoted to the rank of Field Marshal by José X. During his Prime Ministership, 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. Sánchez Cerro was assassinated on 9 May 1944 along with Creeperian Chief Field Marshal 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