//Accessible through several news re-posting services is a local news story from the People's Republic of Knife's Edge - the break-away state that successfully revolted against the Atlas Empire on their homeworld of Olympus. Anyone who follows through on other news from the particular source can find various political pieces on laws passed, individual candidates and districts, and many other detailed - and mostly tone-neutral - political analysis and news. Republican Today APFK Schism, Election Results Announced ================================================================= Following weeks of dispute over the organization and ownership of mines, the Altesian People’s Front in Knife’s Edge (APFK) conference ends with a disastrous split for the majority party! The old guard, now styling themselves simply as the ‘People’s Front’ (PF), were unable to patch the schism with the newly formed ‘United Workers Syndicate’ (UWS). Disagreements started months ago as the initial excitement of successful revolution against the Atlas Empire began to simmer down, and the true work of independence began. The APFK, as the vanguard of the revolution, released the constitution of our proud state and laid the foundation for prosperous democracy. However, the left-wing party once united against the common threat of Gimbal’s Riders, now faced mounting internal strife over previously minor issues. One such issue, the organization and ownership of production, came to a head. For months leading up to the conference, and elections, union leaders and worker councils have squared off in various public forms over the best way to organize workers and resources. This party meeting, initially intended to bridge the gap and find common ground, has left the Left more fractured than ever. PF claims ownership of resource production industries, such as logging, farming, and mining – which form the backbone of the economy – belong in the hands of the government. They argue that central planning is the only way to ensure a smoothly run economy that can meet the needs of the people. UWS, which has backing by various worker councils in the associated industries, disagrees. Instead, they advocate for ownership to be taken out of the hands of the state – with serious concerns over abuses done by previous central leadership still fresh in their minds – and instead in the hands of the people doing the work. Also splitting off at the conference are the ‘Whetworkers’ (WW), a radical faction moving the opposite direction of UWS – seeking to expand state ownership of remaining private businesses and further centralize state control. In election news, the fracturing of the APFK lead to the predictable breakdown of the former majority government. The People’s Front lost a grand total of 20 seats – 13 to the UWS, 2 to WW, and 5 to COKE. The Concord victories were slightly undercut by the expansion of their coalition ally, the PoL. The increase in floran-party representation is attributed to the integration of various floran communities throughout the Knife into the new state. Commentators expect that COKE will experience fracturing of its own as tribal politics meld with the parliamentary, and the individual interests of Concord members become more pronounced issues. The Popular Atlas Front has reformed post-conference as the ‘One Latona Party’ (OLP), but this failed to yield them any additional seats. Movement for Liberty (MfL) has also managed to tread water, clinging to their three seats. A coalition government has still been formed with PF at the head, alongside WW and COKE. The most shocking change of this cycle, alongside the breakdown of the APFK, is a member of the Revolutionary Council moving with the UWS. The Revolutionary Council, a non-electoral body with lifetime membership formed alongside the government to safeguard against foreign influences, was previously five members of APFK loyalty. The implications of this party break from the military high-courts remains to be seen – the effect may be minimal, but a single dissenting opinion could have widespread effects on the health of the coalition government.
