I Will Not Be Running for President

Day 1,774, 17:56 • Published in Switzerland Switzerland • by Lynari


It feels silly to back out of an election I never formally entered, but word spreads fast in Switzerland, I find, and enough people have heard of my intention that an article has almost become reasonable: here it is.

When I returned to eRepublik not altogether very long ago, I was disappointed to find that the nation had become (what many know I have been calling) ‘dynastic’. Go onto the IRC and talk to anybody who is at all intimate with the inner workings of government; the Presidents’ identities over the next few months are a known fact. Only one decent candidate is fielded (by the AIM) and they either run unopposed or crush someone who has no chance. Look at the upcoming election. Isn’t it dreadful? Isn’t it boring, and doesn’t the contentment lead to a stagnation of ideas? Competition breeds excellence, cooperation makes for dullness.

So offended by this mode Switzerland has adopted, I started investigating the plausibility of a presidential run. I’ve got the credentials, I’ve proven myself in Switzerland – I believe I stood to pose a threat to the dynasty, to give Switzerland its first real election in a long while. Had I continued along this path and been campaigning for the last week and up until the election, I think we would have at least seen a more competitive, interesting battle. Austria of 2009 (when I was President) was a savage place and I play a mean game of politics. When I decided to withdraw a few days ago, I had already done most everything behind-the-scenes that I needed to do – the final step was to get the public excited about me, a task I tend to have success with.

I have decided to back out for two reasons: firstly, because of music (my major, I’m a student). I don’t expect that I would have won the election but I realized I can’t risk it. I’ve been very productive composing lately and to carve out any of the time I devote to it in favor of a computer game would be a shame. Secondly, I realized I may have been alone in my ideals. Why should I seek to revolutionize Switzerland when its populace is perfectly satisfied with having essentially the same government each month? Why give them this trouble? Perhaps this is a nation which enjoys an easy choice; perhaps this is a part of the eSwiss character which is lost on me.

I would like to thank everyone who helped me plan my campaign, pledged their endorsement or nomination, or agreed to be a part of my cabinet had I won: Paul Proteus, Lotus Black, Hunter4Life123, Monsieur Guillontine, Penguin4512, and Walen.

I will publish a final, collective report on behalf of the ambassadorial program as a whole as my last act as Director of Embassies. I will not be resuming my service in this position in Psihi’s administration.

~L