In the face of fierce opposition, they stand.

Day 617, 06:44 • Published in Ireland Ireland • by Aran Tal

My Dear Friends and Countrymen

In the coming hours, my former friend and comrade Starks Hayter will be impeached from his office of Taoiseach.

Many of you are angry about Starks' inactivity and cavalier attitude while in office, and so am I. I, who worked harder than anyone for that enthusiastic and friendly boy to win the office he will now lose, am furious. Starks made a great many mistakes and will pay for them, as the representatives of the people vote overwhelmingly in favour of his dismissal, but the people behind the curtain have run Ireland well, and I pay tribute to them. Nithraldur has agreed to allow me continue in my own humble office for the remainder of the term, and I hope he keeps on the majority of cabinet to finish the work we tried to start.

In foreign affairs, finance, defence and many other departments great strides have been made, and though the Presidency was a failure the administration was not. I will stand by its legacy as a government which, through some of the most challenging times, worked its hardest for the good of its people, and they will reap the benefits in the months to come. I will continue my work for the next week and I call on everyone else to do so too.

As you will have seen, the Irish Union Party has decided to endorse Severin in the forthcoming election, naturally I am saddened by this news, but I respect Severin and he may well make a fine leader of our dear nation. However, this has potentially predetermined the outcome of the election in a perverse way. I believe that the people of Ireland deserve to make a considered choice of their leader, and the electoral system we have in eRepublik facilitates this most of the time.

While the IUP, IRP and IFP stand together, they will inevitably campaign against Starks' legacy as they have every right to do so, but rather than freely give Severin the keys to the Áras, my colleagues in the ISRP have thought long and hard. Even though the odds are stacked high against us, we will contest this election.

For the past month I struggled with Starks' attitude more than most, and was more fatalistic about this election than many. I believe that my vision for Ireland still stands, and that the ideals for which I campaigned in the past are still valid, although tarnished by the inactivity of one man. For those of you who voted for us in the last election, thank you, and sorry. But rather than concede and make Ireland's choice for them I believe we should give choice to the people of Ireland who deserve it.

Therefore, humbled though I am by the vote of confidence my party has given me, I announce my candidacy for President of Ireland.

In the coming days I will publish the particulars of my programme for government, but for now I encourage you all to ponder your own conscience. Don't let your anger at Starks dismiss my candidacy off-hand. Do not let any party allegiance sway your mind at the end and listen to the two cases that will be put before you. On the fifth of August, make a choice, and stand by it.

To those in the ISRP who are grieved by some events of late I call you home, stand with us and make this a fair and honest fight. A campaign of ideals, and not allusions. A campaign between two politicians, not two teams of slanderers as we have seen too often in the past. I will tolerate no negative campaigning on my behalf, and I challenge the opposition to do the same.

I am all too aware of the unlikely success of this campaign, but I will not allow this election go uncontested. I will offer my case and you will decide in your wisdom, I humbly ask that you give it consideration on its own merits, not on the failings of the past.

With, as always
Much Love
Aran Tal