Old Corellian Party Returns to Power

Coronet, Corellia — In the wake of elections on Corellia this week, the controversial Old Corellian Party (or OCP) has formed a coalition government and returned to power on the planet. The Corellian Progressive Party (or CPP) will remain the predominant opposition party, despite having recieved the most votes and won a considerable majority of local elections. August Halcyon, the leader of the OCP and the new Prime Minister and Senator, announced "a day of celebration on Corellia."

54% of Corellians in exit polls reported an "unfavorable" or "strongly unfavorable" opinion of the Old Corellian Party, which was recently denounced by the New Republic for using emergency powers to form a new "Corellian Council," circumventing the Corellian Sector Assembly (the lawful government of the Sector) without the consent or knowledge of its worlds. This, along with personal indiscretions by the party's leadership, resulted in the OCP's ousting from power.

Corellians were surprised to see the OCP return this week as a result of a coalition with a number of smaller parties, including the unpopular Corellian Nationalist Party (or CNP), which has been described as fascist and which advocates the "dealienization" of Corellia. It is expected that the influence of the CNP and others in the coalition will compel the OCP further to the right at a time when 57% of voters already believe that the party is "too far to the right of Corellian values."

Wen Antares, Corellia's Minister of Commerce, and Ebdr Brahnx, the Minister of Education—both of whom originally appointed by the OCP—have said they will resign if the CNP's policies are reflected in the government's agenda, or its leadership. The CPP announced that it will attempt to force a new election as soon as possible, and block the majority of the OCP's appointees and policies, including the proposed "Corellian Council."

Seeking to dispel controversy over the recent "Corellian Council" scandal, Halcyon announced in a speech to the Senate that he understands the concern over a percieved usurpation of power. "The Corellian Council, a proposed sector government... [is] still in the works and is not in place," he said, "This is not a usurpation of power as many have described." He reiterated the OCP's support for the new government, but assured the Senate that it was not intended to replace the Corellian Sector Assembly, and that other worlds in the Sector would be consulted.

"But the people of Corellia have spoken," Halcyon said in his speech, confident despite the challenges that his government is sure to face, "In a resounding voice, [they] have declared their support for these moves. I stand before you as the symbol of that statement... Let us come together and guide the New Republic into a new age of prosperity and efficiency that has never been seen by the galaxy in all of recorded history."