Haven – Governing Mayor of Haven, June Warren, today told reporters she has no interest in seeking the Presidency of Sanctaria at this time. Warren told reporters today at her final press conference of the year that she was elected to a four year term that started in July of 2019 and that she would see her term to completion in mid 2023.
Warren, an independent and former Senator for Haven, had already been touted as the frontrunner to succeed to the Presidency after Marian Woodstrom announced some weeks back that she would not be seeking re-election. Many politicians, in Haven and nationally, had already announced they would support Warren should she put herself forward; it is believed she would have faced very little challenge in getting on to the ballot paper. Warren had also been the bookies’ presumptive odds-on favourite too.
The confirmation today that Warren will not be putting herself forward is the latest twist in the upcoming president election, after Woodstrom’s declining to continue in office. It is known that the Sanctarian Conservative Party has already approached Glorionis Governor Robert Smyth to be their nominee and has been rebuffed. Former Prime Minister Joshua Turner is believed to be interested, but it is not believed that he wants a contest and that he would prefer to appointed by the SCP’s governing council instead – the council, however, is understood to be rather divided on selecting Turner and would prefer proceed with a contest if they cannot agree by majority on a nominee.
The Democratic Left Party, on the other hand, are also at a loss, as they had intended to support Woodstrom again going forward, and do not have any groundwork in place for an internal party contest. Their party rules also permit a presidential nominee being chosen by the party leadership, and it’s understood they will opt for this method. Ethan Ringrose, DLP Council leader in Sanctus, is believed to be pushing particularly hard to be chosen.
The other parties – the New Sanctaria Party, the Green Party, and the Christian Union Party – are all likely to contest the election too, though the NSP has seen a significant decline in the polls in all states bar Terra Monticolarum after the revelations surrounding the personal life of their former leader Andrew Silk earlier this year.
GWEN COPLEY, Political Correspondent
