Order of Magnitude

XLII. The Vote

      "Now, let's go live to the National Assembly with Angie Becker. Angie."

      "Thanks, Tim; we are moments away from the vote that could change a nation. Barrimore Kane vs. Gerald Sloane. One of these men will soon be our new Prime Minister. Early polling results show that Kane has the best chance of winning the office, with 89 percent of pundits and professionals believing he will carry the majority vote."

      "Now, Angie, we've been getting reports from all over the country of upticks in parv-related attacks. Do you think that this will favor Sloane, who has taken such a hard line approach to pest control?"

      "Well, Tim, we've conducted a phone-in poll the last week about whether or not our citizens are concerned for their safety from parvs. And as you can see, 68 percent do not fear a parv attack, while only 24 percent say that they are concerned. There's also 8 percent that has no opinion of the matter."

      "We've been hearing a lot of buzz from Kane's camp, and they feel that they have the support of a lot of key players in the assembly, most notably Richard Clax."

      "That's right. We sat down with one of Clax's staff members and asked him what he thought of a Kane Ministry. He assured us that many of his policies will reflect those of the late Prime Minister Antony."

      "Angie, we've just gotten word that Clax is about to step up to the podium and announce his vote. Once again, we remind our viewers that he is heavily favored to give his support to Kane; let's go down to the floor and make it official."

      "Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen of the assembly. As you are all aware, we are faced with a very serious situation here. One that be remembered by future generations. As much as I would like to endorse the party majority, I am compelled to vote for Gerald Sloane. I sincerely believe that every member of this assembly who wishes to reign in the troubles we've been having recently should do the same. Thank you."

      "Wow, some stunning news from Clax. He has the first vote of the assembly, and he's voting Sloane. Angie, how does this change the chances for Kane to become Prime Minister?"

      "Well, this certainly is a very shocking turn of events. Certainly without Clax's support, Kane will have a much more difficult path to reach the 68 votes needed. But sources inside his camp say that he still has a wide majority in the rest of the assembly."

      "Just one second, Angie. We just got word from one of Kane's aides. She says that while Kane is disappointed with the decision of the majority leader, he is still convinced that he will carry most of the votes."

      "And speaking of, the first wave has been cast, and Sloane is leading Kane 36 to 15. We'll keep you informed as more votes are cast. But, Tim, this brings up an interesting situation. The minority party vote is coming up, and they are most likely going to lean toward Sloane, since he is the minority leader. With this turn of events, do we start to talk about the problems that Kane will face going forward?"

      "It is certainly interesting, Angie, but let's not forget that Phillips and the rest of the Independents will most likely shape this battle, a fact that Kane has been vocal in touting over the past few days."

      "True, but this whole thing could be over before it comes to that. There are 40 votes up for grabs with the minority. If he sweeps it here, Sloane will be up to 76, well over the magic number of 68."

      "We spoke with the Kane camp, and they say that they've been working hard to target votes in the minority party in the spirit of unity. He feels that he will get a lot if not most of those votes."

      "Yes, but Clax's surprise announcement change their minds at all?"

      "We'll wait and see, but phone-in polls around the nation suggest otherwise, with 72 percent of-"

      "I'm sorry to interrupt you, Tim, but the second wave of voting is over. Remember 40 votes are up for grabs and the results are coming in... and yes, Sloane receives 30 of them. That puts him up to 66 votes and his opponent Kane has 25."

      "Surprising indeed. That means that Sloane only needs 2 more votes to become Prime Minister. The Independents are the last to vote and they'll be going soon. A razor thin margin for Barrimore Kane, he needs to get all but 1 member of the assembly to vote for him, or he loses the election."

      "The Independents control 44 votes. It is certainly a party that Kane needs right now. Remember just last year Antony carried the Independent vote by 76 percent in the general election. Of course, if Kane only gets 76 percent right now... he loses."

      "We've been talking with someone from the Kane camp, and he says that the Independents are the group that they've targeted hard over the past few days. He fully expects a sweep of the votes here."

      "Well, he's going to need it, Tim. The votes are coming in, now... Phillips has addressed his party. And it's official! Gerald Sloane is the new Prime Minister with a final tally of 96 votes to Kane's 39. Quite the upset tonight."

      "Right you are, Angie. Please stay tuned, we'll be back momentarily with Sloane's acceptance speech. Once again, Gerald Sloane has received 96 votes and is our new Prime Minister. We'll be back right after these messages."