| Coruscant_Journal | Date: Saturday, 29 March 14, 10:25 AM | Message # 1 |
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Pryce Survives Vote of No Confidence
Senate Rotunda, Coruscant — Scandal-plagued Supreme Chancellor Jaso Pryce has survived a Vote of No Confidence in the Senate, with more than 62% of Senators voting against the motion proposed by Senator Verence Terrawin (Alsakan). The Chancellor, who is accused of bribery, money laundering, and spying on influential Senators, said that "today, the Senate put its faith in democracy, and in me."
"This Vote of No Confidence—at best, a power-hungry political stunt, and at worst, part of a campaign of personal revenge—is defeated," the Chancellor announced at the conclusion of the vote, "I am grateful to those Senators who voted against the cynical use of rumors... to oust an elected Chancellor." The Chancellor also set a date for a long-promised election for Chancellor, saying "it is time to put these rumors behind us once and for all."
The election is scheduled for the 25th of next month. Asked whether he intends to run for re-election, Chancellor Pryce has previously told The Coruscant Journal: "I will, and I will win." Analysts note that Pryce (Metellos) starts the campaign with a considerable advantage, having survived the Vote of No Confidence with the support of nearly 2/3rds of the Senate.
But he also brings with him the scandals that have plagued his Chancellory. A lobbyist for the Trade Federation has accused Pryce of soliciting bribes in the form of donations to his Chancellor's Fund—a privately-controlled account with the Bank of Aargau—which, along with matching funds from the Senate, were later spent on home improvements to Pryce's residence on Metellos, including the construction of an artificial ocean complete with whaladons imported from the planet Dac.
Pryce is also accused of obstructing a Senate Bureau of Intelligence investigation into the Chancellor's Fund, and hiring the Bothan Spynet to eavesdrop on communications between the Director of the SBI and well-known opponents of Pryce in the Senate, including Senators Ordan (Alderaan) and Finbar (Mon Calamari Space), both of whom were among the more than 37% of Senators who supported today's Vote of No Confidence.
"I am absolutely disgusted," Senator Ordan remarked on the Senate floor, "The Chancellor has betrayed his office and his Republic in becoming a paranoid and ineffectual figure. I call for the Senate to vote in favour of this motion."
"The fact is that this Chancellor appears to have sold his votes for bribes and spent this Senate's money for his own personal enrichment," Senator Finbar said, "And instead of cooperating with an SBI investigation into these allegations, he has obstructed it at every turn."
Senator Terrawin, who proposed the Vote of No Confidence, called Pryce "a stain upon the character of this Republic."
The Chancellor nonetheless enjoyed the support of Senators Lekpin (Lorrd), Ciaran (Chandrila), Ryuun (Druckenwell), and Kongming (Duro), the Chairbeing of the Senate Judiciary Committee who remarked that "I do not believe that there is sufficient evidence at this time to warrant this move, and it is a distraction from the Senate's ability to work." Pryce echoed Kongming's words, insisting that "I have committed no crime, Senators. I am guilty of nothing... Do not condemn me on the basis of rumors."
No one has yet been nominated to run against Pryce in next month's elections, though Senators Kruus (Humbarine Sector) and Kongming are seen as likely candidates. Senator Lekpin was also a widely-presumed candidate prior to a scandal on Lorrd in which his Minister of Trade advised Lorrd Engineering, Inc. to sell arms to the slaveholding Senex-Juvex worlds in violation of a Republic trade embargo. That case is currently being heard in the courts.
The Coruscant Journal will continue to follow the story as it develops.
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