On the 22nd of June, the United Imperium celebrated as President George Lincoln was re-elected to a second term as the most powerful person in the United Imperium, the first amongst equals. No pundits really though that Lincoln was going to lose the election, given the obscurity of Shostakovich and the controversy surrounding Colonel Hamilton. In addition, the President already had a very successful track record in office, and his only real failure in his first term was the Carolina Republic Misstrike. Other crises have been handled successfully and effectively. So the biggest surprise on election night was that the President Lincoln won 65% of the vote, instead of 57% of it. In second place was Colonel Hamilton, who surprisingly leapfrogged Betty Shostakovich to get 18% of the popular vote. Shostakovich snagged 17% of the vote once it was all tallied. The Federal Office of Law Enforcement (FOLE), National Intelligence and Espionage Agency (NIEA), and local police were all in high alert, but it turned out to be for naught-there was only a small increase in crime on Election Day and Results Day. The nation reacted with glee or else with gracious disappointment. Upon hearing the news, the President took to speech, stating his objectives. Among the top priorities were: reducing federal power, working to incentivize de-monopolization, keeping the economy growing, and supporting The Fighting Pacifists alliance more frequently and efficiently. According to the Political Summary, the President's first term was socially moderate and fiscally conservative, but in this term, he is going to be socially leaning libertarian and fiscally conservative. Whether this changes anything in the United Imperium will remain to be seen, but with President Lincoln's return, the nation can at least be sure that they are in the hands of a capable leader.
