The Nationalist Party has been given a major boost as polls have shown that former Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Sukhorokhov, its presidential candidate, is likely to force a run-off vote in the election on November 3. Advisors to Mr Sukhorokhov’s Coalition rival Katrina Fischer have blamed a speech given last week by Finance Minister Arnold Lippman as fuelling the rise of the Nationalists, where Mr Lippman insisted that the government would meet its commitment to joining the Gallian and Centrican League by 1 January – a policy opposed by the Nationalists. The government had been debating whether to delay the ratification of its accession deal, hoping to stave off the Nationalists using the deal as a ‘rallying cry’ ahead of the election next month. Ms Fischer now faces an uphill battle to regain ground in the closing weeks of the campaign.
