| Related events |
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| Union of Earth States Presidential election 24 BBY | |
|---|---|
| Date | |
| Government | |
| Electorate |
Union Senate |
| Outcome |
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| Candidates |
Kieran Lamb Richard Williams Jane Zarkan Andrew Hatton |
The Union of Earth States President election of 24 BBY was an election for the post of Union President, the candidates for the election was the incumbent president Kieran Lamb, who had been elected in the previous election in 28 BBY, Richard Williams, the Senator of Nortalia who led the Federalist Faction, Jane Zarkan, Senator and Queen of the Zarkan Kingdom and Zarkan Empire, who led the Traditionalist Faction, and Andrew Hatton, Senator of Erastan and one of Jane Zarkan's fellow members of the Traditionalist Faction.
Richard Williams won over the slim majority of the Union Senate with his calls for increased federalism and centralization of power to the Union Senate, angering the original 59 members of the senate who favoured the traditional view of limited Union involvement in the affairs of the member states.
The Traditionalists lamented Williams' victory, claiming that their loss would see the rise of the "Williamite Empire", the Traditionalists were rightfully worried that their national sovereignty and independence was under threat, after losing their chance to install one of their own as President the Traditionalist Faction would do everything in their power to stop Williams' pro-Federalist and centralist policies.
In 23 BBY the Traditionalist Faction would be replaced with the "Western States Confederation", a military alliance between the Traditionalist, Conservative nations, created by Jean-Louis Picard of the Federal Republic of Erusea in order to "combat the corrupting and hostile influence of Richard Williams", and prepare the Conservative nations for the "trying times that lay ahead".
Not long after Diego Navarro would lead his Nationalists against the pro-Union Unionists during the Leasath Civil War. The WSC would support Navarro, leading to Richard Williams to declare the WSC a "hostile power" and expelling her senators from the Union Senate, following which Jane Zarkan would announce the secession of her nation, setting the ball rolling for the birth of the Confederate States of Earth, which took partial inspiration from the Western States Confederacy.