{"data":{"id":18694,"title":"Terra Gazette: What Does the Future Hold for Suj Kossi?","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/comm-link\/spectrum-dispatch\/18694-Terra-Gazette-What-Does-The-Future-Hold-For-Suj-Kossi","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-links\/18694","api_public_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/comm-links\/18694","channel":"Undefined","category":"Undefined","series":"None","images":[{"id":5330,"name":"Terra-Gazette-Clean.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/media\/7vhfuimx58p6ar\/source\/Terra-Gazette-Clean.jpg","alt":"","size":427039,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2020-04-23T20:45:57+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/5330","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/5330\/similar"}],"images_count":1,"translations":{"en_EN":"By Koto Dodson\nContributor\nQuinton, Angeli, Croshaw system\n\nSuj Kossi, the Tevarin Senator from Elysium, took center stage at this year\u2019s Universalist Strategic Vision Conference (USVC) with a keynote speech that electrified the crowd and solidified him as a rising star within the party. Senator Kossi\u2019s speech wove together tentpole Universalist talking points while criticizing Imperator Addison, describing her administration as \u201cineffectual\u201d and her agenda as \u201cfocused anywhere but on issues that actually matter.\u201d The success of Senator Kossi\u2019s speech, and its primetime setting, left many political analysts wondering if the party might be preparing him for bigger things to come.\n\nIn 2946, Senator Kossi made history by becoming the first Tevarin ever elected to the UEE Senate. Already a household name, Senator Kossi\u2019s political capital only grew during his first term in office. He was a regular guest on popular spectrum news programs, sat on prominent Senate committees (including the influential Subcommittee on the Interior), and co-authored and advocated for several important pieces of legislation. Senator Kossi\u2019s constant public presence, increasing political savvy, and extensive list of endorsements led voters in Elysium to elect him to a second term last year. While the win was expected, it was widely celebrated and hailed as an important moment for the future of Tevarin politics; one that proved that Tevarin candidates can not only win, but build a wide coalition of supporters.\n\nRegardless of political affiliation, many have welcomed the growing Tevarin presence on the political stage. Imperator Addison campaigned on a belief that \u201cincreasing Tevarin voices and representation within the government is essential to a stronger UEE.\u201d Her administration has since made Ki Jotal the director of the Department of Transportation and Navigation, making her the first Tevarin cabinet member, and appointed more Tevarin to government positions than any previous administration. While these gains are significant, a bigger change may be occurring at the ballot box.\n\nThe Addison administration recently released data showing that citizenship applications among Tevarin have increased significantly in the last few years. Now, the results from the recent May 3rd elections are revealing just how impactful that Tevarin Citizen voting block has become, as even election experts were surprised by the strong Tevarin turnout in certain parts of the empire. While no other Tevarin candidates will be joining Suj Kossi in the UEE Senate, a record number ran with nominee Ruwo Nee garnering the most attention before narrowly losing in Centauri. Exit polls showed that strong Tevarin turnout in Elysium and Centauri also affected down-ballot races, as both systems elected a record number of Tevarin to local public offices. Still, for some election experts, the most interesting exit poll data was who Tevarin voters supported in races without a Tevarin candidate. Universalist Party candidates did particularly well, in part because of an extensive outreach effort overseen by Suj Kossi. Despite the Addison administration\u2019s work on improving xeno-relations, its efforts didn\u2019t appear to attract the loyalty of that demographic to Addison-backed candidates. As the Tevarin voting block grows in strength and significance, the Universalist Party appears better positioned than the Centralists and Transitionalists to welcome these voters into the fold.\n\nWhile Senator Kossi\u2019s ascendance has been good for the Universalist Party, and UEE politics in general, there is growing concern within the party over some of the Senator\u2019s positions. Though he\u2019s a fairly conventional Universalist on many issues, Senator Kossi is a strong advocate for revising Citizenship requirements and expanding enfranchisement across the empire. He has also worked with Imperator Addison on legislation that would create new government programs and initiatives meant to further increase Tevarin citizenship and involvement in the public sector \u2013 legislation some Universalists see as unnecessary, expensive, and\/or a waste of his political capital. As one party insider put it, \u201cThese are bloated Addison administration initiatives. Even if they succeed, neither Senator Kossi nor the Universalist party will get any credit for their success.\u201d\n\nYet, not everyone within the party thinks that Senator Kossi diverging from the Universalist platform is a bad thing. In fact, some see these deviations as a potential strength. Monique Erby, an Elysium-based political analyst who\u2019s closely watched Senator Kossi\u2019s rise, believes it could help him with voters that other Universalist candidates never could court. \u201cSenator Kossi has played his position quite well. During his initial campaign, he painted himself as a run-of-the-mill and reliable Universalist when the story was about him being a Tevarin. Then he became an active and enthusiastic party cheerleader to solidify his position within it. Now that the story\u2019s shifted to him being just another Universalist who happens to be Tevarin, he\u2019s leaned into beliefs that differ from the party. Like any good politician, he\u2019s molding his image in a way that lets people see in him what they want to see.\u201d\n\nDespite these concerns from within the party, Senator Kossi is clearly still in its good graces, as evidenced by him landing the keynote speech at USVC. Illyana Sharrad, who was recently elected as the party\u2019s chairperson, gave him that prime speaking slot and remains one of Senator Kossi\u2019s most ardent and vocal supporters. \u201cSenator Kossi is proof that we\u2019re a big tent party. We want a diversity of voices and ideas within the Universalist party,\u201d said Sharrad during a USVC press conference. \u201cHe has a compelling vision for the future of the UEE, and the party will support him any way we can in achieving those goals.\u201d\n\nWhen asked if part of Senator Kossi\u2019s vision includes running for Imperator in 2960, Sharrad simply smiled then pivoted toward more immediate concerns than an \u201celection still eight years away.\u201d As one of the final five Imperator candidates in the 2950 Imperator election, Sharrad still looms large over the Universalist Party and its future. While there are rumors that she may run for Imperator again in 2960, there\u2019s a growing belief that Sharrad has instead chosen Senator Kossi to represent the party in the next election and is working on helping him build the political clout and infrastructure needed for a run of his own. No Tevarin candidate has ever made it past the primary vote, let alone run as a candidate for a major political party. Meanwhile, others wonder if Sharrad\u2019s support and spotlighting of Senator Kossi is instead a self-serving tactic meant to blunt the growing influence of Titus Costigan within the party.\n\nAs for the chances of a Tevarin nominee winning the Imperator election, Monique Erby has her doubts, \u201cYou just need to look to the Stanton system and what\u2019s happening with the XenoThreat terrorists to know that there is still a sizeable portion of the population who are unwilling to embrace non-Humans in positions of power. Representing Elysium is one thing, but it\u2019s hard to say if the votes would ever be there for an alien head of the UEE. If the election were held today, the numbers I\u2019ve seen would say no, but who knows what the next few years may change.\u201d\n\nFollowing his speech at USVC, Senator Kossi himself brushed off questions about a 2960 run for Imperator. \u201cMy future remains focused on improving the lives and defending the rights of my constituents in Elysium, supporting the military in its campaign to defeat the Vanduul, and bringing more opportunities to Tevarin across the Empire.\u201d Still, a potential Kossi campaign was what many USVC attendees were talking about following his speech. On the last day of the conference, Senator Kossi placed third in a straw poll of preferred 2960 Imperator candidates, coming in just behind Illyana Sharrad and Titus Costigan. Though Senator Kossi might want to downplay talk of a potential run, it seems the question will remain a constant one throughout his second Senate term.","de_DE":"Von Koto Dodson\nMitwirkende\nQuinton, Angeli, Croshaw-System\n\nSuj Kossi, der tevarinische Senator aus Elysium, stand im Mittelpunkt der diesj\u00e4hrigen Universalist Strategic Vision Conference (USVC) mit einer Grundsatzrede, die die Menge elektrisierte und ihn als aufsteigenden Stern innerhalb der Partei festigte. Senator Kossi verkn\u00fcpfte in seiner Rede die wichtigsten Argumente der Universalisten und kritisierte gleichzeitig Imperatorin Addison. Er bezeichnete ihre Regierung als \"ineffektiv\" und ihre Agenda als \"\u00fcberall, nur nicht auf die wirklich wichtigen Themen ausgerichtet\". Der Erfolg von Senator Kossis Rede und die Tatsache, dass sie zur besten Sendezeit gehalten wurde, hat viele politische Analysten zu der Frage veranlasst, ob die Partei ihn auf gr\u00f6\u00dfere Dinge vorbereiten k\u00f6nnte, die noch kommen werden.\n\nIm Jahr 2946 schrieb Senator Kossi Geschichte, als er als erster Tevarin in den UEE-Senat gew\u00e4hlt wurde. Senator Kossi war bereits ein bekannter Name und sein politisches Kapital wuchs w\u00e4hrend seiner ersten Amtszeit noch weiter. Er war regelm\u00e4\u00dfiger Gast in den beliebten Spektrum-Nachrichtensendungen, sa\u00df in prominenten Senatsaussch\u00fcssen (einschlie\u00dflich des einflussreichen Unterausschusses f\u00fcr Inneres) und war Mitverfasser und Bef\u00fcrworter mehrerer wichtiger Gesetzesentw\u00fcrfe. Senator Kossis st\u00e4ndige Pr\u00e4senz in der \u00d6ffentlichkeit, sein zunehmender politischer Sachverstand und seine umfangreiche Liste von Unterst\u00fctzungen haben die W\u00e4hler in Elysium dazu veranlasst, ihn letztes Jahr f\u00fcr eine zweite Amtszeit zu w\u00e4hlen. Der Sieg war zwar erwartet worden, wurde aber allgemein gefeiert und als wichtiger Moment f\u00fcr die Zukunft der tevarinischen Politik gefeiert; ein Beweis daf\u00fcr, dass tevarinische Kandidaten nicht nur gewinnen, sondern auch eine breite Koalition von Anh\u00e4ngern aufbauen k\u00f6nnen.\n\nUnabh\u00e4ngig von der politischen Zugeh\u00f6rigkeit haben viele die wachsende Pr\u00e4senz der Tevarin auf der politischen B\u00fchne begr\u00fc\u00dft. Imperator Addison ist mit der \u00dcberzeugung in den Wahlkampf gezogen, dass \"mehr tevarinische Stimmen und eine st\u00e4rkere Vertretung innerhalb der Regierung f\u00fcr eine st\u00e4rkere UEE unerl\u00e4sslich sind.\" Ihre Regierung hat Ki Jotal zur Direktorin des Ministeriums f\u00fcr Verkehr und Schifffahrt ernannt. Damit ist sie das erste tevarinische Kabinettsmitglied und hat mehr Tevarin in Regierungspositionen berufen als jede andere Regierung zuvor. Diese Erfolge sind zwar bedeutsam, aber eine gr\u00f6\u00dfere Ver\u00e4nderung k\u00f6nnte sich an den Wahlurnen vollziehen.\n\nDie Addison-Regierung hat k\u00fcrzlich Daten ver\u00f6ffentlicht, aus denen hervorgeht, dass die Zahl der Antr\u00e4ge auf Staatsb\u00fcrgerschaft unter den Tevarin in den letzten Jahren erheblich gestiegen ist. Nun zeigen die Ergebnisse der j\u00fcngsten Wahlen vom 3. Mai, wie einflussreich der Wahlblock der Tevarin-B\u00fcrger geworden ist, denn selbst Wahlexperten waren von der hohen Wahlbeteiligung der Tevarin in bestimmten Teilen des Imperiums \u00fcberrascht. Zwar wird kein anderer tevarinischer Kandidat neben Suj Kossi in den UEE-Senat einziehen, aber eine Rekordzahl von Kandidaten trat an, wobei der Kandidat Ruwo Nee die meiste Aufmerksamkeit auf sich zog, bevor er in Centauri knapp verlor. Exit Polls haben gezeigt, dass die hohe Wahlbeteiligung der Tevarin in Elysium und Centauri auch Auswirkungen auf die Wahlen auf den unteren Ebenen hatte, da in beiden Systemen eine Rekordzahl von Tevarin in lokale \u00f6ffentliche \u00c4mter gew\u00e4hlt wurde. F\u00fcr einige Wahlexperten waren die interessantesten Umfragedaten jedoch, wen die Tevarin-W\u00e4hler in Rennen ohne tevarinischen Kandidaten unterst\u00fctzten. Die Kandidaten der Universalistischen Partei schnitten besonders gut ab, was zum Teil auf die umfangreichen Bem\u00fchungen von Suj Kossi zur\u00fcckzuf\u00fchren ist. Trotz der Bem\u00fchungen der Addison-Regierung, die Beziehungen zu den Fremden zu verbessern, scheint es nicht gelungen zu sein, die Loyalit\u00e4t dieser Bev\u00f6lkerungsgruppe f\u00fcr die von Addison unterst\u00fctzten Kandidaten zu gewinnen. Da der Tevarin-W\u00e4hlerblock an St\u00e4rke und Bedeutung zunimmt, scheint die Universalistische Partei besser positioniert zu sein als die Zentralisten und die Transitionalisten, um diese W\u00e4hler in die Schar aufzunehmen.\n\nDer Aufstieg von Senator Kossi ist zwar gut f\u00fcr die Universalistische Partei und die UEE-Politik im Allgemeinen, aber innerhalb der Partei w\u00e4chst die Besorgnis \u00fcber einige der Positionen des Senators. Obwohl er in vielen Fragen ein recht konventioneller Universalist ist, ist Senator Kossi ein starker Bef\u00fcrworter der \u00dcberarbeitung der Anforderungen an die Staatsb\u00fcrgerschaft und der Ausweitung des Wahlrechts auf das gesamte Imperium. Er hat auch mit Imperator Addison an Gesetzen gearbeitet, die neue Regierungsprogramme und Initiativen schaffen w\u00fcrden, um die tevarinische Staatsb\u00fcrgerschaft und die Beteiligung am \u00f6ffentlichen Sektor weiter zu erh\u00f6hen - Gesetze, die einige Universalisten als unn\u00f6tig, teuer und\/oder als Verschwendung seines politischen Kapitals ansehen. Ein Partei-Insider sagte: \"Das sind aufgeblasene Initiativen der Addison-Regierung. Selbst wenn sie erfolgreich sein sollten, wird weder Senator Kossi noch die Universalistenpartei irgendeine Anerkennung f\u00fcr ihren Erfolg erhalten.\n\nDennoch ist nicht jeder in der Partei der Meinung, dass Senator Kossi von der universalistischen Plattform abweicht, was eine schlechte Sache ist. Einige sehen in diesen Abweichungen sogar eine potentielle St\u00e4rke. Monique Erby, eine in Elysium ans\u00e4ssige politische Analystin, die den Aufstieg von Senator Kossi genau beobachtet hat, glaubt, dass ihm dies bei W\u00e4hlern helfen k\u00f6nnte, die andere Kandidaten der Universalisten nie umwerben konnten. \"Senator Kossi hat seine Position sehr gut gespielt. W\u00e4hrend seines anf\u00e4nglichen Wahlkampfes hat er sich als gew\u00f6hnlicher und zuverl\u00e4ssiger Universalist dargestellt, als es hie\u00df, er sei ein Tevarin. Dann wurde er ein aktiver und begeisterter Cheerleader der Partei, um seine Position innerhalb der Partei zu festigen. Jetzt, wo er nur noch ein weiterer Universalist ist, der zuf\u00e4llig Tevarin ist, hat er sich an \u00dcberzeugungen gew\u00f6hnt, die von denen der Partei abweichen. Wie jeder gute Politiker formt er sein Image so, dass die Menschen in ihm das sehen, was sie sehen wollen.\"\n\nTrotz dieser Bedenken innerhalb der Partei steht Senator Kossi offensichtlich immer noch in deren Gunst, wie die Tatsache beweist, dass er die Grundsatzrede auf dem USVC gehalten hat. Illyana Sharrad, die vor kurzem zur Parteivorsitzenden gew\u00e4hlt wurde, hat ihm diesen Hauptrednerposten verschafft und ist nach wie vor eine der eifrigsten und lautesten Unterst\u00fctzerinnen von Senator Kossi. \"Senator Kossi ist der Beweis daf\u00fcr, dass wir eine Partei der gro\u00dfen Zelte sind. Wir wollen eine Vielfalt von Stimmen und Ideen innerhalb der universalistischen Partei\", sagte Sharrad auf einer USVC-Pressekonferenz. \"Er hat eine \u00fcberzeugende Vision f\u00fcr die Zukunft der UEE, und die Partei wird ihn bei der Verwirklichung dieser Ziele auf jede erdenkliche Weise unterst\u00fctzen.\"\n\nAuf die Frage, ob zu Senator Kossis Vision auch die Kandidatur f\u00fcr das Amt des Imperators im Jahr 2960 geh\u00f6re, l\u00e4chelte Sharrad nur und wandte sich dann unmittelbareren Sorgen zu als einer \"Wahl, die noch acht Jahre entfernt ist.\" Als eine der letzten f\u00fcnf Imperator-Kandidaten bei der Imperator-Wahl von 2950 hat Sharrad immer noch einen gro\u00dfen Einfluss auf die Universalistische Partei und ihre Zukunft. Es gibt zwar Ger\u00fcchte, dass sie 2960 erneut f\u00fcr den Imperator kandidieren k\u00f6nnte, aber es w\u00e4chst die \u00dcberzeugung, dass Sharrad stattdessen Senator Kossi ausgew\u00e4hlt hat, um die Partei bei der n\u00e4chsten Wahl zu vertreten und ihm dabei hilft, das politische Gewicht und die Infrastruktur aufzubauen, die er f\u00fcr eine eigene Kandidatur ben\u00f6tigt. Kein tevarinischer Kandidat hat es jemals \u00fcber die Vorwahlen hinaus geschafft, geschweige denn als Kandidat f\u00fcr eine gro\u00dfe politische Partei angetreten. In der Zwischenzeit fragen sich andere, ob Sharrads Unterst\u00fctzung und die Hervorhebung von Senator Kossi nicht eher eine eigenn\u00fctzige Taktik ist, um den wachsenden Einfluss von Titus Costigan innerhalb der Partei zu bremsen.\n\nWas die Chancen eines Tevarin-Kandidaten bei der Imperator-Wahl angeht, so hat Monique Erby ihre Zweifel: \"Man muss sich nur das Stanton-System ansehen und was mit den XenoThreat-Terroristen passiert, um zu wissen, dass es immer noch einen betr\u00e4chtlichen Teil der Bev\u00f6lkerung gibt, der nicht bereit ist, Nicht-Menschen in Machtpositionen zu akzeptieren. Elysium zu repr\u00e4sentieren ist eine Sache, aber es ist schwer zu sagen, ob die Stimmen f\u00fcr ein au\u00dferirdisches Oberhaupt der UEE jemals da sein w\u00fcrden. Wenn die Wahl heute stattfinden w\u00fcrde, w\u00fcrden die Zahlen, die ich gesehen habe, dagegen sprechen, aber wer wei\u00df, was sich in den n\u00e4chsten Jahren \u00e4ndern k\u00f6nnte.\"\n\nNach seiner Rede auf dem USVC wies Senator Kossi selbst Fragen \u00fcber eine Kandidatur zum Imperator im Jahr 2960 zur\u00fcck. \"Meine Zukunft wird sich darauf konzentrieren, das Leben meiner W\u00e4hler in Elysium zu verbessern und ihre Rechte zu verteidigen, das Milit\u00e4r bei seinem Kampf gegen die Vanduul zu unterst\u00fctzen und den Tevarin im ganzen Imperium mehr M\u00f6glichkeiten zu bieten.\" Dennoch war eine m\u00f6gliche Kossi-Kampagne das, wor\u00fcber viele USVC-Teilnehmer nach seiner Rede sprachen. Am letzten Tag der Konferenz belegte Senator Kossi bei einer Probeumfrage unter den bevorzugten Kandidaten f\u00fcr den Imperator 2960 den dritten Platz, knapp hinter Illyana Sharrad und Titus Costigan. Auch wenn Senator Kossi das Gerede \u00fcber eine m\u00f6gliche Kandidatur herunterspielen m\u00f6chte, scheint es, dass diese Frage w\u00e4hrend seiner zweiten Amtszeit im Senat eine st\u00e4ndige Frage bleiben wird.","zh_CN":"By Koto Dodson\nContributor\nQuinton, Angeli, Croshaw system\n\nSuj Kossi, the Tevarin Senator from Elysium, took center stage at this year\u2019s Universalist Strategic Vision Conference (USVC) with a keynote speech that electrified the crowd and solidified him as a rising star within the party. Senator Kossi\u2019s speech wove together tentpole Universalist talking points while criticizing Imperator Addison, describing her administration as \u201cineffectual\u201d and her agenda as \u201cfocused anywhere but on issues that actually matter.\u201d The success of Senator Kossi\u2019s speech, and its primetime setting, left many political analysts wondering if the party might be preparing him for bigger things to come.\n\nIn 2946, Senator Kossi made history by becoming the first Tevarin ever elected to the UEE Senate. Already a household name, Senator Kossi\u2019s political capital only grew during his first term in office. He was a regular guest on popular spectrum news programs, sat on prominent Senate committees (including the influential Subcommittee on the Interior), and co-authored and advocated for several important pieces of legislation. Senator Kossi\u2019s constant public presence, increasing political savvy, and extensive list of endorsements led voters in Elysium to elect him to a second term last year. While the win was expected, it was widely celebrated and hailed as an important moment for the future of Tevarin politics; one that proved that Tevarin candidates can not only win, but build a wide coalition of supporters.\n\nRegardless of political affiliation, many have welcomed the growing Tevarin presence on the political stage. Imperator Addison campaigned on a belief that \u201cincreasing Tevarin voices and representation within the government is essential to a stronger UEE.\u201d Her administration has since made Ki Jotal the director of the Department of Transportation and Navigation, making her the first Tevarin cabinet member, and appointed more Tevarin to government positions than any previous administration. While these gains are significant, a bigger change may be occurring at the ballot box.\n\nThe Addison administration recently released data showing that citizenship applications among Tevarin have increased significantly in the last few years. Now, the results from the recent May 3rd elections are revealing just how impactful that Tevarin Citizen voting block has become, as even election experts were surprised by the strong Tevarin turnout in certain parts of the empire. While no other Tevarin candidates will be joining Suj Kossi in the UEE Senate, a record number ran with nominee Ruwo Nee garnering the most attention before narrowly losing in Centauri. Exit polls showed that strong Tevarin turnout in Elysium and Centauri also affected down-ballot races, as both systems elected a record number of Tevarin to local public offices. Still, for some election experts, the most interesting exit poll data was who Tevarin voters supported in races without a Tevarin candidate. Universalist Party candidates did particularly well, in part because of an extensive outreach effort overseen by Suj Kossi. Despite the Addison administration\u2019s work on improving xeno-relations, its efforts didn\u2019t appear to attract the loyalty of that demographic to Addison-backed candidates. As the Tevarin voting block grows in strength and significance, the Universalist Party appears better positioned than the Centralists and Transitionalists to welcome these voters into the fold.\n\nWhile Senator Kossi\u2019s ascendance has been good for the Universalist Party, and UEE politics in general, there is growing concern within the party over some of the Senator\u2019s positions. Though he\u2019s a fairly conventional Universalist on many issues, Senator Kossi is a strong advocate for revising Citizenship requirements and expanding enfranchisement across the empire. He has also worked with Imperator Addison on legislation that would create new government programs and initiatives meant to further increase Tevarin citizenship and involvement in the public sector \u2013 legislation some Universalists see as unnecessary, expensive, and\/or a waste of his political capital. As one party insider put it, \u201cThese are bloated Addison administration initiatives. Even if they succeed, neither Senator Kossi nor the Universalist party will get any credit for their success.\u201d\n\nYet, not everyone within the party thinks that Senator Kossi diverging from the Universalist platform is a bad thing. In fact, some see these deviations as a potential strength. Monique Erby, an Elysium-based political analyst who\u2019s closely watched Senator Kossi\u2019s rise, believes it could help him with voters that other Universalist candidates never could court. \u201cSenator Kossi has played his position quite well. During his initial campaign, he painted himself as a run-of-the-mill and reliable Universalist when the story was about him being a Tevarin. Then he became an active and enthusiastic party cheerleader to solidify his position within it. Now that the story\u2019s shifted to him being just another Universalist who happens to be Tevarin, he\u2019s leaned into beliefs that differ from the party. Like any good politician, he\u2019s molding his image in a way that lets people see in him what they want to see.\u201d\n\nDespite these concerns from within the party, Senator Kossi is clearly still in its good graces, as evidenced by him landing the keynote speech at USVC. Illyana Sharrad, who was recently elected as the party\u2019s chairperson, gave him that prime speaking slot and remains one of Senator Kossi\u2019s most ardent and vocal supporters. \u201cSenator Kossi is proof that we\u2019re a big tent party. We want a diversity of voices and ideas within the Universalist party,\u201d said Sharrad during a USVC press conference. \u201cHe has a compelling vision for the future of the UEE, and the party will support him any way we can in achieving those goals.\u201d\n\nWhen asked if part of Senator Kossi\u2019s vision includes running for Imperator in 2960, Sharrad simply smiled then pivoted toward more immediate concerns than an \u201celection still eight years away.\u201d As one of the final five Imperator candidates in the 2950 Imperator election, Sharrad still looms large over the Universalist Party and its future. While there are rumors that she may run for Imperator again in 2960, there\u2019s a growing belief that Sharrad has instead chosen Senator Kossi to represent the party in the next election and is working on helping him build the political clout and infrastructure needed for a run of his own. No Tevarin candidate has ever made it past the primary vote, let alone run as a candidate for a major political party. Meanwhile, others wonder if Sharrad\u2019s support and spotlighting of Senator Kossi is instead a self-serving tactic meant to blunt the growing influence of Titus Costigan within the party.\n\nAs for the chances of a Tevarin nominee winning the Imperator election, Monique Erby has her doubts, \u201cYou just need to look to the Stanton system and what\u2019s happening with the XenoThreat terrorists to know that there is still a sizeable portion of the population who are unwilling to embrace non-Humans in positions of power. Representing Elysium is one thing, but it\u2019s hard to say if the votes would ever be there for an alien head of the UEE. If the election were held today, the numbers I\u2019ve seen would say no, but who knows what the next few years may change.\u201d\n\nFollowing his speech at USVC, Senator Kossi himself brushed off questions about a 2960 run for Imperator. \u201cMy future remains focused on improving the lives and defending the rights of my constituents in Elysium, supporting the military in its campaign to defeat the Vanduul, and bringing more opportunities to Tevarin across the Empire.\u201d Still, a potential Kossi campaign was what many USVC attendees were talking about following his speech. On the last day of the conference, Senator Kossi placed third in a straw poll of preferred 2960 Imperator candidates, coming in just behind Illyana Sharrad and Titus Costigan. Though Senator Kossi might want to downplay talk of a potential run, it seems the question will remain a constant one throughout his second Senate term."},"links_count":0,"comment_count":24,"created_at":"2022-05-18T02:00:00+00:00","created_at_human":"3 years ago"},"meta":{"processed_at":"2026-05-07 19:27:04","valid_relations":["images","links"],"prev_id":18693,"next_id":18696}}