Anthony I, Emperor of Saspearian and longtime delegate of Saspearian to the MA, has been elected as the 17th Chairman of the Micronational Assembly following a narrow victory in the July 2023 Chairman Election. The election was the first Chairman election in the MA’s recent history that permitted voting for all delegates. Since 2019, Chairman elections have been held only within the Council. Turnout was 16 out of 52 delegates (30.7%), slightly higher than the turnout of 12 (23.5%) from the July 2023 Council Election that preceded it.
The election had three candidates, Anthony I (Saspearian), Evan I (Ameristan), and Lane Caldwell (Surdam). Anthony I won by a plurality of the vote, receiving seven votes (43.8%); the incumbent Chairman, Evan I, received five votes (31.3%), and Lane Caldwell received four votes (25%).
Anthony I currently serves as a Councilman in the MA and has previously served at various times since 2020 and ran for Chairman in the January 2021 Chairman Election but lost to Tsar Stefan I.
Anthony I issued a victory speech following the announcement of the election results.
“It is a great honor to serve as the Chairman of the Micronational Assembly, and I thank everyone who supported me along the way and worked with me to achieve the best. I first joined the MA in 2017 through the Google+ Community when I started to establish Saspearian, I wasn’t active much back then, but it helped our nation become diplomatically involved in the community. Five years ago, I had a vision of becoming the Chairman of the MA. However, I faced many challenges in my endeavors; Saspearian was banned from the MA in 2018 due to the land claim only being a bedroom. Eventually, we did expand our land claims, but it was a very different organization, and I couldn’t run for office. Subsequently, we would face other issues, such as the August Crisis, and I admit that there were some mistakes that I have made before. But I have overcome these challenges through perseverance, and I worked with others to improve the organization. It wouldn’t be possible without your dedication to making advancements. I am glad to be back, and I look forward to continuing the reformations. Let’s continue to bring change!”
Anthony I
August 1, 2023