December 30, 2023
Some time in early December, the Office of the Prime Minister made a short statement to the press about a speech from the Prime Minister that would be made on the evening of the 30th. That day was now here, and so the airwaves were fixed on the Witenapalent as they prepared to relay this live address.
Eoforwine Æthelstanesunu, the Prime Minister, was undoubtedly a familiar face by now. After all, as the head of government of Tretrid, he had dominated the political conversation for more than seven years now. Such it was that the image of him at his desk was being broadcast for much of the people of Tretrid to see.
“Good evening, everyone. I hope you have all had a joyful Yule. For the past seven years now, I have had the unique distinction and duty of being tasked with leading the government of Tretrid. I have tried my utmost to carry out the responsibilities given to me, and I hope that the results should speak for themselves.”
“We have defended our democracy against the corrupting influence of corporate money, where they had previously bent the government to their interests. We have made the government more transparent and accountable to its citizens than it has ever been before. We have sought to extend a helping hand to our most vulnerable, to give them a fighting chance to succeed. We have done the same abroad, too, to make at least some progress to alleviate global poverty.”
“The people graciously responded to me by granting me an unprecedented majority in the Witenagemot, all the more which we have been able to do to continue the work we started early on. I must thank you once again for the overwhelming mandate you have granted in the last election. It truly means a lot to me.”
“The time is drawing near that you, the Tretridian people, must decide where next to go from here. Elections will be held next year, and it is there at the ballot box that our course forward as a country into the near future will be decided.”
“As in 2020, I have been urged by advisors, Councilors, and most importantly, by voting Tretridians to continue to carry out the great work that we began in 2016. However, after careful consideration, I have decided it is time to step aside and let a new generation of people decide where to go forward from here. I will not be seeking reelection to the Witenagemot and intend to retire from politics after the election.”
“I will be the first to admit that my actions have not been perfect. I have misstepped and I have erred. Yet every action I have done I have done in the service of the Tretridian state and people, and in the name of a better world.”
“In 2017, I was invited to speak at the commencement ceremony for a year’s worth of bright students at the University of Cynebury. I said that the statesman has an eternal duty to carefully consider every option and every action and ensure that in the end history will see such actions justified. Looking back, nearing the end of it all, I can see everything that I’ve done and say that they were indeed so. I have tried my utmost to carry out my duty as a humble servant of the people to its furthest extent.”
“Yet that is ultimately not my judgement to make. That is a decision that you will make at the ballot box next year. Thank you for putting faith in me to guide our way forward, and I wish you all a good night and a bright future.”
And with that send-off, the cameras stopped rolling, leaving an entire nation to ponder what might lie ahead.