Ahead of the upcoming Election of Prime Minister, Reb Mordechai Moshe Linhart, the Chief Rabbi of Lostisland and Ambassador of Lostisland to Israel, issues election guidelines in his capacity as leader of the Lostislandic Jewish community.
In a statement distributed in the Google group of Lostislandic citizens, the Chief Rabbi commended the active participation of Jews in Lostislandic society and politics and called upon the Lostislandic Jewish community to observe a set of guidelines when casting their votes. In particular, the Chief Rabbi stressed the importance to choose a candidate who is an “upright individual” with a good reputation not involved in immoral acts such as homosexuality, idol worship, or proselytism among Jews.
Quoting the Satmar Rebbe, the Chief Rabbi advised against publicly supporting or campaigning for a specific candidate, and refrained from supporting a specific candidate himself due to his opposition in religious interference in the political sphere. The Chief Rabbi also stressed that the guidelines do not apply to the general (i.e., non-Jewish) public and that in his capacity as a religious leader he does not speak for the Federal Republic.
The submission of candidacies for the 2022 Election of Prime Minister began 7 November 2021 and will remain open till 7 February 2022. By 1 February 2022, the choice of electronic voting software to be used during the election will be officially announced, while the voting itself will be open from 1 to 7 March 2022 — to ensure that all citizens, regardless of the timezone and possible technical difficulties, are able to cast their vote. If no candidate manages to secure more than 50% of the vote, the second round shall begin on 1 April 2022 and delay till 7 April 2022. The inauguration of the new Prime Minister will take place on 7 May 2022 — exactly four years after the term of the current Prime Minister Denys Tezdzhanenko began on 7 May 2018. As of today, the list of candidates includes the incumbent Prime Minister and his running mate Khvicha Koridze, Moroccan musician Aymane Ait Boumenkar, Danish Messianic activist Mathias L. Mayaan-Baruch, former Ambassador to India Abhishek Thakkar, and the incumbent Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Minority Affairs Maria Ostroukhova (by date of registration). More information regarding the election is available on Decision 2022: the official election central of Lostisland.
Established in 2019, the Chief Rabbinate of Lostisland is the supreme rabbinic, religious and spiritual authority of the Federal Republic of Lostisland and is responsible for enforcing religious orthodoxy within the Federal Republic, coordinating the activities of Lostislandic Jewish organizations and communities, administering justice among the Jewish community of Lostisland on matters not covered by secular justice, ensuring Kashrut and Shabbat observance and regulating other matters of the Lostislandic Jewry. While not a government official, the Chief Rabbi is appointed by the President and the Prime Minister from among a list of candidates selected by Lostislandic Jewish leaders and organizations and enjoys a status in Lostislandic law similar to a minister.