Denys Tezdzhanenko, the incumbent Prime Minister of Lostisland and candidate on the upcoming election of Prime Minister, announced his withdrawal from the electoral race.
In a letter sent to President Yaroslav Mar and distributed to the Google Group of citizens, the incumbent Prime Minister said that his recent changes in personal and private life, as well as participation in municipal elections, no longer allow him to dedicate sufficient attention to Lostisland. Due to what he described as the “low quality of candidates,” PM Tezdzhanenko refrained from endorsing another candidate and called upon the President to disestablish the office of Prime Minister altogether as it has “little real added value for Lostisland.”
Since the office of the Prime Minister is enshrined in the constitution, its disestablishment would have to be done via a constitutional amendment rather than a presidential decree.
Often described as a strongman by external observers, the veteran politician has been at the helm of Lostisland since March 2013, when he succeeded Stepan Ignatyev as the last Captain Regent of the Republic of Lostisland, only to become the first Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Lostisland in April 2013. After his resignation in May 2013 amid the constitutional crisis, Denys Tezdzhanenko returned to power as Prime Minister on 4 February 2015 and remained in office ever since. He was re-elected during the 2018 snap election.
During his current term, the Prime Minister made conflicting statements regarding his political future. In a 2019 speech welcoming Ambassador Rob Meyer to Russia, Tezdzhanenko announced he will not seek another term in 2022. In a 2020 interview, the Prime Minister reaffirmed his plans but said he may consider a final term “if the President asks [him] to stay.” On 7 November 2021 Tezdzhanenko ultimately announced his election bid on a joint ticket with Khvicha Koridze, the founder of Lostisland Philosophy Club. If elected to his fourth term, Denys Tezdzhanenko could have remained in office until at least 2026, thus serving for more than 11 years in total.
The withdrawal of the incumbent Prime Minister from the race will undoubtedly shift the political paradigm ahead of the upcoming election, though it is unclear who is the favorite candidate as no opinion polls have been conducted so far. The remaining candidates are the incumbent Deputy Prime Minister Maria Ostroukhova, the Ambassador to The Philippines Kit Siapno on a joint ticket with the Ambassador to Malaysia Dr. Rishabh Saxena, former Ambassador to India Abhishek Thakkar dismissed with prejudice in August 2021, as well as Lostislandic citizens Aymane Ait Boumenkar, David Glightly, and Mathias L. Mayaan-Baruch.
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 Denys Tezdzhanenko’s current term began on 7 May 2018. Denys Tezdzhanko will remain the Prime Minister until then.
All the information regarding the 2022 Election of Prime Minister Denys Tezdzhanenko is available on Decision 2022: the official election central of Lostisland.