Boo and AAPA neck and neck as election approaches
This week's PEC poll has shown both AAPA and Boo Parties to have taken a slight drop in the ratings, though that of AAPA was sufficient to place them now equal with the Boo Party. With the next election just five days away, these are likely to be indicative of final results. This election really is too close to call. Also seen this week has been a solid rise in the support of right-wing parties, with the Centrist Conservative Party now forming a viable third party, if poll results are duplicated in this week's election. The drop in support for AAPA is likely due to Prime Minister Kay “DynamoJax” Jackson seeking powers of secrecy, keeping things hidden from the public. We are informed that this is important, yet no announcement has been forthcoming from the government. As we enter the final stages of this term of politics, everything is all to play for. Will the Boo Party's solid, but largely silent, support base rally behind Inevitable, or will moderation triumph?
Full results below:
AAPA 28.5% -1.1
Boo 28.5% -0.1
CCP 16.5% +1.7
PCP 12.7% +0.5
LD 9.1% +0.3
THAM 4.6% -1.4

Two more bodies found as man taken into custody
Two more bodies, both in the Valaxian capital Nectaris have been found over the weekend, an elderly man and a middle-aged woman. Both were in bad states of decomposition, suggesting that these are victims of the Mysterious Poisoner which pre-date Crisium Mayor Henry Grahams, and possibly even painter Felix Sit-Natalis. Both were found to have traces of morphine about them. Meanwhile, in a suburb of Nectaris, a man, thought to be in his late forties, has been taken into custody after neighbours reported suspicious activities on his property, as well as strange activity. We will bring you more on this story Friday.

Guest Column: Corridors of Power
Our reporter G. Rymander takes you through the latest parliamentary gossip.
End of the line for THAMP? Speculation is mounting that, amid disasterous poll ratings and general inertia, THAMP may not field candidates at the next election, but may instead throw their weight behind the CCP. Rumours are also circulating that DMHowe may actually be on the brink of defecting, although these are generally being dismissed as pure speculation. Either way, THAMP appear to be in serious trouble.
Promotion for Miller? Rumours are spreading that Carl Miller may be promoted should DynamoJax win the next election. The Lib Dem leader is currently Transport Secretary, but sources close to the cabinet have speculated that he may be promoted to Chancellor of the Exchequer. No official comments about the structure of the next cabinet have been made yet.
Boo Party crackdown on Cannabis? Finally, there is a significantly widespread belief that the Boo Party may try to pre-empt liberatarian legislation on Cannabis by introducing their own bill imposing harsh penalties on those caught with the drug. It is speculated that the bill may be rushed through during the parliamentary clean-up period. There has been no official confirmation of this policy, but it has been made clear in the past that party leader Inevitable is a fierce opponent of legalisation.
Disclaimer: The stories reported in this column are speculative and should not be mistaken for actual news.

The Week in Politics
The most dramatic thing to happen this week is the passage of the National Secrets Bill, removing some of the transparency around governmental issues in the name of “security”. Passing through Parliament last week with a very slim majority, the bill enabled Prime Ministers to classify certain cabinet records and documents as Top Secret and not available for public view. In related news, a bill establishing contingency for the event that the Prime Minister were to be unable to carry out his duties is currently going through Parliament, and is expected to pass with a relatively large majority. In non-bill news, Centrist Conservative Party leader Sir William Buttersworth attempted this week to get the government to divulge “the bad things which are happening”, yet nothing came of this. Staying with the CCP, it this week announced policies on victimless crimes, property rights, traffic issues and education. While all but the property rights have been fairly contentious, arguably the two creating the most furore at the moment are the victimless crimes policy, which calls for drug legalisation, and to a lesser extent education policy, calling for greater private education provision, to much derision from the left. In meta-political news, the PEC, Ostentia's main polling organisation, announced changes to the way it conducted its surveys this week, with it now requesting notification for when personal polling preferences change, rather than postal surveys...

Umm... yes... of course they will be... :unsure: