Plamen Iliev II OM is the former Leader of the Opposition and Member for the Septenary Seat in the General Assembly of Cycoldia, Caretaker Prime Minister of the Grand Duchy of Dathuria and leading member of the Cycoldian Tulip Party prior to his resignation on 26 August 2024. He founded the Tulip Party with Nicholas Lokin and William Denton on 31 October 2023, later being appointed its Spokesman shortly before the March election of 2024. Iliev was the first non-Monarchist candidate to win a plurality in any Cycoldian electoral contest as the Tulip pick for the February 2024 special election, doing the same in March, 2024. During that general election, he also became the first non-Monarchist to place first in the Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) ranking, beating Brandon Mierzwa[a] by 6.67%. He formally resigned from the General Assembly and all other Cycoldian governmental and party posts on the 26 August, 2024. He was appointed Prime Minister of Dathuria by then-Grand Duke Kevon Burnett on 18 September 2024[1].
Having met Christina I & II during their joint creation of the Das Zentrum political party in Wynnland, the two quickly began discussing matters unrelated to Wynnish politics, among them Nowell's own micronation. Taking an interest in seeing it for himself, Iliev became a Cycoldian citizen on the 24th of April, 2022 at approximately 21:33 GMT. While passively supportive of the Monarchist Party, he remained uninvolved in Cycoldian political matters until the 13th of September that year, when Christina I & II called for candidates in the 2022 October General Election. After briefly and unsuccessfully trying to register his own party, he ended up running as an independent candidate. Although on the ballot as a fully authorized candidate, Iliev's campaign quickly became easy to describe as humorous due to actions like calling himself "the lessest of all evils", claiming he "sleepwalked into a political race" and borrowing the policy position of "free ponies for all Americans" from Vermin Supreme, a prolific satirical candidate for various American political posts. He last placed last on the Imperial Ballot[b]and thus placed last overall. During the July 2023 Special Election, upon a similar call for candidates to compete against Arne le Valoris of the Unitary Party, Iliev once again entered the race to provide an alternative choice, withdrawing 5 days later when the Monarchists put forward Lewis Ross, whom he endorsed. During the lead up to the September 2023 Cycoldian General Election he saw that there was no non-Monarchist candidate, causing him to run as an independent for a third time. During this time, he was also noted for defending then Prime Minister Kevon Burnett against the vote of no confidence he was facing, calling the alleged offense of insulting the Libertalian head of state insufficient to prove he is unsuitable for the Premiership. Despite earning 25% of the first choice vote, he once again placed last, yet his campaign caught the attention of another two politically unsuccessful figures.
Creation of the Tulip Party
On the 30th of October, 2023 at approximately 21:53 GMT, Nicholas I of Humberlea messaged Iliev, inviting him to take part in the creation of "a Centre-left/left-wing party" whose primary goal would be to prevent the continuation of the "one party system", meaning the political dominance of the Monarchist Party, which had held a majority in every General Assembly since the country's founding. A few minutes later, having already recruited William Denton of the Liberal Party and thus meeting the three member criteria, Lokin began the registration process, naming the party after tulip flowers due to their status as "the only flower [he] could find [that is] not already politicised". After a minor delay caused by the proposed logo's similarity to that of the Democratic Party, the Tulip Party of Cycoldia was registered on the 31st of October, with the Liberal Party merging into it. having selected Nicholas I of Humberlea as leader despite in practice being collectively ran by its three founders.
Coat of arms of Plamen Iliev in the Cycoldian Imperium
Adopted
6 April 2024
Escutcheon
Azure, a bend sinister meandering Or, three lions rampant in bend sinister bendwise Azure
References
Footnotes
↑The Chief Marshal was the Monarchist Party's endorsed first choice candidate despite technically not being an MP member.
↑The Imperial Ballot is the vote cast by Her Imperial Majesty the Summi Imperatoria, serving as both an endorsement of her preferred candidates and a demonstration of how ranked choice ballots ought to be filled out.
Tulip
Cycoldia
Members of the General Assembly of Cycoldia