Daily Prophet

[Cyndi Kingsley]

Holland Seizes Keys to the Kingdom​ by: Alexa Rodriguez​

The election for minister for magic has come and gone and the winner is Claudia Holland. To keen followers of the campaign the winner may come as no surprise. Claudia was the darling of the campaign and won many hearts and minds with her policies grounded in community engagement and inclusion. While her ideas brought praise from her eventual deputy Alexander Cade she would regularly clash with opponent Ioan Finch. For many, Claudia and Ioan represented two distinct schools of attitudes in the magical world. Ioan represented the old school wizards first mentality and Claudia very much the new school of greater understanding, shared ideas and better links between the magical and muggle worlds. The people of New Zealand made their choice, and some would argue a surprising one, but it is clear the new generation of wizard want a world of understanding not a world of superiority.



With much of the focus of the election being on the two initial front runners Claudia and Ioan it could be forgiven for forgetting the other candidates had been running, at least until the surprise of Alexander Cade being voted in as deputy minister. It does beg the question what happened to Ioan’s rather sizeable support come election day. It was clear through the debates that Cade was a fan of Claudia and agreed with many of her policies so in some respects it can be seen as a good thing that the new Minister and her deputy will be singing from the same song sheet. But is it? Will Claudia Holland having unchecked power in the minsters office with a deputy that will only enable her lead to radical changes at a rate the magical community isn’t ready for? Voting for a candidate promising a bright new future is easy, the magical community did that, but will the reality of Claudia’s vision prove too much too soon? Will the magical community have to rely on a wizard relatively unheard of in this country to reign her in? Or will the new Minister prove us right for voting her in and show restraint by only enacting new policies at the right time and usher in change slowly giving the community time to adapt to the brave new world they voted for?

We don’t know what awaits us when Mrs Holland is sworn in, we don’t know how much of her manifesto will be implemented, but if just the spirit of her campaign alone makes its way into magical politics then the world will suddenly seem a lot brighter.

A Reflection on Kingsley's Term​ by: Ezra Shaffer​

Cameron Kingsley is officially out of the Minister’s office, and has been replaced by Claudia Holland. While we are still looking forward to seeing what Minister Holland will bring to our country in the next decade, it is only fitting that we reflect on Cameron Kingsley’s term as Minister for Magic. When Mr. Kingsley took office, the country was still reeling from the murder of the Head Auror Nicolas King and the scandal of Avery Brandt’s fake campaign. The Minister dealt with the trials and punishments of the offenders swiftly and competently, proving to us all that he was the right man for the job. Even the Scitorari activity has been declining over recent years. Mr. Kingsley ran his campaign on the ideals of making New Zealand a safer community for us all, and he continuously stuck to that time and time again when dealing with criminals, including the most recent trial of a couple of werewolf hunters. I contacted Minister Kingsley for a statement, and he sent me back this letter, which I would like to include for you all now. I hope you will join me in saying thank you to Mr. Kingsley for his leadership our country and on a job well done. ********************* To the people of New Zealand, It has been my honor and privilege to serve as your Minister for Magic over the last ten years. The election process is a beautiful thing that allows the people of this country to choose a leader that they feel best represents them as a whole. The people put their faith in the Minister to lead them and protect them, and I feel grateful that you placed your faith in me for the last decade. It is, in many ways, a job that comes with constant criticism and judgement, but it is a job I have done proudly and would repeat without hesitation. As my time as your Minister comes to a close, it is bittersweet. This job has been my entire life--my family’s life--and it is hard to move on to the next chapter. However, I do so knowing that the country will be left in Claudia Holland’s capable hands. Ms. Holland, I look forward to seeing where you lead our country in the next ten years. Please know that my family and I are here for you and your family if you should ever need anything. Thank you, New Zealand, for trusting me to lead you through the last ten years. It has been my honor and my pleasure. I will miss you all. With all my love, Cameron Kingsley

Behind the Scenes by: Cat Tannon

Not just anyone can run for Minister of Magic. Running for Minister is not just shoving your ideas into other people's faces. It's not just about thinking you have the right idea about how to run a country. Politics is so much more than just debates. It is an expensive and time consuming undertaking. You can try and fund-raise, or get sponsors to help you on your journey, but ultimately, it is as if you are running your own business. You have to fund the campaigns, and employees, and basically try to sell yourself as a person, not just your ideas. Not just anyone can run for Minister, which is why finding out we had a criminal in our ranks was frightening. We were all wondering, didn't they do extensive background checks? Even if just for a short period, we were all suspicious of each other. But that helped add fuel to the fire behind our campaigns, to prove we were good enough. It wasn't surprising that Roman Hensel was found out - having an Auror follow your every move is tiresome. For those of us who's race has ended, it is with a welcome relief I'm sure that we accept our solitary; not so for Mrs. Holland, who's whole family will now be under the spotlight. Luckily, this wasn't a tight knit, family theater show, though drama was certainly involved. The tension between Holland and Finch off the stage was as present as on, and I'm sure they are both relieved that they won't have to be working with each other - though one will be happier than the other, for her dreams came to light. Not just anyone can run for Minister of Magic. Not just anyone can withstand the stress of being Minister of Magic. The debates were just the beginning. While I have full belief in Mrs. Holland, only time will tell. page 2​

After the Vote by: Anthony Miller

As Claudia Holland and Alexander Cade transition into their new positions, the other candidates are also transitioning from a year spent fighting and debating and campaigning. As the former candidates were clearing out their spaces, this Daily Prophet reporter caught up with them all for some last words. The election process is a grueling one as you can read in my colleague Cat Tannon's article, and it wouldn't be surprising to learn that a candidate preferred to return to a life of privacy over remaining in the spotlight. Ms. Tannon, for instance, plans to return to her position with the Daily Prophet while also helping with her father's business while Mr. Kozlov plans on returning to his Healer position. Nor would it be surprising if a candidate chose to move forward fighting for their supporters and working to keep the Minister accountable, though there are likely no shortage of people eager to do that. Deputy Cade seems eager to do just that pointing out that he is "in an excellent position to effect change" though he did admit to "look[ing] forward to working with [Claudia Holland]." Even Mr. Kozlov plans to continue to advocate for changes that he spoke about during his campaign. Hopefully, Minister Holland is as willing to listen as she expressed during her campaign. All of the candidates were eager to participate and say a final word, except for Mr. Finch whose space remained dark. Efforts to reach out to his people were met with a very curt 'There are no comments from Mr. Finch's camp at this time.' Curious, but not surprising considering his staunch opposition to the new minister. The candidates were gracious in their defeat, the majority expressing confidence in the abilities of Minister Holland and Deputy Minister Cade to lead the country successfully, Ms. Tannon even calling Claudia Holland's win a "huge step forward for our country." A huge step indeed, though only time will tell exactly which direction that step will lead. It'll be interesting to see exactly what Minister Holland decides to tackle first. page 3​