Trouble in Oceania/2045 Oceanic presidential election

The 2045 Oceanic presidential election was the first presidential election in Oceania. The results of the election directly led to the outbreak of the First Oceanic Civil War and the establishment of the Oceanic Federation. According to the official results, United Nations-candidate Mike Linger and Neoteric Socialist-candidate Thomas Bricks proceeded to the second round with both candidates claiming victory in the second round.

First round aftermath
Mike Linger placed first and, despite opinion polls and widely-held expectations, Thomas Bricks narrowly beat out Motthew Matician in advancing to the second round. The news of Bricks' success in the first round was viewed by many as an electoral upset, with the official results taken with skepticism by most of Bricks' opponents. Widespread allegations of irregular voting patterns and rigging by the Bricks campaign were made, primarily by the Matician campaign. They refused to accept the results as legitimate. Nevertheless, the Technocratic Party formed the "Democracy!" political alliance with United Nations Party in support of Mike Linger's campaign.

The most radical reaction came from the States' Rights Party. Nearly all of the former United States and Canada had voted for G.R. Nash, seen by the States' Rights Party as a popular mandate to secede. The advancement of two of the most pro-union candidates was perceived as a threat to the power of the states relative to the federal government. At the first post-round session of the Governing Committee of the States' Rights Party on 3 June, the Committee issued the "Mandatory Declaration" and, within the week, all States' Rights State Governors declared their intent to secede. In a special conference on 10 June, the State Governors issued a joint declaration of independence, constituting the Transitional Government of the Confederated States of North America, headed by President Burger King Hotline. This event is considered the beginning of the First Oceanic Civil War.