Orion national election, 31 A.R.

The 31 A.R. national election was the fifth national election that took place under the Third Constitution, and all 401 members of the Orion National Assembly were elected under ranked-choice voting.

Incubment Chancellor Charron Shanor attempted to continue the Rally for Orion's winning streak, but narrowly lost re-election to Durant Gordon, the Coalition for the Republic's new leader.

After winning the 28 elections, Shanor's government, which held its majority by only 13 seats, had difficulty passing legislation due to near-constant defections from its members in marginal seats. Though the Shanor government was initially confident about winning re-election if Lockhart Riley remained Leader of the Opposition, that optimism faded when Riley was ousted by the Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs, Durant Gordon. Gordon was more ideologically and rhetorically disciplined than Riley, and proved adept in outmaneuvering the less-charismatic Shanor.

The Rally started the election with a mid-single digit deficit against the Coalition, which prompted some in the party to attempt to replace Shanor with Racicot Marshall or even Hughes Stone Wheeler. However, both Marshall and Wheeler rejected the overtures, and the leadership challenge to Shanor fizzled. However, Shanor recycled the same strategy from 28, and dispatched her more-popular colleagues to stump for the government around the country. Positive economic news and Shanor's success in toppling the imperial Cheissian remnant in the Rannean continent added to Shanor's popularity. By the eve of the election, most polls showed Shanor and Gordon either narrowly tied or Shanor narrowly ahead.

As the votes were counted on election night, the outcome wasn't clear. It took several weeks of counting to confirm the devastating 49-seat loss that the Rally and Social Movement suffered, and that the Coalition won the popular vote bonus by posting a 120,000 vote lead over Shanor. Therefore, for the first time after the Third Constitution was adopted, the Rally was relegated to the opposition, and Shanor succeeded Gordon as the Leader of the Opposition.