I don't know what kind of political system the UR has at present, but in the current UK general elections are held every five years. I also suppose there would be term limits on the PM now, since there's no longer a monarch to serve for who can call for a new government to be formed.
I tried to do a tally of the ACW casualties. Not as bloody as the real thing, at least not for the Confederates. Union casualties are about on par with what they were in the actual war.