UDS Gameplay | January Elections

[LollerLand]

Congratulations on your five years anniversary UDS!

[Druing]

Congratulations on your five years anniversary UDS!

Thank you, Loller! We've been through some tough times, but things are looking up now.

[UDS Dispatch Office]

Statement Regarding the Social Liberal Union

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

It has come to the attention of the government of the Union of Democratic States that the founder of the Social Liberal Union has engaged in an overthrow of the lawful government. Founder Ainland dismissed, ejected, and banned lawful primary regional officers including World Assembly Delegate Helvurium, Speaker of the Union Courelli, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Goncar. Ainland additionally suppressed lawful regional message board posts and abandoned the region for a new one. Since then, the lawful government of the Social Liberal Union has invoked and adhered to the terms of the Comprehensive Union Defense Act, moving to CUDA security level red, moving the community to their back-up region “The Social Liberal Union,” and declaring Ainland an enemy of the Union.

The Union of Democratic States stands behind the lawful government of the Social Liberal Union as they work to fight and move beyond the anti-democratic attacks of their founder. The Union has declared Ainland Persona Non Grata, and, in recognizing the legitimacy of the lawful government of our ally, is in the process of closing embassies with the “Social Liberal Union” and opening embassies with “The Social Liberal Union.”

This week the Union celebrates the fifth anniversary of the founding of our region. The overthrow of and subsequent actions of the lawful Social Liberal Union government are a reminder of just how resilient democracy is here on NationStates. In keeping with our commitment to them and in the spirit of this special commemoration, the Social Liberal Union diplomatic visit remains on the Union’s calendar for the 14th of December and the Union offers any help it can give to the people of the Social Liberal Union.

Signed,


Druing
President


Phoenix Coalition
Minister of Foreign Affairs

[UDS Dispatch Office]

December Embassy Update
Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Union Celebrates 5 Years
by British Isles And Commonwealth Realms

December was a special month for the UDS, which turned 5 years old on the 18th of December. The whole month preceding this date was rife with events such as movie nights, speeches and lectures and awards. Six of our most valued and trusted allies graced us with their attendance on this momentous achievement for our Union. 10000 Islands, The South Pacific, The East Pacific, Augustin Alliance, were some of our esteemed guests.

Aurora Covenant
by Phoenix Coalition

In a recent Foreign Affairs victory, The East Pacific (TEP) and the Union (UDS) successfully negotiated the Aurora Covenant, which is a standard treaty of friendship that forms an alliance between TEP and UDS. The UDS has had embassies with TEP for a considerable amount of time, and with the recent trend of the Union solidifying relations, this was a logical next step.

UDSAF Update
By Kade

The Union of Democratic States Armed Forces remained active over the past two months! UDSAF members participated in 8 operations, including the liberation of New Commonwealth Society & Christmas. Our very own Isles was the delegate for the Commonwealth liberation. Being the delegate comes with the “cleanup” after the liberation team has enough endorsements to unseat the raiders. Isles restored the World Facebook Entry (WFE) and suppressed raider entries on their regional message board. The UDSAF also participated in the delegate transition to Asdersland, helping to secure a record 9 day transition time! That is very fast for a region of our side.

UDSAF Monthly Report
December 2020
Participating UDSAF Members:
Kade
Isles
Zen

Defences: 0

Detags: 0

Liberations: 2

[UDS Dispatch Office]

January Embassy Update
Ministry of Foreign Affairs

UDS joins the Partnership of Sovereignty
by British Isles And Commonwealth Realms

Partnership of Sovereignty is a treaty signed firstly by The South Pacific, The Rejected Realms and 10000 Islands. The Partnership is rooted in the principles of self-determination, positive community, and respect for institutions. The Union became a signatory of the treaty in late January, when the Senate, in its closing days, voted to ratify the treaty. By joining this group of defenders and liberators, UDS has once again explicitly stated its aim for a liberal, free, and fair community in the NationStates.

UDS Elections
by Josephto

The Union has had a series of upcoming elections for January. The last week of January, as well as the first week of February, consisted of the regularly scheduled Senate elections. The Union's Constitution states that the Senate shall be made up of five senators, but only three citizens declared their candidacy. The candidates were Deputy Speaker Isles, Senator Sacento, and former Chief Justice We The People. All three were elected, and a by-election will be held in the near future to determine the final two senators. Following the Senate elections is the Chairperson of the Assembly and Speaker of the Senate. Isles was elected Speaker, while the election for Chair is ongoing. The currently declared candidates for Chair are incumbent Zeneste, Zion, Davinmark, Foreign Affairs Minister Phoenix and World Assembly Delegate Asdersland.

At the end of February is the scheduled Presidential election. Incumbent President Druing has stated his intention not to run for re-election. It is highly speculated the Minister of Foreign Affairs and former President Phoenix Coalition will announce his candidacy for President. Who steps up to challenge him remains to be seen. Other speculated candidates are Vice President Glaciosia, and possibly Attorney General Zukhavia.

UDS holds Daily Trivia Nights
by British Isles And Commonwealth Realms

In a fortunate turn of events, UDS has started holding daily trivia nights for its citizens and visitors. For every trivia night, a topic is selected beforehand. Then, one person asks the questions and keeps score. We have had 5 such trivia nights, with topics, like Second World War, Capitals, Geography etc.

UDSAF Update
By Kade

The union of democratic states armed forces assisted with operation choppy waters this month, helping to shut down the attempted largest raid in nation states history by multiple raider organizations. We also participated in our regularly scheduled updates with other defender organizations, and one of our members served as the point!

UDSAF is also excited to welcome to new members into the ranks this month. We look forward to developing their capabilities and joining us on the battlefield later this month.

UDSAF Monthly Report
January 2021

Participating UDSAF Members:
Kade
Isles
Zen
Josephto
We The People

Defences: 3

Detags: 3

Liberations: 0

[Qvait]

Great to see the UDS part of the PfS! I can't wait to see how far we go from here.

[UDS Dispatch Office]

February Embassy Update
Ministry of Foreign Affairs

UDS Presidential Election
by British Isles And Commonwealth Realms

It is that time of the year, when we elect our president and vice president. End of February marks the end of President Druing’s term, and the beginning of the presidential race. President Druing has declined to run for a second term. This time, two presidential hopefuls have thrown their names in the hat. Hoping to return to the helm of UDS, former president and incumbent Minister of Foreign Affairs Phoenix Coalition began the race by announcing his candidacy. To challenge him, incumbent minister of culture, Nuevo San Miguel has risen to the occasion. Phoenix Coalition has chosen incumbent Vice President Glaciosia as his running mate. Nuevo San Miguel has chosen incumbent Chairperson of the General Assembly, Zeneste as their vice presidential candidate. The voting began on 28 February, and results were declared on 2 March.

In a surprising turn of events, Nuevo San Miguel won the presidency with 15 votes, becoming the fourth President of the Union of Democratic States. Phoenix Coalition received 10 votes out of the total of 27 votes.

Presidential Closing Address Article
by Phoenix Coalition

The President, continuing the precedence set by the former President Phoenix and former Prime Minister Thatcher, issued his closing address for this term. The President thanked his dedicated friends and those within his cabinet in the further refinement and development of the region. Furthermore he made an appeal for citizens and non-citizens to either apply to the Executive or citizenship if the out-going administration inspired them.

Republica Accord Repealed
by British Isles And Commonwealth Realms

In October 2020, Union of Democratic States and Republic of Europeia entered into a treaty, “The Republica Accords”. The treaty discussed and settled between the Union and Europeia, issues of Sovereignty, military, diplomatic, intelligence, recruitment and cultural undertakings, and civil rights. The treaty was considered to be a groundbreaking achievement between the two regions, one defender-aligned and the other, independent in its military activities.

However, nothing good ever lasts, and so with this treaty. Europeia took offence at our vote on a WA commendation proposal. We stood firm in our belief and they in theirs. And so on 15 February 2021, Europeian Senate repealed the treaty.

Despite this, we maintain cordial relations with the Republic of Europeia. Differences in opinion does not mean enmities.

UDSAF Update
by Kade

The Ministry of Defense had another eventful month in the defenderverse. First, we'd like to recognize Sgt The Python as this month's winner of AFR-033 (updater of the month), eclipsing 100+ defenses and combined operations with joint forces. The UDSAF directly participated in the liberation of new_united_kingdom, The Embassy, and more. We look forward to another exciting month

UDSAF Monthly Report
February 2021

Participating Members:

Kade
Glac
Josephto
Isles
The Python
We The People

Defences: 120

Detags: 18

Liberations: 1

[UDS Dispatch Office]

March Embassy Update
Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Union Establishes Monarchy; Kanglia Declared King
by Khevo

In the late hours of March 31st, the regional forum went down for “maintenance.” However, following an Executive Decree from President Nuevo San Miguel, longtime citizen and armchair Kanglia was declared King and the forum was reopened under a fresh, new, monarchical theme. During the ensuing festivities, Glacio Revera of Ravana and King Kanglia were wed and the Church of Whitehall was established to worship Thatchism - a religion structured around the impending return of the UDS founder. The new forum and monarchy were kept in place until The Noble Thatcherites’ return on April 4th, at which point the region was reverted to its previous state.

March Senate Election
by Khevo

UDS Senate Elections began in the last week of March. Chancellor Khevo opened nominations on March 25 and the election began on March 27, with five candidates - Druing, Asdersland, Glaciosia, Kanglia, and We The People Gouvernor - running. When results were announced, there was some initial chaos as the Chancellors declared the Zuk (Guess and Check), the resident goose, the first-placed victor and that Re-Open Nominations, the region’s favorite perennial candidate, had placed above multiple candidates. However, these events were soon revealed to have been a Chancellor-planned April Fools’ Day joke - in truth, all candidates were elected and thus inaugurated a few days later.

World Assembly Advisory Board
by Asdersland

The World Assembly Advisory Board has been formed in order to act as a corps for the World Assembly apparatus in the Union of Democratic States. Its main function is to advise the World Assembly Delegate on a course of action on General Assembly and Security Council resolutions, but it will also have a significant effect in the organization of the various affairs of the World Assembly, including awards, our relations with the Partnership for Sovereignty, and recruitment.

Chairperson Election
by Josephto

Following the election of Nuevo San Miguel and Zeneste as President and Vice President, respectively, Zeneste resigned as Chairperson of the General Assembly. As per the Constitution, a by-selection for the position was conducted by the newly-sworn-in President. Deputy Chair Josephto ran against former President Druing, WA Delegate Asdersland, and former President Phoenix. Josephto won with 8 votes to Phoenix’s 4 votes and Asdersland’s 1 vote. Josephto was subsequently sworn in to finish Zeneste’s term.

Formatting Committee Publishes Report
by Glaciosia

One of the longest-term projects of the UDS - in progress since nearly the beginning of the current constitutional era - has completed its work. The formatting committee, established under UL-001, drafted a comprehensive standard format for the laws of the Union to follow.

UDSAF Update
by Kade

The UDSAF continued to work with interregional allies in support of defending the Nationstates community. Notable liberations this month included The Arab League, Merciam, and Warzone Africa. We also supported our allies in the Philippines following their delegate change.

March 2021

Participating Members: 6

Defences: 50+

Detags: 50+

Liberations: 3

[Qvait]

Republica Accord Repealed
by British Isles And Commonwealth Realms

In October 2020, Union of Democratic States and Republic of Europeia entered into a treaty, “The Republica Accords”. The treaty discussed and settled between the Union and Europeia, issues of Sovereignty, military, diplomatic, intelligence, recruitment and cultural undertakings, and civil rights. The treaty was considered to be a groundbreaking achievement between the two regions, one defender-aligned and the other, independent in its military activities.

However, nothing good ever lasts, and so with this treaty. Europeia took offence at our vote on a WA commendation proposal. We stood firm in our belief and they in theirs. And so on 15 February 2021, Europeian Senate repealed the treaty.

Despite this, we maintain cordial relations with the Republic of Europeia. Differences in opinion does not mean enmities.

Missed this. Imagine a region being so petty over a WA vote. It's a bunch of nonsense that Europeia would take offense to a sovereign decision made by the UDS, but I suppose that's just a conviction of their region's state of affairs in FA. I couldn't imagine myself throwing a tantrum with one of TSP's treatied regions over their vote in the WA. Europeia's loss.

[Comfed]

Republica Accord Repealed
by British Isles And Commonwealth Realms

In October 2020, Union of Democratic States and Republic of Europeia entered into a treaty, “The Republica Accords”. The treaty discussed and settled between the Union and Europeia, issues of Sovereignty, military, diplomatic, intelligence, recruitment and cultural undertakings, and civil rights. The treaty was considered to be a groundbreaking achievement between the two regions, one defender-aligned and the other, independent in its military activities.

However, nothing good ever lasts, and so with this treaty. Europeia took offence at our vote on a WA commendation proposal. We stood firm in our belief and they in theirs. And so on 15 February 2021, Europeian Senate repealed the treaty.

Despite this, we maintain cordial relations with the Republic of Europeia. Differences in opinion does not mean enmities.

Missed this. Imagine a region being so petty over a WA vote. It's a bunch of nonsense that Europeia would take offense to a sovereign decision made by the UDS, but I suppose that's just a conviction of their region's state of affairs in FA. I couldn't imagine myself throwing a tantrum with one of TSP's treatied regions over their vote in the WA. Europeia's loss.

The statement from the UDS provides basically no context and is misleading. Their recommendation referred to Europeia as a raider region and accused “Condemn King HEM” of being lies and propaganda. It also repeated the classic, but completely false, line of “independence = raiderism”. They were initially supportive of the treaty, but seemed to have a complete about-face after joining the PfS. It was much more severe than simply “disagreeing with a WA vote”.

[Quebecshire]

The statement from the UDS provides basically no context and is misleading. Their recommendation referred to Europeia as a raider region and accused “Condemn King HEM” of being lies and propaganda. It also repeated the classic, but completely false, line of “independence = raiderism”. They were initially supportive of the treaty, but seemed to have a complete about-face after joining the PfS. It was much more severe than simply “disagreeing with a WA vote”.

While I agree and am willing to concede that the UDS statement certainly omitted a bit of relevant information to the dispute, I don't know if that response is entirely fair. Painting independents with the same brush is unwise, from either side of the raiding-defending spectrum, but there are definitely some "independent" militaries that are dominated by raiding activity and practices. In my experience, the ERN functions mostly in a raiding capacity.

While I am not a part of the PfS, and therefore am not privy to what debate entailed prior to that bloc-wide voting recommendation, I think it would also be mildly unreasonable to expect the UDS to deviate from or oppose a bloc decision roughly immediately prior to joining.

[Qvait]

The statement from the UDS provides basically no context and is misleading. Their recommendation referred to Europeia as a raider region and accused “Condemn King HEM” of being lies and propaganda. It also repeated the classic, but completely false, line of “independence = raiderism”. They were initially supportive of the treaty, but seemed to have a complete about-face after joining the PfS. It was much more severe than simply “disagreeing with a WA vote”.

Even if you take the context into account, the argument still stands, and yes, Europeia is a raider region despite their self-described, so-called Independent ideology that several regions adhere to.

[Tinhampton]

Republica Accord Repealed
by British Isles And Commonwealth Realms

In October 2020, Union of Democratic States and Republic of Europeia entered into a treaty, “The Republica Accords”. The treaty discussed and settled between the Union and Europeia, issues of Sovereignty, military, diplomatic, intelligence, recruitment and cultural undertakings, and civil rights. The treaty was considered to be a groundbreaking achievement between the two regions, one defender-aligned and the other, independent in its military activities.

However, nothing good ever lasts, and so with this treaty. Europeia took offence at our vote on a WA commendation proposal. We stood firm in our belief and they in theirs. And so on 15 February 2021, Europeian Senate repealed the treaty.

Despite this, we maintain cordial relations with the Republic of Europeia. Differences in opinion does not mean enmities.

Missed this. Imagine a region being so petty over a WA vote. It's a bunch of nonsense that Europeia would take offense to a sovereign decision made by the UDS, but I suppose that's just a conviction of their region's state of affairs in FA. I couldn't imagine myself throwing a tantrum with one of TSP's treatied regions over their vote in the WA. Europeia's loss.

Did the Republica Accord cover co-operation on World Assembly-related matters, implicitly or explicitly?

[Comfed]

Missed this. Imagine a region being so petty over a WA vote. It's a bunch of nonsense that Europeia would take offense to a sovereign decision made by the UDS, but I suppose that's just a conviction of their region's state of affairs in FA. I couldn't imagine myself throwing a tantrum with one of TSP's treatied regions over their vote in the WA. Europeia's loss.

Did the Republica Accord cover co-operation on World Assembly-related matters, implicitly or explicitly?

Actually, no, it did not

The statement from the UDS provides basically no context and is misleading. Their recommendation referred to Europeia as a raider region and accused “Condemn King HEM” of being lies and propaganda. It also repeated the classic, but completely false, line of “independence = raiderism”. They were initially supportive of the treaty, but seemed to have a complete about-face after joining the PfS. It was much more severe than simply “disagreeing with a WA vote”.

Even if you take the context into account, the argument still stands, and yes, Europeia is a raider region despite their self-described, so-called Independent ideology that several regions adhere to.

Actually, people are allowed to do R/D operations that defenders don’t like. That doesn’t automatically make them raider.

[Quebecshire]

Actually, people are allowed to do R/D operations that defenders don’t like. That doesn’t automatically make them raider.

Sure, but almost exclusively conducting raider operations or otherwise heavily favoring raider activity can earn you valid criticism for doing so. The ERN very much leans raider on that spectrum.

EDIT: I'm going to avoid continuing here as to not risk threadjacking the UDS, but I would be happy to discuss my views on certain types of independentism in a more appropriate venue.

[UDS Dispatch Office]

Statement Regarding Force

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Over the course of the past few days, the Union of Force has behaved itself in a manner incompatible with the standards set for embassy regions of the Union. Their actions in TSSU effectively constitute an imperialist refound against the natives of the region, and the actions of their Founder and government officials surrounding the event are embarrassing and improper on an OOC level. Therefore, the Union of Democratic States shall withdraw its onsite and forum embassies and recall its ambassador to the Union of Force, effective immediately.

Signed,


Nuevo San Miguel
President


British Isles and Commonwealth Realms
Minister of Foreign Affairs

[UDS Dispatch Office]

May Embassy Update
Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Union Passes New Constitution
by British Isles And Commonwealth Realms

In May, the region replaced its past Constitution with a new one, written by Die Kronprinzessin with contributions and amendments by other Unionists, and brought a multitude of changes to the Union.

Firstly, the abolition of the General Assembly means that the region now possesses a unicameral legislature. The General Assembly was the lower chamber of the Legislature and had contained the citizenry of the Union. The upper house - the Senate - is now the only legislative chamber, with the number of Senators determined proportionately from the average voter count in the previous three elections. In the first term since the Constitution passed, the Senate contained five seats, which will increase to six in the August Senate Elections.

The Office of the Chancellery was also closed and its election-running duties were transferred to the newly created Electoral Commission. The Electoral Commission consists of a Chief Commissioner (a presidential nominee confirmed by the Senate), the Chief Justice, and a Deputy Chief Commissioner appointed by the other two.

In a bid to keep the Judiciary and the Executive separate, the new constitution removed the President’s power to nominate Supreme Court Justices, instead giving that duty to an elected Chief Justice who then must be confirmed by the Senate. Judicial elections are only held when a Chief Justice fails reconfirmation.

There were further small changes, including the abolition of term limits and the inclusion of recall elections. The new constitution, dubbed ‘Kronstitution’ in honor of its author, is a result of months of deliberation and discussion.

June Senate Elections
by Asdersland

The most recent Senate election, conducted at the beginning of June, was a tremendous success punctuated by a large turnout of 28 voters, as well as 10 candidates standing for election. Josephto, Kingdom of Sacento, British Isles and Commonwealth Realms, Xandorian Plexora, and Glaciosia were the candidates elected - Xandorian Plexora a newcomer to the region. The next regular elections are those for President, which will be conducted at the beginning of July.

Unionists Receive Special Honors
by Kingdom of Sacento & Zeneste

Two Unionists recently received special recognition for their work in the Union.

After spending four years in the Union, serving many roles including but not limited to, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Chancellor, OOC Administrator, President, and Speaker, Phoenix Coalition has decided to take a hiatus from the UDS as a citizen and relinquished all IC positions while continuing work as an Admin in hopes of exploring pastures new. Phoenix was subsequently awarded Honorary Citizenship by the Senate by a unanimous vote. The decision was widely supported among the citizenry considering the exemplary service of Phoenix during his tenure in the region, and we wish him all the best moving forward.

Josephto was the Union’s final Chairperson, and he served the position diligently up until the Union’s most recent change in constitutions. Over the past few months, Josephto has become synonymous with the General Assembly as both a member and eventually as Chairperson. When the General Assembly was abolished under the new constitution, Joe was honored with the title of Chairperson Emeritus for his extensive work in the chamber.

Ministry of Justice Introduces Union Bar Exam
by Glaciosia

The Attorney General and Minister of Justice Glaciosia announced the long-awaited Union Bar Exam and Union Attorney program. The test consists of a multiple-choice and written portion, examining applicants’ knowledge of the constitution, criminal code, and judicial procedure. So far, 7 applicants have sought to become Union Attorneys, able to represent others in court and demonstrate their legal prowess.

[Phoenix Coalition]

I appreciate the mention, thank you guys! Great posting of our Embassy Update as always too.

[UDS Dispatch Office]

June Embassy Update
Ministry of Foreign Affairs

New Administration
by British Isles And Commonwealth Realms

With the end of President Nuevo San Miguel's term in office approaching, the recently established Electoral Commission opened nominations for the office of the President of the Union of Democratic States.
This would be the first presidential elections to be conducted under the new constitution, abd the winner would be the first president who would we'll all the powers given to them by this constitution. There were only two candidates; former chief justice Kron with Zuk as her vice president and former defence minister Kang with Phoenix as his vice president. Kron's manifesto focused on efficiency, activity and information. She is the first presidential candidate in recent history to declare their cabinet in their manifesto. One major point of her campaign was the splitting of the Ministry of Culture into Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Roleplay, the minster of the latter ministry and the Minister of defence would be nominated by the roleplayers and soldiers respectively. Kang promised positive growth in domestic and international matters, and culture. The promised game nights and reaching out to new incoming nations through telegrams.

The two candidates met for a skirmish in a debate where the citizenry ask them questions through our intermediary Glac. The final battle took place on the electoral field and Kron emerged victorious. Our long-suffering chief justice and the architect of the present constitution had won the top seat of power in the Union and began working immediately. She nominated her cabinet choices to the Speaker of the Senate and were duly confirmed. Phoenix as the Minister of the Censes, Sacento as the Minister of Culture, Zuk as the Minister of Justice and Attorney General and Isles as the Minister of Foreign Affairs. The soldiers of the UDSAF chose Kang as the Minister of Defence and role players chose Nuevo San Miguel as the Minister of Role-play. Both were duly confirmed. All the cabinet positions were now filled. The Kronministration has settled in.

Ministry of Role-Play Created
by British Isles And Commonwealth Realms

One of the campaign promises of President Kron was to split the Ministry of Culture into; Ministry of Culture with the responsibility of a game night etc., and Ministry of Role-Play which as the name suggests will be responsible for role-play. President Kron also asked to the UDS role-playing community for their preference for the minister. The chosen Nuevo San Miguel as the first Minister of Role-Play

World Assembly Delegate Transition
by British Isles And Commonwealth Realms

Asdersland had been serving as the World Assembly Delegate of the Union of Democratic States. His resignation meant a transition for the UDS. President Kron nominated Kade (the glorious hypetrain) for the position as per the Constitution. Upon confirmation by the Senate the campaign began at once. Telegrams were sent, announcements were, well, announced, and UDSAF was called home to aid in the transition. In 10 days, Kade was appointed as the World Assembly Delegate of the Union of Democratic States.

Change of Electoral Commission Staff
by British Isles And Commonwealth Realms

With Asdersland resigning as UDS’s first Chief Electoral Commissioner, President Kron using the powers pursuant to Article V, Section 2, Clause a, of the Constitution of the Union of Democratic States nominated Deputy Chief Electoral Commissioner as the new Chief. After the Senate’s confirmation, Kade (the glorious hypetrain) took office and appointed Phoenix (phoenix_coalition) as the Deputy Chief Election Commissioner.

New Chief Justice and Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Union of Democratic States
by British Isles And Commonwealth Realms

Upon Kron’s resignation from the office of the Chief Justice, the electoral commission opened nominations for the now vacated office. In the running were Khevo, an associate justice; Glaciocia, the Attorney General and Druing, a former president. Khevo won with the majority of votes. As per Article IV, section 3 of the Constitution of the Union of Democratic States, Khevo was confirmed as the Chief Justice of the Union of Democratic States and appointed Nuevo San Miguel as associate justice to the seat he vacated.

Senate By-Election
by Joesphto

Following the resignation of Senator XanPlex, the Union was left with an open Senate seat. Three candidates ran for the position. They were Mr. Casually Cruel (moe), During, and North Plegia, as well as the additional Re-Open Nominations. The election was held using the Average Placement voting system. Of the 20 votes cast, 19 were counted, with one being disqualified. Moe was elected on the first ballot with 11 votes. North Plegia placed second with 4 votes, and with Druing and RON tying for third with 2 votes each. Upon publication of the election report by the Union Electoral Commision, Moe was named a Senator of the Union of Democratic States.

[Quebecshire]

Congratulations to Kade on his speedy ascension to the in-game delegacy! It's also great to see our on-site embassy with the UDS returning.

[The Glorious Hypetrain]

Congratulations to Kade on his speedy ascension to the in-game delegacy! It's also great to see our on-site embassy with the UDS returning.

Many thanks! I look forward to seeing the WA from a non-RD perspective going forward

[UDS Dispatch Office]

July Embassy Update
Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Executive Orders Galore!
by Guess & Check

As part of her campaign promises, President Die Kronprinzessin promised to instate various Executive Orders as part of her goals to increase the efficiency of the Union’s Executive. Last week saw her carry out this promise, after a drafting process which saw the Cabinet reviewing each Order before it was officially instituted.

The various new Executive Orders are primarily focused on instituting the basic Ministries that comprise the Executive and said Ministries’ duties. The hope behind these Executive Orders is that they help provide imperative clarification on who does what in the Executive, and that these Orders may help form a firm foundation for future Presidents and their administrations.

Said Executive orders can be viewed by clicking here and scrolling down.

World Assembly Updates
by The Glorious Hypetrain

The Union has had several region members have had World Assemby proposals reach voting! We would like to recognize Dyl / Khevo for his “On International Recruitment” proposal making vote and gaining valuable feedback for a future revision. We’d also like to recognize Python for getting a commendation passed (his second!) and a GA proposal to vote on factory farming.

Avid watchers of the Nationstates Dispatch Page may notice that we also published our Week 31 / August UDSWAP medals. There was one slight different in this month’s post - UDSWAP awards are now fully automated and post on their own! Our delegate wrote a python program that auto processes and posts the dispatch to our forum and ns.net. We hope that this capability can be leveraged by other ministries in the future.

Executive Consolidation
by Phoenix

The Minister of the Census along with the assistance of President Kron and Glaciosia, has consolidated the various rosters of the Executive and Union as a whole into one concise Google Document. It's the hope of this Administration to ensure the future of the leaders of the Union, the information that Unionist can view at a quick glance, and information that a interested recruit or foreign dignitary may require to execute their duties. The Minister of the Census as well has created forms on our off-site forum to make the various application processes of the region easier.

UDS-TRR Game Night
by Sacento

The games were the result of planning between the UDS and TRR governments, they began in during the beginning of a fresh administration on Saturday and the 10th of July and continued through Sunday, they involved events in both servers and games such as skribbl.io, city guesser and a special trivia night. There were also a few fun RMB activities out there for those more active on their respective boards. Said game nights came and went, and in the end were a huge success.

Honorary Citizenship Awarded
by British Isles And Commonwealth Realms

The Senate and the President awarded five present and former citizens of the Union with honorary citizenship. Minister of the Census, Phoenix nominated them to the Senate.
1. Relfa has been recognised for their contribution to free press in the Union by keeping the newspapers a relevant part of the UDS.
2. Brittalia has bee recognised for their contribution to the system of political parties that once existed in the UDS.
3. Asdersland has been recognised for his contribution to the Union by serving as its WAD the longest and also taking up the position in time of need. He is also recognised for his publication of Union laws of the past.
4. Kanglia has been recognised for being old and thus deserving of the honour.
5. Done Artan has been recognised for leading the Union as one of its most charismatic WAD. He raised the population of the UDS through his zealous manual recruitment and brought up the Union’s endorsements.

[Tinhampton]

Last December, Social Liberal Union was hijacked by its founder, Ainland; the UDS issued a statement at the time where - in relevant part - they

[stood] behind the lawful government of the Social Liberal Union as they work[ed] to fight and move beyond the anti-democratic attacks of their founder.... declared Ainland Persona Non Grata, and, in recognizing the legitimacy of the lawful government of our ally, [closed] embassies with the “Social Liberal Union” and open[ed] embassies with “The Social Liberal Union.”

After he hijacked SLU, Ainland created a new region called Liberal Democratic Union (LDU), whose native Delegate, Chitral, consistently had about 20-25 endorsements. Chitral was not, however, an SLU immigrant; I believe that he moved into LDU because of Ainland's tag:wa recruitment telegram.

On June 1st 2021, Ainland ceased to exist, rendering LDU a founderless region. On 27th August 2021, The Black Hawks and friends raided LDU to promote RaiderVision, Gameplay's famous song contest.

TGW's report on the liberation of LDU - which happened at major update, about six hours ago - indicates that UDS took part in the liberation of LDU. (The other two regions to have condemned Ainland's hijack at the time both took part in the occupation.)

I have one question: Why would UDSAF help liberate a region that was founded by somebody who has been "declared... Persona Non Grata" from the UDS because of his "anti-democratic attacks" against Social Liberal Union? Or does it agree with the sentiment expressed in the TGW report that LDU's "gameside RPers [were] innocent of the sins of the founder" and should not have had their region raided?

[Khevo]

Last December, Social Liberal Union was hijacked by its founder, Ainland; the UDS issued a statement at the time where - in relevant part - they

[stood] behind the lawful government of the Social Liberal Union as they work[ed] to fight and move beyond the anti-democratic attacks of their founder.... declared Ainland Persona Non Grata, and, in recognizing the legitimacy of the lawful government of our ally, [closed] embassies with the “Social Liberal Union” and open[ed] embassies with “The Social Liberal Union.”

After he hijacked SLU, Ainland created a new region called Liberal Democratic Union (LDU), whose native Delegate, Chitral, consistently had about 20-25 endorsements. Chitral was not, however, an SLU immigrant; I believe that he moved into LDU because of Ainland's tag:wa recruitment telegram.

On June 1st 2021, Ainland ceased to exist, rendering LDU a founderless region. On 27th August 2021, The Black Hawks and friends raided LDU to promote RaiderVision, Gameplay's famous song contest.

TGW's report on the liberation of LDU - which happened at major update, about six hours ago - indicates that UDS took part in the liberation of LDU. (The other two regions to have condemned Ainland's hijack at the time both took part in the occupation.)

I have one question: Why would UDSAF help liberate a region that was founded by somebody who has been "declared... Persona Non Grata" from the UDS because of his "anti-democratic attacks" against Social Liberal Union? Or does it agree with the sentiment expressed in the TGW report that LDU's "gameside RPers [were] innocent of the sins of the founder" and should not have had their region raided?

We believe that most regions deserve the protection of their sovereignty and will do our part in doing so as part of Defender operations. In absence of their founder, whom we will continue to condemn, LDU is no different.

[UDS Dispatch Office]

August Embassy Update
Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Union Bar Exam Test
by Glaciosia

The Ministry of Justice debuted the second edition of the Union Bar Exam, remade for the new constitution and in a new format which should better assess participants ability to comprehend and analyze the documents which underpin our legal system and how they work together. Successful completion of the exam grants admission to the Union Bar Association, and some special privileges and a fancy title

Senate Election(s)
by The Glorious Hypetrain

The Union made several advancements in voting technology and proved our systems work under a variety of conditions. Under the newest Union constitution, the number of senate seats is decided by taking the number of voters in the last three Senate Elections divided by four and rounded up. Our last three elections average resulted in six senate seats up for grabs this term. Four candidates were voted in during the initial election ( https://forum.theuds.org/index.php?thre ... eport.937/ ) and two more candidates stood for the by-election to fill the remaining two seats ( https://forum.theuds.org/index.php?thre ... eport.945/ ).

Our forum also got a recent upgrade to support confidential voting on the forum! Previously, Union elections were supported by a combination of google forms and sheets. Now, voters have one link to remember to vote at. The Commission is pleased with the results of the elections and upgrades and looks forward to the October elections.

Game Nights
by Guess and Check

As every great region knows, game nights are a great tool for having fun with a regional community at large- which is why game nights have recently been restarted by the Union’s Ministry of Culture! Over the past month, Minister of Culture Sacento has been organizing a game night to occur one per week on the regional Discord, with President Kron and Justice Phoenix helping with hosting them. Games played include tetr.io, Jackbox, and Gartic Phone; Unionists have thoroughly enjoyed these game nights. The Ministry of Culture is thus aiming to continue having weekly game nights in the future to further build community and enjoyment within the Union.

Regional Fun
by Sacento

The Ministry of Culture has been working hard over the term in order to ramp up regional activity, especially onsite. One way we have done this is via bi-weekly fun polls- done by our very own VP, Zuk- such as "Which is your favourite continent" and "Harry Potter or Star Wars" plus many more questions that are though up every week, each having answers put on the RMB and getting new people involved in the community. These polls replaced the Question of the Day which was running for about a week before we decided on changing it to fun polls.

Executive Awards
by British Isles And Commonwealth Realms

In recognition of the tremendous work done by the ministerial staff and others involved in the efficient running of our government, Honourable President Kron issued an executive order creating the Legion of Honour in respective ministries to award these individuals. The President with consultations with ministers will award Legion of Honour to recognise the contribution made by these select individuals who give their best to their respective ministries. Each ministry has its own Legion of Honour award, for example, the President will award the Legion of Honour (Foreign Affairs) to a member of the staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Legion of Honour joins the service awards bestowed by Presidents in their resignation/end of term speeches. But these new awards are specific to the ministries and a first of their kind which recognises the staff.