The Senate Daily Life: Living by Alternative Facts

[House of Judah]

David Lyons leaves the Senate building after casting his vote on the amendment to the Standing Rules and makes his way down the empty steps to a local Jewish deli for a late lunch with his wife and daughters.

[NSG Senate Administrators]

The landscape was breathtaking: the richness of the lawns, the flowers, the famous charming Lake Geneva that was reflected through the thick trees. From the other side of the mountains, those captivating Alps with their well earned pride, beneath the incredible Swiss sky. In this wonderful spot in the world, in the lap of such rare natural wonders, our little worker’s International celebrated May 1st. Here the Germans together with the French, the Poles and the English, leaders of various countries and nationalities came together in friendship and with warmth and caught each other up on the great progress of the workers’ movements in their countries.

---

1 May 2017
Edward Bloom Plaza
Fortaleza, Fernão

---

The landscape was breathtaking: the warmness of the sun, the cobblestone roads, the infamous statue of President Amir Soetoro rising above their heads. From the top of any nearby establishment one could easily see the Senate building, on the other side of central Fortaleza; their eventual goal. In this unremarkable spot in the world, in the lap of such unexceptional surroundings, we felt as awe-inspired as ever, as our little band of misfits celebrated May 1st. Here the workers together with the activists, the socialists and the revolutionaries, leaders of miscellaneous labor unions and leftists parties came together in friendship and anger, with warmth and vigor, and caught each other up on the status of neoliberalism and socialism in their respective corners of Fernão.

They met at Edward Bloom Plaza, but it had not always been called that. Until a fortnight ago, the plaza had been named for Amir Soetoro, the same man whose statue towered over them now. The Vig Government had seen to renaming the plaza, of course. But the statue remained. The last mark of a strongman. A war criminal. A dictator.

Bieito Guerreiro, leader of the General Union of Workers (UGT), climbed the statue at the center of the square. It was the best way to ensure that he was seen and heard by all, plus it just seemed like a cool thing to do. "127 years ago, workers across Europe marched in solidarity against exploitation, inequality, and capitalism on the first International Workers' Day. Today, workers across six continents march in solidarity against exploitation, inequality, and capitalism. 127 years ago, workers marched for an eight hour work day and an end to capitalism. Today, workers march for a living wage and an end to capitalism. Many will protest against the greed of the Americans, or the Russians, or the Chinese, but today, in Fernão, we protest against all such greed. We fight for all workers, from Fortaleza to Cardeira, from Maabara to New Guernsey. Across Fernão, across all of the world, the rich are getting richer, and the poor are getting poorer. The former at the expense of the latter. And we, the Fernoan people, are sick and tired of it!

"The Red-Green Alliance has failed, and the Civic Union only seeks to further attack the working man! The so-called 'representatives of the people' in the Senate building do not represent me! (#NotMySenate) They do not represent any of us! They only represent their wealthy donors! They serve the Fernoan oligarchs! So, today, not only do we fight against exploitation, inequality, and, of course, capitalism, but we also fight against every corrupt politician. Every Senator who has put his pocketbook above his constituency! Every Senator who votes to help the entrenched capitalist interests! Every Senator who has made the working people of Fernão their enemy!

"Comrades, behind me stands a statue of one of the world's worst oppressors, but our modern-day oppressors do not wear uniforms pinned with ill-won medals! They do not carry a machete or a machine gun! Our modern-day oppressors wear suits of cashmere, and carry only their corruption with them! Let us march, as we did 127 years ago, on the very first May Day, to the Senate! Let us march for equality! For the working man! For socialism!"

With that final cry, and intent on reaching the Senate building, the marchers were off, with Bieito and other prominent Fernoans leading the charge. Several protesters began to rig a rope, tying their truck to the statue of Amir Soetoro. There were cries of shock, awe, and jubilation as, with a mighty roar of the motor, the statue fell. And with that statue, the final mark of the dictator fell, as the protesters marched through the streets of Fortaleza.

---

OOC: All posts pertaining to this event will ICly take place on the date of May 1st. Updates will be posted based on how you, the players, react.

[Collatis]

The Most Trusted Name in News™

---

BREAKING NEWS: May Day protests spread throughout Fortaleza
Alexander Gouda, Fernão News Network | May 1 2017

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May Day protesters march toward the Senate building

---

- (Fortaleza, Fernão) Left-wing protests have broken out all over Fortaleza after a fiery speech by General Union of Workers leader, Bieito Guerreiro. The protests seem to be primarily directed at the failure of the government to do much to address workers' rights and income inequality.

Top FNN reporter Wake Snapper had a chance to speak with Guerreiro, who had this to say, "Wake, we're marching for the working people of Fernão. For far too long they've been abused, whether it is by oppressive dictators, or by members of the media, such as yourself. Fernoans across the country are marching against this failed government, and against the failed economic system it advocates for." When asked about the reported presence of Luta Operária-affiliated paramilitary groups, Guerreiro was suddenly siphoned away by the crowd. He could not be reached for a follow-up.

The protesters have the stated goal of reaching the Senate building, where they plan to call on the Senate to enact meaningful change. Similar, but smaller, protests have started in Cardeira and Miliband. Reports of violence have been rather minor, but whether there will be an organized response from the police is yet to be seen.

[Fernaoense Peoples Democratic Front]

1 May, 2017
Edward Bloom Plaza
Fortaleza, Fernão

---

The day was a typical one of the spring of Fernão. The wet season was beginning, heralding the coming monsoons that would surely arrive by mid-June, and the shifts were already visible; the rain was falling more and more frequently and for longer periods of time. In the dry season in the winter, the rain fell for "only" four hours a day; by early May, the rain fell for nearly nine. It was always humid in Fernão, but by mid-spring water vapor seemingly filled the air and the sky. An elderly businessman of Dutch descent, out for a smoking break, checked a hygrometer and what it showed did not surprise him; 100%. It was always hot in Fernão, but on this day in particular the sun's heat blazed through the overcast sky and burned the old, cobblestone roads of Fortaleza. A loudspeaker a nearby bar was blaring told the expected high of today; thirty-five degrees Celsius, or ninety-five degrees Fahrenheit.

At first, the day seemed to be relatively unremarkable in terms of the individuals congregating at the Plaza as well as the usual individuals that gathered in the plaza in the early morning gathered there, as always; on one side, the one closer to the Senate Building, the foreign traders and businessmen in the trading houses, the civil servants in government buildings, the tourists near international hotels and resorts; and on the other, the one closer to the slums and the one that the tourist companies had done their best to conceal, the drunks passed out around the bars, the gambling addicts now penniless after from nights and days of heavy gambling in nearby casinos, and the weary workers in nearby light industry plants. To be sure, this wasn't India or China. It certainly wasn't Pakistan or Bangladesh, or Ethiopia or South Sudan. These isles were far more prosperous than those nations. Yet by the same token it wasn't France or Germany, and certainly not Norway or Iceland. There was a certain prosperity to these isles in comparison to its neighbors, yet there was also a striking poverty in comparison to the wealthier parts of Manhattan or the Parisian city center.

Yet in the midst of all this typicality, there were differences to other days. It was International Workers' Day, a day that was widely-celebrated in Fernão, a nation with a large socialist faction in the RGA and an explicitly socialist party in the LO, a large populist movement amongst the working class in the CTA, and a large Jewish population whose political alignments better reflected those of early 20th century Jews (which was, interestingly enough, the same period when Jews were first sent from Europe to Fernão to solve the "Jewish Question") than modern-day Israelis; more the secular socialism of the Jewish Bund or the Labor Zionism of Mapai than Likud or A Jewish Home. Accordingly, there were large rallies held by unions and leftist groups throughout Fernão, but none were as prominent or as large as the one that was soon to be held by multiple unions, leftists and socialists. At first a small group of activists met, but soon more and more gathered in the Plaza as the amount of demonstrators soon numbered nearly one hundred thousand. Joined by these demonstrators were over 1,000 members of the Fernãoense Peoples' Democratic Front, old Kalashnikovs in hand. The FPDF members, all veterans of the Civil War, joined the protest to serve as a sort of protection for the protestors; not only against any right-wing paramilitaries or private security forces that might attack the demonstration, which was officially the reason why the FPDF was there, but also to serve as protection against the police should they attempt to disperse the rally or prevent it from reaching the Senate building. The FPDF members surrounding the periphery of the amorphous mass of people that had joined the rally, and some were in armored cars, guiding the rally to the Senate Building, which many demonstrators were sitting on. Needless to say, the day would be an eventful one for both the FPDF and socialist movements across Fernão.

[Would that these little stones]

Two teenagers on bicycles struggle to get through the May Day crowd without falling over. They decide to just walk their bikes instead.

[Roosevetania]

1 May, 2017
Edward Bloom Plaza
Fortaleza, Fernão

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Senator Ritesh Bell joins the marchers, disappointed that there is such an anti-RGA sentiment. Many people in the crowd heckle him, but many of whom are glad to see a Senator here. He speaks to people in the crowd, and listens to them. He tells them why he's here.



"I stand with the workers here today," he says. "I am sorry that politicians have let you down and put their benefits and the benefits of the wealthy above yours. I promise, right here, that I will fight for workers' rights, collective bargaining, and a living wage. Workers are the backbone of our nation and our economy! They deserve better!"

---

On a separate note...

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7 May, 2017
FNN Studios
Fortaleza, Fernão

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The Most Trusted Name In News



Senator Ritesh Bell, in an interview with FNN's Flanderson Pooper, announces his support for the Fortaleza March For Palestine and that he will participate.

Pooper: "Senator Bell, thank you for being here."

Bell: "Thanks for having me, Flanderson."

Pooper: "Senator, you were at the May Day March on Monday. Why is that?"

Bell: "Well, Flanderson, it's like I said at the march. Workers deserve good working conditions, bargaining rights, and a living wage. I support workers, so I came out to support them. Also, Flanderson, People are unhappy with politicians and think the RGA doesn't care about workers' rights. I thought it was important for me to show them that they still have friends in the Senate."

Pooper: "Do you have any plans for the upcoming weeks?"

Bell: "Like I said, I'm going to try to work with leftists in the Senate to improve workers' rights. I'd also like to announce that I'm participating in in the Fortaleza March For Palestine."

Pooper: "Really? Why is that?"

Bell: "Well, Flanderson, I think this is very important. The Arab and Muslim people in Palestine have been oppressed by Israel for too long. Palestinians have the right to self-governance and home rule. Then when the Senate killed the Foreign Recognition Act and thus refused to recognize Palestine, that was too much and I decided it was time for action."

Pooper: 'Wow, Senator, you're really getting into action on the streets, aren't you? Like we said, on Monday you were at the May Day March."

Bell: "Well, I guess I am, Flanderson. When it's important to you, you take action."

Pooper: "But you're a Senator. It's not as if marching is your only course of action or only way to make change."

Bell: "Well, Flanderson, because we're a republic, we need a majority of Senators to pass legislation. And many Senators refuse to support things such as workers' rights and Palestinian home rule."

Pooper: "Okay, Senator Ritesh Bell, thank you for being here."

Bell: "Thank you, Flanderson."

EDIT: Bell supports Palestinian recognition but will not participate in the march. I just realized they are going to block traffic and get arrested.

[The Sarian]

Golf Blitzen is a charachter I own and control. FNN is a brand Collatis owns and controls. Don't use them without permission, thanks.

[Roosevetania]

Golf Blitzen is a charachter I own and control. FNN is a brand Collatis owns and controls. Don't use them without permission, thanks.

First of all, chill out. You're always so mad. Second of all,

Account Name: Collatis (Anyone is welcome to use the organization, however)

[The Sarian]

Golf Blitzen is a charachter I own and control. FNN is a brand Collatis owns and controls. Don't use them without permission, thanks.

First of all, chill out. You're always so mad. Second of all,

Account Name: Collatis (Anyone is welcome to use the organization, however)

Golf Blitzen is a charachter I own and control.

[Collatis]

Golf Blitzen is a charachter I own and control. FNN is a brand Collatis owns and controls. Don't use them without permission, thanks.

First of all, chill out. You're always so mad. Second of all,

Account Name: Collatis (Anyone is welcome to use the organization, however)

You're welcome to use FNN, but Golf Blitzen is Sarian's. Besides, it's much more fun to come up with your own FNN reporter.

[Roosevetania]

First of all, chill out. You're always so mad. Second of all,

You're welcome to use FNN,

Told you Sarian.

but Golf Blitzen is Sarian's. Besides, it's much more fun to come up with your own FNN reporter.

Okay.

For the record, I never said Blitzen wasn't Sarian's.

Flanderson Pooper. Anyone can use him except Sarian.

[Malgrave]

-stuff-

Let me explain it to you in simple terms. Golf Blitzen is a character created by Sarian and until stated otherwise can only be used by Sarian.

[Martune]

-stuff-

Let me explain it to you in simple terms. Golf Blitzen is a character created by Sarian and until stated otherwise can only be used by Sarian.

We already solved that problem

[Roosevetania]

-stuff-

Let me explain it to you in simple terms. Golf Blitzen is a character created by Sarian and until stated otherwise can only be used by Sarian.

. . .
I know that.

[MERIZoC]

OOC:
Keep your OOC posts in this thread to the absolute minimum. None of the above was necessary. Use the lobby or TG.

[Radimostan]

10 May, 2017
Rally of Viliam Zeintek
Constituency FD-4

---

The senate candidate Viliam Zeintek begun his rally in the FD-4 constituency. Many people came, including supporters of RGA that are here to protest against Zeintek and the Civic Union as a whole. Fortunately, a majority of them are his supporters or people that just want know his position on many current issues. Zeintek made a lot of statements against the idea of collectivism and Keynesianism. In early times, Zeintek himself was the proponent of Marxist ideals. But when he was expelled from his own country, the first nation where sought for asylum was the Soviet Union. Live there changed him, he saw the true face of "Workers Utopia". In less than a year he moved to the France where he studied works of classical liberals and proponents of free market economy.

"Greetings everyone! I am very glad to see you there.
Through the modern world, there are spread ideas of capitalism. But what kind of capitalism? The new type of "capitalism" has nothing to do with the classical liberal free market capitalism. No, it is more like Corporate capitalism, where big corporations are parasitising on corporate welfare, while the small entrepreneurs are bleeding dry under huge tax burden. Many people say the capitalism is about greed. That's utterly and unconditionally right and it worked quite well. In classical capitalism, the human greed is used to help the society. Because if someone wants to become rich he has to produce services and all these services have to be superior and must be sold cheaper than services of the concurrency. Except for the and services, the business also offers jobs and again it has to pay workers more than their opponents.

Based on historical experience, we can say that this worked quite well. Because prior to the start of the Great War, an average worker had better standards of living than an aristocrat from the late medieval period. Unfortunately, as I said the today corporations does not to compete on the free market. Instead, they can just ask the government for money thus they are not under pressure of concurrency and nothing prevents them selling inferior goods. They are not endangered by competition thus they can pay their workers just a minimum wage. This has nothing to do with ideals of market liberalism only with corporate greed.

Yes, there are many socialist saying they have found the ultimate cure for human greed, the collectivism. But I have to warn you, this will not end the human greed. Instead, there will be one big money-hungry corporation called the Socialist government. This corporation will own all means of production and it will be free from any concurrency. Practically, the Socialist government will be free to do everything it wants. Even ignore voices of these who elected them as was shown during the rise of the Soviet Union.

In order to create truly free and fair market, we can not fund corporate greed or let all means of production to be managed and controlled by few lucky bureaucrats. Our economy has to be based on many and many free entrepreneurs not on few corporations that are too big to fail. Laws have to be created to prevent artificial monopolies by the state or other corporations. The doors to the free market will be always kept open to anyone who has ideas and will to make them true. It does not matter if he is rich or poor."

[The Sarian]

Golf Blitzen: WELCOME BACK TO FNN! THIS IS THE HAPPENING HUB LIVE ON FNN WITH ME, GOLF BLITZEN LIVE ON FNN! Joining me in the studio, live on FNN, is Red Green Alliance Senator, Shim Seo-yeon. Welcome Senator.
Shim_Seo-yeon: It's a pleasure to be here Golf.
Golf Blitzen: Now Senator, you've been making quite a name for yourself recently by running in a bitterly contested internal party contest. There were even rumours that you would make a run for the Presidency, why didn't you?
Shim_Seo-yeon: As I am sure you are aware I typically like to keep behind the scenes, preferring to work on the sidelines and allow other my vocal colleagues to take the limelight. In the past few weeks, however, I noticed that the socialist and frankly the non-male aspect of the RGA was hardly represented at a senior level at the party, and so I decided to put myself orward as a progressive candidate. Sadly before I even had time to release my campaign platform I found myself under ruthless and frankly sexist by Senator Viel who has since apologised for the awful conduct he displayed during the campaign. As for my decision not to run in the Presidential election? I thought about it for quite some time, but I was unsure if I could get the appropriate nominations required and self-nominating seemed rather crass for such an important job. At the time I am happy to support Comrade Gadhavi's bid to become President and will concentrate my efforts on winning my local constituency during the next election and finalising my planned energy reforms.
Golf Blitzen: You mention Senator Viel, This Week Magazine recently ran on a profile on him labeling him Senator Vile. Based on your experience in the campaign, would you agree with that?
Shim_Seo-yeon: I'd say that Senator Viel is like a young puppy, so eager to get involved in political scraps that he occasionally forgets his manners but I would not call him vile.
Golf Blitzen: SENATOR WE’RE GOING TO HAVE TO INTERRUPT YOU WITH A BREAKING NEWS ALERT LIVE ON FNN WITH ME GOLF BLITZEN WHERE WE ARE BRINGING YOU AN FNN NEWS ALERT! We’re hearing unconfirmed rumours that Priscilla Krishnan is doing her weekly shop, we will bring you more on this story as it develops. THAT WAS AN FNN BREAKING NEWS ALERT ON FNN LIVE WITH GOLF BLITZEN ON FNN.

***

Golf Blitzen: I’m back here with Senator Shim Seo-yeon. Now Senator, as a self-declared socialist, do you feel like you're left behind in the RGA?
Shim_Seo-yeon: I will admit that in the past it was a tad isolating to be a socialist in a party predominantly filled with social democrats, but the recent addition of the Fernão Progress Party has introduced me to many new party members that share my political beliefs and I understand the relatively small margin in the internal elections show just how popular socialist thought is within the RGA.
Golf Blitzen: What about as a female?
Shim_Seo-yeon: As I said during my campaign to become Party Administrator I believe the RGA currently has a stark lack of diversity, as I understand all of the senior positions within the RGA are currently filled by men, and I am the lone female RGA female representative in the cabinet. It is why I was so shocked by the hurtful responses I received during the internal
Shim_Seo-yeon: election campaign when I expressed a desire to fix this imbalance.
Golf Blitzen: Does it hurt you that the Civic Union are led by a woman, and look set to nominate a female candidate for the Presidency when your own party can't do the same?
Shim_Seo-yeon: It is quite shameful that the RGA, a party that claims to follow the socialist and social democratic values of social equality is so reluctant to appoint women and those of minority ethnic and religious backgrounds to powerful positions but I am hopeful that my position as a vocal senator will convince more people to come forward and change the party from within.
Golf Blitzen: With Vice President Gadhavi, do you worry that the public will struggle to see a message of change from an administration which is seeing pretty awful approval ratings
Shim_Seo-yeon: I firmly believe that Gadhavi is the most qualified person to become the next President of Fernão, his dedication to social and economic equality is admirable and it is one of the reasons I nominated him to become the party's Presidential nominee.
Golf Blitzen: Forgive me Senator, but given his - and indeed your - record thus far, do you think people will want what is essentially a continuity candidate?
Shim_Seo-yeon: I don't believe that we're offering a continuation candidate, as there are clear differences between the current President and Gadhavi on the manners and indeed the pace of reforms we wish to push forward in government. As I have said earlier and in my numerous statements throughout the past few weeks I believe we can offer a bold socialist future that will guide this country to sustainable economic growth and guide us to the path of full employment.
Golf Blitzen: Do you expect to be part of that government?
Shim_Seo-yeon: I think it would be rather dishonest to be expectant of a position in the future government because I am currently the Secretary of Public Works, but I am confident that Gadhavi will look at my bold proposals for the future and involve me in the next government if we're elected.
Golf Blitzen: Well, that's all we have time for, thank you Senator. Tune into FNN’s The Happening Hub with Golf Blitzen tomorrow, at the same time, only on FNN!

[Roosevetania]

Ritesh Bell Holds Campaign Event


RItesh Bell of the Red-Green Alliance held a rally today in the [SA-2] constituency. Bell is running against Indira Tamboli of the Civic Union. The rally took place in a local town hall and a sizeable crowd gathered there.

"The RGA has drafted a platform," he said, "that puts forward our promises to you, the voters. It is a progressive platform that promises to fight for you. We will fight for justice and fairness in our society. We will fight for equality for all people, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity. We will fight for workers' rights anti-corruption in our government. We will fight for an economic system that works for all, where the poor are cared for and the wealthiest citizens pay their fair share of taxes.
"The Civic Union has yet to put out even the slightest draft of a platform, but we know their plans. My opponent, Indira Tamboli, leads a party that will turn our country backwards. They will give tax breaks to the rich and let corrupt corporations run free. They will let businesses exploit workers and will not improve the rights or conditions of workers. Do not be fooled by their alliance with the Coalition of Workers and Farmers: they will not help you at work or raise your wages."

Bell continued to talk about the RGA platform and the CU's policy.

If Bell beats Tamboli, it will be a major loss for the CU, as their Parliamentary Leader would lose her seat. [ICly, of course.] Bell is gaining momentum, though, and could win.

[Lykens]

Chitrakoot, Fernão

Several hundred people had crowded into this hot muggy amphitheater, and from the area behind the stage, Indira could hear them buzzing about. Her son was finishing up his remarks introducing her, and she leaved through the papers she had prepared to guide her stump speech tonight. She could hear the applause of the crowd outside, nodding at the excellent warm up routine provided by Navin.

"Maybe he'll take this seat once I retire," She though to herself, and chuckled at the thought. Chitrakoot had long been the ancestral homeland of the Tamboli and Choudhary clans, and it still amused her to think that she had brought her clans to federal prominence, something her father had always mused about up until the civil war. She heard Navin thunder her name, and rising from her seat, Indira strode out onto the stage, waving to the crowd. Taking the podium, she paused until the rowdy crowd had settled down.

"Hello everyone, I thank you for attending on this hot and muggy day," Indira flashed a wry smile, while the chuckles rippled through the mass of people.

"Navin tells me that many of you have come from the very far reaches of our district here, and I have to tell you, I'm elated that you were able to make it. I know how difficult it is to traverse the expanses of our district, because the roads here, if you'll excuse my language, are objectively shite." The crowd thundered its approval before Indira raised a hand to silence them, continuing, "And who do we, the citizens of this district, the backbone of this district, the bread winners of this district, have to thank for that?" Indira thundered as the crowd leapt to its feet, "We have Vishal Vig and his do-nothing administration and the Red-Green Alliance to thank for it!"

The crowd roared its agreement as Indira continued booming her grievances against the RGA.

"Now my fellow citizens, do not misunderstand me, for Vishal Vig is a friend of mine, and a friend to the people of this country, but what he has done in office, what his party and administration have done in office, is nothing for the common man who stand here today, suffering, no better than they were before the last election!"

The crowd roared confirmation.

"I will not stand idly by, while the farmers and ranchers whom I grew up with suffer needlessly at the hands of a derelict administration and hypocritical party obsessed with power and lying to those who oppose their views! The RGA must be stopped and we can do that here, come this election day, I need you to stick with me and the CU, the CTA, the HU, and strike back against the hypocritical RGA, and deny them another term of inactivity, decay, and pain for the working man!" She roared.

"A vote for Ritesh Bell is a vote for the continued suffering of this district, this nation, and the people who they parrot support for. How can they say that the Civic Union will leave the common man behind, when they themselves have already done it!? This do-nothing administration has done nothing for the people of Fernão,
and yet my opponent has the audacity to claim that he will work for you? I think not! Ritesh Bell has demonstrated that he can not be trusted! The Civic Union has stood for the same principles since we have been founded, we support this country, we reject class based divisions that the other side attempts to sow, we support the lifting up and empowerment of those who are down, and we are dedicated to making sure that policy and facts are debated, not hyperbolic promises that will not be fulfilled, or outright false material about our opponents." She stepped back for a minute to pause and catch her breath, allowing the crowd to roar its approval to her.

Feeding off of their energy, she built her stump speech up to its crescendo, blasting the sitting VP, and RGA Presidential Candidate Jayesh Gadhavi.

"I have said to you all here today, that I will not stoop to the level of Mister Gadhavi, but I will forcefully and vehemently rebut the falsehoods that Mister Gadhavi continues to spew! He makes claim to Vishal Vig's honorable character and desire to 'rise above partisanship', but in the same breath isolates and singles out the Civic Union as the party of the wealthy, and the oppressors of the poor! I can tell you here, as Parliamentary Leader of the Civic Union, no one will be left behind, and no one will be looked down upon due to the money that they make, poor, rich, somewhere in between, all are welcome in the Civic Union's tent. We will strive for a better Fernão where all can prosper, where all are free, where all are Fernãoans, and none are looked down upon. Together, we, the Civic Union, will fight for you!"

She slammed her fist down on the podium, and the flimsy product shook, and she was sure she felt the entire stage shake as the crowd leapt once again to their feet, thundering applause and cheers. She waved and blew kisses as she strode from one end of the stage to the other. She saw Navin clapping heartily out of the corner of her eye as she went to work the rope line, shaking hands and taking selfies with the people of her district. Today was a good day, and she was eager for tomorrow.

[The Nation of the People of the Nation]

VOTE JOHN SMITH FOR FD-3
A MAN OF THE PEOPLE!
(Paid for by the John Smith Campaign)

(These signs are showing up everywhere is FD-3)

[Soviet Canuckistan]

Somewhere in an agricultural hall, Brzeęczyszykiewicz takes the stage

"Good evening everyone and thank you for coming out tonight. It looks like we're back at the polls again, even though I haven't even had time to take my seat in the Chamber. Once again, thank you for your support last election and I hope to earn your support again this election. I still stand by my promises from last election, to bring our communities together and to work together as a nation for a stronger, and united Fernão by promoting tighter links between our communities and the promotion of our diverse cultures. So far, my party has managed to bring multiple pieces of legislation forward to further these goals such as the Education Act, which has passed, and the Agricultural Fuel Subsidies Act, which is awaiting a first reading in the Chamber, to help our children and our farmers, who are the future of this nation.

During my term as Senator, if elected, I would like to continue to build on this foundation of education and agriculture that my party has built. I plan to introduce legislation concerning post-secondary education at all levels, including the construction of universities in every state, so that our youth may receive a world-class education close to home and for less. On the agricultural front, I plan to encourage agricultural co-ops so that our farmers can have more buying and selling power on the global market and be protected from predatory multi-nationals planning to steal the money that our farmers have worked so hard to earn. Thank you and have a great evening. I will now take any questions."

[Soviet Canuckistan]

Official Press Release of the Union of Anabaptists/Offizielle Pressemitteilung der Union der Wiedertäufer

The Union of Anabaptists would like to endorse the following candidates in the upcoming parliamentary election:

Maabara AL: Shim Seo-yeon [Malgrave] (RGA)
FD-1: Bill Jackson [UCS Oceania] (RGA)
FD-2: Michael Ferreira [Beta Test] (CTA)
FD-3: John Smith [Nation of the People of the Nation] (RGA)
FD-4/Fortaleza AL: David Keith [Margora] (RGA)
FD-5: Grzegorz Brzęczyszczykiewicz [Soviet Canuckistan] (UA)
NG-1/NG-2/NG-3: Edmund Clarke [Federated Kingdom] (RGA)
NG-4/NG-5/NG-6: Samuel Bencoster [Rooimervania] (HU)
SA-1/SA-3: Aminah Hadi [Tasimah] (RGA)
SA-2: Ritesh Bell [Roosevetania] (RGA)

[Socialist Nordia]

Rally in central Fortaleza

"Hello everyone, it's great to be here."
*crowd cheers*
"It's so great to see so many impassioned supporters. I hope you're all able to go out and vote, because this election is crucial. It's crucial because Fernão has been given a choice: on one hand we could vote to drive up the wealth gap with unneeded tax incentives for the ultra rich, in the face of a struggling populace who have marched through the streets to demand real assistance. This is what the CU promises: it's a party of the privileged. Some have even gone so far as to propose a flat tax. And they think they'll still be able to assist the people? Well, actually, they know just what they're doing, they just want to hide it from you. I can promise, the RGA tax proposal will not place the burden on the everyday Fernãoan. It will be a progressive income tax that serves to counter rising inequality.

Of course, the problems with the Civic Union have gone above just public policy. Their primaries may have defeated our absentee Senate President Carvalho, who wouldn't show up to supervise several votes in a row during his term, but they also brought us a worse possibility. Yes, Priscilla Krishnan is a candidate wrapped in layers of scandals. Let's hope this election isn't plagued by fraud like last time, when Krishnan almost won by fraud comprising several percentage points. And then there's her alleged collusion with Fernão's most incredulous tabloids, spreading fake news and smears against the innocent Senator Viel. And her bribery of one of her fellow senator, followed by threats, and the whole thing culminated in a senator's forced resignation from party leadership for advocating against Krishnan in the primary. Perhaps the whole thing was predetermined after all.

Besides this, I have concrete plans for the nation I want to share with you. We need to bring Fernão into the international community. We need a fast track to UN membership, and begin the process of signing all expected international treaties and regulations and bring us into the world. We are just one country, and we need to bolster our foreign relations to be successful.

I also intend to put through concrete, legislative protection of your personal freedoms and rights which have to date not been legislated on. We need anti-discrimination laws. This is a nation of diverse faiths, ethnicities, and backgrounds, so discrimination is intolerable. We need to guarantee the right to control one's own body. All of these things will be dealt with under a Gadhavi administration.

But I can't singlehandedly reach these goal because I need a supportive Senate to work with, not against. That is why I will be releasing a list of my personal endorsements shortly, to encourage my supporters to go out and vote effectively for a progressive senate we can count on.

Thanks to everyone for showing up, it's been a real pleasure. I hope to be able to give this sort of speech as president soon. On a concluding note, I want to sincerely promise to you a that I will never stop fighting for your Fernão."

[Collatis]

The Most Trusted Name in News™

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BREAKING NEWS: Red-Green Alliance endorses candidates for parliamentary elections
Alexander Gouda, Fernão News Network | May 15 2017

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- (Fortaleza, Fernão) The Red-Green Alliance, which currently controls the presidency, has made endorsements in several races for the upcoming parliamentary elections. Most of the endorsed candidates hail from the party itself, but the Alliance has also endorsed Grzegorz Brzęczyszczykiewicz of the Union of Anabaptists, who has been an incumbent since winning in a much watched by-election last month. You can see the press release below:

Official Press Release of the Red-Green Alliance

The Red-Green Alliance is proud to release its list of endorsed candidates for the upcoming parliamentary elections:

FD-1: Bill Jackson (RGA) [United City States of Oceania]
FD-2: Alexios Viel (RGA) [Tectonix]
FD-3: John Smith (RGA) [Nation of the People of the Nation]
FD-4/Fortaleza AL: David Kelth (RGA) [Margora]
FD-5: Grzegorz Brzęczyszczykiewicz (UA) [Soviet Canuckistan]
Maabara At-Large: Shim Seo-yeon (RGA) [Malgrave]
NG-1: Edmund Clarke (RGA) [Federated Kingdom]
SA-1: Aminah Hadi (RGA) [Tasimah]
SA-2: Ritesh Bell (RGA) [Roosevetania]
SA-3: David Bloom (RGA) [Collatis]
SA-4: Raghav Kshatriya (RGA) [Tumbra]

Ten to twenty staffers have been sent to each district to help the preferred candidates with their campaigns.

The Red-Green Alliance declined to endorse in the NG-2 constituency, where they have no candidate running. The party is believed to sympathize with Iyasu Isaias Mengistu of the Communist Party of Fernão, the successor to Workers' Struggle, but the increasingly radical stances of the new party leadership appear to have dissuaded them from making an endorsement.

[Ainin]

Amman Singh is campaigning in his geographical constituency of Fortaleza-Samudra. A constituent named Rood Mann walks up to him.

"Your constituency isn't real!" he shouts. "You need to sign up for the elec-"

Amman pulls an ignore cannon out of his suit jacket and zaps him into purgatory. He returns to the campaign trail.