News Thread [Kylaris|Canon|IC]

[Union of Akoren]

[Azmara]

OPINION: THE "PINK WAVE" DOESN'T EXIST
Electoral successes of the ASE represent unconnected national trends and comparisons between them simplify the picture.

Jorś Maarkssun (@jorsmaarkssun)
^{1 Aug 2021 | Aalmsted, Azmara}

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Former Thingspeaker Eryk Jorśsun's 2017 landslide is considered one of the pink wave's early successes.

EUCLEAN COMMUNITY – A term that has become ubiquitous over the past two years to describe the current state of Euclean politics is the "Pink Wave", that is, the surge in success of the social-democratic member parties of the Socialist Alternative for Euclea. Right now, members of parties officially affiliated with the party occupy the head of government office in Alsland, Azmara, Caldia, Estmere, Gaullica and Hennehouwe, while other parties affiliated surge in popularity in other countries such as Paretia and Etruria. However, the notion that these events are connected is deeply flawed and has come to define the term's usage as it has spread from propaganda and marketing for ASE parties to the editorials of left-leaning papers and now being used in commentary by nonpartisan, government-funded news sources.

So much has the notion of a "Pink Wave" spread across Euclea that the opinion the electoral victories of ASE parties are not connected would be considered incorrect by much of the public. But when the Pink Wave's events are analysed, the assumptions behind this notion, one by one, fall flat on their faces.

The start of the Pink Wave is disputed, but many analyses point to the April 2017 victory for the Workers' Party of Azmara as the first event in the chain. It is worth conceding that this victory does represent a victory for social democracy as an ideology as the party's proposed reflation of the country's welfare state, infrastructure investment, pro-union reforms and renationalisations coupled with the unpopularity of the preceding centre-right government contributed to a massive victory for the party as it took support both from all three governing parties and from the left and right-wing populist movements that had been growing in previous elections.

However, within the context of Azmaran politics, where the Workers' Party have been the natural party of governance and have run the country for almost 60 of the 88 years since the 1933 Basic Law was signed, such a victory can be perceived more as a return to the natural equilibrium of politics, and the party's slight decline in the 2020 election despite numerous "Pink Wave" successes since acts as somewhat of a counterexample to the interconnected nature of the events.

The second event often tied to the "Pink Wave" would be the return of the SAP to government in Hennehouwe. However, what proponents of the "Pink Wave" leave out about this return to government is the lack of a role the SAP played in their own return to government. The party merely saw an increase of four seats from its 2014 result, which des not bode well for the idea of a surge in support for social democracy. The real story of the night and what led to the SAP's return to government was the surge in support for their coalition partner, the liberal VDP, whose clean, centrist branding allowed for the mass defection of moderate supporters of the conservative NVP dissatisfied at their previous government and the formation of a "purple" coalition between the SAP and VDP. Therefore, considering it a great victory for social democracy would be intellectually dishonest.

These two events would be succeeded by the 2019 election in Caldia, where the victory of the Social Democrats puts Jorśsun's in Azmara to shame - the party won 48.8% of the vote and an absolute majority in the Tionol. But context is important - this landslide happened in the face of the premiership of Liberty Taoiseach Frank Casarnach, whose corruption scandals are well known throughout the continent and an odious man whom few would object to the characterisation as potentially the worst Eastern Euclean head of government of the 21st century. After Casarnach had so brutally shredded his party's reputation as a competent administrative force in the minds of many Caldish citizens it is clear that many voters opted for the opposition party or for Liberty's rival for centre-right votes, the National Party, in order to punish the government for its scandals. While many Caldish may have come to embrace the ideological commitments of social democracy since, it is clear many of the votes Mac Suibhne got were merely one-time anti-corruption votes and returning voters who had voted Centre or Labour in 2017 as a protest against the party's then-unappealing leadership.

Later that year the "Pink Wave" gained another victory in Gaullica. However, again, displaying it as a major victory plays with the truth. Gaullica, like Azmara, has traditionally trended social democratic and support for right-of-centre outfits has been historically volatile. While 2019 may seem a resounding victory for them, it is worth noting that this victory came after they ended a ten-year stint in government to a conservative coalition government in 2018, which contrasts the narrative of a "Pink Wave" further as it happened after the victories in Azmara and Hennehouwe. This election is an example of the volatility of right-of-centre outfits - the main story was the collapse of the Gaullican Conservatives after a short, messy term in government which saw a failed constitutional referendum and a controversial sacking scandal of the outed Foreign Minister. Their collapse barely benefitted the Social Democrats - social conservatives that had supported the party went to the Catholic Labour Union while the economic liberal vote went to the new PRCP.

Like in Hennehouwe, the reason for the return of social democrats to government was not a particular increase in their support - the party only gained 14 seats - but the surge of an ally, in this case the Greens, who tripled their seat count and became the third-largest party and entered a coalition with the PSD. The election of Monique Degar-Abdulrashid, often seen as the young, vibrant leader of the "Pink Wave", as President the next year is again no significant victory for the "Pink Wave" - the right-of-centre vote was split three ways between the CG, UCT and PRCP, and the office was not a "gain", merely a hold as the PSD already held the Presidency of Gaullica through Jean Vallette.

Few elections were held in 2020 across Euclea, but the year ended with what has been considered another victory for the "Pink Wave" - the Progressive Alliance's return to government in Alsland. Some of the swing towards them did come from a weary National Bloc government struggling to continue, but the vast majority of their gains and the gains of their supporting party in the Greens and Socialists came from the collapse of the former far-left Workers' Party, which allowed them to regain their traditional first-place placing as they monopolised the left vote. It was also likely that, despite being beat into second, the National Bloc would have still formed a government through collaboration with The Centre and small right-wing parties, yet as the hard-right National Rally were thoroughly discredited due to their links to the perpetrator of the Yndyk train bombing the Progressive Alliance got their break as The Centre dropped all willingness to work with the right and agreed to form a confidence and supply arrangement. Neither of these really represents a surge for the left, merely a unification under one force and the disintegration of the possibility of a government being formed without them.

The true jewel in the crown of the "Pink Wave", the victory of Zoe Halivar in Estmere, also does not represent a victory for social democracy as an ideology as much as many would like to portray it as. Reginald Wilton-Smyth's government could not have made it easier for the opposition to win - the party's ministers were implicated in one of the biggest and most embarrassing scandals within recent Euclean political history as a quarter of the state pension fund went missing, and not long before the election the party had entered a borderline civil war as the party's moderate wing waged war against Wilton-Smyth's leadership and gave the party the impression of a lack of professionalism.

Furthermore, Wilton-Smyth's coalition partner in Reform had made themselves significantly unpopular amongst much of their voter base, many of whom wished for a centre-left, social liberal presence in government and were not happy with the centre-right anti-socialist unity government between Reform and the SDU that in stead formed after the election and as such many of Reform's more left-leaning voters left the party for the SDCP in protest at the betrayal. The pensions scandal only made things worse and while the party denounced their coalition partner for it, it was too late as more voters abandoned both government parties in protest at their scandals and voted for the SDCP. Again, this was not a ringing endorsement of the ideology of social democracy - scandals dominated the headlines and the response was voters giving the governing parties retribution for their crimes.

The strength of the social democratic parties in Etruria and Paretia has also been cited as part of the "Pink Wave", yet again it is not as part of a ringing endorsement of social democracy. While it is not always particularly fair to compare the Patron League with the Tribune Movement - the former has a much greater respect for democracy than the latter, comparisons on the rise of their social democratic parties in opposition to them is somewhat relevant - the rise of both of these parties had led voters opposed to them to coalesce around one party to oppose them. In Paretia as the Social Democrats were the largest opposition party to the Conservative Union-Patron League coalition and in Etruria as the Citizens' Movement collapsed as a credible opposition force they have both emerged as the largest opposition to their right-wing nationalist parties and thus seen a surge in support.

Adherents of the "Pink Wave" hypothesis also refuse to acknowlede the electoral failures of SAE-affiliated parties - it is hard to take the idea that a "Pink Wave" has happened seriously given the major defeat of the SRPO in Werania. The party, which to credit the adherents to the hypothesis has always been a maverick within the social democratic family, saw its worst result in history in 2019 as it went below 100 seats for the first time ever and its position as Werania's leading party of the left was challenged by the Greens and the party has entered a severe existential crisis since. The fact that none of the electoral success from other SAE parties has helped the SRPO's miserable fortunes as their leading position amongst the left has been shattered almost irreparably almost surely serves to show that there is no serious Eastern Euclea-wide surge in support of social democracy.

Werania is not the only example of a major failure of social democratic parties - Scovern's Social Labour Party, the country's traditional party of governance, was ousted in 2017 by a coalition of the Liberal People's Party and the Radicals over the aftermath of an expenses scandal that discredited much of the party's senior leadership. While this case is not as severe as Werania - it is likely that since undergoing a period of atonement the party will be on track for a recovery at Scovern's next election and thus return to its place as the natural governing party, it shows that many recent sudden changes of government have been more due to anger at scandals and blunders made by various governments as opposed to a surge in support for social democracy - while scandals and blunders have taken down many centre-right governments that have been replaced with social democratic ones, it would be selective reading to ignore the two social democratic governments taken down in favour of centre-right ones for the same reasons.

This is not even to mention Kesselbourg and Borland, where the social democratic parties have historically played a rather secondary role in politics which has persisted in recent elections, with the Kesselbourgish social democrats weak against liberal, green-liberal and Sotirian democratic forces working to enforce the country's pro-market hegemony, and the Borish ones struggle against Centrum and the greens for centre-left voters and are themselves split between a more socially progressive and a more socially conservative party. It is also not to mention Amathia, whose hyperfragmented political landscape makes analyses of political trends as in the other EC member states significantly harder and less accurate.

The elected social democratic governments have also seen some disagreements with each other on some issues. While the general sentiments of social democratic ideology mean that the governments agree on certain policies and as such have been able to collaborate on initiatives such as Buy Euclean and a quest against parasitic big tech companies, issues such as immigration, Tsabara and environmental action have drawn a wedge between some governments. Notably, the construction of the Tuaisceart-Sued pipeline between Werania and Caldia shoved a wedge between the Azmaran social democrats and the Caldian social democrats - the Azmaran ones and their two explicitly environmentalist coalition partners refused to support the pipeline's construction through the Northern Forum which, while controversial within the party and resulting in the replacement of Jorśsun with Anasdohter as Thingspeaker, served to put a wedge between the formerly extremely cordial Azmaran and Caldish social democratic governments.

Disputes between the social democratic governments of the "small states" and those of Estmere and Gaullica have also been apparent. All four of Alsland, Azmara, Caldia and Hennehouwe were at least sceptical of intervention within Tsabara, which has been more welcomed as an idea by Halivar and Degar-Abdulrashid, albeit notably less so than the centre-right in both countries. Another issue which has shown a rift between the governments is immigration - both the Alslandic and Azmaran social democrats have taken on anti-immigration sentiments while in government, with both Moeller and Anasdohter making statements criticising the idea of mass immigration, in Anasdohter's case even in a statement condemning racialised language of the Weranic NKP towards immigration. Furthermore, the deputy leader of Moeller's own party had to resign after referring to immigrants as "cockroaches", while the Azmaran social democrats have caught flak in local elections in some cities for posters saying "Vote Gold Flame, get open borders", which contrasts heavily with the significantly more liberal tone taken on the issue by the governments of the larger states. These disagreements serve to discredit the idea of a "Pink Wave" further - while these six leaders may be aligned with the SAE, there are many issues on which they do not particularly see eye to eye on.

In conclusion, the "Pink Wave" is an attempt to read into a series of oustings of centre-right governments due to scandals and blunders that tarnished their standing with the general public a genuine Eastern Euclea-wide trend towards social democratic ideology, while ignoring similar blunders and scandals leading to the ousting of social democratic governments while ignoring the disputes between the various social democratic governments over various policy issues. For genuine discussion of trends in Euclean politics to seriously occur, the simplistic analysis of a "Pink Wave" needs to be consigned to disuse.
Comments [ 20846 ]
© De Aalmsted Heraald Inc. 2021

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20846 comments

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[Poshyte]

[Xiaodong]

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BREAKING - Furler resigns as Defence Minister
Defence Minister states his decision stems from a desire to ensure investigations into the assassination of ambassador Schönfisch aren't derailed by his role in the Volger scandal remain.

Hermann Springer
1 August 2021 | Westbrücken, Werania

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Furler announcing his resignation.
Photo courtesy of AV photos.

WESTBRÜCKEN, WERANIA - Defence Minister Ulrich Furler has in a shock announcement stated that he plans to resign from his role as Defence Minister after stating he believed the decision was appropriate to ensure the Defence Ministry would be focused on the ongoing investigation of the assassination of ambassador Schönfisch rather then "malicious allegations of his conduct in Tsabara" seen as an allusion to his alleged pressure on the Tsabaran government regarding insider trading connected to Volger GmbH.

In his statement Furler said he "owed it to Mr Schönfisch's family to ensure that the Defence Ministry remains focused on ensuring that we can get to the bottom of this horrible affair". Furler also apologised to the armed forces as a whole saying questions about insider trading risked sullying the name of Weranian servicemen whom Furler stated he had the "highest respect for".

"I cannot have my reputation damage that of those who give everything to this country. I have fallen below the high standards of the Reichwehr and I cannot abide by that; therefore it is right for me to go at this present time".

Furler thanked his colleagues at the Defence Ministry for their "phenomenal work in rebuilding this country's armed forces in the past two years" and that it had been a "honour to represent the best of the best in that time". Furler stated he would continue to serve as Defence Minister until the premier appoints a replacement.

The defence minister has been under pressure to resign in the last two weeks after it emerged that he had been a key player in an insider trading scheme set up by arms company Volger GmbH which had bribed ministers to accept contracts worth €5.7 billion. Furler was named to have put pressure on Tsabaran premier Aslan Ocalan to accept Volger arms contracts in a Tsabaran-Weranian arms deal.

Although Furler was deemed by attorney-general Volker Bottenbruch to have likely broken the law premier von Hösslin refused to dismiss Furler rejecting the allegations as baseless. However continued pressure on Furler undermined political support for von Hösslin's position with the premiers approval falling to its lowest yet and the NKP sliding in the polls.

The premier was in particular coming under heavy criticism by rival factions in the NKP - the populists and moderates - over his refusal to remove Furler from office. Furler was seen as key to ensuring von Hösslin and his neoconservative faction remained dominant in the party and his removal substantially weakens the premier at a critical juncture. Who von Hösslin appoints as his successor may be decisive in pointing to the future of the government.

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© Der Staatsmann Group 2021

[The Kingdom of Glitter]

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Mac SUIBHNE'S TOP AIDE TO DEPART DURING LEGISLATIVE RECESS

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Abigeál Nic Samhradháin (l) is set to take over as the taoiseach's chief of staff after the August recess.

By RÓNÁN Ó DUBHGHAILL

2 August 2021 at 14:19 p.m. EST

The senior-most aide to Taoiseach Stiofán Mac Suibhne is set to leave his position following the close of the Tionól's August recess, a government statement confirmed.

Aogán Ó Cuirc, who has served as Mac Suibhne's chief of staff since 2019, will step away from his role starting on 15 August. Ó Cuirc has long supported the taoiseach, previously working for Mac Suibhne when he was deputy leader and later leader of the Social Democratic Party.

Mac Suibhne named Ó Cuirc as his top aide after the PSD's landslide 2019 victory. He was charged with running the Executive Office, the government agency responsible for supporting the taoiseach. Since taking on the job, Ó Cuirc has supported Mac Suibhne's legislative efforts. He was a major force behind the government's successful constitutional reform bill, having worked closely with legislators to ensure its smooth passage.

The taoiseach's chief of staff is looking to retire from politics to spend time with his family, the statement read.

A government spokesperson said that the taoiseach wished Ó Cuirc well.

Mac Suibhne will charge Abigeál Nic Samhradháin with overseeing the operations of the Executive Office after the legislature returns from its summer recess. The government has an ambitious agenda for the rest of its term before the general election in June of next year. Nic Samhradháin, who currently serves as one of Ó Cuirc's deputies, will play a major role in ensuring Mac Suibhne's agenda makes it through the Tionól and government agencies.

She has worked in politics for over a decade, supporting individual legislators and later working as a support at staffer for various committees. Mac Suibhne appointed her as one of the deputy chiefs of staff in March 2020.

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© Nördlichen Verlagshaus 2021

[Caltarania]

[Xiaodong]

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Anton Raicevich appointed as defence minister replacing Furler
New defence minister is considered to be the face of the right-wing populist wing of the party with close links to Etruria and Senria .

Hermann Springer
3 August 2021 | Westbrücken, Werania

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Defence Minister Anton Raicevich.
Photo courtesy of AV photos.

WESTBRÜCKEN, WERANIA - Otto von Hösslin has appointed Anton Raicevich to the position of Defence Minister to succeed Ulrich Furler who resigned from the post following allegations of insider trading. Raicevich, who served as the chairman of the NKP's youth wing the New Generation Forum from 2015 to 2019, is considered a key figure of the party's populist faction being seen as a protégé of Jörg Bullmann.

Von Hösslin stated he appointed Raicevich due to his "reservoir of ideas, unbridled energy and willingness to throw himself into his new brief, which he will undoubtedly excel at". Von Hösslin noted that Raicevich was a rising star within the party and expected him to be a "welcome voice at the cabinet table".

The premier also thanked the "excellent legacy of Mr Furler who led much needed modernisation of our armed forces standing up for the interests of our servicemen".

Raicevich - the grandson of Etrurian migrant workers - played a key role in shifting the NKP to the populist right during his time as NGF chairman with the NGF emerging as a stronghold for the party's populist faction. The shift has been criticised as some accused Raicevich of allowing far-right elements to infiltrate the NGF a charge the 42 year old denies. Nevertheless Raicevich is considered to be one of the most able politicians in the party having been the head of operations for the party for the 2019 election.

"It's pretty odd that Anton hasn't been offered a ministerial role already" an NKP parliamentarian told me. "He's a competent media performer and an effective political player. I think the premier was wary about getting in another of Bullmann's lot into government but the situation has changed now."

Raicevich's appointment represents a shift in power within the NKP away from the neoconservative and moderate factions and towards the populists. Furler had previously been a key supporter of the premier but his legal woes meant that the other two factions were "clamouring" for his removal. However the appointment of Raicevich has tipped the balance towards the populists.

Eyebrows have been raised over Raicevich's links with Etruria's Tribune Movement and Senria's Patriotic Party. These links have been questioned particularly as Raicevich supports a hawkish position in Tsabara, reportedly calling for Werania to increase protection for the Atudite population.

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© Der Staatsmann Group 2021

[The Kingdom of Glitter]

THE MAN IN THE MIDDLE: Mac PIARAIS PINCHED IN THE POLLS FROM LEFT AND RIGHT
Liberty's controversial leader has bled support to rival right-leaning parties, leaving his party in a tight spot
3 August 2021 | Gráinne Fitzpatrick

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Caldish Democrats leader Muirís Ó Branagáin (l), Liberty leader Pádraig Mac Piarais (c), National Party leader Liam Ó Cuillinn (r)

POLL after poll continues to spell trouble for the Liberty Party's embattled leadership. The party is effectively being squeezed from both the left and the right, with other right-leaning parties gaining at Liberty's expense. Pádraig Mac Piarais, Liberty's controversial party leader, has drug his party into the political wilderness. His combative style and extremist positions have caused the party to bleed support with moderate and even conservative voters increasingly opting to indicate their preference for the Caldish Democrats and the National Party.

Each major poll released so far in July shows Liberty trailing its worst ever electoral performance in 2019. The party earned just 18.4% of the popular vote, a historic low. After the party's embarrassing showing in June's provincial elections, the party looks like it is on track to break its 2019 record at next year's general election. An IBPS poll has Liberty on 17.5%, a joint GBF-Státaire poll at 18.2%, and a joint TRN/G TaV poll at 16.4%. The latest of these polls also shows the National Party overtaking Liberty with 18.2% of respondents indicating support.

This series of disastrous polling is why senior figures in the party's parliamentary group are now calling for Mac Piarais to step away from the party leadership. The most prominent of which is Áine Nic Gille, one of the deputy speakers of the Tionól. Nic Gille made her preference for new leadership known last week. She joins many of Liberty's TCs in calling for Mac Piarais to step down. The party's parliamentary group leans significantly more moderate than the party's leadership and has been a source of conflict. Mac Piarais has signaled he hopes to promote candidates who reflect his positions in the 2022 election, meaning that many of Liberty's moderate TCs are at risk of losing their seats.

Liberty's bleeding to the more centrist Caldish Democrats, whose leader Muirís Ó Branagáin has rebranded the party as a socially liberal, progressive force, and the National Party, led by the moderate conservative Liam Ó Cuillinn, appears to have these TCs anxious. It is no real surprise that voters favor candidates seen as more moderate, but more importantly who are seen as less toxic. The kingmaker of the Caldish electorate, the middle class, tend to be put off by extremist stances. Without them, there is no pathway to victory for the Liberty Party. Mac Piarais' hard pivot right has also failed to blunt the National Party, who benefit from his extremism.

Mac Piarais is caught between the progressive Ó Branagáin and the respected Ó Cuillinn so much so that the two rival leaders have higher favorability ratings than the leader of the opposition. A recent poll conducted by TRN/G TaV showed that 45% of respondents favored Mac Suibhne to be the taoiseach while 17% preferred Ó Cuillinn and 10% liked Ó Branagáin. Just 8% of respondents indicated their preference for Mac Piarais. This has significant implications for both Liberty as a party and its leader.

Firstly, in Caldia's multi-member constituencies voters tend to back the party whose leader they want to form a government. It is with these seats that majorities are formed. Many Caldish voters split their votes between the list seats and the constituencies. If only 8% of the electorate want Mac Piarais to form the next government, that indicates big trouble for Liberty. The party won just 48 of these seats in 2019. Losing any of these seats makes it much harder for the party to rebound. It is also possible that voters who may otherwise split between other centre-right parties on the party list and Liberty on the constituencies could choose instead to back their preferred party. This would give the Caldish Democrats more seats than they would otherwise receive and the National Party a real shot at overtaking Liberty as the largest right-leaning party. This is what has Liberty TCs panicking.

For Mac Piarais, the implications are even more jarring. While the party is polling on average for July at over 17%, only 8% of voters indicate they want Mac Piarais as taoiseach. This means that the majority of Liberty's supporters in opinion polls do not support Liberty because of Mac Piarais. Roughly 8%, perhaps at a more liberal estimate giving polling errors 10%, of the electorate support Liberty because of Mac Piarais' leadership. You cannot become taoiseach if your ceiling of support is 10%. It also shows that his attempts to reach out to conservative and right-wing voters has failed miserably.

The lesson here in all of this for Liberty's leadership is that extremism will not win you an election. While it may win you seats, the story of the Free Market Party shows that even that has a limit. If Liberty ever again wants to lead a government, or even participate in one, it is going to have to cast off Mac Piarais as its leader and move back to the political centre. The National Party has shown it has captured the conservative vote and Ó Cuillinn's tactful leadership likely means the party will cement its role as the party of the conservative right. Liberty must again establish itself as the party of the liberal centre-right. Should Mac Piarais' leadership continue, the party risks being overtaken by the Caldish Democrats.

For his party, Liberty's abrasive leader has shown now desire to step away from the party and has frequently dismissed his critics. However, with prominent voices in the parliamentary caucus now calling for his resignation, he risks a revolt. It is yet to be seen if he will save face and bow out or if he will fight to the end. Given his combative nature, it is fair to assume which path he will take.

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Written by Gráinne Fitzpatrick, a staff-writer for An Radacach

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[West Miersa]

Skirmish breaks out on Małomiersan front line, 19 Miersans murdered

View of the front line bisecting through Małomiersa (file photo)

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SECHIA, MAŁOMIERSA - Today, the Ministry of Defence confimred reports of a skirmish along the front line on the town of Ogrodowskiego, which has been bisected by the front line separating the areas of Małomiersa under Miersan control and the areas of Małomiersa under górale occupation.

At 7:12 pm Central Euclean Time, soldiers from the Miersan National Army were ambushed by górale terrorists who deemed themselves the "Revolutionary Defence Forces." The terrorists fired at the Miersan National Army, forcing our soldiers to defend themselves. In the fight, the "commanding officer" of the terrorists were killed by our lads, but after a minute or two of fighting, nineteen Miersan soldiers were killed, while eight terrorists were justly slain by the Miersan National Armed Forces.

In a press release issued by Defence Minister Serwacy Banaszewski, he vowed that "while the Miersan nation longs for an eternal peace with the górale, we have a right to defend ourselves against any act of terrorism inflicted on the Miersan nation, and we are not afraid to do so, even if the górale lobby paints us as aggressors, as murderers, because they have inflicted significant wounds to Miersa."

Government sources have indicated that Defence Minister Serwacy Banaszewski will meet with President Sylwester Wrzesiński tomorrow to discuss "an appropriate response" to the skirmish launched by the górale.

More as the story develops.

In other news

• Werania - Anton Raicevich appointed new Defence Minister after Furler resigns his post
• Opinion - The "pink wave" not only does not exist, it is eastern-centric
• Hoikoćija - Five górale charged with plotting to bomb a school on the name of Aranoak
• Election 2021 - Aleksandra Wojdyla of the Miersan National Party proposes recognising Lemovician as a minority language alongside Soravian and Vedmedi

[Lemovicia]

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SKIRMISH NEAR OSARA WITH THE NORTH LEADS TO DEATH OF EIGHT LEMOVICIAN SOLDIERS
Amendment now goes to the provinces for approval before the Presidency formally promulgates the amendment into law

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ZIRO ZABALEGUIA (@ZiroZaba)
4 AUGUST, 2021 04:51 CET | TOPAGUNEA, BIDEGURUCEAN

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Defence Minister Haran Uriarteamoŕortu at his office (file photo)

At 7:12 pm Central Euclean Time, a squad of Revolutionary Defence Forces were attacked in Osara by northern troops. In the course of a two minute skirmish, eight Lemovician soldiers, including the commander of the squad, were killed by northern troops, before both sides withdrew from the area. Out of respect for the victims' friends and families, the Revolutionary Defence Forces have not published the list of victims.

Following initial reports of the skirmish at Osara, Minister Haran Uriarteamoŕortu told Aztercaileja that "the attack was a needless provocation by the Miersan National Armed Forces that saw the squadron of Revolutionary Defence Force personnel defend themselves with valor against what might be the worst breach in the [Arciluco] ceasefire since 2003 [when Lemavia Flight 1 was shot down over the Southern Corridor Security Zone]. Because of this breach, I have informed the Presidency of Lemovicia of the incident, and we intend to discuss how to best respond to it."

Uriarteamoŕortu said "If the north wants war, if they want to attack the Lemovician nation, the Lemovician people, and destroy our culture and our socialist way of life, we will fight to defend Lemovicia and its sovereignty. But, I know the people in Topagunea want peace. I know the people in Krada want peace. I know the people in Żobrodź want peace, and if the northern regime wants peace, we are more than willing to discuss an amicable settlement and to de-escalate the situation [between Lemovicia and the northern regime]."

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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© AZTERCAILEJA 2021

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[Saul Volcano]

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2021 Paretian General Election live feed
RMP will have a live feed of the 2021 snap elections, we will update you as the polls close and the results of the election come in,
Silvio Alcantara (@RealSilvioAlcan) | 4 August 2021 | Precea

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13:00 PM- Welcome to the RMP 2021 Paretian General Elections live feed, we will give updates and info on the election results as they come in throughout the day.

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13:05 PM- For those who are new to Paretia's political system, Paretian general elections have voters elect representatives in the legislature's two houses, the Congresso and the Senado. The Congresso, the lower house, has a total of 360 seats evenly distributed by population across the country. The Senado, the upper house, has 120 and has 30 seats representing each of Paretia's constituent kingdoms. This election also will have voters voting for representatives in the unicameral regional legislatures of each of the four constituent kingdoms.

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13:11 PM- This year's election is a snap election, called on June 15th by King Erasmo after the Conservative Union and Liberals of Paretia left the coalition of Premier Cerqueira, in response to the Premier's decision to join the Patron League. This election comes only a year after the previous election which saw a massive shift in power of the coalition government and the replacement of Premier Gonçalves with Isilda Cerqueira as a deal between the LP and UC.

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21:00 PM- Polls have officially closed, here is our current seat exit poll:
Congress (360):
LP - 149
SD - 142
Alt - 32
SPIT - 27
Vs - 3
CpL - 2
LdP - 1
UC - 1
Others - 3
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Senate (120):
LP - 50
SD - 47
Alt - 10
SPIT - 9
Vs - 1
CpL - 1
LdP - 0
UC - 0
Others - 2

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21:12 PM- If this exit poll is correct, it will be an extremely tight parliament in both houses. It is likely the LP and Alt with ally together, however they will only have an extremely slim majority, of one 1 seat in the Congress, while controlling exactly half of the Senate. Remember, this is only if these polls are correct, the results may be different than what we are seeing right now. One thing is clear however, the UC, LdP, and CpL have collapsed to the Alt and LP. It is very likely that the LP will become the leading party of the right-wing in Paretia, as an euclosceptic populist party. There is a slim but possible chance that the LP and Alt do not ally, this gives an opportunity to the SD and other left-wing parties to form a minority government. But this is all speculation and the results will reveal what the actual future of Paretia is.

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21:24 PM- LP General Secretary Selena Caprichoso has tweeted that "The exit polls may seem close, but the reality is we will win, much more than anticipated!"

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21:28 PM- SPIT leader Salomão Andrade has said that his party "hasn't been this invigorated in decades" as it appears they will likely win the most seats in since the election of 1975.

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21:32 PM- UC leader Alexandre Nobreza is already ready to conceded defeat in the election, reports say. The party is predicted to lose nearly all of it's seats to parties like the LP, SD, and Alt. It appears that is so.

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21:40 PM- The four Regional Legislature exit polls shows the LP in the lead in Luzela, Esmeira, and Vicisa. The SD is in the lead in Tosutonia.

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21:46 PM- The cities of Encerosa, Precea, and Burgo Coroa are usually where the first districts are declared. They are currently expected to go first. Most likely to vote SD or SPIT.

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21:48 PM- Encerosa Nord is the first district to be declared, Laia Batista of the SD will win the seat there.

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21:49 PM- More districts have declared, around 13 of them, mostly in rural western Luzela, an LP stronghold. The results for these districts are 11 LP, 1 SD, and 1 Alt. These include Lacuna, the district of Selena Caprichoso, founder and general secretary of the LP.

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22:01 PM- Around 5 districts have declared in metropolitan southeast Luzela, in the cities of Precea, Felipeio, and Chorto. All have been picked up by the SD.

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22:10 PM- More districts are expected to declare over the next few hours, some districts are very close, mainly in eastern Luzela and Tosutonia. Now for the party leaders and their districts. Cerqueira is running for Cresceu, her district during her term in the Congress as a UC members, she is in the lead there. In Vale de Precea, Esmeralda Falcão is seeing her leading ahead of tough competition from the SPIT. Alt's Horácio Pacau is currently leading in his district, Casiovio, and expected to declare soon. The SPIT's Salomão Andrade's district, Martessa Central, is also expected to declare soon, there he is leading. However for UC's leader Nobreza and his district, Jema, it is being lead by LP's Frederico Carriço.

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22:16 PM- So far the exit polls have been accurate in most districts, but in some areas in eastern Luzela, the numbers are much closer than anticipated, where the LP is gaining on some SD-leading seats. The polls have predicted collapse of the "old right wing" and center parties, where they are barely getting votes in most districts, and leading in nearly none. It also has predicted the rise of the populist far-right, the communist far-left, and the center-left.

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22:27 PM- SPIT leader Salomão Andrade's district, Martessa Central, has declared with him winning.

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22:37 PM- Vale de Precea has declared, SD leader Esmeralda Falcão will win the seat. She thanked her voters and said that Cerqueira "will be sorry to cause a snap election".

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22:42 PM- UC member Bernando Arra has lost his district, Encruzilhada de Viagemeres, to SD's Valério Gomes.

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22:45 PM- Casiovio, Alt Party leader Horácio Pacau's district, has declared with him winning the seat. He declared during a speech to supporters that if the Alt Party and Patron League win enough seats, they "will ally, expect it", this hurting the SD and their hopes for forming a government slims.

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22:56 PM- The LP has gained leads in some districts predicted to swing to the hands of the SD. Giving more hope to the LP.

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23:00 PM- Green leader, Perpétua Venâncio, has narrowly won her district, São Miguel.

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23:21 PM- Transnodi Sud has declared, Tosuton Front leader Roser de Fontanel holds her seat

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23:30 PM- Deputy Premier and Deputy Leader of the LP, Paulo Sérgio Lima, has held his seat, Santo Cecilio.

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23:38 PM- Ronchique has been declared, CpL leader Joel Campos to win the seat

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23:44 PM- Zaena has declared, Esmeira Party leader Salvador Modesto has won the seat

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00:02 AM- The LP has begun to win more seats in Esmeira and Vicisa. The SD has won many of the urban districts. It appears that the LP may have a bigger lead than expected as they may win more seats in eastern Luzela, many of them are tight races, but the LP has gained leads in most of these districts. Isilda Cerqueira made a statement that she is "Increasingly more exited as the night goes on".

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00:36 AM- LdP Leader Nicole Barboza barely wins her district of Jardinagem-Anestrel

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00:42 AM- All districts in the city of Precea have now declared, all being won by both the SPIT or SD.

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01:04 AM- Jema has now declared, UC leader Alexandre Nobreza has lost his district to the LP candidate Frederico Carriço, he announced he will resign from his position as leader and be replaced by the party's now only representative in the Assembleia Nacional, Miguelito do Rosário, winner of the Costelâm district.

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03:21 AM- DISPLAY ERROR

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03:21 AM- It appears the LP is bound to win more seats than our exit polls have predicted, they either have won or are currently leading in 160 districts, might way than the polls, which predicted the LP would win 149. It seams likely the LP are going to be able to form a government without having to making deals with the center parties, who have been destroyed in this election.

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03:33 AM- Cresceu has been called, after a close race with the SD, Premier Isilda Cerqueira has won the district which she once represented as a UC member until 2020. She made a speech to her supporters in Precea saying that they "should prepare to celebrate for victory", and that "Paretia is making it's choice known, they are fed up with the elites, with the old parties, and with the EC. Fed up with the right, the center, and the left." She then announced that she has agreed with meeting with Alt Party leader Pacau on forming a government.

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3:34 PM- Pancarta Noroeste has been declared, Vicisan Party leader Xusta das Criadas will hold the seat.

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03:39 AM- Esmeralda Falcão has made a speech saying that "we will wait until all of the results are in, we will continue to push forward".

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04:46 AM- The LP has won a total of 152 districts, and are leading in 12 others, the SD have won 128, and are leading in 1 more. It appears the SD will not win as many seats as the polls have said, the chances of forming a government have become near zero for the opposition. Any possibly of allying with the center parties are gone, for the SD, the future seems dim. Furthermore, the Alternative Party has won 32 districts so far, and if they ally with the LP, they will be able to have a complete majority together as a populist alliance.

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05:56 AM- In the Senate, all of the seats have been declared, a similar scene to the Congress, the LP has won 54 seats, while the SD has only won 32. The Alt Party has won 10 and the SPIT 9. It appears the LP and Alt can easily form a government in the Senate.

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06:07 AM- Premier Isilda Cerqueira and other LP leaders have announced victory in the election with celebrating supporters in Precea, stating that they expect the SD to concede very soon.

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08:19 AM- All seats have been declared in the Congress, the LP win most with a total of 164 seats!

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08:43 AM- Thank you for staying with us, we will be signing off. More news will come on the election results on RMP.

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[Liecthenbourg]

Gus Amon - 04 August 2021

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Home · Kesselbourg · The Continent · The World · Policy · Opinion · Features · Newsletters · Continental Pro

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COMMUNITY FOREIGN AND GLOBAL AFFAIRS COMMISSIONER OFFERS MEDIATION IN ONGOING MIERSAN DISPUTE.

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Vivien Vallette declared that "it is in the interest of all parties that a peaceful solution to be found".

Kesselbourg City, Kesselbourg - Tensions between East and West Miersa, as well as Lemovicia -- the disputed territory that seceded from West Miersa in 1979 and was recognised as the territory controlled by the LSWI in Małomiersa in 1992 -- have risen following months of agitation and diplomatic moves.

What were diplomatic spats and issues ranging from East Miersa moving its capital, to the terminology used to describe entities in Lemovicia have evolved further: a skirmish has been reported to have taken place near the Małomiersan front line, as West Miersan and Lemovician forces met. According to Lemovician sources; eight Lemovician soldiers were attacked following a skirmish near Osara; where they sustained 8 casualties. West Miersan sources have reported that 19 Miersans were killed.

The incident has been described by both sides, which occurred earlier today, as potential breaches of the ceasefire brokered by the Arciluco Agreement. Lemovician Minister Uriarteamorortu stated that it might have been the "worst breach" that the ceasefire has seen since 2003, when Lemavia Flight 1 was shot down over the Southern Corridor Security Zone. Minister Uriarteamorortu furthered his statement; indicating that Lemovicians were prepared to defend themselves -- even if the people wished for peace.

The potential for this situation to escalate is immense; with both sides meeting with the appropriate authorities within their countries to discuss appropriate measures of response. The threat for conflict is extraordinarily high; as neither country seems willing to back-down and both sides claim the other was the aggressor. It is very likely that East Miersa and MASSOR will support the Lemovicians, and Samistopol will begin to rally behind West Miersa.

Euclean Community Commissioner for Foreign and Global Affairs, Vivien Vallette, has urged both governments to "come to an agreement on the peace brokered by Arciluco". He put forward the "Community's commitment to peace in Euclea as the perfect candidate for mediation between both parties; ensuring a fair and equitable treatment for both polities involved."

He continued, indicating that "the commitment to peace exercised by the Euclean Community has seen countless partnerships across the continent in ensuring the maintaining of cordial relations and peace."

His offer, which would see representatives of West Miersa and the LSWI open to talks at Kesselbourg, has been supported by Community President Alexis Walker. Of the current situation in the region, she said: "Peace in Central Euclea, amidst the Mieras in particular, is paramount to peace in Euclea as a whole. We support all efforts in seeing both parties come to the diplomatic table; as they did all those years ago with the Arciluco Agreement."

The measure has been supported across many governments in the Euclean Community; particularly Premier Ine-Linda Nesby of Scovern and Taoiseach Stiofán Mac Suibhne: both of whom had offered to host a mediation themselves before assisting Commissioner Vallette with his own proposal.

[West Miersa]

Wrzesiński accepts EC mediation offer on "one condition"

President Wrzesiński speaking at Sechia (file photo)

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CITY OF ŻOBRODŻ - Today, President Sylwester Wrzesiński announced that "the Miersan government will accept Kesselbourg's offer to mediate a solution to the current crisis with the górale authorities, on the one condition that the górale immediately withdraw from the Południowy corridor and allow the Miersan government to restore control over the Południowy corridor."

President Wrzesiński said that "the Arciluco Agreement clearly states that the Południowy corridor is not part of Małomiersa: the agreement only applies to Małomiersa, and given a clause in the Agreement states that the authorities in the górale-held parts of Małomiersa explicitly states that they have a 'right to have a corridor connecting it to the east for 'citizens, vehicles, and goods' to access their territory, and that we do not impede such traffic,' it is clear that both sides recognise that the Południowy corridor, is in fact, Miersan territory."

"The fact that they have consistently maintained their illegal occupation even to this date is a continued affront on the sovereignty of the Miersan nation, and their recent decision to integrate the Południowy corridor to legitimise their occupation, even though the Południowy corridor is, and has always has been part of the Krupiński powiat in Zanawiwasie, is a threat to peace in Euclea," Wrzesiński said. "If they are truly committed to peace in Euclea, they must withdraw from the corridor immediately and allow us to restore our control over the corridor before we may enter talks."

"If the górale wish to commit suicide, if they want to fight, the Miersan National Armed Forces are more than ready to end their occupation over the Południowy corridor by any means possible, and negotiate an agreement that is more equitable, fair, and acceptable to all sides," Wrzesiński said. "That is their right. But I strongly urge the górale authorities to consider the inevitable outcome before they commit themselves to this suicidal path."

"We eagerly await their response," Wrzesiński said.

In other news

• Ogrodowskiego - Names of nineteen Miersans murdered by górale released by the Ministry of Defence
• Partetia - Patron League in the lead: will we get an ally in the Euclean Community to stand for our interests?
• Hoikoćija - Five górale charged with plotting to bomb a school on the name of Aranoak
• Sechia - One górale killed, suspect investigated and released on no charges

[Lemovicia]

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CHAIRMAN OF THE PRESIDENCY TO ACCEPT EC OFFER FOR NEGOTIATIONS
Chairman of the Presidency Arin Munićića rejects West Miersa's condition, saying "we do not trust the north to safeguard the corridor"

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ZIRO ZABALEGUIA (@ZiroZaba)
4 AUGUST, 2021 20:58 CET | TOPAGUNEA, BIDEGURUCEAN

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Chairman of the Presidency Arin Munićića (file photo)

Following Kesselbourg offering to have host talks between the Miersan Sotirian Republic and the State of Lemovicia, Chairman of the Presidency Arin Munićića announced his intention to accept the offer made by the Euclean Community, saying that "we are more than willing to discuss a peaceful solution to the current crisis, and we want to avoid war at all costs. Thus, I will accept the offer from the Euclean Community to negotiate with my northern counterparts on resolving the crisis."

"However, we have been informed that the leader of the northern regime, Wrzesiński, has tied his participation in the talks to us withdrawing from the Southern Corridor, and handing them back to the north," Munićića said. "This is an unacceptable condition, because the Arciluco Agreement states that the corridor is in Zone B, which is the area controlled by the State of Lemovicia, which is governed by the Lemovician Section of the Workers' International. Furthermore, if we do withdraw from the Southern Corridor, we do not trust the north to safeguard the corridor and our rights outlined in the agreement."

When asked if he was willing to veto the amendment that would make the Corridor Security Zone the eighth province of the State of Lemovicia, and rename it to Ekialdebeŕija Province, Munićića said that "in the event of a peaceful settlement that safeguards the corridor, which safeguards our links between the State of Lemovicia and the Miersan Federative Council Republic, then yes, I am more than willing to veto the current amendment."

However, Munićića said that "just because we are willing to maintain the status quo, or to alter its status in a way favourable to the north, does not necessarily mean that we will be withdrawing from the Southern Corridor. So long as the current conditions exist [between the northern regime and Lemovicia], the Southern Corridor will stay as part of the Lemovician state."

Comments [ 13,669 ] | E-mail
© AZTERCAILEJA 2021

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MORE HEADLINES

• Bidegurucean ratifies amendment to rename Corridor Security Zone to Ekialdebeŕija Province, and make it the eighth province of Lemovicia [ 13214 ]
• Names of eight Lemovician dead released by the Ministry of Defence, honours to be given for "bravery and valor in battle" [ 11509 ]
• Neofunctionalists in the lead in Paretia: could this see a more hostile Euclean Community? [ 9237 ]
• Two Lemovician youth charged with hate crime against Miersan youth in Heŕibeŕija [ 5951 ]
• Opinion: Lawns are inherently bourgeoisie: why you should grow a garden instead and contribute to society for once in your miserable life [ 4684 ]

[Saul Volcano]

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Election 2021 - Results of Paretia's general election come in
The results of Paretia's election have nearly entirely come in, the narrative as of right now is clear: Cerqueira and the LP have won, the SD gain but fall short of their goals, Alt and SPIT gain more influence, and the other parties have completely collapsed.
Domingos Pires (@dompires) | 5 August 2021 | Precea

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Isilda Cerqueira with Patron supporters in downtown Precea as she announces "victory in this election".

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Precea, Paretia: The Patron League may have their wish this morning, they seem to have taken hold of Paretia's right-wing and taken some more along the way. The possibility they can form a government, which is likely going to be with the Alternative Party, is very likely. Cerqueira declared victory in a speech early this morning as the final seals declared in the Congresso. The results are as follows:

Map of the constituencies and their final results

Party - Congresso/Senado
LP: 164/54
SD: 129/42
Alt: 32/10
SPIT: 26/9
Vs: 2/1
CpL: 2/1
LdP: 1/1
UC: 1/0
Others: 3/2


Alongside the Assembleia Nacional, three of the four regional legislatures of Paretia's kingdoms will likely be lead by the LP and Alt, with the other, Tosutonia, likely being lead by the SD. The chances for the SD to form a government with other left-wing or even center allies will likely not happen. The election saw the SD and SPIT win most of the urban districts, and much of north Tosutonia and the southeast Luzela metropolitan area.

The LP took over many seats from almost every party this election, mostly from the UC, CpL, and the LdP. They won much of the seats they wanted the most, east Luzela, south Tosutonia, and Esmeira. Premier Cerqueira has returned to her seat of Cresceu, which she left last year after deciding not to run in the 2020 election after leaving the UC. UC leader Alexandre Nobreza had lost his seat of Jema, and now only one seat remains in control of the party, Costelâm. Nobreza announced today that "It seems Paretia has fallen into the toxic far-right's hands, Cerqueira and the LP's plans for taking over the nation have succeeded, unfortunately."

The exit polls predicted a much closer election, in which the chance of a government being formed could have gone either way, but as the night went the results in many close districts swayed into the hands of the LP. SD leader Esmeralda Falcão said today that "We see these results, if there are any options left, we will do it. I will not concede just yet, even as dim as it may seems, we are still here, we won more seats, we have allies we can form a government with, there is still hope for Paretia."

For the Alternative Party, leader Pacau already announced he and the LP had plans on forming a government together. His party has gained a few seats, not as much as expected but the party leadership announced they are happy, as long as they can lead with the LP. The party has one new well-known member in the Congress, former FC Ocerto player Aarón Carreon, had won a seat in his hometown of Charjeña, Esmeira.

The Paretian Section of The Workers' International, despite not winning as much as the exit polls predicted, seem to believe they had a successful night. The party has never had as many seats as it does since the 60's. Leader Andrade said today that "Despite the LP's chance of ushering an era of neofunctionalism, we will stand here ready with our allies to resist them." The party had taken many seats from the SD in the election, especially urban districts.

For other parties like the CpL and Vs, they have had a rough, only holding two seats in the Congresso each. Their leaders barely survived the competition in their own districts. For the LdP, they are in a similar situation as the UC, with only one seat in the Congresso and one in the Senado they are in a tough spot. For the regionalist parties, also more of the same situations, many have only one seat held.

What the election has shown is the rise of populism, on the right and the left. Far-right Eucloscepticism akin to the Tribune Movement has spread to Paretia, the far-left SPIT have made major gains in the election. The center and moderate parties have nearly collapsed with barely any power left in the Assembleia Nacional. A Pink Wave? not really, despite the SD's gains they have not reached enough seats to control either houses. The SD's attempt to gamble on the divide of the right-wing seems to have backfired, the right-wing is less divided than ever, rallying behind the LP as their go-to party.

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[Qianrong]

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KEISI: WHY THIS MAYORAL ELECTION MATTERS
What makes this election particularly significant -
and what might happen if the opposition wins

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Nobuhiro Akiba is trying to stave off a serious challenge to the Aikokutou's stranglehold on the capital.

August 5, 2021 | Akie Takeda in Keisi | The front pages of Senria's newspapers have been filled for weeks now with every update, every development in Keisi's mayoral race - a degree of attention unheard of for a local election in Senria, and one which stands in sharp contrast to the comparatively muted coverage that its last mayoral election, held only in March, received. Aikokutou stalwarts are nervous, opposition groups energized, and the whole nation watching eagerly to see which way this election - to be held on August 9 - goes.

What explains this sudden change in intensity of coverage? Does Senria's long-struggling opposition have a chance? And why does the outcome of this election matter? No doubt these questions are being asked by many not only in Senria but also abroad, in a year which has already been filled with electoral twists and turns - and with only days to go until the election, they have become increasingly urgent and consequential.

Why is this election being held?

Keisi held its last mayoral election on March 8, 2021. The victor of that election - by a relatively wide margin - was economist and longtime Aikokutou politician Takamasa Hirotani, who was first elected to the position in 2006. However, on June 28, Hirotani died of cardiac arrest resulting from coronary artery disease at age 77.

With so little of Hirotani's fourth term passed, Keisi's municipal government - led ad interim by Hirotani's deputy mayor, Nobuhiro Akiba - decided to schedule elections to elect a formal replacement in August; the alternative, waiting for regularly scheduled elections in 2026, was deemed undesirable.

Who is running?

The first candidate to announce his candidacy was interim mayor Nobuhiro Akiba, Hirotani's deputy since 2011 and a longtime stalwart of the Aikokutou. Akiba has promised to "keep the city on a steady course", banking on the Aikokutou's usual bases - certain segments of the lower and middle classes, wealthy backers, residents in less built-up areas of the city, and the many government employees who live in Keisi. He has been unanimously endorsed by the national leadership of the Aikokutou and their usual political allies.

Following shortly thereafter were economist Sigeru Katou of the Liberal Party, author & former prefecture-level politician Rikuto Okabe of the Kyouwakai, and former labor organizer Nobuhisa Akaike of the Senroukaibu, who were the first opposition candidates to announce their candidacy. They, too, have largely received the backing of their respective party leaderships.

The candidate who has drawn the most attention, however, is Rokurou Kozakura, Keisi city councillor and a member of the Koumeitou. Kozakura's candidacy has piqued interest because he is running as a candidate for both the Koumeitou and the Democratic Party, which had struggled to coalesce around a candidate for the Keisi elections after the thrashing of Hideo Ogawa in the March elections and the Democratic Party's merger with its longtime allies in the Farmer-Laborer Party.

Why is this election receiving so much coverage?

While Takamasa Hirotani won by a decent margin in March, the electoral field he was facing was vastly different - most notably, it was much more divided, with the Democrats, Farmer-Laborer Party, and Koumeitou all fielding separate candidates. With the Farmer-Laborer Party now merged into the Democrats, and the Democrats and Koumeitou united in a "rose-bellflower alliance", however, the opposition is far more united.

The polls have reflected this change. Akiba's lead over Kozakura has been less than 2% in most polls, steadily shrinking over time, and some polls have even shown Kozakura overtaking Akiba. Kozakura has conducted an energetic campaign, and his standing in the polls has steadily risen as the electoral period has progressed; an opposition victory, a vast reversal of March's electoral results, seems eminently possible.

It's not unheard of for Senria's opposition to win urban elections - indeed, opposition parties and coalitions control most major Senrian cities. The primary exceptions to that rule, however, are cities on Tousuu, which has been a particularly strong base of Aikokutou support for decades, and Keisi.

The Aikokutou has fought jealously to keep Senria's capital under its control, on account of its scale - 20.8 million people live within Keisi's city limits, and a staggering 64.3 million live in its greater metropolitan area - and symbolic significance as the country's primate city. It can also rely on a steady voting base of government employees, who - owing their careers to the Aikokutou - naturally favor it.

Were the Aikokutou to lose control of Keisi, it would be a vastly symbolic blow, both for the prefectural branch of the party and for the national party, which is struggling with sagging economic growth and rumors of tensions within the party's upper echelons.

What happens if Akiba wins?

Nothing particularly of note, really. Akiba has largely vowed to keep the course set by Hirotani, and there's no reason to suspect otherwise at the moment. Indeed, Akiba seems interested in keeping a low profile and projecting an image of continuity as much as possible. Any change to that would be, to put it mildly, unexpected.

More consequential would be its implications for the Aikokutou as a national party. It would allow them to breathe a little easier, at least for the time being, knowing that their control over the capital remains secure, and shift their focus back to issues at the national level and the 2023 general election.

What happens if Kozakura wins?

The loss of the mayorship of Keisi would be a massive shock for the Aikokutou, one that could provoke a period of soul-searching or aggravate rifts between the party's various factions, with any number of potential outcomes both for its prefectural branch and for the party as a whole.

It would also be deeply consequential for the Senrian opposition. When Kozakura announced the joint candidacy agreement, Democratic leader Akiko Hasegawa described the move as a "trial run" for further collaboration between the Democrats and the Koumeitou, and while Koumeitou leader Genzou Nagasawa has not formally stated similar he has, at least, signaled receptiveness to the idea of further collaboration, should the Keisi-level alliance work out. A successful showing by Kozakura could lead to further consolidation and coalition-building within the Senrian opposition, which could possibly have major effects on the 2023 election - if those hypothetical coalitions can survive.

As for Keisi itself, Kozakura has vowed to fight corruption, increase transparency, expand public transport, and fight litter and pollution. His ability to act on those promises should he win, however, is yet to be determined; the power of municipal governments in Senria is limited, though larger cities are accorded more authority than smaller ones and Keisi has long been given leeway on account of its size and status. Kozakura will also have to get his initiatives through Keisi's city council, elected every two years as opposed to every five and thus not up for election until 2022.

Is an opposition victory probable?

It's hard to say. Kozakura has run a spirited campaign, and the polls are close, but the Aikokutou has decades of incumbency behind it, and it's difficult to dislodge an incumbent - though Akiba might be slightly easier to displace, since this is technically his first mayoral run. It's also unclear whether the presence of other opposition candidates will detract from Kozakura, or if opposition voters who might normally vote for the Liberals, Kyouwakai, or others will instead vote strategically for the Democratic-Koumeitou ticket.

Most crucially, however, is the uncertainty of the polls. Many of the polls coming out of Keisi are within the margin of error, and it's possible that the energy surrounding this election will bring normally apathetic or apolitical Keisians to the polls - though whether they'll back Akiba, Kozakura, or one of the other candidates is also unclear.

Still, an opposition victory is not improbable, and that alone makes this election noteworthy. Even if Akiba ekes out a victory, Senria's opposition seems to have a renewed spirit, unity, and competitiveness that could have impacts for years to come.

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Related stories:
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Other stories:
Opinion - Paretia has fallen to neofunctionalism
Miersa - Lemovicia accepts EC offer of negotiations
Werania - New defense minister has "Aikokutou links"
Estmere - Reform Party elects founder's son as leader

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[Xiaodong]

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BREAKING - SRPO and PMZ to pursue a merger
Parties enter an electoral coalition named "Euclean Werania" with the intent to merge into a single party.

Hermann Springer
6 August 2021 | Westbrücken, Werania

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Prospective logo to the new Euclean Werania coalition.
Photo courtesy of AV photos.

WESTBRÜCKEN, WERANIA - In a potential political earthquake the opposition Social Democratic Radical Party (SRPO) and Modern Centre Party (PMZ) have announced that they have entered a common electoral and political alliance, to be named Euclean Werania (EO) with the intent to merge into a single party within the next month. SRPO chairwomen Luise Höcherl and PMZ co-leaders Edmund Remarque & Anna Nehammer will serve as a joint provisional coordinators of the alliance until they formally merge when they will officially elect a new leader.

Speaking to the press Nehammer stated that recent events had made it "clear that the only way Werania is going to be rid of this current government is through a united effort by the opposition. The SRPO and PMZ both share common values supporting a dynamic economy with a social focus and a Euclean direction for our country."

The leaders of the two parties stressed that both sought to pool together resources to create a "progressive party that transcends the left-right divide in favour of a people first approach",

Both the SRPO and the PMZ had previously served in government together from 2011 to 2019. However both suffered a crushing defeat at the 2019 election when they were beaten by both the NKP and Greens and have since gone into decline losing a slew of seats in regional and upper house elections. Talk of an alliance or merger of the two have been mooted since their time in government but pressure has increased recently due to continued poor polling.

The SRPO was itself formed as a merger in the 1980's between the Social Democratic Party, the Radical Party and the Catholic Labour Union. The PMZ meanwhile was formed in 1982 as a breakaway faction from the NKP when its moderate wing opposed the corporatist policy of premier Renatas Vinkauskas. Both parties are considered broadly liberal and pro-Euclean with the SRPO closer to social democracy and PMZ to conservatism.

The two parties are set to vote on becoming formally merged this weekend mainly for financial purposes. The left wing of the SRPO under former Environment Minister Stefan Kiesinger has indicated it opposes the merger and has called for the creation of a centre-left party if the merger goes through.

If the merger is approved the EO would become the second largest party on all levels of government behind the NKP. The two parties have not indicated which Euclo group they'll join although it is expected they will prefer the Renew Euclea group.

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© Der Staatsmann Group 2021

[West Kirkon]

Mariya Nazarivna - 6 August 2021

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Home · Vinalia · Asteria · International · Politics · Finance · Sports · Entertainment · Health · Travel · Weather · Opinion

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Parties announce Valeria Kunavin as next President of the republic

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Current House member giving a speech following the announcement

Vinalinsk

In a joint meeting earlier today, Minister-President Omelyan Pavlov, and President Ernst Rupold, with Parliamentary leaders announced that Valeria Kunavin would be selected as president of Vinalia on the 14th of August. Valeria Kunavin had been rumoured to be one of the leading candidates for the position.

Valeria Kunavin was born the 19th of December 1973 in Vumbinsk a suburb of Morechia, the daughter of Shanghean immigrants. Kunavin rose to prominence in the Crescent Island City 1994 Summer Invictus games when she represented Vinalia in Women’s Épée, finishing 9th during the competition, she represented Vinalia again in San Alessandro 1998, where she finished 11th, and again in Verlois 2002 where she finished 6th. A well decorated and respected fencer, Kunavin retired from Fencing in 2003, and dedicated herself to coaching the Vinalian Women’s Épée team, which in 2010 won a gold medal with Bela Kravchik. She joined the Ministry of Culture and Sport as an adviser in 2009, and was appointed as an Assistant Minister in 2011. She launched her political career in 2013 when she ran as an independent in Zamara for the House of the People. A close ally of Omelyan Pavlov following his rise during the 2010’s, she became a prominent speaker of Indigenous rights in Parliament and is well regarded by both chambers of Parliament. She announced in February that she would not seek re-election for the House, and would seek to be elected as the first independent Senator for Zamara.

Although having launched her campaign for the Senate, she has since suspended her campaign for the Senate and will be accepting the position of President. Valeria has stated that she supports constitutional changes to the position of President to make it a term limited, and an electable position by the general populace. Valeria is a popular option, and is well versed on international politics, she has been the Chairman of the Council of Vinalian-Shangheans since 2003, and became the Cultural advisor of the Baiqiao 2006 Vinalian Invictus Games delegation. She’s seen as a strong non-partisan option, and a good option for President. President Ernst Rupold, a close ally of Kunavin as well, expressed that Kunavin was the most qualified individual in Vinalia to hold the position of President of the Republic Valeria is expected to be elected to the position on the 14th of August, and will start her work the 15th of August.

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MORE HEADLINES

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• This week in 18,647,087,542,136,784,461 Photos. [ 10,959 ]
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[Saul Volcano]

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Patron League and Alternative Party agree to form new government under a new alliance: O Povo
As expected, the two parties have begun to form a government, now under a new alliance between the two populist parties. The alliance is called O Povo (The People), and will control the government of Paretia under Premier Cerqueira, with Caprichoso and Pacau serving as the Deputy Premiers.
Francisco Javier Martínez (@francjavmart) | 6 Aug 2021 | Precea

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The decided upon logo of the new O Povo political alliance.

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Precea, Luzela: With Esmeralda Falcão's concession, and an invitation by King Erasmo to form a government, the way has been paved for Cerqueira and her new allies to form a government. After meeting today, it was expected that this was already planned between the parties before the election, as they were able to quickly assemble a new alliance to govern Paretia. The alliance was announced today by Cerqueira alongside with Selena Caprichoso and Horácio Pacau, it will be named O Povo (The People). The new government has already passed a vote of confidence in the Assembleia Nacional.

The new government will have a total of 196 of the 360 seats in the Congresso and 64 of the 120 in the Senado. Cerqueira announced that she will appoint two new Deputy Premiers, them being Caprichoso and Pacau, as they are the heads of both the LP and Alt respectively. They also announced they have become forming the cabinet and have already appointed now former Deputy Premier and LP member Paulo Sérgio Lima as Minister of Culture, and will keep many of the LP and Alt members already serving in the cabinet since 2020.

So far a few Cabinet appointees have also been named, including LP Deputy and current Labour Minister leader António de Armas, who has been appointed as the new Foreign Minister, the LP's Rafa Peixoto, who has been appointed as the new Economy Minister. As well as Aarón Carreon, former FC Ocerto player who ran for the Alternative Party and won, has been appointed as the new Minister of Sport.

The new alliance will make Paretia the only MNED-aligned nation in the EC. Premier Cerqueira said today that the nation will do everything it can to resist "Euclean Federalist neo-imperialism" and uphold Paretian sovereignty. The two parties announced that they will begin to "make repairs to the corrupted government, starting with the old parties, Courts, and Election Commissions, after the events in Trovão during the election". Cerqueira also announced other changes that they plan on implemented "as quickly as possible", including education changes, increasing funding for Paretia's law enforcement, a new infrastructure plan, and stricter immigration rules.

The first thing planned on by the government is to vote on the Buy Euclean Initiative, which, despite being created by pro-EC social democrats, has been praised by the Patron League and Alternative Party. Multiple other EC nations have joined it. It will be voted on tomorrow and is expected to pass quite easily with support from both the populist right and the left.

In response to this alliance however, the Social Democrats have announced plans to make their own "counter-alliance" made up of the left-wing parties of Paretia to "resist the far-right". They have begun meeting with various left-wing parties, including the SPIT, Greens, and Tosuton Front. They plan on revealing their new alliance soon.

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@ MOMENTO 2021

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In Other News:

• OPINION - Many believe the far-right's takeover was coordinated by Cerqueira and the LP long before she became Premier
• PARETIA - SD and other left-wing parties announce plans to make "counter-alliance" against the government
• EUCLEA - Weranian SRPO and PMZ to form new political alliance known as Euclean Werania
• PARETIA - Paretia to vote on Buy Euclea tomorrow
• PARETIA - Premier Cerqueira's second cabinet begins to take shape

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[Saul Volcano]

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Paretia passes Buy Euclean Steel bill with near unanimous support from the SD, LP, SPIT, and Alt.
The initiative was started in Caldia and Gaullica by Social Democrats in order to promote the purchasing of Euclean-made steel over others, it is seen as protectionist by many moderates.
Xinaro Alvargonzalez (@Xinaroalvargonz) | 7 August 2021 | Precea

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The Terilla HefestioCo Steel Plant, Terilla, Esmeira

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Precea, Luzela: Today Premier Cerqueira's government has passed the "Buy Euclean Initiative" for Paretia. It was able to quickly push through the Assembleia Nacional's two houses with near unanimous support, in the Congresso, it passed with 348 voting yes, and only 12 voting no. In the Senado it passed with 111 voting yes and only 9 voting no.

The bill was based off the initiative started by Caldia's Stiofán Mac Suibhne and Gaullican Social Demcrats, and has passed in other Euclean Community nations, notably in Estmere, Hennehouwe, Amathia, Borland, and Azmara. The bill pushes for incentives to companies to buy steel from Euclean companies instead of outside sources such as Coius. Premier Cerqueira today said that the bill will "Protect our steel workers from the threat of outside competition, whos steel cannot be trusted as safe. It will also help expand the steel industry of Paretia and other Euclean states, this is a victory for the working class of Paretia. I am happy to have signed this with support from both sides, albeit some resistance from the useless moderates and greens."

The initiative received much support in Paretia, from the Social Democrats, and also the Patron League, who, despite their many differences, seem to have an agreement on protective trade policies. The bill received support from other parties as well, including the Alternative Party and the Paretian Section of the Workers' International. The bill however saw pushback from a few parties, including moderate parties such as the Liberals of Paretia, the Conservative Union, and various regionalist parties. These parties claim that it is economic warfare and it will not help Euclea's economy and deteriorates the relationship with Coian nations who produce steel, such as Shangea and Zorasan. The bill also was criticized by the Greens, who believe it will have a negative impact on the environment.

These parties who are against it however, were just crushed in the election, and no longer have almost any sway in the government in comparison to the center-left and the far-right. The Social Democrat's Falcão praised Cerqueira's support for the bill but also said "the right has differing reasons than us for supporting the initiative, but it is a necessary moment of unity for the time being." The bill had a few moderate outliers in both the SD and LP. The bill was finally signed earlier this afternoon by Premier Cerqueira.

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In Other News:

• EUCLEA - The EC delegation for peace between Miersa and Lemovicia
• EUCLEA - Estmere's Reform chooses new leader
• ASTERIAS - Valeria Kunavin selected as next President of Vinalia
• COIUS - Keisi mayoral election shows close race
• EUCLEA - Werania appoints new defence minister

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[Eskaeba]

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Belovol visits Miersa and Soravian deployments move toward Malomiersa as Samistopol looks to impose its will on tensions in the region
Soravia, which has taken a relatively backseat role so far, has opted for more confrontational measures.
August 8, 2021 - Samistopol, Soravia

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Foreign Minister Illarion Belovol pictured with Miersan President
Sylwester Wrzesiński

In a more provocative move, the Soravian government has ordered military forces stationed in Miersa to be concentrated around the Malomiersa region, where the ongoing disputes with its eastern neighbour are concentrated.

Infantry, armoured vehicles and aircraft have been put on standby to combat what top military officials have referred to as a "significant risk" of armed conflict in the area in light of recent armed skirmishes between Miersan and Lemovician forces, which are supplied by East Miersa. Samistopol has also asked other governments of the Tsivebi Military Agreement to contribute forces to the area.

In addition to this, FM Belovol met President Wrzesinski in West Zobrodz today, to discuss a range of topics surrounding a joint response to "Eastern hostilities" surrounding the politically and ethnically volatile region.

Belovol stated that Samistopol "fully supported the view of President Wrzesinski to refuse Eastern mediation" on a "fragile" topic.

"While peace and the avoidance of conflict is our foremost priority, it will not be involving nations who have proven in the past they cannot negotiate with the west in good faith", he stated in a press conference upon his return to Soravia, "It is laughable that nations who have clearly shown their allegiances in the past continue to stand on their pedestals, claiming neutrality."

"Peace is in Dynsk's hands now. We wish to hold talks, in West Zobrodz, which both myself and my esteemed colleague [Wrzesinski] will attend. They may either attend and negotiate with maturity, or continue to act like children. It is up to them."

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©Zakhid 2021
77,918 comments

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MORE HEADLINES

• Paretian government scores key election victories. [ 6,152 ]
• Weranian ambassador shot dead in Zorasan. [ 9,182 ]

[Imperii Ecclesia]

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NATIONAL ARMY FORCES DEPLOYED TO MIERSA
The 7th Division to support Miersa and Allies against Eastern Agression

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DRAGOMIR ITOVO (@ditovo)
^{8th AUGUST 2021 20:22 | LENOVO, TENGARIA}

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A S-69TA1 tank of the 3rd Tank Battalion in a convoy in the streets of the Miersan city of Gorgard.
Photo courtesy of the Todor Zinevo.

GORGARD, WEST MIERSA-

With tensions mounting following extended Socialist and Eastern aggression upon West Miersa, the 7th Division of the Tengarian National Army was deployed to standby status to the Wyżyny Province of the Sotirian Republic of Miersa this Sunday.

In the recent weeks, tensions have been mounting since the terrorist organization which occupies occupied regions of Miersa decided to illegally annex Miersan sovereign territory, in explicit violation of international law. Particularly, it is a violation of the Arciluco agreement, a ceasefire which saw the end of the Miersan Wars but the de facto occupation of Malomiersa by a hostile insurgency claiming to be a "state". These insurgents are funded and supplied by the socialist powers of MASSOR, in particular, the socialist occupied portions of eastern Miersa. Despite calls to cease and desist from the annexation from leaders from the West, including Tengarian Foreign Minister Bogdaneva, the insurgents purposely decided to continue with the move, constituting an open act of aggression against Miersa.

Tensions worsened when the terrorists openly attacked a Miersan patrol, killing several soldiers. Not only had they attempted annexation, they had openly spilled Miersan blood over the dispute. This move, naturally, brought international outrage from Western Euclea. Despite these acts of aggression, the Miersan government has continued to offer options to the insurgents for peaceful solutions, only to be rejected at every turn by this offer. President Wrzesiński even offered to hold peace talks in West Zobrodz.

The powers of Eastern Euclea called for "bilateral talks" in order to solve the hostilities, but did nothing to address the actual issue, proving that rather than actually caring about peace, they are merely attempting to give the terrorists a chance to enforce their illegal before the pointless politiking would result in no change of the situation. Hence, the Tengarian government has dismissed the empty gestures of "peace" and "negotions" offered by morally bankrupt Eastern Euclea, along with our Miersan ally.

Early Sunday morning, Soravian Foreign Minister Belovol visited Miersa, and supported the Miersan attempts to hold actual talks in good faith, rather than playing into the hands of foreign powers. This move began the increased involvement with Soravia in the evolving situation. During this time, announced the movement of troops to the Malomiersan border, citing the "significant risk" which the recent actions of the terrorists have prompted. In addition, the Soravian government asked Tengaria, as part of the Tsivebi Military Agreement, to send soldiers to support Soravian and Miersan forces in the region.

From the beginning of the crisis, Tengaria has consistently said that it would support its Miersan ally against the insurgents. President Kovacheva had ordered the 7th Division, which had been stationed closest to to Miersa, to prepare for deployment. Deployment had been delayed previously, with the concern being that an immediate moving of forces would be too hostile of a maneuver. However, as soon as the Soravian request for allied support had been received, the 7th Division began to move into position to be deployed to southern Miersa. Within 16 hours, most of the division had been successfully moved and deployed in Miersa.

The 7th Division is one of Tengaria's six active army divisions, and is comprised roughly of 11,000 men, one of the larger of the divisions in the National Army. It is normally stationed in the Silenya Province, and has its headquarters in Fort Holy Wisdom outside the city of Silen, making its location strategic for deployment. In addition, other divisions, namely the First and Ninth Divisions, have been put on standby in case they are needed. The 7th division is known as the "Lions", after Tengaria's national animal, as well as their fierceness in battle, a reputation gained from the good historic service record from both the Great War and the Tengarian Civil War.

President Kovacheva made a press conference today concerning the move, helping to clarify the reasons for going and the importance of the move. "While we had hoped that the terrorist insurgency would solve this crisis without bloodshed, the violent aggression of the terrorists and the blatant support of these terrorists from Eastern Euclea has proven that this likely cannot be solved without fighting. Miersa and Tengaria have been close friends and allies for decades. We have always promised to support them in their times of need; now is the time we prove our friendship and loyalty to our Miersan brothers in Sotirias. The soldiers we send know they are going to fight the godless heathens who have sought for so long to destroy the civilization which we have built here in Euclea; that even though the threat is not on our doorstep, we will never allow it to consume and destroy another nation who still preserves it. If this does indeed come to war, I ask that the Tengarian people be united in support of it- this will not be not a foreign war with no meaning. We understand that this will be much more important- fight for truth, for law, and for God. If indeed these terrorists reject the final offers of peace, may God preserve our men to return safely home, victorious."

Dragomir Itovo is a former Podpolkovnik in the Tengarian National Army, the National Standard's senior correspondent on military affairs and national defense.

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© TENGARIAN NAITIONAL STANDARD 2021

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MORE HEADLINES

• President Kovacheva's Sunday Press Conference.
• Patriarch calls for Fasting in for the Sake of the Crisis.
• World: Soravia enters into the Miersan Crisis.
• Philosophy: Xenagoras's virtue of Courage in fully realized in War.
• Religion: See the Sotirian lives of National Army soldiers, and meet our Army Priests.

[Nuvania]

Home|Nuvania|Asterias|International|Politics|Business|Technology and Science|Arts|Education|Health|Opinion

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Senate Ratifies Keisi Deal

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Alison van Molynecke (@AVMolynecke)
9 August (1:00pm)|PIETERSBURG

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Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, Rian Leoni, during today's ratification vote.

The Senate of Nuvania has voted to ratify the Keisi Deal, the agreement reached between the Nuvanian government and the Global Institute of Fiscal Affairs regarding more than NS.175 trillion (€100 billion) in loans from the financial organisation.

The vote in the Senate saw a full house with all senators present to vote. The ratification of the deal was passed with 83 votes in favour to 13 votes against. The votes in favour of ratification came from the National People's Party, the Democratic Action Party, and the Citizen's Alliance. All senators from the Nuvanian Agrarian League voted against it after the party revealed last week that it would not support ratification.

Leader of the Opposition and leader of the DAP in the Senate, Rian Leoni, said that the ratification of the Keisi Deal was "one of the most important acts this house has ever done" and was pleased with the cross floor support from the NVP on getting the deal ratified.
"Today we have shown that when it comes to significant issues that affect our country, we can work together to support the government in getting the job it was elected to do done," he said. "The NVP and my colleagues across the floor have made this possible." Leoni also said that the significance of the occasion was important for the senators to consider in a speech made before the vote was conducted.
"This deal is the single largest imposition of debt in our nation's history. It should not be ignored that our actions today will affect generations."

Senate Majority leader and leader of the NVP in the Senate, Frederick Theunissen, said that NVP supported the ratification of the Keisi Deal as a "necessary evil" and that the proposals made for the spending of the loan "gave the party confidence in supporting the ratification."
"We feel as though the deal negotiated by the government is the best that we have given the circumstances that we find ourselves in," he said. "It is essential that we do what is in the best interests of our nation." Theunissen said that the party supported the deal because it was the best option that Nuvania had without significant impacts that would "create unnecessary social unrest" if no deal was reached.
"Ultimately we have to look at what is in the best interests for Nuvania for our economic recovery and this deal is exactly that."

Theunissen said that the party remained "somewhat unconvinced" that the government had a comprehensive plan to service the new debt, saying that the government did not plan on making substantial cuts elsewhere in order to make those repayments. However, he reiterated that any deal was better than no deal given the circumstances of the recession.
"Ultimately if we have to make changes ourselves, we will."

Leader of the NAB in the Senate, Deon van Nieuwenhuizen, said that the Keisi Deal did not have any benefits for rural communities and the party was unconvinced that the government had a detailed plan to service the debt that it had incurred with the deal. In an appearance before media after the vote in the Senate, van Nieuwenhuizen said that the NAB was voting against something that brought significant financial strain on the country for little to no economic benefits. He said that the deal did not have any kind of major projects that would address some of the infrastructure issues in rural communities, particularly the lack of paved roads and water infrastructure.
"What was promised in the list of projects the government put forwards to sell the deal had nothing for rural Nuvania," he said. "If you live in or near our major cities, you get everything. If you live in our rural towns and farming communities, you get nothing."

Van Nieuwenhuizen said that the lack of a plan for servicing the debt was part of why the party voted against ratification. He said that the lack of a plan would leave the country vulnerable to international creditors as well as GIFA, and potentially put the country at significant risk.
"There is nothing more dangerous, more reckless than signing a trillion shilling deal and not having a plan on how to repay that debt," he said. "The government has effectively signed our futures away."

Chief Minister Andrew Bohn welcomed the ratification of the Keisi Deal, taking to Chirper to express his gratitude to the Senate for ratifying the deal. Leader of the Opposition Philip Ackermann also welcome the ratification on social media.

The ratification comes at start of a busy week for the Senate, with the final debate and vote on the Transgender and Non-Binary Amendment Act also set to take place later this week. Unlike the Keisi Deal, the Transgender and Non-Binary Amendment Act is less likely to pass, with the NVP and NAB holding a majority of seats in the Senate.

In addition, with the Keisi Deal now ratified, the government will be introducing legislation later this week into the House of Assembly to formally assume control over a number of existing assets of failed construction companies currently held by creditors. The government said that the introduction of this legislation would be conditional on the ratification of the Keisi Deal. Chief Minister Bohn said that now the deal has been ratified, the government can "get on with the business of rebuilding Nuvania."
"We've got a job to do, and we're itching to get started."

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OTHER NEWS

• Valeria Kunavin to become President of Vinalia
• Weranian right proposes party merger
• Central Euclean crisis deepens further
• Paretian far right claim election victory
• Enerkom to increase share in Akwero Coal Mine ownership

© Die Vrystaat 2021

[Etruria2]

[Qianrong]

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EXIT POLLS SHOW TIGHT RACE IN KEISI ELECTION
Long night ahead for poll workers as exit polls
produce tossup results for Akiba, Kozakura

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Voters casting their ballots today in one of Keisi's thirty-five wards.

August 9, 2021 | Akie Takeda in Keisi | Exit polling shows a neck-and-neck race in Keisi's mayoral election as just over a month of campaigning comes to an end today, suggesting a long night of vote counting and anticipation for Aikokutou candidate Nobuhiro Akiba and Koumeitou-Democratic candidate Rokurou Kozakura.

The election is being held as a result of the June 27 death of controversial longtime mayor Takamasa Hirotani, who was reelected in March.

Exit polls conducted by Senria's state broadcaster, SHK, and by the pro-Aikokutou Mainiti Sinbun and Kokugi Sinbun showed Akiba eking out a narrow victory, usually of less than a percentage point, while exit polls conducted by Kyouwa Sinbun and Senria Daily Post gave Kozakura a percentage lead of up to 2.5% over Akiba. One exit poll, conducted by Keisi Sinbun in the city's northern wards, managed to produce an exact tie between the candidates.

Polling during the campaigning period initially showed a lead of 2% or less for Akiba, with Kozakura overtaking Akiba in August. Many of these polls, and many of the exit polls, are within their margins of error, further demonstrating how close the Keisi mayoral race has become.

Most exit polls agree on a few other points, however. Sigeru Katou of the Liberal Party and Rikuto Okabe of the Kyouwakai are both noticeably underperforming in most exit polls, giving the impression that some usual Liberal and Kyouwakai voters, when confronted with the decision in the voting booth, ultimately decided to vote strategically for Kozakura. By contrast, Nobuhisa Akaike of the Senroukaibu seems to be overperforming; this suggests that some former Farmer-Laborer voters, whose party has now merged with the Democratic Party, found the centrist Kozakura distasteful enough to vote for the Senrian Section of the International instead.

Exit polling also near-universally suggests a sharp uptick in voter participation compared to the March mayoral election, potentially of as much as 10%.

Both Akiba and Kozakura have expressed confidence and ebullience as counting gets under way, arguing that the polling data proves that they have a strong chance of winning the election outright. For their supporters, though, it will no doubt be a long, tense wait to see the results - and poll workers will surely have a long night ahead of them, with the close race and higher-than-usual attention making it all the more important that every vote is carefully counted.

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Related stories:
Senria - Keisi airwaves flooded with election advertising
Senria - Polls show narrow gap between Akiba, Kozakura
Senria - Two injured in stabbing in outer Keisi ward
Senria - Rising rent a critical problem, says advocacy group

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Other stories:
Opinion - Paretia has fallen to neofunctionalism
Miersa - Soravia, Tengaria mobilize as tensions rise
Nuvania - Nuvania ratifies GIFA's so-called "Keisi Deal"
Vinalia - Valeria Kunavin to become Vinalian President

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