7th Regional Election of Ostry (IC, AEIA ONLY!)

[Ostry]

7th Ostric regional election
5 May 2019

IC Thread ● OOC Thread

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NOTE: This RP is for members of Aeia only!

This is the IC (In Character) thread for the 7th Ostric regional election. Put all your RP here please! Newsposts and other events related to the election will also be posted here!

CURRENT RPers
Crylante - Wacłôw Adómczik, leader of the Ostric Coalition
Beladia - Arthur Adamsen, leader of the New Ostry Party
Fahran - Jérzy Hagen, Independent
Navack - Mette Falk, nominee of the Progressive League – Republican Party electoral alliance | Christer Hage, Investigative Reporter
Romellea - Adóm Lës, nominee of the Ostric People's Party – Reform electoral alliance

IMPORTANT DATES
21 April - No new applications.
27 April - Televised debate between RA candidates.
5 May - Election Day.

[Ostry]

As election campaigning starts, unionists brace for possible loss
Anger towards federal government, rising cost of living main concerns, according to polling
By Adóm Landwik
7 March 2019

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Ostrins go to the ballot box May 5th. And for the first time in eight years, no one knows
who will win.

Ostry’s politicians are scrambling as two months of campaigning begin, ending in the 5 May regional vote that will elect a new Regional Administrator and Assembly. Polls throughout January and February show a tightening race between the current ruling Progressive-Republican alliance and the separatist People’s Party, with Jérzy Hagen’s independent bid gaining a notable amount of supporters. According to some government officials, there seems to be a fear of the unionist coalition losing its majority in the Regional Assembly, leaving it either in opposition for only the second time in twenty-four years, or having to work across the aisle and court the separatist bloc. The separatists themselves seem to be riding a wave of support, mainly from anger towards a federal government that has been accused of being aloof and disinterested in Ostric issues.

And Ostrins of all political stripes have numerous issues facing them as they head to the polls in May. Food prices have reached a record high, and regional requests to the Presidential office as far back as last year to try and implement some form of control in order to keep the cost of living down has failed to bring solutions. Elsewhere, RA Amundsen’s plan to deal a blow to alcoholism on the island by limiting the sales of beer and liquor has proven to be controversial, not at least with the Renifer Brewery corporation, who filed a formal complaint just last week. Looming over all this issues is the 6 October attacks on Government House and the headquarters of the People’s Party form a Navish ultranationalist, which killed separatist leader Juliô Król-Hagen and brought the island into a state of emergency it has just recovered from.

With unionists hoping to hold onto power, and nationalists believing that they can finally gain support for independence, Ostry seems to be entering into unknown territory. Especially in terms of who will become Regional Administrator and essentially hold executive authority. Although Mark Amundsen remains fairly popular, the same cannot be said for his allies in the unionist camp, led by Speaker Léch Rasmussen. Commonly seen as gaffe-prone, Rasmussen lacks the charisma of Amundsen, and his record as a campaigner shows he risks losing his bod for Regional Administrator if he’s not careful.

Rasmussen does have one advantage though: a split opposition. The untested leader of the socialist People’s Party, Adóm Lës, now has to face off against former RA Jérzy Hagen, bolstered by anger towards Berke. On the sidelines are also the right-wing Ostric Coalition and the centrist Reform parties, both aiming to gain support for their platforms in the coming campaign. Unless the nationalist parties join forces to nominate a single candidate, the unionists might themselves holding onto the Regional Administrator’s office, even with a large drop in support.

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Local News
- Did the Ostric Act bolster separatism?
- 20 percent say they “are thinking” about voting for Hagen in May
- Could Berke handle a non-Progressive RA?
International News
- CUIRPTHE: Officers accused of extrajudicial killings
- VELEAZ: Interim government convenes
- NEWREY: End of civil war “within reach”

[Ostry]

Speaker Léch Rasmussen arrested on charges of fraud, bribery
Investigation points to widespread corruption in Progressive League
By Marika Zdùnowska
17 March 2019

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Speaker Léch Rasmussen has just been arrested and placed in custody on allegations of
fraud and bribery. Investigators state he is responsible for the misdirection of 16 million
skillingrs over his eight years as Speaker.

Speaker of the Regional Assembly and leader of the Ostric Branch of the Progressive League Léch Rasmussen has been arrested on charges of fraud and bribery according to police, who ended a two weeks-long investigation into his accounts.

In an session of the Regional Assembly just yesterday, Rasmussen dodged questions regarding years of misuse and misdirection of public funding into his personal accounts. According to documents secured by police, these accusations, now proven true, saw a minimum of sixteen million skillingrs directed via three shell companies from as early as 2012. Progressive caucus spokesperson Mati Erikoczik minutes ago stated that “for all intent and purposes, Mr. Rasmussen has forfeited all offices as Leader and Speaker, and will not contest any positions in the May regional election. Until the election of a new Assembly, I have been chosen by the governing cabinet as acting Speaker until at minimum the nineteenth of May.”

Despite Erikoczik’s swift response however, investigators have decided to extend the investigation to all members of the Progressive caucus from 2007 to the present, citing that, according to Rasmussen’s accounts, the misdirection of funds, primarily from education reform packages created during the 2011-2015, could “indict many in the government, including the Regional Administrator, if some records correlate”, stated lead investigator Adam Einkens. RA Mark Amundsen responded that he will cooperate with authorities on the Assembly investigation, but assured that he had no connection to Rasmussen, stating that “this is a utterly horrifying surprise to me.” The case, as it stands, seems to be one of the largest financial corruption cases in Ostry’s history.

With Amundsen’s perceived successor now in custody, the Progressives must nominate a new candidate for Regional Administrator by the end of the month, and depending on how serious the allegation of corruption are, whoever succeeds Rasmussen faces a uphill climb.

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Local News
- Head investigator says party-wide bribery is “highly likely”
- Erikoczik says re-opening Assembly before election is unlikely
- Who are the “shell companies”?
International News
- CUIRPTHE: Officers accused of extrajudicial killings
- VELEAZ: Interim government convenes
- NEWREY: End of civil war “within reach”

[Navack]

The clock rings at 5:30; just another normal Thursday for Christer Hage, a student of journalism at the University of Berke. 24-year old Christer is in the 7th semester of his 4 years major - right now, he works as an intern in the University’s online news site. Young, tall, and having long hair, like every Navish young adult trying to look nice, Christer is really passionate about football - his roots in Blåby, in the Berke metro area, makes him a fierce Blått SK supporter. He hates, as usual, his team’s greatest rival, Bersk SK, and gladly wrote an article on the sports section about how bad the barbarians have been doing in the season.

By 6:00 a.m., Christer must be ready in order to walk to the train station near his house - he lives in Blåsby, more specifically in the west region of it, almost outside the Berke metro area. He walks everyday to the Stadion Station, right by Blått’s stadium. He rides east to the Central South station, where he must take the red lane northbound, heading to the University of Berke’s main campus. Once in the campus, Christer must walk 15 minutes to the Gard Lokken School of Communication; the main building of the communication school is where the headquarters of the University of Berke News Channel is located. That Thursday was derby day, so most reporters were focusing on covering the game between Bersk SK against Blått SK. Of course, Christer was wearing his fresh new 2018-19 Blått SK home jersey.

Arriving to the office, Christer found his 3 best friends: Joachim Asleson, a tiny but bulky Nasbian who has been granted with a full-time scholarship through merit, Steinar Netland, also known as “Net,” Motsvaran by birth but has been living in Berke for all his life, and Odette Garnier, a Midrasian exchange student focused in sports journalism in Navack. Their office was a little room divided in 4 quadrants, with 4 computers and tons of loose papers and food packages.

“Yo, Chris, you’re 15 minutes late again, did you know that?” Said Joachim.
“Sorry, man, bloody train took ages to arrive once again.”
“I’m messing with you, man! Come on, have a sit, let’s write some sh*t about today’s game.” Joachim laughed.

Christer’s team are himself and his three friends, all responsible for covering sports and eventually smaller political happenings in the Berke area.

Odette walked into the office alongside Net, who carried a couple cups of coffee for themselves.

“So, did you guys see who Hanssen assigned for the field work today?” said Odette as she dropped her fancy Sierra del Naro purse over her desk “Apparently you were not assigned for today’s game, Chris.”

“Wait, for real?” said Chris in an angry tone “Are you f*cking kidding me? It’s a damn derby and he didn’t assign me? Who the hell did he assign?

“Check this out”, said Net, showing Chris the assignment sheet typed by their superior, Gisle Hanssen. “It’s someone named Luciano Aguayo, a new Veleazean exchange student. People say he is a Blatt fan as fanatic as you.”

“Veleaz? What is a Veleaz?” Chris’ irony was enough to make Odette giggle. “Do they even have football there? Weren’t they exploding their heads off like last week?”

“Alright, dude, chill out, okay?” said Odette, trying to calm Chris down. “I know Veleazeans are a little annoying, but hey, I think I heard that Hanssen might have something else for you. I would go to his office and check.”

“Bless the sun… Alright, lemme go talk to him.” Chris was heading out of the office when Net called him:

“Yo, Chris, our bet is up, right? A week wearing my jersey if Blatt lose?” Net was a fanatic Bersk SK supporter.

“Shut up, Net, you gonna be destroyed tonight.” Yelled Chris as he closed the office door behind him.

Hanssen’s office was in the 3rd floor of the facility--a huge room that could easily fit four of Chris’ offices. It was a fancy room with two giant shelves of books on each corner and a desk Centralized on the room, behind the desk, there was a big window, partially opened, and a Navish flag on a pole right by an UB flag. Sitting by the desk was a tiny Navish man, around his 50s and very little hair. His glasses were on the tip of his nose as he was reading some random papers that looked like reports.

“Excuse me, sir? I heard that you wanted to talk to me?” Said Christ knocking on the office’s open door.

“Oh! Good afternoon, Mr. Hage. I was about to go downstairs to talk to you.”

“Alright… Why you called me here? Does it have anything to do with why I was not assigned to cover the game today?” Chris was sadly running his right hand over Blått’s crest on his shirt, as his heart was aching.

“Yes! Definitely, son” Hanssen organized some papers and threw all of them in a folder, handing it over to Chris “Grab your stuff, you’ve a case on elections.”

“The regional elections? For real?” Chris was very surprised, as field work in regional elections were not given to any student that did not have merits to it.

“Yup. I know you really wanted to cover the game today, but our politics reporters are all out and you are the best one outside their departament.”

“Alright, sir… But, where i'm going? I thought we got all big cities and states covered already? Are you sending me to Porsland?” Said Chris in a joking tone.

“Tell me, Mr. Hage, are you enjoying this spring weather?” Hanssen had a little ironic smile on his face

“Feeling good and warm, why?”

“Well, pack some jackets because you are going to Jakóbgard!”

“Wait, Ostry? Is this for real? Like, not even an actual state? Why Os…”

“You are one of the best writers we have, but definitely not one of the most understanding. All you need to know is in that file right there.” Hanssen got up and started looking after some book on the right book shelf “you leave tomorrow morning. Your flight goes all the way to Gardrag, where you are going to switch from NavAir to NordAir, and then head to Jakóbgard.”

Christer just stood there too surprised (negatively and positively) to say something.

“Oh! Quick tip” Hanssen pulled up a Navish-Ostric dictionary “Here, take this. Don’t greet them in Navish, buy them beer, and stay away from bars late in the night.” Hanssen handled the dictionary to Christer “Keep those in mind and maybe they won’t kill you, kid.” He laughed “Good luck there! Keep us updated, alright? Read your file before you land in Jakóbgard.”

[Crylante]

Putting Ostry First: A Manifesto

Friends, Ostrins, countrymen, our great island is still under the control of an outsider. That outsider is the nation of Navack, who has controlled this island for centuries despite the struggle of many of our brave citizens against us.

This ends now. The Ostric Coalition promises to unchain Ostry from the shackles it has been bound by for all our lives.

Our ten-point plan is as follows:

• We will issue a unilateral declaration of independence within our first 100 days of governance. We will not hold a referendum on this issue as we believe that an election victory will give us a mandate for secession.
• An independent Ostry defend its sovereignty: we shall not bow down to the CDN.
• An independent Ostry shall be proud of its culture. The Ostric language shall be standardised as the official language of Ostry in education, government and services.
• We will encourage the tourism and fishing industries in an independent Ostry: these industries have long been the backbone of our economy.
• We shall reduce taxes on ordinary, hard-working Ostrins: for too long have we suffered at the hands of Navish tax payers.
• We shall abolish taxes on alcohol: this punishes the great majority of Ostrins for the minority that cannot control their intake.
• We shall establish a bus service to improve travel on the island.
• We shall encourage Ostrins to stay in Ostry for their educational studies and reverse the brain drain: we shall invest in STEM-based education.
• We shall invest in the healthcare system of Ostry.
• We shall impose tariffs to defend our industries from foreign competition.

[Ostry]

One week before election, Ostry faces a new reality
Rocked by “Nordas” scandal, governing Progressives continue to face steep competition
By Lubómiérz Holt
30 April 2019

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With RA Mark Amundsen (pictured) leaving office next moth, his Progressive government
faces certain defeat in next week’s poll over accusations of mass corruption

Only one week away from regional elections, the Progressive League faced another string of arrests and probing into internal funding, with five interns associated with former Speaker Léch Rasmussen taken in by police on charges of money laundering and obstruction of justice. Progressive headquarters were raided last night by Navish tax authorities, who stated in a release today that “further work has to occur to pinpoint the details of this scheme.” Warrant charges were dropped for Regional Administrator Mark Amundsen and current nominee Mette Falk, who authorities claim had no knowledge of money laundering in the party, according to interviews.

However, public opinion has seemed to shift to anger, with a large group protesting outside the Regional Assembly over the week regarding the “Nordas scandal”, in reference to one of the shell companies used by Rasmussen to launder funds from government programs. Critics of the government have stated that they intend to “see them punished, for lack of a better word”, stated Arthur Adamsen, leader of the New Ostry Party, made up mainly of disgruntled Progressives. Adamsen’s new party could even overtake the Progressives, running on a platform of further integration into Navack and a hardline stance against many of the big tent policies the more regionalist government pursued in its eight years. And recent polling shows that the separatist opposition is gaining ground among Ostrins, as trust towards the federal government has fallen to under 20%, the lowest in years.

And it isn’t only the Ostric branch of the Progressive League in trouble, as investigators have announced they are looking into the financial records of members of Congress connected to Rasmussen, bringing the investigation to the federal level and, if serious, possibly even to the office of the President. If rumours are true, the situation will see more than a rejected third term for an unpopular government.

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Local News
- New Ostry Party: Unionist extremism?
- Trust of federal government at 18%, says poll
- Norda: The newest evidence
International News
- GLANODEL: Research on next-gen wind farms
- ROMELLEA: Protests over language laws
- BRILLIANIA: Mine explosion kills 16, wounds 45

[Ostry]

Lead investigator caught on tape over Nordas scheme
Adam Einkens taped discussing corruption charges, questions of conflict of interest arise
By Frëderik Lang
30 April 2019

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A tape recording of lead investigator Adam Einkens has caused new roadblocks in the
investigation of the “Nordas scandal” against the Ostric government

A day after yet another series of arrests against the Ostric government, lead investigator Adam Einkens is now facing scrutiny after a recording of his has gone viral. In the tape, Einkens is presumed to be in a bar or restaurant, talking with an unknown person regarding the investigations into various shell companies set up by former Speaker Léch Rasmussen and his associates. Gazeta has released an excerpt of the conversation below:

Unknown Person: “...what of [main shell company] Nordas?”
Adam Einkens: “It’s a shitshow. The Progressives have placed themselves in a mess.”
UP: “Talk about a bad time.”
AE: “Days before the voters come out too. Honestly, they deserve any drubbing they get.”
UP: “Really?”
AE: “Yes. And the big thing everyone’s pissed at is Nordas.”

The recording has placed a number of officials to question Einkens’ motives, with some even claiming that Einkens’ investigation is nothing more than an attempt to drive down Progressive support days before the election. Current Speaker Mati Erikoczik himself has called for the federal government to involve itself and relieve Einkens of his responsibilities, stating that “it is clear Mr. Einkens has a bias, whether deliberate or unconscious, that make him unsuitable for this job.” Adam Einkens and the federal prosecutor’s office have yet to respond to these allegations.

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Local News
- New Ostry Party: Unionist extremism?
- Trust of federal government at 18%, says poll
- Nordas: The newest evidence
International News
- GLANODEL: Research on next-gen wind farms
- ROMELLEA: Protests over language laws
- BRILLIANIA: Mine explosion kills 16, wounds 45