Eblanca | The New Political Roleplay | [The Senate/Closed]

by **Agarntrop** » Fri Dec 27, 2019 11:07 am

OP: Agarntrop
Co-OPs: The World Capitalist Confederation

Eblanca

The New Political Roleplay

I OOC I ICI

Eblanca is an island nation in the northern areas of the Phillipine Sea, with a population of 15 million, and an area of around 25,000 square kilometers. The island is technologically advanced, rich in natural resources, and is a thriving democracy governed with a semi-presidential system with a unicameral legislature, the Senate. The capital, Montgri, lies on the northern coast.

Eblanca was uninhabited until it was discovered by Polynesian settlers around 5,000 years ago, when some villages were formed on the South coast. Europeans arrived in the 16th century, when the Spanish settled there. The Dutch attempted to settle in order to expand their colony in Taiwan, but such attempts were unsuccessful.

The Spanish maintained control of the island until 1902, when a Spanish Empire weakened by the Spanish-American war had the island seized by the Japanese. The island remained under Japanese control until 1945, when the island was occupied by the United States after the second world war. The occupation ended in 1953, when the new Constitution was ratified by the unicameral senate and set up a semi-presidential democracy that has remained relatively stable since. The nation has since developed into one of the happiest and technologically advanced in the world, with a life expectancy of 82.

The President serves a maximum of two 4-year terms and is elected via an instant runoff system, and the Senate via Single Transferable Vote, with 6 members per constituency, 15 constituencies, and elections held every 5 years.

Rules

1- OP is Lord and the Co-OP's are the princes appointed by the OP. Their word is law. Follow it.
2- Post when you can-warn us if you can't. A post per week is a good minimum standard, but we understand that real-life gets in the way. If you plan to leave, or you will be offline for some time, especially if you are interacting with someone, please try to let us know.
3-Make some IC effort. We are more lenient than most, here, but do try to put some effort into your IC posts. Try to keep one-liners to a minimum, though they are fine if in a conversation.
4- Respect your fellow players. Play nice. If you don't have friends, you won't have fun.
5- No Sue/flawless/perfect characters Give them some flaws. No one has fun when everyone is perfect. Everyone wants to be a young, tall, strong, charismatic superman. We'd like a little more depth than that.
-5a A "wealth cap" is in place of one billion dollars in net worth. A 'soft cap' exists at one hundred million dollars in net worth, this can be exceeded in an application, but is strongly advised against, and may be denied.
6-No cheat-edits Once you've made an IC post, leave it. Tweaks to formatting are all right, but don't try to change what you've already put down, especially if it has already been responded to. If your character said it in public, it must stay.
7- If you are not sure if something is legal, ask OOC first. Always better to check-and there is limited leniency for things that are obviously bad.
8-No assassination attempts. You can probably look for a loophole there-don't. In essence, no use of extreme physical force against another player, or anything like poison. If you and another both agree, contact an OP, and it will be discussed-unilateral action is strictly forbidden.
-8 a. Allegations of sexual assault are now covered by this rule. They can still be made, but require OP approval.
9-No research in closed situations-For the short version-no search engines in debates. You can do all the research you like in preparation, but while a debate is going on, no citing of outside resources is permitted. This is on the honor system-but if you start spouting off statistics to the fifth decimal place, we'll probably catch on. In short, when you're in a situation where your character can't be looking things up, you can't either. If you're not sure-ask an OP.
10-No metagaming. This takes two forms-first, using OOC knowledge that you have but your character could not in the IC, and second, attempting to "engineer" a character specifically to do something in relation to specific aspects of another character or a situation. Hiccups aside, keep OOC and IC separate. Similarly
11-Keep OOC comments out of the IC. We have a whole thread set aside just for that reason. Putting and leaving OOC comments in parenthesis degrades the quality of the RP, wholly OOC posts in the IC are right out. Bring up any issues in the OOC, or TG the OP.
12-PG-13. The site has a PG-13 rule, and we follow it. Swearing is acceptable in-character, but do your best not to make a habit of it, and censor the harder language if you can. Explicit sexual reference are prohibited-if that ever becomes necessary, use euphemisms. The same holds true for gore.
13-Leaving the Roleplay. Due to the nature of the roleplay, significant politicians are not easily replaceable if their player leaves. Should you depart from the roleplay unexpectedly, your character may be used for the purposes of the roleplay, ranging from simulated votes to allowing another player temporary control. By applying for a character and participating in the roleplay, you accept this potential relinquishing of the character. Should a player return, priority is giving to returning the character to their control.
14-Foreign Characters Not all characters have to be Eblancan, foreigners whose actions relate to Eblanca are allowed (I.e. US president or foreign minister).
15- Have fun! Misery is illegal.

Applications

Code: Select all: [align=center] [hr][/hr] [b]Character Information Sheet[/b] [/align] NS Nation Name: Character Name: Character Gender: Character Age: Character Height: Character Weight: Character Position/Role/Job: Appearance: (Photo preferred, not required) Character Country of Origin: Character Country of Residence: Character Party Affiliation (creating one is allowed): Main Strengths: Main Weaknesses: Biography: (Minimum 2-3 paragraphs) Other Info: [u]I have read and accept the rules of the roleplay:[/u] (Your Nation's Name Here)

Code: Select all: [align=center] [hr][/hr] [b]Party Information Sheet[/b] [/align] [b]Party Information Sheet[/b] [b]Party Name: [/b] [b]Ideology Summary: [/b] [b]Party Leader(s): [/b] [b]Party Abbreviation ("DP" for Democratic Party): [/b] [b]Party Colors: [/b] [b]Party Members: [/b]

Character Roster

President, Prime Minister and Cabinet
NLC
Carlo Rigoberto Saiden Estrada - President
Elena Márquez de Pedregón - Prime Minister (Senate seat is Sagrado Corazón)
Diego Ruiz Garrido - Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister
Jiro Hanabusa - Deputy Prime Minister (Montgri)

Senate Members (other than Cabinet Ministers)
NLC
Chief Whip Ernesto Ruvalcaba - Loreto
Alyssa Stevens - El Poco

CNPE
General John J. Escaranas-Burns - East Carina

Popular Front
Sed Amar Rohit - Santo Domingo de los Cruces
Tolani T. Savea - Forasteras
Roda Monumona - Montgri

PVC
Diego “Iakopa” Kahurangi - Sagrado Corazón

SDP
Fujita Okamura - Forasteras

Local Politicians
Popular Front
Ali Gitana Choa Montano - Mayor of Montgri

Non-Office-Holding Politicians
SDP
José Mariano Gerardo - Professor of Economics

Non-Politicians
CNPE
Captain Duke Sargonas - Army Officer
Independent
Qu Wong Li - Chinese Ambassador
NLC
Andres Lopez Takuma - Businessman

Political Parties
NLC - Holds Presidency plus 40/90 Senate seats - Centre to Centre-right - Liberal
CNPE - Holds 25/90 Senate seats - Right-wing to Far-right - Eblancan Nationalist
Popular Front - Holds 19/90 Senate seats - Left-wing - Democratic Socialist
PVC - Holds 5/90 Senate seats - Big tent - Populist
SDP - Holds 1/90 Senate seats - Centre - Radical Centrist

Passed Legistlation

Paramilitarism Interdiction Act.

Author: Senator Diego 'Iakopa' Kahurangi
Act to place lawful impediments on the deployment of paramilitary force or the conduct of paramilitary activities in Eblanca, in particular for political purposes, or for the purposes of influencing the outcome of elections, or otherwise to use intimidation or shows of force to affect the constitutional health of the Nation.

Current IC Date

January 21st - January 28th 2020

Bill Template:

Code: Select all: [box][align=center][size=200][b]Title[/b][/size] [size=90]Author: [/size] [hr][/hr][hr][/hr][size=90][i]Subject line[/i] BE IT THEREFORE ENACTED, as follows:[/size][/align][hr][/hr][hr][/hr] [size=125][b]§1 - First Section Name[/b][/size] [list=a][*]first part [*]second part [*]etc. Add as many as you like[/list] [size=125][b]§2 - Second Section[/b][/size] [list=a][*]just [*]like [*]above[/list] [size=125][b]§3 - Add as many sections as you like[/b][/size] [list=a][*]etc [*]etc [*]etc[/list][/box]

by **Agarntrop** » Fri Dec 27, 2019 11:18 am

Speaker: "The Senate is now in session."

Bangs Gavel

"Do any members have any motions to present, or shall we proceed with questions to the Prime Minister?"

by **Agarntrop** » Fri Dec 27, 2019 4:54 pm

Speaker: Hence there are no motions we will now move on to the next item on the schedule; Questions to the Prime Minister!

by **The World Capitalist Confederation** » Fri Dec 27, 2019 5:59 pm

Agarntrop wrote:Speaker: Hence there are no motions we will now move on to the next item on the schedule; Questions to the Prime Minister!

Senator Burns: "Does the Prime Minister realise that the social liberalism of the current administration has led to a general decay of Eblancan society and attracted the ire of many religious groups?"

by **Gordano and Lysandus** » Fri Dec 27, 2019 6:07 pm

The World Capitalist Confederation wrote:
Agarntrop wrote:Speaker: Hence there are no motions we will now move on to the next item on the schedule; Questions to the Prime Minister!

Senator Burns: "Does the Prime Minister realise that the social liberalism of the current administration has led to a general decay of Eblancan society and attracted the ire of many religious groups?"

Prime Minister Pedregón: "I appreciate and understand that many ordinary Eblancans are concerned and afraid of some of the radical changes that have taken place under the Estrada administration. I would reassure them that the President and the Government maintain the same strong respect for the Catholic Church and for the values of ordinary people that we have always had. I did not agree with the gay marriage bill, however it was put before President Estrada by the Senate. This Senate. To try to solely characterize this matter as one of NLC hubris is a monologue of misinformation."

"I have faith in two things, my friends. God in Heaven who looks down upon us, and the strength and goodwill of ordinary Eblancans. I think the insinuation that we are in general decay is insulting to those ordinary Eblancans, who are the backbone of our society. Only an authoritarian would believe that somehow a society is entirely defined by the actions of its government."

by **Dentali** » Fri Dec 27, 2019 6:29 pm

by **The KL-22** » Fri Dec 27, 2019 10:56 pm

Senator Savea stood from his seat in the Senate, wearing his usual style of multicoloured patterned suit. He coughed, before relaying his prepared question towards the Prime Minister. He knew it might attract accusations of implications made towards the Prime Minister, but Savea did not particularly care, preferring to say it like it is rather than dance around the subject.

"Does the Prime Minister intend to expand public support programs to help bring the population of struggling indigenous families up to the level of prosperity seen in other segments of the Eblancan population, or is she content to keep things the way they are now, divisions and all?"

by **Gordano and Lysandus** » Fri Dec 27, 2019 11:11 pm

The KL-22 wrote:Senator Savea stood from his seat in the Senate, wearing his usual style of multicoloured patterned suit. He coughed, before relaying his prepared question towards the Prime Minister. He knew it might attract accusations of implications made towards the Prime Minister, but Savea did not particularly care, preferring to say it like it is rather than dance around the subject.

"Does the Prime Minister intend to expand public support programs to help bring the population of struggling indigenous families up to the level of prosperity seen in other segments of the Eblancan population, or is he content to keep things the way they are now, divisions and all?"

Whilst Senator Kahurangi was usually quite frosty towards the EPF, seeing them as exploitative of the indigenous vote, he certainly wasn't displeased with this question, giving a subtle nod across the benches towards Senator Savea.

Elena Pedregón stood up once again to answer - all this standing up and sitting down likely wasn't good for a woman of 88 - but she insisted she was completely fit to go on, resting her hands on her podium. The question of indigenous rights and peoples was always tricky with her, it was - to an extent - a weak spot. Beloved as she was by many Eblancans, she was not known for her eagerness for indigenous issues.

"I resent the implication that this government has not been thoughtful of the needs of the indigenous community." She stated, earning a scowl and a cry of "Embustera!" from Kahurangi, before she continued. "There has been no blockage or restriction placed on the access of indigenous peoples to social programs. They are, and always have been, just as entitled to those programs as all Eblancans are, by the same rules. I would think that a Senator from a party promoting the destruction of class would be appreciative of the fact this government does and has always treated indigenous populations in Eblanca with the same respect as those of Hispanic, or any other, heritage."

by **Agarntrop** » Sat Dec 28, 2019 4:22 am

The Speaker scowled at Kahurangi, and banged his gavel.

"Absolutely not, Senator Kahurangi. It is against the standards of this esteemed Senate to shout aggressively over another senator, especially from a sedentary position. You are warned but if I see any kind of behaviour like that again from you in this day's sitting I will be forced to use my powers under this senate's standing orders to remove you temporarily from this chamber.

"PMQs can now proceed again."

by **Agarntrop** » Sat Dec 28, 2019 11:51 am

Speaker: This house shall now adjourn, if you have any legislation to propose in tommorow's sitting please lay it on my desk.

by **Gordano and Lysandus** » Fri Jan 03, 2020 3:56 pm

Senator Kahurangi would enter into the docket to following bill:

Paramilitarism Interdiction Act
Author: Senator Diego 'Iakopa' Kahurangi

An Act to place lawful impediments on the deployment of paramilitary force or the conduct of paramilitary activities in Eblanca, in particular for political purposes, or for the purposes of influencing the outcome of elections, or otherwise to use intimidation or shows of force to affect the constitutional health of the Nation.

BE IT THEREFORE ENACTED, as follows:

§1 - Short title and enactment

The short title of this Act will be the Paramilitarism Interdiction Act.

The provisions of this Act will come into force immediately upon the President's signature.

§2 - Glossary of terms

A "paramilitary" will be defined thus: An organization or branch of an organization coordinated in the use of uniforms and/or weapons so as to present a military-like appearance that is not under the control or command of a state power.

A "uniform" will be defined thus: A manner of dress which is designed to demonstrate allegiance to an organization or branch of an organization.

A "weapon" will be defined thus: A utility which enhances the ability of the bearer to do harm, in particular one that has been designed for that purpose.

§3 - Illegal forms of paramilitary activity

The use of a paramilitary to interfere with the regular operation of government functions, military operations, or public transportation will be explicitly illegal.

The use of a paramilitary to intimidate, threaten, or interfere with the campaign of a candidate for political office in Eblanca will be explicitly illegal.

The use of a paramilitary to interfere with the proceedings of a governmental or trade union election of any kind will be explicitly illegal.

The use of a paramilitary to suppress the lawful activities of a trade union will be explicitly illegal.

The use of a paramilitary to intimidate, threaten or interfere with the work of any political or bureaucratic official will be explicitly illegal.

The use of a paramilitary as part of a campaign for political office in Eblanca will be explicitly illegal.

The use of a paramilitary to intimidate, threaten or interfere with the operations of a diplomatic mission will be explicitly illegal.

The use of a paramilitary to impede, influence, or undermine the operations of an Eblancan judicial proceeding will be explicitly illegal.

The use of a paramilitary to conduct any sort of organized criminal behavior will be explicitly illegal.

§4 - Offenses under this Act

Should a person or persons be found by a court of law to have committed any of the illegal forms of paramilitary activity as prescribed by Section 3 of this Act, they shall be guilty of malicious paramilitarism.

Should a person or persons be found by a court of law to have directed others to perform any of the illegal forms of paramilitary activity as prescribed by Section 3 of this Act, they shall be guilty of malicious paramilitary command.

The penalty for malicious paramilitarism shall be no less than a jail term of six months, and there shall be no maximum penalty.

The penalty for malicious paramilitary command shall be no less than a jail term of twelve months, and there shall be no maximum penalty.

by **Agarntrop** » Fri Jan 03, 2020 4:22 pm

Gordano and Lysandus wrote:Senator Kahurangi would enter into the docket to following bill:

Paramilitarism Interdiction Act
Author: Senator Diego 'Iakopa' Kahurangi

An Act to place lawful impediments on the deployment of paramilitary force or the conduct of paramilitary activities in Eblanca, in particular for political purposes, or for the purposes of influencing the outcome of elections, or otherwise to use intimidation or shows of force to affect the constitutional health of the Nation.

BE IT THEREFORE ENACTED, as follows:

§1 - Short title and enactment

The short title of this Act will be the Paramilitarism Interdiction Act.

The provisions of this Act will come into force immediately upon the President's signature.

§2 - Glossary of terms

A "paramilitary" will be defined thus: An organization or branch of an organization coordinated in the use of uniforms and/or weapons so as to present a military-like appearance that is not under the control or command of a state power.

A "uniform" will be defined thus: A manner of dress which is designed to demonstrate allegiance to an organization or branch of an organization.

A "weapon" will be defined thus: A utility which enhances the ability of the bearer to do harm, in particular one that has been designed for that purpose.

§3 - Illegal forms of paramilitary activity

The use of a paramilitary to interfere with the regular operation of government functions, military operations, or public transportation will be explicitly illegal.

The use of a paramilitary to intimidate, threaten, or interfere with the campaign of a candidate for political office in Eblanca will be explicitly illegal.

The use of a paramilitary to interfere with the proceedings of a governmental or trade union election of any kind will be explicitly illegal.

The use of a paramilitary to suppress the lawful activities of a trade union will be explicitly illegal.

The use of a paramilitary to intimidate, threaten or interfere with the work of any political or bureaucratic official will be explicitly illegal.

The use of a paramilitary as part of a campaign for political office in Eblanca will be explicitly illegal.

The use of a paramilitary to intimidate, threaten or interfere with the operations of a diplomatic mission will be explicitly illegal.

The use of a paramilitary to impede, influence, or undermine the operations of an Eblancan judicial proceeding will be explicitly illegal.

The use of a paramilitary to conduct any sort of organized criminal behavior will be explicitly illegal.

§4 - Offenses under this Act

Should a person or persons be found by a court of law to have committed any of the illegal forms of paramilitary activity as prescribed by Section 3 of this Act, they shall be guilty of malicious paramilitarism.

Should a person or persons be found by a court of law to have directed others to perform any of the illegal forms of paramilitary activity as prescribed by Section 3 of this Act, they shall be guilty of malicious paramilitary command.

The penalty for malicious paramilitarism shall be no less than a jail term of six months, and there shall be no maximum penalty.

The penalty for malicious paramilitary command shall be no less than a jail term of twelve months, and there shall be no maximum penalty.

Speaker: The bill is recognised, there shall now be a debating period on the bill. Senator Kahurangi, please deliver a statement advocating for the bill and then other senators may debate with you on it.

by **Gordano and Lysandus** » Fri Jan 03, 2020 4:29 pm

Senator Kahurangi (PVC-Sagrado Corazón)

"Thank you, Mister Speaker.

The PVC is often accused by some of being anti-democratic. They say that I and the members of this Chamber of my party are not sincere in our desire to protect the integrity of the democracy we have here. This is mendacious and it is a lie. This bill stands, if for nothing else, as a testament to the integrity of my belief in democracy, and the belief we all share in democracy. It seeks to protect this democracy, so young as it is, from potential dangers.

We have seen where paramilitarism, and militarist subversion, have led. When the Taisho period ended, and Japan became dominated by militarism in the Showa period, Eblanca faced some of the worst suffering in its history. We have a duty as Senators to make sure that there is never a danger of such a thing again.

This bill places meaningful, significant restrictions on paramilitary activity to protect the day-to-day goings on of ordinary Eblancans' lives, to protect the function of our democratic form of government - and let me state again that the PVC have no intention of ending democracy in Eblanca - and to otherwise ensure that paramilitaries do not become a problem for Eblanca. I would think that this is relatively self-explanatory.

In truth, I do not think this bill requires an excess of explanation on my part, and so I will leave it to this Senate to debate."

by **Agarntrop** » Sun Jan 05, 2020 1:40 pm

Speaker: The Senate shall now proceed to vote on approving the bill, those in favour state "aye" and those against state "nay"

by **Gordano and Lysandus** » Sun Jan 05, 2020 1:41 pm

Senator Kahurangi [PVC-Sagrado Corazón]

"Aye!"

Senator Elena Pedregón [NLC-Sagrado Corazón]

"Aye!"

by **The World Capitalist Confederation** » Sun Jan 05, 2020 2:04 pm

Senator Burns [CNPE-East Carina]

"Aye!"

by **Agarntrop** » Thu Jan 09, 2020 12:00 pm

Speaker: The bill has been approved. Do any members propose amendments?

by **Agarntrop** » Sat Jan 11, 2020 2:01 pm

Speaker: No amendments have been approved therefore the bill is sent to the President with the recommendation it passes. Now for the next item on schedule; questions to the Prime Minister!

by **Sao Nova Europa** » Sun Jan 12, 2020 11:49 am

Senator Fujita Okamura:

"Can the honorable Prime Minister inform us of the current size of the deficit? Can they also inform us of the steps their administration is taking to tackle the problem of deficit spending and how they intend to bring back into balance the budget? Or do they intend to continue spending like a drunken sailor and balloon the debt, leading eventually to bankruptcy and a grim future for our children?"

by **Gordano and Lysandus** » Mon Jan 13, 2020 2:01 am

Sao Nova Europa wrote:Senator Fujita Okamura:

"Can the honorable Prime Minister inform us of the current size of the deficit? Can they also inform us of the steps their administration is taking to tackle the problem of deficit spending and how they intend to bring back into balance the budget? Or do they intend to continue spending like a drunken sailor and balloon the debt, leading eventually to bankruptcy and a grim future for our children?"

Senator Elena Márquez de Pedregón (The Prime Minister - NLC)

"Honorable Senador, the state of the government finances are in a significantly better place now than when the Great Recession struck Eblanca. Whilst the deficit did increase when we needed to absorb that blow, we have endeavored without rest to see that reduced. Under my premiership, and that of my predecessor, and under the administration of President Estrada, our combination of taxation reforms and austerity measures have ensured the stability of the government finances. All remaining government debt is now at manageable levels, and will continue to decrease. There is no prospect of bankruptcy, and I think the Honorable Senador would be best reserving his questions about bankruptcy and dire future for the other parties present, whose manifestos will, I'm sure in the months to come, be devoid of restraint. I have full confidence in the Minister of Finance to keep the ship steady, and I think we should be more grateful that the ship is steady, rather than being mutinous and causing it to become unsteady."

by **The World Capitalist Confederation** » Fri Jan 17, 2020 12:23 pm

Gordano and Lysandus wrote:
Sao Nova Europa wrote:Senator Fujita Okamura:

"Can the honorable Prime Minister inform us of the current size of the deficit? Can they also inform us of the steps their administration is taking to tackle the problem of deficit spending and how they intend to bring back into balance the budget? Or do they intend to continue spending like a drunken sailor and balloon the debt, leading eventually to bankruptcy and a grim future for our children?"

Senator Elena Márquez de Pedregón (The Prime Minister - NLC)

"Honorable Senador, the state of the government finances are in a significantly better place now than when the Great Recession struck Eblanca. Whilst the deficit did increase when we needed to absorb that blow, we have endeavored without rest to see that reduced. Under my premiership, and that of my predecessor, and under the administration of President Estrada, our combination of taxation reforms and austerity measures have ensured the stability of the government finances. All remaining government debt is now at manageable levels, and will continue to decrease. There is no prospect of bankruptcy, and I think the Honorable Senador would be best reserving his questions about bankruptcy and dire future for the other parties present, whose manifestos will, I'm sure in the months to come, be devoid of restraint. I have full confidence in the Minister of Finance to keep the ship steady, and I think we should be more grateful that the ship is steady, rather than being mutinous and causing it to become unsteady."

Senator John J. Escarnas-Burns (East Carina - CNPE)

"The honourable Prime Minister does not seem to understand one thing, and why there has been a high amount of economic growth during the Estrada era: it was the Talon-Rominez administration, the first ever CNPE administration in history, that brought this massive growth to Eblanca. It wasn't Estrada that brought prosperity to this nation, but rather President Talon and Prime Minister Rominez. They started their term after a crumbling NLC government, with economic growth barely hitting 2.5% a year. In 2006 and 2007, economic growth hit over 8.7%, reaching its peak. The Talon administration ended in 2012, with 6.4% economic growth reported at the end of the year. The Estrada administration barely hit 6% last year, showing the end of the Eblancan peak. The NLC administration, has, simply put, piggybacked off of good CNPE management and good CNPE policies. Does the Prime Minister give credit to good CNPE policies, or does she choose to keep peddling the myth that somehow it was the NLC responsible for all this growth and not the CNPE?"

Eblanca | The New Political Roleplay | [The Senate/Closed]

Eblanca | The New Political Roleplay | [The Senate/Closed]

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