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by UDS Dispatch Office » Tue Jun 30, 2020 8:32 pm
Kanglia Elected Chairperson
by Kanglia
Switching up the typical news report convention here, I (Kanglia) was elected Chairperson this past month. For me, it was my return to NS politics, and my return to the UDS’ political body. Two long years away from NationStates saw me change a ton as a person, but my beliefs on the best things for this region have continued to stay the same. I’m disappointed that there was no one running against me, for elections are always much more fun when you have an adversary, but losing 5 whole votes to RON of all people (UDS has seen Re-Open Nominations turn into a deity of its own) only motivates me to prove to myself and to every person with an eye on the UDS that I still have “it” inside of me. Since my election was announced on June 5th, the General Assembly has seen steady activity at a rate higher than before, and I’m proud of that. I think that a good part of this activity is thanks to the GA Guild that I campaigned on and created as a means for all citizens to come together to better understand and create new legislation for the region. But with three months to go in my term I know that this fight isn’t finished yet. And that fight, that’s what excites me the most.Third Senate Election Sees Two Newcomers and Some Familiar Faces Elected
by Dome Artan
At the tail end of May the third Senate Elections were opened by Chancellor Khevo. While not as hotly contested as the second Senate Elections in March the ballot was shaping up to be a full one with early announcements of intent by Democratic Republic of Kohland and the The Eastern Straight. However when the candidacy forms were due the field was much less competitive than it had seemed to be. Neither of the aforementioned early announcers had submitted official candidacies and three incumbent Senators had decided not to seek re-election (The Eagle-Bearer, Comlogical and Dome Artan).
Instead the five person Senate election was going to be contested by only six candidates, the lowest of any of the three held so far. Incumbents The Noble Thatcherites and Glaciosia were joined by former President North Plegia and three newcomers Prorescia, Grand Gondor and Davinmark. Campaigning for the election was limited, to be expected when only one candidate will not be elected. However some candidates took this to the extreme and posted no campaign material whatsoever, all of this compared to the hour long voice chat debate of the last election. The only campaign material of consequence was published by North Plegia, notable because it reiterated their commitment to another new constitution (a position which cost them the presidency four months ago).
The Election results were announced by Chancellor Khevo on May 31st. The Union uses a preferential voting system where voters rank candidates from one to, in this case, seven (six candidates plus RON), the candidates with the lowest average score are elected as they are the most preferred. The Noble Thatcherites and Glaciosia, despite posting no campaign material, won big with both being over 2 points clear of the other candidates. The three other positions were filled by Prorescia, North Plegia and Grand Gondor. The strategy of no campaign material, which worked for the incumbent Senators, decidedly did not work for Davinmark who placed last, even behind RON.
The next Senate elections will be particularly interesting as The Noble Thatcherites and Glaciosia, Senate stalwarts since the Constitutional overhaul will be forced out of office due to term limits by that point, leaving the composition of that Senate wide open. As for this Senate, it has already handled the important business of tabling a Criminal Code Act along with a large Constitutional Amendment package.Recently Elected Senator Grand Gondor Vanishes from UDS
by Dome Artan
As mentioned in the previous article Grand Gondor had won election to the UDS Senate despite their relative inexperience, having joined NS as part of the Drew Rush. During their time as Senator they seemed to struggle with understanding what that meant, continuing to vote on UDS General Assembly (the lower house of the legislative branch) motions. However after the most recent instance of this on June 21st, Grand Gondor suddenly left the UDS discord where their activity had been dropping dramatically.
While Discord involvement is not necessary for participation in government the signs were nonetheless not good for their continued involvement in the region. Directly following this development Grand Gondor resigned the WA, once again not necessary by any means for participation in the region but they had been one of the region’s most involved endorsers, consistently staying up to date on new WA nations. The combination of these two withdrawals from regional life leaves the region pessimistic about the chances of a return for the new Senator.
It has been nine days now of unannounced activity for the Senator, after ten they will lose their position and a snap election will be held.USDAF Update
by Kanglia
It was a slightly slow month for the UDSAF, with our time in Iran still being the main focus for the first two weeks, updating has yet to return to it’s previous pace. However, with the month closing, Kanglia has returned to the updates. UDSAF personnel was present for only four updates at the time of this writing.
by UDS Dispatch Office » Wed Jul 08, 2020 8:39 pm
The Union of Democratic States closed embassies with the League of Conservative Nations because of differences in basic administrative standards as detailed in a statement posted on our regional forum by the Office of the President. The Union intended to close embassies on polite terms and did not disseminate this statement to any region. Players concerned about problematic behavior can contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for pertinent evidence.
Signed,
Phoenix Coalition
President
Druing
Minister of Foreign Affairs
by UDS Dispatch Office » Thu Jul 23, 2020 8:01 pm
The Union of Democratic States has long held the principles of democracy and of amicability among like-minded regions in high regard. One region with which we share these values is the Republic of Europeia. Our regions have had a long and prosperous relationship of diplomatic recognition and cultural exchange culminating in the Union’s participation in the Europeian region of the week program, and we wish to solidify and extend this relationship further. To this end, we have ratified the Republica Accord. The Accord received unanimous approval by the Senate of the Union, a significant majority in the General Assembly, and subsequently the signature of the President on the 21st of July.
Through this Accord the parties have reaffirmed their commitment to the principles of democracy and civil rights in their regions, along with reiterating ethical recruitment practices between partners, espoused in the Europeian led Arnhelm Declaration of Recruitment Standards that the Union has long respected. In addition we have made a firm pact of non-aggression and non-espionage between ourselves and a pathway for intelligence sharing when appropriate, without establishing the recognition or endorsement of the military activities of the other. Through cultural programs, goodwill and deeper ties will be fostered. The Union is confident that this Accord is but a stepping stone in the development of the relationship between two firmly democratic regions.
Signed,
Phoenix Coalition
President
Druing
Minister of Foreign Affairs
by UDS Dispatch Office » Sat Aug 01, 2020 11:01 am
Republica Accord, Negotiated, Signed & Ratified
by Druing
Europeia and the Union of Democratic States are regions with a shared commitment to democracy, civil rights and ethical recruiting. As such the Republica Accord was negotiated to strengthen the relationship between the regions. The full statement on the ratification of the Accord can be found here.Unionist Engagement Reinvigorated In Senate By-Election
by Dome Artan
In our last embassy update, the disappearance of Senator Grand Gondor was reported on. At the time they had one day left in the ten day unannounced activity buffer before an election would be held for their seat. As Grand Gondor did not return, and indeed has since CTEd, the Chancellors opened a Senate By-Election on the second of June. Midway through the candidacy period for the one open seat, a second seat became available following the resignation and subsequent renunciation of citizenship by long time Unionist North Plegia.
Ten citizens declared their candidacy for the two vacant seats with six posting campaign statements. Following a Senate election that had only six candidates for the five seats and minimal campaigning, this was a very welcome sight for the Union’s political landscape. Voting was opened on the sixth of July and beyond Nuevo San Miguel, who had separated themself from the pack by virtue of endorsements from President Phoenix Coalition and former Vice President Asdersland, it was anyone’s race.
The perceived tightness of the race was not borne out in reality when the Chancellors released the results on the eighth of July. Nuevo San Miguel had dominated as expected, with an average ranking of 2.26. Long time citizen Drawception ended up with the second seat with an average ranking of 3.74, well ahead of third place finisher British Isles and Commonwealth Realms with 5.44. The election was also notable for RON’s strong performance, finishing well above half the candidacy pool.Presidential Election Sees Phoenix Re-Elected For Second Term, With Dome Artan The New VP
by Dome Artan
The Union’s second Presidential term wound to a close at the end of June with the Chancellors declaring the candidacy period open for the third Presidential election on the twenty fifth of June. The election was expected to be a laid back one with Phoenix Coalition seeking reelection following a widely admired four month term. The incumbent did announce a new pick for Vice President following the mutually agreed departure of Asdersland from the position, current WA Delegate Dome Artan would take their place on the ballot. While much of the lead up to the election was filled with jokes about Phoenix Coalition running unopposed, former Chairperson of the Union’s General Assembly Firseria announced their candidacy with Nuevo San Miguel their choice for VP.
Firseria openly admitted they weren’t “in it to win it”, instead there to offer some competition to Phoenix Coalition and get some experience for a potential more serious run at some point in the future. Both candidates did publish extensive campaign statements, but there was minimal other campaigning beyond some citizens asking questions. The campaign period was mostly notable for the Chancellery’s allowance of RMB campaign posts, something long outlawed by the region’s various election officers. The voting period was opened on the 29th of June with thirty six votes being cast, up twelve from the last Presidential election. Phoenix Coalition won reelection handily, taking twenty five of those thirty six votes with Firseria grabbing the remaining eleven.USDAF Update
by Druing
As the pace picks up since last month, so too do the activities of the UDSAF, having completed far more defenses and detags than last month. This includes a 51 detag update done independently on the UDSAF server.
by Sebero Sree » Sat Aug 01, 2020 11:29 am
by UDS Dispatch Office » Wed Aug 12, 2020 10:49 am
by Bask in the Glory » Wed Aug 12, 2020 11:33 am
by Dome Artan » Wed Aug 12, 2020 11:59 am
by Numero Capitan » Wed Aug 12, 2020 12:19 pm
by LollerLand » Wed Aug 12, 2020 2:08 pm
by UDS Dispatch Office » Fri Sep 04, 2020 10:06 am
Senate Election Creates Major Shifts In Senate Composition
by Druing
On the 26th of July, candidacy for the election was made open to the Union and when it closed later on the 28th, the result was a large number of candidates, 11 in total; one of whom later dropped out just before the voting period to make a total of 10 candidates, which caused a minor technical issue with the ballot, that was swiftly resolved during the voting process.
The vote was held on the 1st of August and the aforementioned issue meant that the period had to be extended to a later time on the 3rd than usual. Afterwards, the 27 valid ballots were processed and elected five candidates to the Senate. These Senators are:
- Prorescia
- Guess and Check
- Drawception
- Dawnsland
- Zeneste
Out of these five Senators, two were re-elected, those being Prorescia and Drawception, with the other three are new, replacing Glaciosia, The Noble Thatcherites (both of whom legally could not run) and Nuevo San Miguel.
This particular Senate election has some interesting factors to it - Namely that this is the first Senate election that legally barred candidates who had reached a term limit, as well as the returning Senator from the July By-Election. The Senators have been eager to get to work and since their inauguration, have discussed and voted on numerous articles of legislation.Union Preparing For N-Day
by Druing
For this year’s N-Day, the Union has joined the Potato Alliance. After several events and fluctuations earlier in the year regarding the influx of overall nations in the world, N-Day may play out uniquely compared to previous times, with new nations potentially impacting it.UDSAF Update
by Druing
This month, the UDS Armed Forces were engaged in 2 huge liberation attempts on South Pacific and Middle Earth. For the first time in history, commanders Comlogical, Kanglia and Phoenix decided to recruit members directly from the WA members pool, and the reserve rank was created for this very purpose. The numbers were at its heights since the establishment of UDSAF - 9 members jumped successfully in a siege of South Pacific.
A ribbon system was established to enable UDSAF personnel to flex their military achievements and their honor of fighting on behalf of the Union and the cause of the defenders.UDSAF Monthly Report
August 2020
by UDS Dispatch Office » Sun Oct 04, 2020 7:35 am
Union Assists Potato Alliance to A Close Second Place In N-Day
by Druing
The annual tradition of N-Day began for the fifth consecutive year and lasted throughout Sunday the 27th of September, in which the region worked to assist The Potato Alliance’s faction Alliance of Potatoes. As the day progressed, the faction settled down into a low position on the leaderboards, mostly through some back-and-forth between it and the Horsemen of the Apocalypse - Last year’s N-Day victors (Who rather interestingly finished dead last this time around, setting a new record for most faction radiation) - before later making a big play and subsequent comeback, with the Alliance of Potatoes reaching 2nd place overall, less than 3,000 points behind Augustin Alliance.
For historical context, for the first N-Day, the Union led the UDS Nuclear Defense Treaty and came in 11th. For the second N-day, we led the UDS Nuclear Defense Treaty - This time with allies of the region. With that alliance we came in 6th. For the third N-Day we partnered with XKI and came in 7th with the Potato Alliance. For the fourth N-day we partnered with Forest and worked with Canopy, coming in second. The region has had a strong history of success with N-day or at least in making the leaderboard alongside our allies.
We thank Somyrion, Tim, and the other leaders of the Potato Alliance for their hard work and dedication, as well as all the Unionists that participated in N-Day with us this year. Glaciosia served as our captain within the Potato Alliance.Senate Election Underway
by Druing
On the 25th of September, the candidacy form was released for the September Senate Election. It ran from that evening to the same time two days later, on the 27th, after which candidacy closed. A day later on the 28th, 9 candidates for Senator were announced and the polls opened on the 30th. At the time of writing, the poll is still underway, as the polls close on the 2nd of October.
The candidates are:
- British Isles and Commonwealth Realms
- Brittalia
- Dawnsland
- Drawception
- Glaciosia
- Isansland
- Kingdom of Sacento
- Nuevo San Miguel
- WaroklionUDSAF Update
September 2020
by UDS Dispatch Office » Sat Oct 31, 2020 10:44 am
Who Will Succeed Phoenix Coalition?
by Druing
On the 27th of October at 10pm EST, the Office of the Chancellery released the candidacy form for the October Presidential Election, which accepted responses until the same time on the 29th of October.
Since Phoenix Coalition has served two full terms as President, he is legally unable to run again, as he has reached the term limit. This means that the Union will be transitioning into a completely new Administration, under whoever wins this election. This is a particularly important moment and time for the region, as the Presidency over the past two terms was responsible for numerous major accomplishments and establishing vital systems to get the region back into working order.
At the time of writing, platforms for Presidency were posted by:
The previous Minister of Foreign Affairs Druing, with their running mate Glaciosia, the previous Minister of the Census, posted at 5:12pm on the 27th of October
The previous Vice President Guess And Check, with their running mate Drawception, posted at 1:56pm on the 29th of October
Additionally, there was an RMB post for another campaign by British Isles and Commonwealth Realms, a current Senator, with their running mate Kingdom of Sacento, however they declared in the post that it was satirical and that they are not officially running. This message was posted sometime after 4pm EST on the 28th of October.
At 12am EST on the 31st of October, the Office of the Chancellery released the list of officially filed candidates, which are as follows:British Isles and Commonwealth Realms (w/ Sacento as running mate)
Druing (w/ Glaciosia as running mate)
Guess And Check (w/ Drawception as running mate)
The October Presidential Election began at 10pm EST on the 31st of October and will end at the same time on the 2nd of November, with citizens voting to determine who will be the next President of the Union.An Unfortunate Farewell to Dome Artan
by Druing
To everyone’s dismay, at around noon on the 26th of October, World Assembly Delegate Dome Artan ceased to exist. Later, the Office of the Chancellery appointed Asdersland, the previous Delegate, to the position. As Asdersland was previously participating in UDSAF operations prior to the re-appointment, the Union is currently undergoing a high-profile campaign to get them their endorsements back so that they may hold the position and command the voting bloc in World Assembly affairs.
During their Delegacy, Dome Artan had started a few innovative and fruitful initiatives, so with Asdersland returning to the position after only a few months’ break, it will be interesting to see how he takes to the position and if Unionists will see any return of those initiatives.Fresh New Union Look
by Druing
The regional forum hosted on Proboards had been the successor to the Zetaboards forum for the past two years - Now the region has migrated to a self-hosted forum on Xenforo, as part of the new http://www.theuds.org web family.
The Union has been steadily transferring important resources and documents over to the new forum, which will serve as the nexus for all regional forum activity and be the place for Union operations that previously happened on the Proboards forum. Notable examples include Citizenship applications, Diplomatic Visa applications and swearing in of region officials. As with the Zetaboards forum before it, the Proboards forum is being preserved for archival purposes.
The new forum also comes with some new features - Some prominent examples that have found popularity with people already, are that members are able to sign up directly via their Discord account, as well as communicate directly with the Union Discord on-site through an optional widget. You can read the full announcement by the Administration Team hereUDSAF Update
October 2020
by The Noble Thatcherites » Sat Oct 31, 2020 12:44 pm
by LollerLand » Sun Nov 01, 2020 12:12 pm
by Glaciosia » Sun Nov 01, 2020 1:18 pm
LollerLand wrote:Spending resources in providing a link shortening and image hosting service looks like overkill but your website and forum looks pretty good. I love that you guys chose Grav for your website!
Comfed wrote:XenForo is a nice forum platform. Good luck to the UDS!
by UDS Dispatch Office » Wed Dec 02, 2020 12:06 pm
Druing Ascends to Presidency
by Phoenix Coalition
On November 3rd, a minute past midnight, the former Foreign Affairs Minister under the Phoenix Administration was announced as President. President Druing and his Vice President Glaciosia rode out of the elections with fifty-three percent of the votes in the election. In his campaign, he promised the continued growth and revival of the region by expanding our recruitment and retention efforts, remaining on the path of revitalizing our Foreign Affairs, along with ensuring our Culture activities remain consistent, active and prepared for the Union’s fifth birthday, which is upon us as soon as December rolls around.
In his opening address on our new forums, he went into his chief goal to address an apparent lack of interest/engagement, which is two fold; one being recruitment and the other retention and involvement. In the address, he also gave his Minister nominations, of which was a complete shakeup of the Phoenix Administration’s cabinet. However, while it was a complete shake up, it still retained some the of staff members of the previous Administration, and experienced members of the region.Asdersland to Dome to Asdersland Again
by British Isles And Commonwealth Realms
According to the Constitution, inactivity on government and regional forums for more than ten days results in dismissal from office. Dome Artan, World Assembly Delegate & Vice President, was inactive for ten days. The law required then-President Phoenix Coalition to relieve Dome from his offices under the executive. Dome remained WAD until his nation ceased to exist at 1200 hours EST on 27 October 2020. The Chancellery then appointed Asdersland as the new WAD.
Dome had served the Union with integrity and honesty. His various accomplishments cannot be limited to one paragraph here, but I shall try anyway. Dome had served as Deputy Minister of the Census, where he sent nearly 650 recruitment telegrams to newly-founded nations. I was one of them. As Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, his impressions can be seen on the treaties of the UDS with our allies. He was ambassador of the Union to many-a-regions, and he excelled in his duties. His Delegate Voting Act was essential in establishing a precedent for the WAD to take their direction from the President. As Vice President to Phoenix, he was instrumental in many of Phoenix’s various objectives and policy proposals for the Union. His loss is deeply regretted and he will be sorely missed.
Asdersland in an old hand at the World Assembly Delegacy. He was the WAD before Dome, and the longest one at that. He served as Attorney General and Minister of Justice in the Phoenix Administration. His experience will be very important for the Union.
The Delegate Transition took ten days to complete. The interregnum was filled with a strong campaign to mobilise the Union to endorse Asdersland. Regional officers of the UDS put forth a number of RMB and Discord messages, telling the citizens that a transition has begun, urging them to endorse Asdersland. They came up with campaign flags, emblazoned with the message ‘Endorse Asders 2020’, in the colours of the Union. Citizens took it upon themselves to make this a speedy transition, by raising these flags and reminding each other to carry out the directive. UDSAF was brought back from deployment to help in the transition. In just ten days, on 5 November 2020, Asdersland became the World Assembly Delegate of the Union of Democratic States.Constitution Amended
by British Isles And Commonwealth Realms
This month there were two constitutional amendments brought to the floor of the Senate. The first deal that on the powers of the President to delegate their powers to their Vice President and ministers. It cleared the process for the President to give directions to the cabinet. The amendment also defined the powers of the Vice President. The need for this amendment arose from the powers of the Vice President as defined in the constitution, ’managing the cabinet’, being a little vague.
The second amendment dealt with elections in the UDS which was passed by the Senate and awaits the approval of the General Assembly. This amendment renews and strengthens secrecy of ballot, vacancy of office, by-elections and their limits, procedures for Senatorial, Speaker, Presidential, Chair, and Chief Justice elections. This amendment paves the way for safer and more secure, freer and fairer than ever elections in the Union.UDSAF Update
November 2020
For the month of November, the UDSAF was primarily concerned with the delegate transition in the UDS, however the margins of endorsements did increase enough for the completion of the first liberation under the new Minister of Defence, former Deputy Minister of Defence Kanglia.
by UDS Dispatch Office » Thu Dec 10, 2020 11:45 pm
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Information: The Noble Thatcherites (Thatcher Whitehall#2163 )
(Liberty Square, December 11, 2020) — The Union of Democratic States is celebrating the quinquennial—or fifth anniversary—of the founding of the Union by inviting allies to special visits of the Union. Following the passage and signage of the Union Day Committee Act by President Druing, members were jointly appointed to the committee by Speaker Nuevo San Miguel and Chairperson Thatcher Whitehall. The Committee immediately got to work, inviting the Union's oldest allies and closest friends to visit the Union in the weeks leading to the Union Day.
The Committee wrote “Celebration of this occasion would not be complete without those regions that have nurtured, supported, and stood by the Union during both decisive and prosperous times. As an extension of our gratitude for your friendship over the years, we invite you to mark and celebrate this momentous occasion with us.”
10000 Islands visited the Union from December third to December fourth. Unionists and Islanders watched Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse via Kast Party and played Among Us. The South Pacific visited the Union from December fifth to December sixth and Unionists watched Hamilton and played both Skribbl.io and Among Us with our South Pacific allies. Next, the East Pacific visited the Union from December seventh to December eighth and Unionists and Islanders alike engaged in Among Us and watched Hamilton together. Finally, the Augustin Alliance visited the Union from December ninth to December tenth and we watched the live action How the Grinch Stole Christmas with our Augustinian allies. Visiting parties participated in RMB discussion and discord chatter.
Regarding the 10000 Islands visit, Deputy Minister Isles wrote, “We thank 10000 Islands for visiting us on such a momentous occasion…As great members of Libcord, 10000 Islands and UDSAF have stood shoulder-to-shoulder and fought against the forces of anarchy and chaos. We value our friendship with 10000 Islands and look forward to strengthening our diplomatic relations further in the future.”
The Rejected Realms will be visiting the Union in the coming days along with other allies. In the week leading up to Union Day, December 18th, civic leaders will give speeches, lectures concerning the history will be given, and distinguished citizens will be recognized and awarded.###
by The Noble Thatcherites » Fri Dec 11, 2020 11:18 am
Comfed wrote:Congratulations on 5 years!
The Nation of the People of the Nation wrote:Congragulations!
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