Tawnat: A North African Political RP (IC/OPEN)

[Gordano and Lysandus]

"I'm already working on getting the notes together. It won't be a problem. We'll get through this. We will ensure Tawnat doesn't fall into tyranny again. Tawnat will survive."

"It had better, I'm not sure Greece'll take us all back again this time around." Tutting, Hassan nodded. "I appreciate that you told me this ahead of time, Omar."

[Jovuistan]

"I'm already working on getting the notes together. It won't be a problem. We'll get through this. We will ensure Tawnat doesn't fall into tyranny again. Tawnat will survive."

"It had better, I'm not sure Greece'll take us all back again this time around." Tutting, Hassan nodded. "I appreciate that you told me this ahead of time, Omar."

"Hassan, you're one of the only people I feel I can fully trust at this time. You're one of the first people I was going to tell about my condition. Again, don't worry about me, I'll get through it." He sighed, "If that's all you wanted to call me about, I guess we're good for now?"

[Gordano and Lysandus]

"Hassan, you're one of the only people I feel I can fully trust at this time. You're one of the first people I was going to tell about my condition. Again, don't worry about me, I'll get through it." He sighed, "If that's all you wanted to call me about, I guess we're good for now?"

"I guess I need to have some conversations..." He tutted, shaking his head. "Thank you for being honest with me. Tawnat will remember you fondly, my friend."

[Jovuistan]

"Hassan, you're one of the only people I feel I can fully trust at this time. You're one of the first people I was going to tell about my condition. Again, don't worry about me, I'll get through it." He sighed, "If that's all you wanted to call me about, I guess we're good for now?"

"I guess I need to have some conversations..." He tutted, shaking his head. "Thank you for being honest with me. Tawnat will remember you fondly, my friend."

He nodded, "Tawnat will remember you fondly as well. Talk to you soon, my friend."

[Gordano and Lysandus]

He nodded, "Tawnat will remember you fondly as well. Talk to you soon, my friend."

"Allah keep you." Hassan remarked, going to put down the phone. Running his fingers through his hair, he gave a frustrated sigh. This was not good. Looking down at the New Year's statement he'd just written, he picked it up and tore it in two. He'd have to start again.

[Sao Nova Europa]

January 6, 2020

Fadhel ben Salem was standing in a podium, flanked by Mohamed Mouakher and other high ranking officials of the Islamic Liberal Party. Before him was a small crowd, comprised of party supporters and journalists that had been informed about Fadhel's speech.

"Our country is in crisis," his voice particularly emotional and powerful, a change from his usual soft speaking. "The economy is stagnant, unemployment high, wages low, taxes are sky high, our Islamic values are under attack and we face a migrant invasion that is destroying our nation."

"The politicians are ignoring the concerns of the people. They are too busy bickering with each other, over who will get what office. While they are in constant negotiations about how they will split the spoils of the state among themselves, the people suffer. When was the last time we actually had a government rather than a coalition of incompetent hacks with no unifying vision aside from a common lust for power?"

"The atheist left liberals of the coalition, along with their fake Islamist collaborators, are caring only about Haferdaz and don't give a damn about the rest of the country. When was the last time they undertook a project to improve the lives of people outside the capital? They don't care because they hate you! They view you as ignorant peasants who need to be imbued with their values of 'cosmopolitanism' and 'secularism'. They hate people who are patriots and devout Muslims! They hate nation and Islam!"

"We need a radical break with those corrupt, decadent atheist elites who overtax the common people to enrich themselves while waging war on country and religion! The Ba'athists represent the old failed regime and the left hate even more Islam and Tawnat. The one who can bring change is me! That's why I declare my candidacy for President!"

"I am a professor of economics who taught for years at the highest institutes. I am not a career politician. I am not here for negotiations and coalitions with entrenched interests. I am here to solve problems and represent the people! As a professor with long experience, I know what needs to change in order for Tawnat to become great again!"

"As an outsider, I have zero connections with the establishment and zero desire to compromise with those elites. As President I will drain the swamp of Haferdaz, the cesspool of corruption and incompetence. I will be there representing the people rather than doing the will of the elites, as our current President does! I will break the corrupt system and put the people in charge! I will form a government of competent technocrats rather than one of political hacks!"

"I will put an end to tax theft! No longer will the fat incompetent bureaucrats and corrupt elites of the capital steal your hard earned money to pay for their lavish lifestyles! I will be replacing our current tax system with a simple flat tax. All other taxes shall be abolished! You get to keep the money you earn with your sweat and work!"

"I will dismantle the administrative state, put an end to socialism and open our economy to investments. Tens of American companies are waiting to invest in our economy. Thousands of new, high paying jobs will be created! I am with the workers and the businessmen, not with the lazy bureaucrats and the elites! They offer cheap handouts, I offer jobs!"

"I will put an end to the war against Islam that the atheists and their fake supposedly Islamist collaborators have launched. Tawnat is a Muslim country! I will amend the constitution to make Islam the dominant religion of our country! I will change the state laws to make them conform with our Islamic traditions! I will defend our Islamic values from atheists, feminists and the gay lobby! I will not let the globalists destroy Tawnat!"

"I will deal with the migrant invasion! The Libyans in the past tried to take over our nation with armed force, now they try the same by sending illegal immigrants to change the demographic makeup of our country. The illegal immigrants are rapists, murderers, thugs! Crime has soared since they came! They steal, kill and rape! And what do the elites do in the capital? They subsidize the invasion with handouts! While you are working hard and are barely able to feed your family, the immigrants get free cash and live lavish lifestyles! You pay, they enjoy! And what do the elites in the capital do if you dare complain? They label you racist and accuse you! The corrupt elites are with the Libyans, not with Tawnat!"

"I will put Tawnat First! I will kick out the illegal immigrants, push back their boats and instead give the money we spend on them to you, the true people of Tawnat! I will use that money to invest in infrastructure and schools. I will champion the Tawnat people, not the migrants!'

"As President, I will be the voice of the people and the punisher of the elites! The forgotten people shall be forgotten no more. Time to take back our country from the politicians! Time to make Tawnat great again!"

[Gordano and Lysandus]

Sheikh Hassan
Haferdaz
Thursday 2nd January, 2019

Belatedly, Hassan's New Years statement was released, after having been rewritten in the wake of the terrible news President Qaderi had given him. Hassan was very uncertain, throwing his hat into the ring would invariably put his family in their most dangerous position since the Coup of 1967. And even then, he didn't have any desire to do any more harm to his land, a land still healing from the wounds of the Revolution and the forty-five year long dictatorship that had preceded it. Nonetheless, the statement went out, and Hassan waited to see just how social media dared react.

New Years Statement from His Highness Sheikh Hassan bin Ibrahim al-Fathi

To say that Tawnat has come a long way since the Revolution of 2012 is but an understatement. Over the past eight years, people have set aside a great many differences is order to rebuild a nation that has been choked - politically and economically - by the cruel fist of the Zaruq dictatorship. As we enter 2020, we should consider with the greatest possible perspective the achievements and advancements we have made, and what is at stake as we look to the future. We hold in trust, as a nation, its prosperity, its strength and its freedom, and that civic duty which is incumbent upon all of us cannot and must never be ignored. Once already in the long and proud history of our nation have we lost our democracy and our freedoms, and we must be wary of any cavalierness or carelessness when it comes to our custody of those hard won things.

2020 will be a year of change, just as 2012 was. As Tawnatis exercise their rights to political expression and to vote, let us do so in a manner which is mature and understanding, conciliatory and compromising. It was through those virtues that we rebuilt our democracy, and restored an Albarlaman elected by the people, of the people, for the people. We must foremost remember that we are all brothers and sisters united by the ideal of a free and strong Tawnat, and that no matter the depth of our disagreements, we do not allow disagreement to gestate into division. Those who profited from the Zaruq regime still look upon our bountiful homeland with hunger, and we must unite if we are to persist in defying their selfish and short-sighted designs.

We resisted Zaruq together. We resisted Mussolini together. We resisted the Western oil barons together. The conquest of the challenges remaining before us, from matters of economy to matters of the constitution, must be pursued together. Any victory pursued at the expense of our unity is a hollow one, for without unity, we erode the foundations of the future, and we deprive our children and our children's children of the Tawnat from which we have begun to profit. The Qu'ran tells us "And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided. And remember the favor of Allah upon you - when you were enemies and He brought your hearts together and you became, by His favor, brothers. And you were on the edge of a pit of the Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus Allah does make clear to you His verses that you may be guided." Do we choose to be saved, or do we allow ourselves to fall into the fire?

The diversity of opinion within Tawnat is a healthy thing. A broad discourse, conducted maturely, allows us to bring about the greatest positivity, the greatest results from our democracy. But when we allow the rope of Allah to fray, when we allow the serpent's venom to infect the national conscience, we are failing in our duty not only as Tawnatis, as part of our greatest society, but as the faithful. This is a principle found not only in our own Islamic verse, but a message repeated in the words of the Christians and the Jews also. We are brothers, and we must love each other if we are to move forward as one Tawnat. No political inclination should obstruct our love of Tawnat.

Just as 2020 is a year of change, so too is it a year of opportunities. As we move further and further from the darkness, let us consider the real needs of the people and move forward with an understanding that whilst high-minded principles must be considered, so too must we continue with the great Islamic traditions of charity and self-sacrifice, to better serve our society and to address the lingering, festering wounds of poverty and stagnation we have inherited from Zaruq. In all things, keep in mind your brother who may be starving or struggling.

As ever, I am proud of the hard work of every Tawnati in bringing our country out of its darkest age. Together, we may well see this present age become our brightest.

His Highness
Sheikh Hassan bin Ibrahim al-Fathi
Crown Prince of Tawnat
Transitional Head of State (2012-2017)

[Jovuistan]

PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS TO THE NATION
JANUARY 6TH, 2020

Omar breathed in, then he breathed out. He had sat himself down at his desk, facing a camera situated on the other side of the room. His staff stood just out of the camera's view, all looking solemn as they had processed the new reality set in for them, knowing the uncertain times ahead for all of them. President Qaderi meanwhile appeared downtrodden as he dreaded what he was about to say to the whole of Tawnat. Still, he recognized what had to be done. As he was given the signal that the cameras were about to start rolling, he breathed in again, leaned back in his chair, and began his address.

"My fellow Tawnatis, I would like to before I get into the meat of this special address thank all of you dearly for your tireless commitment to this great nation of ours. Though we have faced many great hardships over our centuries of history, the people of Tawnat have always persevered. Even when we were faced with an invasion from a foreign power, we persevered and beat them back. When we were under the iron fist of Al-Zaruq, we persevered and restored democracy to our country. Through the hardest of times, through the most uncertain of times, we have always shared a common hope in the little archipelago we call Tawnat. We have survived through a perilous journey to reach freedom, and I have full confidence in our ability to make it through these divisive times together, no matter how much tensions rise.

It is however with great sorrow that I must announce today that I will not be able to continue on that journey with you as your President for another term. I have worked as President every single day to make Tawnat a fairer place. I have worked to unite Tawnat under a common vision of a free democracy that respects the right to free speech and the right to vote. Although I wished to continue into a second term, recent events have blocked me from being able to run a campaign.

After a series of tests, my doctors last week diagnosed me with early-onset Alzheimer's Disease. It is greatly shocking to be diagnosed with such an illness, and it has admittedly not been easy for myself and my family to cope with having this disease, but I worry less for myself and more for Tawnat during this time. My doctors all believe that I am fit to serve the remainder of my term, and they have written notes in support of me continuing for the rest of the year. I do not believe however that it would be fair for the country to elect a President who later in their new term will become impaired in their ability to serve, and thus I have come to the decision not to run for another term as President, and instead let the next generation of leaders take the reins.

Despite this setback, I have hope in Tawnat. I believe that there are many great men who will be excellent Presidents, and they will have my full support when it comes to serving the people. I ask that the candidates who inevitably run to be my successor recognize the threat that division and extremism pose to our young democracy. We cannot afford to fall to hatred and risk sliding back into tyranny. We must step carefully and calmly to work together to solve the crises still facing Tawnat after the revolution. I pray that Allah guides our nation through the storm and we can reach the paradise of a united democracy, and I will work through this final year to navigate this ship. Our agenda of reforming this nation will continue. Tawnat, may we follow the hand of Allah in these trying times. Thank you."

TNN BREAKING NEWS: PRESIDENT QADERI ANNOUNCES ALZHEIMER'S DIAGNOSES, WILL NOT RUN FOR SECOND TERM.

[Gordano and Lysandus]

Sheikh Hussein bin Ibrahim al-Fathi
@SheikhHusseinOfficial

---

Very sad news regarding President Qaderi's health. Omar has been a close friend throughout the turbulence of our transition to our new democracy, and a relentlessly hard worker in fostering consensus on the real issues facing ordinary Tawnatis. His civic-mindedness and selflessness in government is worthy of great celebrations. - Hussein

[Agarntrop]

(Image)
Sheikh Hussein bin Ibrahim al-Fathi
@SheikhHusseinOfficial

---

Very sad news regarding President Qaderi's health. Omar has been a close friend throughout the turbulence of our transition to our new democracy, and a relentlessly hard worker in fostering consensus on the real issues facing ordinary Tawnatis. His civic-mindedness and selflessness in government is worthy of great celebrations. - Hussein

Liked and Retweeted by Anwar Hamima

[Sao Nova Europa]

January 7, 2020

A day after announcing his candidacy for the presidency, Fadhel ben Salem was in his office with Mohamed Mouakher, Mark Roberts and Abdul Hai al-Nazar; Abdul, an economist by training who had studied in the US like Fadhel, was chairman of the ILPs National Council, the twelve-members body responsible for drafting the policy platform of the party. They were discussing the upcoming campaign, and the policies which Fadhel would have to prioritize.

"Our policy platform," Abdul said, "should emphasize a reformist economic agenda. We need to put emphasis on the digitization of the public administration and building up internet infrastructure in the country. We should also pledge to put an end to deficits and debt, overhaul our current tax system and replace it with a simplified two-tier flat tax, privatize most state assets and deregulate the market. We can promise to put technocrats in charge of ministries, instead of career politicians. Such a fiscally conservative, reformist agenda shall make our brand appealing to moderate citizens and those who seek a technocratic administration to move the country forward."

"Indeed," Mohamed concurred. "We cannot win the elections on populist rage alone. On the one hand we need to harness frustration with the political elites and channel it towards a right-wing populist movement, but on the other hand we also need to persuade people that we can govern the country too; otherwise people will be reluctant to vote for us regardless of their frustration with the political establishment."

"I agree," Fadhel replied, "but we should be careful. It might be hard to balance being an anti-establishment populist raging against the system on the one hand and presenting myself as a responsible, reformist technocrat on the other hand."

"I do not think so," Mark said. "Technocrats are not career politicians, so they would fit right in your message. You can blast the political elites while at the same time calling for them to be replaced by enlightened, highly-educated technocrats who will solve the problems that politicians refuse to solve. Technocratic populism isn't a new thing. Just because most right wing populist movements nowadays tend to distrust technocrats, it doesn't mean we should adopt such an approach. In our case we can present technocracy as the solution to the inefficiency of the political establishment."

Fadhel nodded. "So our approach will be two-pronged; rage against the system to catch the frustrated vote and technocratic fiscal conservatism to get the moderate vote. I will 'drain the swamp, put Tawnat first, cut taxes, digitize the public sector and put technocrats in charge'. That will be the message. A nice combination of right-wing populism and reformist conservatism."

"Indeed," Make replied. "The important thing isn't so much to be consistent, but rather to build a broad coalition; fiscal conservatives who want tax cuts and privatizations, social conservatives who seek an Islamist social agenda, pro-Western businessmen and urbanites who seek closer ties with the US and populists who seek change and want to punish the political elites. We need to offer to each block something that will get their vote, and warp it all up in a somewhat coherent political message. Big parties, at the end of the day, are coalitions of different interest groups."

"So," Abdul said, "to summarize, one day you will be all populist and blast the corruption and incompetent of the elites and talk about how the atheist leftists want to undermine our Islamic values, and the other day you will be making a speech about how you will digitize the public sector, deal with the challenges of the fourth industrial revolution and balance the budget. You can blink at both the Islamists and populists, and at the pro-Western urbanites and the fiscal conservatives. Hopefully it will work."

Fadhel agreed. "This is the strategy which we will follow in the elections."