Imperator Azenquor

ZCNA – President Dobreva chairs NSC meeting “H.E. President Dobreva chaired the first meeting of the National Security Council since the return to democracy at the Presidential residence this afternoon. At the meeting the President urged the NSC to remain vigilant in light of both regional and international instability and to continue to work unceasingly in defense of the nation. The military members of the NSC fully briefed H.E. the President on all matters related to national security policy and discussed the results of the recent military drills in the eastern regions. In order to permit the President to appoint new officials to the NSC, all members of the NSC tendered their resignations. The President, however, rejected the resignations and urged the members to remain at their posts during the time of transition. The President also expressed her continuing and unwavering confidence in all of the members of the NSC."

The following message would be transmitted to the French government:

“The government of Zapadnaya is glad to see the formation of a new Ukrainian state. We hereby recognize Ukraine and express the hope that the Ukrainian government will contribute to peace and stability in the Black Sea region and in Europe.”-Teodora Petrova, Foreign Minister

The almost hour long renditions of the Internationale combined with the continued delay, greatly annoyed Stefan Nikolov. For a moment, he regretted his decision to attend the conference and wondered if the consequences of his attendance would be worth the benefits. To pass the time until the conference began, Nikolov read a copy of Margaret Thatcher’s Biography.

[b][u]VNN News – PRF leadership ballot moves to 2nd round[/b][/u] [i]“After a spirited campaign by the two candidates vying for leadership of the Union of Patriotic Right Forces (PRF) the first vote was held today. The incumbent leader Rinald Kanic is seeking to retain his post as the leader of the PRF against a strong challenge by Dr. Maria Gaznayev who is seeking to unseat him. The 1000 delegates of the PRF who are eligible to elect the party leader gathered in a conference hall in the city of Sygh-Varthys to vote. Once the ballots were cast and counted, the result was less than clear. With the winning candidate required to obtain the support of at least 550 delegates, it appears that neither candidate has managed to win the leadership contest thus far. According to the official results, Mr. Kanic secured the votes of 540 delegates while his challenger Dr. Gaznayev managed to obtain the support of 460 delegates. This inconclusive result means that the party delegates will have to hold another vote within 24 hours in order to select a party leader. Should the second ballot not produce a winner, then votes are required to be held every hour until a victor is determined. While he was clearly surprised at not winning the first round of the leadership contest, Mr. Kanic was upbeat as he sought to reassure delegates that he would be the best leader for the PRF. He also confirmed that the vote indicated that there were ‘issues of concern to some of the delegates’ in the party and that he pledged to address the issues in the interest of maintaining party unity. On the other side, Dr. Gaznayev’s supporters have cheered the initial result and released a statement attacking ‘detractors’ who claimed that Mr. Kanic’s victory was assured and that his leadership of the party was ‘beyond question’.”[/i]

"It appears that we have significant agreement regarding the short and medium term direction of our bilateral diplomatic relationship. I believe that a non aggression pact including a trade provision provides an important foundation upon which further ties may be built. May I present the following draft text for your consideration."-President Bogomolov

Z1 – NUM calls illegal strike to cripple economy “The National Union of Miners, which was once a valiant institution defending the rights of Zapadnaya’s miners, has allowed itself to be used as a tool against the very miners that it once sought to defend. The NUM, despite opportunities for dialogue and consultation, has objected to the government’s tax proposals and has called a 2 day strike. In a puzzling conspiracy a handful of NUM members reported that the ballot boxes appeared to have been stuffed prior to voting on the proposed strike. The end result, likely determined in advance, claimed that two-thirds of the membership supported the strike. The proposed plot to use the union to attack the government was orchestrated by no less than the NUM General Secretary himself. According to a source inside the General Secretary’s office, the plot involved the union calling a strike to escalate the situation and to damage national coal production. The next stage in the plot would involve additional unions joining in the strike while making increasingly unattainable demands of the government. The primary objective would be to plant a knife firmly in the back of the democratically elected people’s government. Once the government would be pushed aside in a tidal wave of treacherous protest, the General Secretary would make a sudden transition to politics by presenting himself as the savior of the nation. Fortunately for the miners and the people of Zapadnaya, the General Secretary’s plot has been foiled by NUM members who remain loyal to the cause of a miners’ union that represents miners rather than one which seeks to use them as mere pawns in a wider plot. These members have bravely shouldered the responsibility of shining the light of justice on the plots hatched in dark rooms. Miners! Do not be fooled! The General Secretary is only interested in himself and his insidious plots! The evil hands of the Communist Party are at work here!”

[b][u]SNN: Miners’ strike over pay and conditions[/b][/u] [i]“The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has called a 48 hour general strike to protest their pay and working conditions. According to the official NUM spokesman, the miners have not received an increase in pay for the last three years despite a consistently rising cost of living in the country. The NUM also rejected the new budget which proposes increases to a number of taxes that they argue will hit miners and their families harshly. According to the NUM, the union reached out to President Dobreva and Prime Minister Grigorova asking to discuss the proposed tax increases prior to their implementation but were rebuffed by the Premier. Faced with that they believed to be no further avenues for dialogue the union voted to order a 48 hour general strike beginning today. For the duration of the strike Miners have been ordered to put down their tools and to cease all work related activity for 48 hours. Additionally, the NUM has submitted a list of demands to the mining companies and the Prime Minister. This list outlines demands for increased safety standards and increased financial compensation for miners. After the strike was announced, Prime Minister Grigorova issued a statement reiterating that the government will not negotiate with any party that is undertaking industrial action. The statement also questioned the legality of the vote by which the NUM decided to strike and revealed that the government would seek a judicial order to end the protest. The Prime Minister also suggested that the government might consider bringing charges against the NUM General Secretary for undermining the national economy.”[/i]

Zapadnaya National Budget Summary Total Projected Expenditures: Z$419.04 Billion Total Projected Revenues: Z$396.13 Billion Budget Deficit/Surplus: -Z$22.91 Billion Total Outstanding Debt: Z$267.47 Billion -Expenditures -Revenues == Status: Debate Approved Votes: 356 Yea, 144 Nay, 0 Abstentions

Zapadnaya Respublika Parliament Thread -Senate (SP-Red [60], EFP-Gold[0], JDP-Dark Green[15],RPP-Blue[15], Military-Light Green[10]) -Parliament (SP–Red[259], EFP–Gold[0], JDP-Green[163], RPP-Blue[78]) Parliament Composition: Government: SP Majority [259/500] Opposition: JDP [163/500] Senate Composition: Majority: SP [60/90] Minority: JDP [15/90] & RPP [15/90] == == Laws Passed: [url="http://forums.cybernations.net/index.php?/topic/122673-zapadnaya-respublika-parliament/?p=3276606"]National Budget[/url] [url="http://forums.cybernations.net/index.php?/topic/122673-zapadnaya-respublika-parliament/?p=3278438"]Internet Content Regulation Act[/url] [url="http://forums.cybernations.net/index.php?/topic/122673-zapadnaya-respublika-parliament/?p=3278749"]Headscarf Ban Act[/url] [url="http://forums.cybernations.net/index.php?/topic/122673-zapadnaya-respublika-parliament/?p=3280659"](Classified)- Emergency Powers Act[/url] [url="http://forums.cybernations.net/index.php?/topic/122673-zapadnaya-respublika-parliament/?p=3294042"]Resolution recommending the lifting of Martial Law[/url] [url="http://forums.cybernations.net/index.php?/topic/122673-zapadnaya-respublika-parliament/?p=3296304"]Confidence Motion in Grigorova Government[/url] [url="http://forums.cybernations.net/index.php?/topic/122673-zapadnaya-respublika-parliament/?p=3303809"]Ministry of Interior Notification to Parliament[/url] [url="http://forums.cybernations.net/index.php?/topic/122673-zapadnaya-respublika-parliament/?p=3311162"] Religious Cult & Loyalty to Foreign Entity Act (20XX) (The Cult Law)[/url] [url="http://forums.cybernations.net/index.php?/topic/122673-zapadnaya-respublika-parliament/?p=3311165"](Classified)-National Defense and Security Act (20XX)[/url] [url="http://forums.cybernations.net/index.php?/topic/122673-zapadnaya-respublika-parliament/?p=3312037"]National Gendarmerie Act (20XX)[/url] [url="http://forums.cybernations.net/index.php?/topic/122673-zapadnaya-respublika-parliament/?p=3312039"](Classified)- Closed Administrative Territorial Unit Act[/url] [url="http://forums.cybernations.net/index.php?/topic/122673-zapadnaya-respublika-parliament/?p=3371556"]Confidence Motion in 1st Genadiev Administration (4th Cabinet)[/url] Treaties in force: [url="http://forums.cybernations.net/index.php?/topic/122865-babylonian-zapadnayan-diplomacy/?p=3283157"]Babylonian Empire-Zapadnaya ODP[/url] [url="http://forums.cybernations.net/index.php?/topic/122204-south-slavic-brothers/?p=3276622"]Yugoslavia-Zapadnaya NAP & Trade[/url] [url="http://forums.cybernations.net/index.php?/topic/123068-zapadnaya-muscovy-diplomacy/?p=3286690"]Muscovy-Zapadnaya NAP + Intel[/url] [url="http://forums.cybernations.net/index.php?/topic/122775-alvonian-zapadnayan-diplomacy/?p=3284576"]Alvonia-Zapadnaya MDP[/url] [url="http://forums.cybernations.net/index.php?/topic/123488-alvonia-zapadnaya-diplomacy/?p=3297949"]Alvonia-Zapadnaya ODP[/url] [url="http://forums.cybernations.net/index.php?/topic/123131-japanese-zapadnayan-relations/?p=3298752"]Japan-Zapadnaya PIAT[/url] [url="http://forums.cybernations.net/index.php?/topic/123658-zapadnaya-romania-diplomacy/?p=3305960"]Romania-Zapadnaya NAP+EC[/url]

[b][u]ZCNA – Prime Minister presents budget to Parliament[/b][/u] [i]“In her capacity as Finance Minister, Prime Minister Grigorova presented the government’s first budget to Parliament today. In her address to Parliament the Prime Minister announced that the government will make tackling the nation’s high unemployment rate a key pillar of its term in office. She pledged to take concrete action to encourage a more rapid rate of private sector job creation with a particular focus on heavy industry and manufacturing. The Prime Minister revealed that the government intends to spend Z$419.04 Billion this fiscal year and is projecting revenues of Z$396.13 Billion over the same period. The approximately Z$23 Billion deficit will be resolved by new government borrowing. The additional Z$23 Billion shortfall will increase Zapadnaya’s national debt to approximately Z$268 Billion this year. While the national debt was on a downward trajectory from 1996 to 2008, the Prime Minister maintained that the additional spending is absolutely essential and vital to the country’s national security interests. According to the Prime Minister’s presentation, the government intends to increase military spending to Z$96 Billion and reduce Pensions and Benefits spending to Z$87 Billion. Education and Healthcare expenditures will remain unchanged at Z$52.38 Billion and Z$87.30 Billion respectively. The Opposition Socialist Party (SP) has rejected the government’s budget as ‘the first step to demolishing the social safety net’ and accused the Prime Minister of racking up new debt in order to fund massive new military and police programs. Instead, the Opposition suggested, the government could cut wasteful spending in the public sector and strengthen the social safety net. In the Opposition’s counter proposal, they indicated that the government could afford to spend only Z$43 Billion on the military and could maintain benefits spending along with a significant budget surplus. Parliament will vote on the budget tomorrow. With the coalition’s large majority passage of the budget is assured.”[/i]

I'd like to request a region to be named 'Federation of Associated Regions of Tehrorhistahn' (I'd pick a planet but I don't have a magnifying glass big enough to read that map, so it would be greatly appreciated if I could be placed in some corner of the galaxy.)

I'd like to request the former Soviet Union as the 'Federally Associated Republics of Tehrohristahn' :)

Somewhat reluctantly, Stefan Nikolov registered as the delegate of the Zapadnayan Communist party.

[i]“We thank you for the statement outlining the fact Kingdom of Yugoslavia holds no intentions to infringe upon the sovereignty or territorial integrity of Zapadnaya. We also state that at no time was our government concerned about the prospect of a Yugoslav infringement upon our nation’s sovereignty. Likewise we wish to use this opportunity to state the longstanding position of Zapadnaya that we have no desire to infringe upon the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia or any other nation in the region. While we have both expressed a willingness to solidify the ties between our nations, we have yet to expand in detail on what this would consist of. Therefore I would like to ask, how do you see the evolution of the diplomatic relationship between our two nations over the short and medium terms?[/i]- President Bogomolov.

[b]****Classified Decree from the Office of President Dobreva***[/b] Her Excellency the President hereby orders that as of 0900CST today all troops of the Eastern Military District (EMD) have been placed on high alert status and ordered to be at full combat readiness until further notice. The following units will engage in readiness exercises over the next 72 hours: -40,000 troops (EMD) -200 Combat aircraft (EMD) -10 Naval vessels -400 Sailors

[b][u]ZCNA: President Dobreva orders snap military drill[/b][/u] [i]“In her first official act since taking office, President Dobreva has ordered a snap military drill to test the readiness of the Zapadnayan armed forces. According to an official decree from the office of the Presidency, all forces in the Eastern Military District (EMD) have been mobilized and placed on high alert until further notice. The decree orders all troops assigned to the EMD to be combat ready within an hour. Once the Presidential decree was issued, President Dobreva flew to the eastern city of Varna in order to carry out a personal inspection of troops from the EMD. The President was accompanied by Sr. General Nikita Radkova, Head of the Zapadnayan Army. President Dobreva is expected to remain in the east of the country until tomorrow afternoon. The current military drill is said to include 40,000 personnel, 50 tanks, 200 combat aircraft and an unspecified number of naval vessels.”[/i]

[b][u]VNN News: PRF leadership race less than certain as Gaznayev gains ground[/b][/u] [i]“What initially appeared to be an easy victory for Union of Patriotic Right Forces (PRF) leader Rinald Kanic now looks more uncertain than ever before. While the first poll of party delegates indicated that Mr. Kanic would have the support of at least 730 of the 1000 delegates, it appears that he has lost significant ground over the last 4 days. Dr. Maria Gaznayev, who has challenged Mr. Kanic for the leadership of the party, has led a well-coordinated campaign presenting her as the only hope for the PRF to retain political relevance in the Serene Republic. After giving a televised speech under the theme ‘For God and Country!’, Dr. Gaznayev published a fourteen point manifesto outlining the direction that she would take the PRF if she were elected to lead the party. The manifesto predicts that the PRF would see a return to Parliament within four years with Dr. Gaznayev at the helm. The manifesto also outlined a return to the parties ‘economic and social conservative roots’ as being a vital step forward. After party delegates had a chance to read the manifesto and analyze Dr. Gaznayev’s speech, there was a decided shift in support among the party delegates. According to the latest poll, 480 delegates have indicated that they will support Mr. Kanic, 430 delegates have indicated that they will support Dr. Gaznayev and 90 delegates have indicated that they are now undecided. At least 65 of the undecided delegates in the latest poll were supporting Mr. Kanic in the previous poll. Does this shift indicate a potential tidal wave of support to Dr. Gaznayev or will the delegates eventually rally behind Mr. Kanic? If the shift in support indicates a trend will this spell the end of Mr. Kanic’s political career?”[/i]-R. Porter

Given the fact that the Zapadnayan Socialist Party found communism to be 'incompatible with reality' and that the Communist party was not allowed to participate in politics there would not be a significant delegation from Zapadnaya. Instead the sole individual who would attend the conference would be Mr. Stefan Nikolov, the Deputy General Secretary of the Communist party. Out of an abundance of caution, Mr. Nikolov would register as an observer delegate.

So...you had the ships leave Hawaii and head to Ukraine then reclaimed those ships when you 'rerolled' into Europe? Quite...interesting.

Did that OP or any of the successive posts explain exactly how those ships managed to travel all the way to Crimea while getting through the blockade first, then managing to get there undetected by all of the nations bordering the Black Sea? Were the ships dismantled and shipped to Ukraine in packing crates or were they just moving so fast that they sailed right through the blockade? Did they 'reverse-rapture' themselves into position? There are quite a number of unanswered questions in that regard.

I must admit that I find the ‘Rules have been broken by all sides so let’s just move forward’ argument to be somewhat concerning. It’s seems to present the pattern of rule-breaking by one party as being equal to the rule-breaking of the other party in this instance. The ‘If you aren't going to help the situation, get out’ and telling someone to ‘keep their mouth shut’ because they raise an arguably valid point certainly doesn't help to resolve the situation either.

ZCNA News: President-elect Elena Dobreva sworn in -President Dobreva “President Elena Dobreva was sworn in at a short ceremony at the Parliament building in Sofia this morning. After taking the oath, President Dobreva gave a short speech in which she pledged to do her utmost in service of the people of Zapadnaya during her tenure. She also expressed concern about the developing situation in Europe and it’s potential impact on regional and international stability. On local matters, President Dobreva pledged to give an address to the nation and the parliament within a week to update the nation on important matters of state. -PM Grigorova Shortly after the swearing in ceremony for President Dobreva, the newly elected National Assembly held it’s first session. At the meeting, Justice & Development Party (JDP) leader Iskra Grigorova announced the formation of a governing coalition consisting of the JDP and the European Future Party (EFP). According to Dr. Grigorova’s statement, the coalition would be led by her as Prime Minister with EFP Parliamentary leader Alexei Boyanov as Deputy Prime Minister. The remaining members of the Council of Ministers would be presented to the Assembly for a confidence vote shortly. With the EFP’s 188 seats and the JDP’s 168 seats, the coalition will have a comfortable 356 seats in the 500 member Assembly. The situation in the Senate is less clear since the coalition will only have 37 of the 100 Senators supporting the government. An agreement with the Republican People’s Party (RPP) could see the government obtaining the support of 44 Senators, but such an agreement would not overcome the opposition’s 46 Senators. This could possibly hamper coalition policy as passage of laws through the Senate would depend upon the support of either the opposition Socialist Party (SP) or the 10 Military Senators."

[b]***Classified***[/b] In light of the current situation in Europe and the significant chance of regional instability, the government has decided to move to DEFCON 2 immediately. Additionally, the decision has been taken to raise the national threat level. The heightened state of alert will remain in effect until the resolution of the situation involving the USSE.