Imperator Azenquor

In response to the Ministry of Defense notification, the Serene Republic placed all forces in North Sakhalin and Kamchatka on heightened alert and stepped up coordination with the Russian Federal Border Guards to ensure the security of the Russo-Japanese land border in Sakhalin. The Vaulian Army would begin to transfer additional supplies to Khabarovsk Krai as a precautionary measure. In addition, two paratrooper divisions and two squadrons of F-22s in Khabarovsk Krai would be put on standby to cross into Primorsky Krai to support the Russian troops already in Nakhodka if necessary. Vaulian naval forces in North Sakhalin, Kamchatka (B.S.N.) and the Vancouver Territory would also be placed on alert. ***Classified*** Vaulian construction teams working to repair the facilities in Kamchatka oblast would divert a significant portion of their efforts to the construction of the underground submarine pens and would begin acquiring the necessary additional construction materials.

[b][u]VNN News: Sakhalin’s Makarova concedes after landslide loss, PM questioned over economic growth[/b][/u] [i]“The final election results from the North Sakhalin regional elections have been released by the Electoral Council (VEC) this morning. While independently conducted exit polling by VNN suggested a strong victory for the opposition Social Democratic Party- Sakhalin (SDP-S), it appears that we significantly underestimated the magnitude of that party’s victory in our exit poll. We are in the process of examining our polling methodology and seeking to determine how such a significant underestimation took place. According to our predicted exit poll, we estimated that the governing Liberal Party of Sakhalin would have definitely won 16 seats, and was very likely to win an additional 7 seats for a total of 23. We estimated that the Social Democrats would have definitely won 24 seats and were on course to win an additional 3 seats for a total of 27. Our calculations suggested that voter turnout was no higher than 67.2% in this election. The officially certified election results, however, suggested a much higher turnout of 89.24% of eligible voters and a much wider margin of victory for the SDP-S. The Social Democrats have managed to win a record-setting 37 seats in the 50 seat Regional Parliament, leaving the Liberals with only 13 seats. This result means that the Social Democratic Party-Sakhalin (SDP-S) will have a supermajority in the next Regional Parliament and that the SDP-S leader Boris Pugachevski will shortly be nominated to be the next Regional Governor of the Autonomous Community. Less than five minutes after the official results were announced, Liberal Party of Sakhalin (LPS) leader and Regional Governor Ilyana Makarova announced that she had conceded and congratulated Mr. Pugachevski on a ‘well-fought contest’. After leaving the post of Regional Governor, Mrs. Makarova is expected to remain at the helm of the Liberal party and lead the official Opposition. The Liberal Party has rubbished reports of disquiet within the party over Mrs. Makarova remaining at the helm of the party after such a major electoral defeat. On the other side, Mr. Pugachevski celebrated his historic victory at his campaign headquarters in Okha. The soon-to-be-appointed Regional Governor pledged to ‘respect the historic mandate’ handed to the Social Democrats and to ‘enact the necessary policies to bring renewed growth and development to the region’. In other news, Prime Minister Bryon Svatek faced a barrage of questions in Parliament about the slow pace of economic growth in the Serene Republic since his government came to power. Opposition parties harshly criticized the Prime Minister’s proposal to provide an economic boost by reducing some business tax rates in order to incentivize expansion and re-investment projects. In his response to Parliament, Prime Minister Svatek acknowledged that the government had failed to meet its projected growth target of 2.5% of GDP last quarter, but stated that the government managed to achieve a growth rate of 1.2% over this period. The Prime Minister also confirmed that proposals to raise the minimum wage have been ‘temporarily shelved’ until the economy is ‘exhibiting sufficiently stable growth so as to cushion the fiscal impact of such an increase’. This decision was met with vocal protests from some of the Prime Minister’s own Party for Social Justice (PSJ) MPs. The economic setbacks have had only a minor impact on the Prime Minister’s approval rating which moved from a high of 62% last month down to 54% this month. However, the public appears to be tiring of the Party for Social Justice (PSJ) itself with 68% of respondents disapproving of the way the party is handling affairs in government. This creates a rather unusual situation where the incumbent Prime Minister is more popular than his political party.[/i]-R. Porter

[b][u]ZCNA News: Constitutional Court issues ruling on Presidential Authority[/b][/u] [i]“The Zapadnayan Constitutional Court has issued its ruling on the Constitutional matters brought before it by the Office of the Presidency. As the ruling has been made, the gag order imposed by the court has now been lifted. Accordingly, we can now reveal that the Office of the Presidency requested clarification regarding three legal matters. Firstly, the Presidency requested clarification as to whether the power of the Presidency to return legislation to the Parliament for reconsideration under Article 42 applies to the national budget and similar spending legislation. Secondly, the Office of the Presidency requested that the Constitutional Court declare whether the power afforded to the President to appoint the Ministers of Defense, Armaments and Interior under Article 46 requires the agreement of the Prime Minister or if the aforementioned appointments may be made by the President so long as he consults the Prime Minister before doing so. This request may also be viewed as a legal challenge to the appointment of the current Defense Minister whose nomination was simply approved by the Cabinet without the input of the Presidency. Thirdly, the Office of the Presidency has sought a declaration from the Constitutional Court that H.E. President Paskal Dragomirov is not in breach of Article 37 of the Constitution of Zapadnaya. Article 37 lays out the requirements that an individual must meet in order to be eligible for the Presidency. According to the Constitution, all candidates are required to be at least 26 years old and holders of a university degree from a recognized institution. The Constitution also requires citizens to sever ties with political parties and not to hold political office prior to election. While President Dragomirov easily meets the first two requirements, the President nominally remains affiliated with the Opposition Justice & Development Party (JDP). The request for the declaration was likely aimed at establishing what ties to political parties are sufficient to disqualify an individual from the Presidency of the Republic. While the Constitutional Court ruling has been made, it will first be sent to the National Assembly before being made public.”[/i]

[b][u]ZCNA News: Office of the Presidency seeks Constitutional declaration[/b][/u] [i]“The Office of the Presidency has submitted a request for a Constitutional declaration from the Zapadnayan Constitutional Court. According to a statement from the Presidency, the sealed request for a declaration was sent by courier to the Constitutional Court at 9:10am this morning. The Presidency statement said that the office of the Presidency was ‘seeking constitutional clarification regarding an article of the Constitution’ and ‘requesting a formal declaration from the Court regarding the extent of Presidential authority in certain matters’. The Constitutional Court has acknowledged receiving the request for a declaration and has stated that the matter is ‘under review as per the normal rules of procedure for such requests’. The Court revealed that it has asked the Prime Minister and the Justice Minister to ‘make a submission to the Court regarding the Presidency’s request’. In an unusual move, the Constitutional Court has decided to place a temporary order in place which bars any individual or party from revealing the contents of the sealed declaration request until the Court has received submissions from all ‘relevant parties’. The temporary order does not restrict public discussion about the declaration or speculation as to its contents. The order also does not limit press coverage of the developing situation. Political analysts strongly believe that the President has requested the Constitutional Court rule on the authority of the Presidency to veto budget legislation approved by the National Assembly and the Cabinet. Analysts also believe that the President has asked the Constitutional Court to explicitly uphold the authority of the President to appoint or dismiss the Minister of Defense. If true, the President’s request will likely raise strong objections from the Prime Minister and the Socialist Party (SP) government. At a time where the relationship between the JDP President and the SP Prime Minister can best be described as tense, there is now a concern that if the speculation proves correct that there will be significant political paralysis ahead.[/i]

[b][u]VNN News: North Sakhalin votes, Max Reaver hands over duties in East Ingushetia[/b][/u] [i]“The people of the North Sakhalin Autonomous Community (NSAC) went to the polls this morning to elect their Regional Parliament and to indirectly elect the next Regional Governor of the region. After a hard-fought, albeit brief political campaign it appears that incumbent Regional Governor Ilyana Makarova of the Liberal Party of Sakhalin (LPS) is on course to lose her re-election bid. Governor Makarova faced a strong challenge from Boris Pugachevski of the Social Democratic Party – Sakhalin (SDP-S) who campaigned on a platform of reducing corruption and spurring economic growth in the region. While the official results of the election have not been announced by the Electoral Commission, we are able to estimate, from the 49.24% of the vote counted so far, that the Social Democratic Party-Sakhalin will win at least 24 seats. The Liberal Party of Sakhalin is predicted to win at least 16 seats, while the remaining 10 seats are too close to call at this time. If we factor in the voting patterns in the last four regional elections and make adjustments for voter turnout, we are predicting that the final result will see the Social Democratic Party-Sakhalin winning 27 seats to the Liberal Party’s 23. Adding to the woes of the Liberal Party, party leader Ilyana Makarova almost failed to retain her seat in the Okha 1 constituency. The constituency, which has been a party stronghold for the Liberal Party since its inception, gave Governor Makarova a razor thin victory of 50.12% of the vote. This result is a sharp drop from the 86.50% the Governor won in the last election and the 98.27% in the election before that. In other news, industrialist and VaulTech CEO Dr. Maximillian Reaver attended the formal swearing in of Mr. Mohammed Abdul Rashid as the next Regional Governor of the East Ingushetia Autonomous Community (EIAC) and General Artim Bakiyev as the Deputy Regional Governor. Dr. Reaver served as the Interim Head of the East Ingushetian Regional Administration while the current Regional Governor and his Deputy were negotiating the Sakha Accords. The Accords resulted in the creation of a consensus government that requires the support of both the Vaulian and Ingush communities in the province. Under the Accords, controversial Nationalist former Governor Artim Bakiyev will serve as Deputy Governor and Representative of the Vaulian community, while Mr. M.A. Rashid will serve as Governor and Representative of the Ingush community. At the swearing in ceremony, Dr. Reaver gave a short speech in which he urged the new Regional Parliament to build bridges between the two communities and urged them not to allow political bickering to interfere with the primary duty of the Regional Government to better the lives of all citizens. Dr. Reaver also urged the Ingush Liberal Party to ‘explicitly and irreversibly distance’ itself from the ‘militant separatism’ which plagued its predecessor parties. Dr. Reaver also revealed that despite his tenure as Interim Head ending, he will remain ‘involved in the affairs of the region’ in his new capacity as Imperial Liaison to East Ingushetia.[/i]-R. Porter

[b][u]ZCNA News: Finance Ministry defends controversial budget[/b][/u] [i]“The Finance Ministry is on the defensive today as criticism of the budget continues to mount. The Finance Minister, Vitaly Todorov, defended the budget as ‘an economic stimulus’ for the national economy and a ‘long overdue’ reallocation of resources to the neglected health and education sectors. The Finance Minister also urged the public to view the impact of the budget in the medium to long term, rather than focusing on the short term increase in the national debt. The Finance Minister also gave a ‘solemn pledge’ that no aspect of the budget will negatively impact the national security of the state and that the government will ‘fully honor all financial commitments on time and in full’. The Opposition Justice & Development Party (JDP) and its leader Iskra Grigorova has led the barrage of criticism of the Socialist Party (SP) proposed budget. In a speech at a party rally in Sofia, the former Prime Minister blasted the Socialist Party government as being ‘unimaginably irresponsible’ with its budget proposal. The JDP leader expressed her sincere concern that the budget reflects a willingness on the part of the new government to ‘play politics with the funding of the Zapadnayan armed forces’. The Opposition leader also suggested that the Prime Minister ‘has failed to reasonably consult the Armed Forces regarding the proposed changes in the defense budget’ and failed to ‘examine the impact of a surge in spending on the national economy’. She also warned that several military procurement contracts will likely face the chopping block if the budget goes through. The Republican People’s Party (RPP), whose demands for increased spending aided in the collapse of the previous coalition government, has issued no statements regarding the proposed Socialist Party budget. According to reports, the leadership of the party is worried that the ‘magnitude of the budget deficit may be a cause for concern’ and may have unintended consequences over the long term. The party has therefore opted to view the budget with cautious optimism, but to avoid being pinned down in support of or against the budget. Several RPP MPs have expressed their concern that if the RPP votes against the government, that it would be viewed as siding with the JDP quickly after forcing a snap election. They are also concerned that supporting the budget may result in being blamed for any issues that arise from its adoption. The budget will be debated in the National Assembly tomorrow afternoon and is expected to be approved when the Assembly votes.[/i]

[b][u]VNN News: North Sakhalin Autonomous Community (SAC) heads to the polls[/b][/u] [i]“After several delays, citizens in North Sakhalin will head to the polls next week in order to vote for their Regional Government. The polls were due last year, but had to be postponed due to the absence of an updated voter roll for the Autonomous Community as a result of population displacement and other factors. The Vaulian Electoral Commission (VEC) conducted a person-by-person update of the list and completed its verification processes last month. The VEC lamented that it was unable to have the regional voters list finalized before the last national or federal elections, but stated that no citizens in Sakhalin who were eligible to do so had any issues voting in those elections. Voters will be tasked with electing the 50 member Regional Parliament and the next Regional Governor of North Sakhalin. In the outgoing Regional Parliament, the Liberal Party of Sakhalin (LPS) held a majority with 26 seats while the Social Democratic Party – Sakhalin (SDP-S) held the remaining 24 seats. The LPS leader Ilyana Makarova, who became Regional Governor at the last election, is hoping to be re-elected for a second term in office. Regional Governor Makarova will face a strong challenge from the SDP-S leader Boris Pugachevski. Mr. Pugachevski has mounted a determined campaign portraying his party as the only political organization capable of improving the Sakhalin economy which has been in a deep slump for the past three years.”[/i]-R. Porter

=== Status: Approved Votes (Parliament): 259 Yea, 163 Nay, 78 Abstentions

ZCNA News: Socialist Party budget proposal gives conservatives headache “The newly elected Socialist Party [SP] government has wasted no time in making changes to government policy. Since the last coalition fell after failing to pass a budget, the Prime Minister felt that approving a budget would be the logical first step for his new government. With very little fanfare, the Prime Minister presented a ‘social justice’ budget that will see spending rise on education, healthcare and social welfare spending and sharp spending cuts to the military, and law enforcement agencies. The new budget also envisions elimination of the lowest income tax brackets over the next two years and a 1% phased increase in sales tax. The proposed budget will see expenditures outpacing revenues resulting in a budget deficit of nearly Z$93.3 billion Lira. This deficit will require additional borrowing and will result in the national debt growing by approximately 6% of GDP next year. The Prime Minister, in his presentation to the National Assembly, harshly criticized the previous government for ‘maintaining a budget surplus at the cost of the welfare of the people of Zapadnaya’ and for ‘holding its idea of fiscal responsibility ahead of the health and welfare of the poor’. He suggested that the new government would ‘under take responsible spending while balancing the need for fiscal discipline with improving the lives of Zapadnayans. The Opposition Justice & Development Party (JDP) harshly criticized the proposed budget as ‘derailing a sustained downward trajectory in the national debt’ and ‘callously abandoning a fiscally responsible approach which has boosted economic confidence over the last decade’. JDP Leader Iskra Grigorova expressed concern that the cut in the Police budget from Z$44.5 billion to Z$26.7 billion could negatively impact the security of Zapadnayans. The Opposition leader also expressed concern about the decision to slash military spending from Z$115.83 billion to Z$44.6 billion and suggested that the budget cuts would not only affect active military units, but would also impact military projects and equipment upgrades over the medium to long term. According to the budget projections, the government intends to spend Z$539 billion and to receive Z$401 billion in revenue over the next fiscal year.”

=== Status: Approved Votes: 385 Yea, 1 Nay, 265 Present

VNN News: 12th Cabinet wins confidence vote as Svatek named PM “Prime Minister Bryon Svatek’s government easily won a confidence motion in Parliament this morning. The Prime Minister’s Party for Social Justice (PSJ) formed a workable majority by entering into a coalition with the Slavic Unity Party. The coalition holds 385 seats in the 651 member Parliament. Under the coalition agreement, the Slavic Unity Party’s Ivan Pavlov will become the Minister of Labor and Social Services, while all other portfolios will be held by PSJ members. Andrei Romanov has been named Technology Minister and Deputy Prime Minister in the new government. With the new cabinet approved, and the new government appointed, Prime Minister Svatek used the opportunity to explain the key policy areas of his government going forward. The Prime Minister laid out an ambitious infrastructure development plan that would pump billions of Rubles into the Autonomous Communities in order to dramatically improve local infrastructure and service delivery. In his presentation the Prime Minister singled out the East Ingushetia Autonomous Community (EIAC), the Sakhalin Autonomous Community (SAC) and the Northern Territories (NT) as being areas of significant concern. Under the proposal, the financial cash injections would go to the Autonomous Communities in a series of annual payments conditioned on achieving government created targets. The second phase of the Prime Minister’s development plan involves long overdue transport system expansions and a massive overhaul of the air transit system. According to the Prime Minister, the failure to allow competition in the regional air transit system in the country has allowed a system of ‘regional airline monopolies’ to exist in some parts of the country where airfares cease to be competitive and become ‘heavily exploitative’. While not mentioning any specific airlines, many citizens have singled out the regional carrier Vancouver Air as one of the so-called monopolies. Vancouver Air is the only airline that handles regional domestic flights into the Vancouver Territory. The airline charges almost twice as much for a flight from Esternaya, East Ingushetia to Vancouver than other airlines charge for multi-leg international flights. The third phase, and perhaps the most ambitious, is to conduct a ‘war on government bureaucracy and financial inefficiency’. According to the Prime Minister, the government will begin holding local and municipal governments to account and will insist on more transparency at all levels. The government will also impose new measures aimed at reducing government waste. One possible measure being explored will see municipal authorities and regional governments being granted the authority to raise their own taxes. The proposal would shift away from the current system where citizens pay taxes to the government of the Serene Republic which then allocates funding to each municipal and regional authority.”-R. Porter

[b][u]ZCNA News: Socialist Party presents cabinet for confidence vote[/b][/u] [i]“Newly elected Prime Minister Nikolai Genadiev presented his Socialist Party cabinet nominees to the National Assembly this afternoon for a vote of confidence. With the solid Socialist Party [SP] majority in the Parliament, the government will easily win approval for its nominations. According to the Prime Minister’s spokesman, the Socialist Party has decided to abolish the Ministry of European Affairs and to attach the Ministry of Education to the Ministry of Health & Family Policy in order to reduce the total number of Ministerial portfolios in the new government. Prime Minister Genadiev’s appointments were mostly expected due to his strong tendency to appoint individuals within the party who are close allies. However the Prime Minister’s decision to appoint Sevastian Markov as Defense Minister and his brother Miroslav Markov as Minister of Justice took most analysts by surprise as the charismatic Markov brothers are often cited as potential future leadership candidates for the Socialist Party. The Prime Minister’s decision to appoint ‘reformed Marxist and recovered alcoholic’ Vitaly Todorov as Finance Minister has raised eyebrows across the political spectrum and is likely to shake confidence in the sustainability of the government’s economic program. Despite these challenges, most political analysts are optimistic that the Genadiev Administration has the potential to make significant changes. There remains a concern that the party will have to effectively manage the expectations of its hard left supporters in order to implement a viable economic program.”[/i]

VNN News: Final election results confirmed, Svatek to be named PM "The Electoral Council (VEC) has confirmed the results of the recent Parliamentary elections and the defeat of the Vaulian Revolutionary Vanguard Party (VRV). According to the finalized results, voter turnout was estimated at 67.21% of eligible voters. The Party for Social Justice (PSJ) has emerged as the largest party in the new Parliament with 256 seats. The Union of Patriotic Right Forces (PRF) and the Slavic Unity Party (SUP) managed to win 129 seats each, while the VRV only managed to hold onto 137 seats. While no party holds a majority in the 651 member Parliament, the PSJ will be given the first opportunity to form a coalition. PSJ party leader Bryon Svatek, who has repeatedly criticized the PRF, will likely attempt to form a coalition with the Slavic Unity Party (SUP). Such a coalition would hold a solid 59% majority in the legislature. Outgoing Prime Minister Pavel Rokossovsky has acknowledged defeat and vowed to ‘reflect on the failures of the VRV’ and on his leadership of the party. Mr. Rokossovsky congratulated Prime Minister-elect Svatek and wished him well shortly after the final results were announced. In the Vancouver Territory, the Legislative Council elections has produced an inconclusive result with no single political party having a workable majority in the Council. The Liberal Party of Vancouver (LPV) which was the largest party in the outgoing council, has been reduced from 28 seats to 10. The Socialist Party of Vancouver is now the largest party in the council after winning 30 seats, a significant increase form the 15 they previously held. The Vaule Fenix Party-Vancouver Front (VFP-VF) has won 10 seats (up from 7). After HMORH the Imperator appointed the other 50 Members of the Legislative Council, the Socialists hold 44 of the 100 seats, the Liberals hold 20 seats and the remaining 36 seats are held by the Vaule Fenix Party. After the confirmation of the results, the Socialists and the Liberals announced the formation of a Red-Blue coalition that would have 64 seats in the 100 member Legislative Council. Given the magnitude of the victory of the Red-Blue coalition, the Office of the Imperator has requested a shortlist of Socialist and Liberal party potential nominees for Regional Governor, sparking rumors that the incumbent Fenix Party Regional Governor will not be re-appointed. Under the Vancouver Charter, the Regional Governor is appointed by the Crown and must face a confidence vote in the Legislative Council."-R. Porter

[b][u]VNN News – Sakha agreement faces first test[/b][/u] [i]“In the East Ingushetia Autonomous Community (EIAC), the first elections were held since the adoption of the Sakha Agreement to address inter-community tensions. The agreement seeks to balance the concerns of the nationalist and separatist blocs without undermining the territorial integrity of the state. The agreement is now being put to the test after results confirmed that the pro-separatist Ingush Liberal Party (ILP) has won a majority of the seats in the Regional Parliament. This election marks the first time that the Vaule National Movement – Patriotic Front (VNM-PF) has not been the majority party in the province. Given the possibility of increased tension due to the results, both the Interim Governor Dr. Maximillian Reaver and the leaders of both political parties have issued statements calling for calm. The Guardians of the Peace of the Serene Republic – East Ingushetia Branch, has gone on heightened alert and has ordered a mandatory 8pm curfew in the province for the next five days. Additionally, His Most Orthodox Royal Highness the Imperator issued a statement in which he praised the peaceful conduct of the elections as being ‘a sign of the significant progress both communities have made’ and ‘the opportunity to begin a new era of inter-community cooperation for the benefit of the province and all of its people’. With the ILP holding a majority in the Regional Parliament, it is expected that party leader Mohammad Abdul Rashid will be named Regional Governor. Under the terms of the Sakha Agreement, former Governor Gen. Artim Bakiyev is expected to be named Deputy Regional Governor. The VNM-PF and the ILP will face a difficult task finding areas for cooperation in the new Regional Parliament, particularly since the Government has bluntly urged the new Regional Parliament not to ‘damage the unity brought about by the Sakha agreement by wading into controversial topics’. The government also reminded local politicians that abiding by the agreement would bring financial rewards to the impoverished province. With the elections completed without incident or accusations of fraud, the government is expected to release NRR$37 million in funds to the Regional Government as early as tomorrow morning. The NRR$37 million cash grant is the first tranche of a multi-billion Ruble stimulus plan aimed at turning around the fortunes of the poorest province in the Serene Republic and one of the poorest provinces in the entire Greater Russian Empire.”[/i]

ZCNA News – Electoral disaster for JDP “The last of the votes has been counted, and the electoral results are now known. The Prime Minister’s gamble that the electorate would respond to the failure of the coalition by re-electing her with a strong mandate has backfired spectacularly and has reshaped the country’s political scene. While elections were not due for another two years, Prime Minister Grigorova and her Justice & Development Party (JDP) were unable to effectively govern as a minority government without the support of the Republican People’s Party (RPP). The RPP would frequently use its key votes in Parliament to hold the government hostage and extract political concessions in line with their agenda. This practice led to a spectacular showdown in which the RPP blocked the adoption of the national budget in order to demand spending increases. Faced with the prospect of prolonged political paralysis, the Prime Minister requested an early election and urged the forming of a majority government with a strong mandate for economic and social reforms. Despite a relatively short campaign cycle, and opposition parties who were initially caught wrongfooted by the snap polls, the JDP found itself unable to mobilize their voters. The Socialist Party and the Republican People’s Party spent the campaign attacking the government over the state of the economy and both parties pledged to cut income taxes and increase social spending. -National Assembly Result Despite an energetic campaign mounted by all parties, and some signs of economic recovery, most voters opted not to vote resulting in the lowest voter turnout in the modern history of the Republic. According to the Election Council, voter turnout for this election was 49.481% down from the 89.80% turnout in the last election. The Election Council also noted, with some concern, that turnout in the capital city was 28.26%. The highest turnout recorded was 68.24% in Varna, while the lowest turnout was 3.2% in Burgas. With all of the votes counted, the Election Council has confirmed that the Socialist Party (SP) has won an absolute majority in both the National Assembly and the Senate. The Socialist Party will have 259 seats in the Parliament and 60 Senators, while the Justice & Development Party (JDP) will hold onto only 163 seats in Parliament and will have only 15 Senators. -Senate Result In light of the poor election result, outgoing Prime Minister Iskra Grigorova has congratulated the Socialist Party leadership and has suggested that she is prepared to resign as leader of the JDP. Prime Minister Grigorova issued a short statement thanking party officials for their efforts before rushing to an unscheduled meeting with His Excellency the President.”

[b][u]ZCNA News - Low turnout predicted as polls close[/b][/u] [i]"Voting has now ended across Zapadnaya and the results are being tabulated by the Electoral Council. While there are no official estimates of voter turnout available, most pollsters are suggesting that turnout in this election may have dropped to a historic low. Most polling locations in Eastern Zapadnaya, a stronghold of the Justice & Development Party (JDP), are reporting extremely low turnout which will likely favor the opposition. The first unofficial exit poll for the election suggests that the Socialist Party (SP) is on course to be the largest party in the Parliament and Senate. The exit poll also suggested that most Zapadnayans voted in favor of convening a Constituent Assembly to modify the Constitution."[/i]

[b][u]VNN News: Voters go to the polls as PM faces tough re-election bid[/b][/u] [i]"Citizens of the Serene Republic will once again head to the polls to elect the members of the 12th Parliament. Prime Minister Pavel Rokossovsky is standing for re-election at the helm of the United National Front (UNF) despite lackluster economic performance and poor approval ratings. The Prime Minister has also been heavily criticized for his failure to accomplish any meaningful economic or structural reforms during the last four years. The United National Front will face a strong challenge from an energized Slavic Unity Party (SUP) which has focused it's entire election campaign on delivering 'sustainable economic growth' over the next parliamentary term. Adding to the Prime Minister's woes, pre-election polls show record voter apathy and rising disapproval of the main political parties. In the East Ingushetia Autonomous Community (EIAC), voters will be asked to elect the members of the Regional Parliament under the terms of the new Sakha Agreement. Under the agreement, the constituency boundaries of the province have been redrawn and the regional government has been restructured to promote consensus between separatist and nationalist parties."[/i]

[b][u]ZCNA News: Presidential decree dissolves Parliament[/b][/u] [i]“Hours of speculation have ended this afternoon as His Excellency the President announced a dissolution of the Senate and the National Assembly due to political gridlock which has paralyzed the government since the last election. In an announcement from the Office of the President, a presidential decree was issued clearing the way for an immediate snap election. Prime Minister Grigorova requested the move as a last resort after the failure of the governing coalition to agree on economic matters and on the parameters of the national budget. The Prime Minister’s Justice & Development Party (JDP) will be seeking a strong enough mandate to govern without the support of the Republican People’s Party (RPP) and to block a strong challenge from the European Future Party (EFP). While all pre-election polls have been inconclusive thus far, all parties have stressed the importance and urgency of having a one party governing majority in the National Assembly. The situation in the Senate is viewed as being less important due to the focus on economic policy and reform, so the most closely watched races will be those between candidates in the National Assembly. Additionally, voters will be asked to endorse the convening of a National Consultative Constitutional Assembly (NCCA) to draft a series of amendments to the Zapadnayan Constitution.”[/i]

=== === Status: Approved Votes: 443 Yea, 57 Nay, 0 Abstention

[b][u]VNN News – Assassin identified as East Ingush separatist[/b][/u] [i]“The assailant who attempted to assassinate Dr. Maximillian Reaver has been identified by police as a disgruntled East Ingush individual who did not reside in the former Marscurian territory. The individual, whose name is being withheld, is understood to have been a radical separatist who believed that the Vaulian government was about to merge the former Marscurian Territory into the East Ingush Autonomous Community. During questioning, the individual made several rambling statements to the police about Marscurians flooding across the border to partake in a ‘grand conspiracy’ to shift the demographic balance of the East Ingush province further away from separatism. When asked by the authorities why he decided to attack Dr. Reaver, the individual claimed that Dr. Reaver is the ‘architect’ of the grand conspiracy and that his recent dual appointment as the Interim Head of the former Marscurian Territory and Interim Regional Governor of East Ingushetia are ‘clearly the first step towards a merger of the two territories’. Police officials will continue questioning the suspect for two days before he is expected to be formally charged. The authorities would not comment on the details of the plot or if the individual had other co-conspirators, but stressed that all necessary measures would be taken to bring the involved individuals to justice and to bring about a restoration of normality in the territory. Dr. Reaver has so far declined to comment on the developments and has referred all questions to the police. Dr. Reaver’s office has confirmed that the interim leader’s schedule remains ‘mostly unchanged’ and stated that he would be heading to Zhukovgrad for consultations with HMORH the Imperator and would go to East Ingushetia to oversee the preparations for elections and the implementation of the Sakha Accords. Security around Dr. Reaver has been increased in light of the attempted assassination. In other news, the Interim Council of the former Marscurian Territory has unanimously passed a measure to rename the Council the ‘Former Marscurian Territorial Council’ and to hold referenda and elections within 19 days. The Council would not confirm reports that the State of Emergency would be lifted to facilitate the elections.”[/i]-R. Porter

ZCNA – PM to seek snap election over budget “After eight months in a fragile coalition government, Prime Minister Iskra Grigorova has announced that she will be seeking a snap election to overcome obstacles preventing the passage of a new budget and new economic reform program in the National Assembly. The Prime Minister, and her Justice & Development Party (JDP) entered a coalition agreement with the Republican People’s Party (RPP) in order to form a workable majority in the Parliament. The coalition agreement was rocky from the beginning as disagreements over economic reform and government expenditure simmered for three months. Increasingly, it became clear that the Republican People’s Party (RPP) was willing to reject any budget prepared by the government which did not meet their spending and reform criteria. As the economic recession took hold in Zapadnaya, the government found itself paralyzed and unable to make key changes to the budget without making costly concessions to the RPP. In an unusual move, Prime Minister Grigorova met with the Opposition European Future Party (EFP) to attempt to find common ground regarding the budget, but these meetings did not result in a concrete agreement. The Prime Minister then held consultations with the European Future Party (EFP) and the Socialist Party (SP) to determine if her resignation would permit them to form a majority government without significant delay. After these consultations were completed, the Prime Minister decided that the only available course of action would be to ask for the dissolution of the National Assembly for a snap election. The request to do so has been sent to H.E. President Paskal Dragomirov and is expected to be acted upon shortly. Once the request was sent to the President, Prime Minister Grigorova proceeded to formally end the coalition agreement with the RPP and remove the RPP Government Ministers from office. The RPP has rejected the Prime Minister’s move and has called it ‘unconstitutional’ and an ‘illegal and illegitimate action’. The Prime Minister has announced her intention to address the National Assembly tomorrow afternoon to inform the nation of the developments and explain why the government has decided to go to the polls once again. The Prime Minister’s address to the National Assembly will be followed by a Presidential Address to the nation which is expected to focus on the request for a snap election and the constitutionality of this request.”

[b][u]VNN News: State of Emergency declared in former Marscurian Territory[/b][/u] [i]“The Interim Council of the Marscurian Territory has declared a State of Emergency in the province after an attempt was made to assassinate Interim Leader Dr. Maximillian Reaver this morning. Dr. Reaver was addressing a meeting of economic and political stakeholders tasked with charting the future path of the former Marscurian Territory when a crazed individual leaped onto the stage and pointed a firearm at Dr. Reaver. It is understood that the firearm misfired, giving Dr. Reaver enough time to bludgeon the would-be assassin repeatedly with his cane. By the time Dr. Reaver’s bodyguards intervened, the assailant was suffering from a mild concussion. The event was cut short and Dr. Reaver was escorted back to the capital under armed guard for an emergency meeting with the Interim Council. Security in the regional capital has been sharply increased since the incident and a full investigation has been launched. While attempts are made to determine the motives of the assassin and if he had any co-conspirators, the Interim Council decided to declare a State of Emergency in the former Marscurian Territory for the next 30 days as a purely precautionary measure. The Council has also decided to place the territory under a 6:00pm curfew for the next 14 days. The Interim Council is urging the public to go about their daily lives as normal, but to be vigilant and understanding during this period. The Council also restated that it would continue with its mandate to improve security and the economic situation in the former Marscurian Territory and to serve until such time as power can be devolved to a local administration. Our news team managed to catch up with Dr. Reaver as he was leaving the Interim Council meeting and questioned him about the situation in the province. Our reporter asked Dr. Reaver how long the state of emergency would be in place for, and if the government had identified the assassin. He responded by stating that the State of Emergency would be ‘reviewed on a day to day basis and would continue for as long as the Interim Council and the Vaulian government deemed it necessary to do so’. Dr. Reaver refused to answer our question about the identity of the assassin. When our reporter repeatedly asked Dr. Reaver for an answer he urged her to ‘stop being such an uppity peasant’ and suggested that she go ‘harvest some turnips’ or do something ‘otherwise constructive’.”[/i]-R. Porter

ZCNA – Court orders suspension of SNN broadcasts “The Zapadnayan Supreme Court issued a final ruling in the case of the privately owned Sofia News Network (SNN) today. Legal action was taken against SNN by the Zapadnaya Electoral Council (ZEC) who suggested that the news station ‘deliberately disseminated false information’ and sought to ‘undermine the democratic institutions of the state’. The ZEC also suggested that the reports from SNN were a part of an attempt to undermine public trust in the electoral authorities. After three months of examining the case presented and examining the claim by SNN that it’s free speech rights were being infringed upon, the court issued a unanimous 8-0 ruling this morning. According to the ruling, SNN has been found guilty of knowingly disseminating false information and of attempting to undermine the democratic institutions of the state. The court also found that there was sufficient evidence to convict SNN staff on charges of slander for their unfounded attacks on the integrity of the ZEC. Despite no charges of that nature being filed, the court also suggested the possibility that the statements by SNN journalists may also constitute slander against the President of the Republic. As a result of the finding, all broadcasts from the Sofia News Network (SNN) will be suspended for no less than six months while the status of its broadcasting license is reviewed. Additionally, the editor-in-chief and the journalists who wrote and presented the offending articles have been sentenced to five years imprisonment. According to a statement from the Office of the State Prosecutor, no further charges will be brought against any other employees at SNN. However when asked if charges would be brought against SNN for slandering the President of the Republic, the State Prosecutor suggested that this remained a possibility, but the decision to proceed would depend upon the willingness of the Presidency to do so. After the ruling was announced, a spokesperson for SNN read a short statement reiterating that the right to free speech was being curtailed at the whim of an ‘increasingly authoritarian government’ and that the network was being unfairly victimized for ‘daring to speak out against the agreed upon narrative’. The statement acknowledged that ‘some of the statements made on the program under discussion may have, after further research, been found to be less than entirely accurate’ but stated that the State Prosecutor has failed to ‘prove that the journalists knew that the statements were false at the time of publication’. The statement also pledged that the remaining journalists at SNN would ‘stay the course’ and would ‘vigorously fight to defend free speech and press freedom’ without hesitation."

[b][u]VCNA News – Sakha Agreement back on track after last minute breakthrough[/b][/u] [i]“After several tense hours of negotiations which continued through the night, the Office of the Imperator has announced that the ‘deadlock’ in the implementation of the Sakha Agreement in East Ingushetia has been resolved and that implementation of the agreement can now proceed on schedule. The Sakha Agreement, which seeks to resolve the long running inter-community dispute in the East Ingushetia Autonomous Community between the mostly Ingush separatists and the Vaulian nationalists, was said to be in jeopardy earlier this month after the Ingush Liberal Party (ILP) threatened to pull out of the agreement unless certain articles were implemented ahead of schedule. After a tense dialogue in which both the Vaulian government and the East Ingushetia Regional Government made it clear that renegotiation of any articles of the agreement was unacceptable, a solution was arrived at last night. According to the report from the Office of the Imperator, the Ingush Liberal Party (ILP) leader M. A. Rashid agreed to a ‘verbal pledge’ that the agreement implementation would not be unnecessarily delayed as well as signing a written pledge that the ILP would not take any further steps to ‘undermine the agreement or the institutions of regional government in the province’. While Mr. Rashid claimed that the negotiations resulted in ‘a concrete agreement for an expedited timeline for the implementation of the accords’, Regional Governor Artim Bakiyev claimed that no such concrete agreement was signed, but that it was made ‘unquestionably clear to the ILP that they would not be allowed to abandon the peace process in an attempt to exact additional political gain’ and that there would be no further negotiations about the terms of the agreement or the implementation schedule. The Governor did concede however that there was a verbal agreement to implement some aspects of the agreement ‘slightly ahead of schedule’ as the situation permits. With the agreement now back on track, His Most Orthodox Royal Highness the Imperator has issued an order dissolving the East Ingushetia Regional Parliament and removing Regional Governor Artim Bakiyev from his post. The removal of General Bakiyev is said to be aimed at preventing allegations of the use of state resources in the upcoming election campaign. The decree thanked General Bakiyev for his ‘sterling service to the people of Vaule and to the Russian nation’ and praised his efforts at ‘restoring calm in the restive province of East Ingushetia’. General Bakiyev remains the de facto head of the Vaule National Movement-Patriotic Front (VNM-PF) and is expected to lead his party’s campaign in the next regional elections. Until the elections take place, the Office of the Imperator has announced that Dr. Maximillian Reaver will serve as the Acting Governor of East Ingushetia in addition to his role as the Interim Governor of the Former Marscurian Territory. This appointment is planned to last for no more than three months, after which the government is confident that the implementation of the Sakha agreement will have been sufficiently underway so as to allow the elections to take place.”[/i]-R. Porter