Imperator Azenquor

“Perhaps the corridor should be included as separate classified agreement. We have prepared the following draft text regarding the establishment of the air corridor for your consideration. We appreciate your confidence in our judgment vis a vis the situation in the former Yugoslavia. Accordingly we will certainly not hesitate to request Romanian assistance in the maintenance of security and stability in that region should the situation require it.”-Dragomirov

The President acknowledged Mr. Giorgescu and continued listening intently. “We share the hope that a stable and independent regime (or regimes) may rise out of the ashes of those states in the region which have collapsed. I would welcome the signing of a mutual defense pact between our two nations. I believe that such a move is the next logical step in the improving and expanding of the relationship between Zapadnaya and Romania. Additionally, as a gesture of cooperation, my government is prepared to offer Romanian aircraft (military and civilian), the use of an air corridor through eastern Zapadnaya to reduce the distance traveled between mainland Romania and the Romanian region of Constantinopol. We will also simplify the process to allow the government of Romania to move forces through Zapadnaya to and from Constantinopol. Regarding the defense pact itself, is there a particular text that you had in mind, your Excellency?”-President Dragomirov The President carefully examined the map and made a few notes before replying. “While we are often resistant to the subdivision of a former nation, given the situation in Yugoslavia and the prospect for conflict emerging among the peoples of the former Yugoslavia, we are prepared to make an exception in this case. Given Yugoslavia’s close proximity to both our nations, I fully understand and appreciate the concerns of the Romanian government regarding the potential for the toxic positions of the former regime to negatively impact the development of the other regions of the former Yugoslavia. Accordingly, we are prepared to accept the responsibility of administering and protecting Macedonia and eastern Serbia until such time as an independent regime arises in the aforementioned territories which does not pose a security risk to the region or beyond. Out of concern regarding the potential advance of Serbian influence, we would likely administer Macedonia as a separate territorial entity from Eastern Serbia. Would this be acceptable to your government?”-President Dragomirov

ZCNA- SNN sued over election allegations "The privately owned Sofia News Network (SNN) is in legal trouble today after the Zapadnaya Electoral Council (ZEC) elected to take legal action against the network for allegations it is alleged to have made about the conduct of the recent Presidential elections. According to documents filed with the Court of Justice in Sofia, the channel is alleged to have ‘disseminated information that it knew to be false’ in an attempt to ‘undermine the democratic institutions of the state’. Additionally the ZEC is alleging that SNN’s actions seek to ‘undermine public trust in the ZEC and constitute slander and libel against said organization’. In response to the allegations made by SNN, the Council Chairwoman of the ZEC has announced her intention to take the unusual step of addressing the nation to rebuff the allegations made by the network. According to the Chairwoman, the ZEC conducted a separate investigation after the SNN report and concluded that the allegations made by the SNN have no merit. In order to ‘counter the false allegations propagated by SNN’ and to ‘put to rest any allegations regarding purported fraud’ the ZEC will also submit a 397 page report to Parliament regarding the conduct of the election and the fraud prevention mechanisms which are in place. In other news, Presidential candidate Elena Dobreva (EFP) has conceded defeat and has acknowledged the victory of President Dragomirov in the Presidential elections. The Dobreva campaign initially filed a protest demanding that a runoff election be held since neither candidate won 50% of the votes cast. The protest was dismissed by the ZEC which stated that the current electoral law does not require the President to win 50% of the vote, and as long as an individual candidate has the largest share of the total votes cast, that individual will be declared the winner. The ZEC suggested that changing the electoral law to require the President to win an absolute majority of the votes cast could be a matter brought before the new Parliament for its consideration. In financial news, the Zapadnayan Lira recovered slightly in currency trading to close at a rate of Z$1.00 to 3.13 ISU. This gain has seen the Lira recover from a record high of 3.26 ISU earlier this year. The fact that the currency remains above the psychological 3.00 ISU ceiling is likely to still be of significant concern, particularly regarding investor and consumer confidence in the economic stability of the country."

The Zapadnayan delegation entered the meeting room to greet their Romanian counterparts. “Thank you for such a warm welcome to Bucharest, your Excellency, and thank you for your congratulations. Allow me to introduce Ivo Draganov, Zapadnaya’s Foreign Minister and Sophitia Maximova, Deputy Foreign Affairs Liaison and Linguistics Analyst”-Dragomirov When mentioned, the respective members of the delegation would respectfully bow to the Romanian leader. “I share your hope that our dialogue today will be a constructive one and I hope that it will build upon the relationship between our two nations. Our country fares well your Excellency. We, like many other nations in Europe, are gradually responding to the major upheavals which have taken place across the continent. The collapse of so many states on our continent, including our neighboring state are quite concerning. Though I will admit, there will be no tears shed in our country for the collapse of the Alvonian government. If I may ask, how are things in Romania?”-Dragomirov OOC: No worries.

[b][u]SNN – JDP election fraud keeps President & PM in power[/b][/u] [i]“The people of Zapadnaya went to the polls in their tens of thousands to change the political leadership of the nation peacefully and through the ballot box. However, it appears that the efforts to remove President Dragomirov and Prime Minister Grigorova has been frustrated by shady Parliamentary deals and outright fraud. In the National Assembly, the people chose to give a mandate to the European Future Party and granted that party the largest individual share of seats in the chamber. Despite this reality, and the clear condemnation of the failures of the Justice & Development Party (JDP), the European Future Party (EFP) will not be naming the next Prime Minister. Instead, desperate to cling onto power, Prime Minister Grigorova has arranged a shady deal in which the JDP will govern in coalition with the Republican People’s Party (RPP). While the negotiation of the coalition agreement itself is not controversial, the reported refusal of the RPP to even consider a coalition with the EFP indicates that the RPP went into this election with the clear intent of supporting the JDP. In fact, at this stage, the RPP can simply be considered no more than a localized branch of the JDP. Once again, the hopes of the Zapadnayan people for true change and progress are dashed by a political class that wishes to entrench itself in the corridors of power. As far as the Presidential election is concerned, it is absolutely clear that the European Future Party (EFP) leader Elena Dobreva won the election. In fact, we can state from our sources inside the Electoral Council that Presidential candidate Dobreva obtained 50.14% of the vote. President Paskal Dragomirov on the other hand, managed to secure only 48.26% of the vote. Our sources suggest that the announced Presidential election result came about due to manipulation of the vote result in the Eastern region of the country. This voter manipulation was allegedly conducted by ordering 13,892 civilian administrators and 2,810 soldiers to transfer to locations in the Eastern region ahead of the vote. These individuals were then allowed to vote in the east despite not residing their permanently. Such a clear effort at vote manipulation could not be brought about by a rogue bureaucrat or a party hack, such an effort requires the clear and unambiguous collaboration of the military and the political establishment. If this is the democracy we were promised, then perhaps we should have remained a military dictatorship. At least then, the manipulation was clear and unabashed.”[/i]

ZCNA – Coalition formed as JDP & RPP sign agreement, Senate situation unclear “After news that the European Future Party (EFP) and the Socialist Party (SP) coalition negotiations had failed, it was widely believed that the EFP would attempt negotiations with the Republican People’s Party (RPP). Mere hours after the negotiations with the Socialist Party collapsed, rumors emerged that the Justice & Development Party (JDP) was conducting secret negotiations with the RPP. The rumors were verified this morning after outgoing Prime Minister Iskra Grigorova was seen leaving the office of RPP leader Konstantin Radkov in Sofia. The JDP and the RPP, when asked about the rumors of negotiations, responded by announcing that a ‘broad ranging coalition agreement has been signed between the RPP and the JDP which will give Zapadnaya’s next Prime Minister a strong mandate to tackle the threats facing the nation’. The statement also suggested that the coalition will be led by Prime Minister Grigorova and that Ministerial portfolio allocations were in the process of being agreed to. A spokesperson for Prime Minister Grigorova revealed that the coalition intends to present its list of ministerial appointments to Parliament in the next three days. When asked about the situation in the Senate, the spokesperson revealed that the coalition was ‘prepared to operate with only 45 Senators in the Senate’.

VNN News: Crisis talks underway as ILP seeks negotiated solution After threatening to withdraw from the Sakha Agreement over delays in its implementation, the Ingush Liberal Party (ILP) has asked for a new round of talks to ‘save the agreement from an untimely demise’. According to the party leader M.A. Rashid, the ILP will seek to modify the agreement to guarantee that its implementation will not be delayed for an extended period of time. This modification, the ILP leader claims, will allay concerns that the administrative delays before full implementation of the agreement could be used to avoid implementations of the key reforms in the agreement. In response to Mr. Rashid’s call, the Vaule National Movement-Patriotic Front (VNM-PF) has agreed to hold a dialogue with the ILP but has sought to limit the items under discussion in order to avoid a renegotiation of the entire agreement. In an unusually conciliatory tone, Regional Governor General Artim Bakiyev suggested that the VNM-PF would back the early implementation of certain articles in the Sakha Agreement as proof of the intent of the government to implement the agreement in full. The Office of the Imperator, which is continuing to mediate the negotiation process, has given the VNM-PF and the ILP a 48 hour window to reach a reasonable accommodation on the implementation of the Sakha Agreement. Such an accommodation, the Imperator’s spokesman said, must ‘not deviate from the spirit of, or seek to undermine the landmark agreements reached at the Sakha conference’ and should ‘be reached as a part of a constructive dialogue aimed at bettering the lives of the people of East Ingushetia’. In other news, Vaulian billionaire Dr. Maximillian Reaver has announced that a series of planned investment projects in the East Ingushetia Autonomous Community that were planned to be undertaken by VaulTech Industries would be ‘cancelled the minute either side backs out of the Sakha Agreement’. The proposed investment projects, including significant expenditures on regional infrastructure and job creation initiatives, would result in a cash injection of NRR$381 million for two years. Under the project agreement, the Vaulian government would provide an additional NRR$1.3 billion for three years to support the initiatives. Dr. Reaver also took the opportunity to respond to a series of propaganda leaflets handed out in certain cities in southern East Ingushetia. Dr. Reaver, who is serving as the Acting Head of the Former Marscurian Territory, stated that ‘the claims by some misinformed individuals that the Sakha Agreement will lead to a massive influx of Marscurians from the former Marscurian territory is entirely unfounded. The fantastical claim that the government is planning to incorporate the Marscurian territory into the East Ingushetia Autonomous Community is equally unfounded and entirely ridiculous.’”-R. Porter

[b][u]SNN – Druk Yul collapses, Dragon Cult collapses with it[/b][/u] [i]“While researchers and economists are working overtime to learn why several nations in Eurasia recently collapsed into disarray, some are ascribing the collapses to divine intervention. At a recent open discussion at the Sofia University economists sought to explore the economic impact on Europe from the collapse of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and Alvonia. While the core disagreement between panel members was whether economic or political pressures expedited the collapse of those states, a member of the clergy presented an entirely different hypothesis. During an open floor period where panelists accepted questions and requested input from the audience, Father Vladimir, an orthodox priest, asked the panelists if they had considered ‘divine intervention’. In his statement, Father Vladimir suggested that the rise of the Dragon Cult in Druk Yul and the actions of the leadership of Yugoslavia and Alvonia, may have been ‘of a sufficiently blasphemous nature’ to incur the wrath of God. He also suggested that the speed and totality of the collapse of the aforementioned states was ‘almost as if our Glorious and merciful God reached down from the heavens and demolished the governing institutions of those states’. He further stated that the experience of Druk Yul indicates that even those who ‘perceive themselves to be mighty are mere ants before the Creator’. At the end of his statement Father Vladimir urged those present to ‘provide humanitarian aid and support to our brothers in Yugoslavia’ and to ‘strive to ensure that Zapadnaya does not go down the disastrous route of those countries’. The entire panel stated that they ‘did not see divine intervention as a plausible cause for the collapse of the countries, but expressed their support for sending assistance to Yugoslavia conditional on that assistance being approved by the relevant authorities’. Another audience member made a statement in response to Father Vladimir suggesting that it was ‘irresponsible to ascribe to the actions of the divine what was clearly brought about by the actions of human beings’. The discussion will continue tomorrow with a focus on how the collapse of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia will impact the local economy and manufacturing.”[/i]

[b][u]ZCNA – Presidential results verified, EFP fail in first coalition bid[/b][/u] [i]“The Zapadnaya Electoral Council (ZEC) has verified, upon completion of the recount of half of all votes cast in the presidential election, that incumbent President Paskal Dragomirov has won re-election. The verification of the results has been challenged by European Future Party (EFP) candidate Elena Dobreva. Former President Dobreva’s campaign filed an official protest with the Zapadnayan Electoral Council (ZEC) stating that ‘given the failure of President Dragomirov to win more than 50% of the votes cast in the election, it is only natural that a runoff election take place between the two leading candidates’. The Dobreva campaign statement also suggested that failing to hold a runoff would ‘serve to disenfranchise the 152,526 voters who voted for Socialist Party (SP) candidate Zlatko Dimitrov’ and would undermine the legitimacy of the office of the Presidency. In responding to the protest from the Dobreva campaign, President Dragomirov stated that while he is not opposed to ‘making changes to the Presidential election system to require an absolute majority of votes cast, such changes must be implemented only for future elections’ and he stated that it would be ‘a breach of principle’ to enforce such a requirement in a retroactive manner. The European Future Party (EFP) faced its first setback in Parliament today as Prime Minister-designate Alexei Boyanov failed to reach a coalition agreement with the Socialist Party (SP). Despite being the largest party in the National Assembly, the EFP is 52 seats short of a majority. A coalition with the Socialists would have given Prime Minister-designate Boyanov a strong minority government with 249 seats in the National Assembly. According to sources within the Socialist Party (SP), the EFP coalition proposals were ‘not based upon the principles of equal partnership’ and would require the Socialists to pledge Parliamentary support for Free Trade Agreements and for reforms to the public sector. The EFP could attempt to negotiate a coalition agreement with the conservative Republican People’s Party (RPP) which would, if successful, result in a majority government with 255 seats in the National Assembly. Such negotiations would be significantly difficult considering the RPP’s strong opposition to core tenets of the EFP’s foreign policy manifesto.”[/i]

[b]Private Message[/b] Your Excellency, Thank you for your congratulations. I share your hope that the improvements in the bilateral ties between our two countries will continue into my current Presidential term and beyond. The recent developments in the region and on the European continent demonstrate the importance of regional cooperation in the maintenance of stability. I humbly accept your invitation to Bucharest and look forward to discussing the regional situation, as well as the future of Zapadnayan-Romanian ties. Paskal Dragomirov, President of Zapadnaya [b]OOC:[/b] Sorry about the delay in responding. Posted meeting thread [url="http://forums.cybernations.net/index.php?/topic/125043-romania-zapadnaya-diplomatic-summit/"]here[/url]

After acknowledging and accepting the [url="http://forums.cybernations.net/index.php?/topic/124803-zapadnaya-respublika-elections-3/?p=3332349"]invitation[/url] of the Romanian government, Zapadnaya would make the necessary arrangements with Romania to facilitate the President’s trip. Shortly after being sworn in for his second term in Svyatoy Veragorod, President Dragomirov would travel to Sofia, then fly from there to Bucharest. The President would be accompanied by a translator and by Foreign Minister Ivo Draganov. As was customary, the necessary flight and security information would be sent to the Romanian government and their approval sought before the President’s arrival. Less than an hour after leaving Sofia, the Presidential aircraft landed in Bucharest and the President emerged to greet his hosts.

VCNA News – All-Sakha agreement implementation halted “The proposed implementation of the Sakha All-Party Agreement has been delayed as one side has threatened to abandon the process. According to reports, after intense negotiations regarding reform of the political system in the East Ingushetia Autonomous Community (EIAC), the timeline for implementation of the agreement has been rejected by the Ingush side. After signing the agreement and initially endorsing it, the Ingush Liberal Party (ILP) has changed its position and has suggested that unless its concerns about the implementation timeline are addressed, the party is prepared to walk away from the entire agreement. ILP Leader M.A. Rashid has suggested that the Agreement and all of its articles should be implemented immediately. He has suggested that the ‘administrative delays’ which the government has approved are an attempt to ‘undermine the agreement’ and indefinitely delay implementation. The government has countered this accusation by stating that it would be ‘beyond irresponsibility’ to simply enact a document that requires wide ranging changes to every aspect of governance in the region and not allow for a transitional period. The government also rubbished the ILP’s threat to withdraw its signature from the Sakha Agreement by suggesting that doing so, particularly after the enormous time and resources spent negotiating, would ‘signal an unwillingness on the part of the ILP to negotiate in good faith’. In an unusual move, a representative from the Office of the Imperator (which played a key role in the negotiations) issued a statement regarding the threats by Mr. Rashid. The statement did not directly respond to the threats, but could be seen as signaling that the Palace is losing patience with the process. According to the statement, ‘His Most Orthodox Royal Highness the Imperator has invested significant time and effort in pushing for a negotiated solution to the problems plaguing the East Ingushetia region. It would be deeply unfortunate, and would signal the opening of an unwelcome chapter in the region, should these efforts be dashed simply in the name of political expediency’. In East Ingushetia, the governing Vaule National Movement – Patriotic Front (VNM-PF) has expressed its full support for the Sakha Agreement and the agreed upon timeline for its implementation. The VNM-PF also stated that, should the negotiations fail or be derailed by opposition from the Ingush Liberal Party (ILP) that the VNM-PF has pledged not to hold any further negotiations with the ILP. Adding to the pressure, Regional Governor General Artim Bakiyev pledged to undertake what he described as ‘key security reforms’ that have been delayed by negotiating the Sakha Agreement. The Regional Governor also suggested that the Ingush Liberal Party (ILP) could be branded a ‘terrorist organization’ in the future if it fails to recognize the ‘legitimacy of the Office of Regional Governor’."-R.Porter

[b][u]ZCNA Breaking News: Election results in, Closest Presidential race in history[/b][/u] [i]“The first official election results have just come in from the Electoral Council. According to the results, with 100% of the Presidential votes counted, incumbent President Paskal Dragomirov has narrowly won re-election against a vigorous challenge by former President Elena Dobreva. According to the results, President Dragomirov won 4,694,953 votes or 49.25% of valid votes cast, while former President Dobreva won 4,685,420 votes or 49.15% of valid votes cast. This means that President Dragomirov’s lead was a mere 9,533 votes or 0.10% of votes cast in this election. According to the report from the Electoral Commission, while former President Dobreva obtained significant support in the Central and Western regions, President Dragomirov managed to boost his support in the Eastern region allowing him to overcome significant odds. In the Central and Western regions former President Dobreva won 62.5% of the vote to President Dragomirov’s 37.5%. But in the Eastern region, President Dragomirov managed to obtain 61% of the vote compared to former President Dobreva’s 35.8%. The Socialist Party candidate Zlatko Dimitrov won no votes in the Central and Western regions, but managed to obtain 152,526 votes (or 1.6%) in the Eastern region. Due to the narrow margin of President Dragomirov’s victory, the Zapadnaya Electoral Council (ZEC) has ordered a hand recount of 50% of all votes cast in the Presidential election. The ZEC has confirmed that the recount is already underway and has stressed that the results of the election will only change in the event that the result of the manual count differs from the automatic count. -Senate Composition (SP-Red, RPP-Blue, EFP-Orange, JDP-Dark Green, Military-Light Green) In the Senate elections, the governing Justice & Development Party (JDP) was only able to retain 34 of the 58 seats it held in the outgoing Senate. The European Future Party (EFP) managed to win 34 seats up from 8 seats in the outgoing Senate. The Republican People’s Party (RPP) and the Socialist Party (SP) managed to win 11 seats each. This inconclusive result suggests that the next Senate will likely be gridlocked due to no feasible coalition being able to attain a working majority. Additionally, the 10 military Senators have once again indicated that they will not utilize their numbers to grant any party in the Senate a majority, but shall continue to discharge their duties as non-partisan Senators. -Parliament Composition (SP-Red, RPP-Blue EFP-Orange, JDP-Green) In the Parliament, the Justice & Development Party (JDP) also saw its fortunes plummet as it won only 25% of the vote and 194 seats in the 500 member Parliament (down from 342). The Opposition European Future Party (EFP) won 37.5% of the vote and 198 seats (up from 146) in the next Parliament. The Socialist Party (SP) and the Republican People’s Party (RPP) won 51 and 57 seats respectively. As a result there will be a hung Parliament with the European Future Party (EFP) being the largest political party and 52 seats short of an outright majority. According to the ZEC, the official turnout for this election was 89.80% of eligible voters. The total number of voters who were eligible to vote in this election was 10,615,700.”[/i]

[b][u]ZCNA – Polls to close in the next two hours, unofficial turnout results released[/b][/u] [i]“After an unusually short period between campaigning and voting, the people of Zapadnaya have made their decision and have turned out to the polls in their numbers to elect the next government of the Republic. Voters will have until the polls close two hours from now to cast their votes for the President, Senate and National Assembly members who will form the third government since the restoration of democracy. The collapse of a number of countries in Europe during this election has injected some amount of uncertainty in the future foreign policy direction of Zapadnaya. The collapse of Yugoslavia will be significantly damaging to the country and the economy. Trade issues involving the use of the Danube are also expected to result from this. The next government will have its hands full charting a new course to address these issues. While no official turnout results will be released until after the polls have closed, our unofficial turnout results indicate that turnout in the Western and Central regions was approximately 50.1% while turnout in the Eastern region so far is approximately 96.3%. Turnout figures are expected to increase as last minute voters head to the polls.”[/i]

ZCNA News - Third Elections begin "After the lifting of the State of Emergency, Zapadnayan citizens have once again been asked to go to the polls to elect a new government. While the elections have been significantly delayed, reducing the time available for campaigning substantially, it was decided that the elections should proceed without further delay. The Zapadnaya Electoral Council has confirmed that all necessary preparations have been made for the holding of the Presidential and Parliamentary polls. These elections will be the third since the restoration of democracy in Zapadnaya. President Paskal Dragomirov is seeking a new term as President of the Republic and has pledged to lead the charge for the strengthening of the Zapadnayan military and the strengthening of Zapadnaya's diplomatic relationships in the region. In Parliament, Prime Minister Iskra Grigorova is hoping to lead the Justice and Development Party (JDP) to a third Parliamentary majority. The Prime Minister has focused her campaign on achieving sustainable and durable economic growth and expanding exports. With the collapse of the European Community, the European Future Party (EFP) has sought to re frame it's campaign around strengthening ties in Europe in order to boost trade and promote stability. The party has also sought to promote the signing of free trade agreements as key to strengthening trade relationships on the European continent. The party, while not admitting that its support for joining EuroComm may have been mistaken, has acknowledged the 'failure of the stability mechanisms' of the organization."

=== Status: Approved Votes: 601 Yea, 50 Nay, 0 Present

[b][u]VNN News: Prime Minister Rokossovsky pledges military support to the Caucasus[/b][/u] [i]“Vaulian Prime Minister Pavel Rokossovsky condemned the killing of 3 Russian military personnel in Rostov as a ‘horrible and terroristic act’ and condemned the perpetrators in no uncertain terms. The Prime Minister contacted Federal Prime Minister Kanic and relayed the Serene Republic’s ‘full and unconditional support of the Russian Federal Government’. Additionally, the Prime Minister is said to have offered to send Vaulian soldiers to fight in the Caucasus pending the approval of the Ministry of Defense. The Prime Minister has not directly confirmed that the offer was made, but when asked said: ‘why wouldn't we offer to send troops? Are we not a part of the Greater Russian Empire?’ The Vaulian Parliament paused for a moment of silence at the beginning of today’s session in honor of Russian servicemen who have lost their lives fighting for the Russian Fatherland. In Parliament, Prime Minister Rokossovsky revealed that HMORH the Imperator would address the legislature tomorrow afternoon to discuss matters of national concern and to further demonstrate the commitment of the Serene Republic of Vaule to the unity and indissolubility of the Greater Russian Empire.”[/i]-R. Porter

Private Message to Russian Fed. Gov.

Resolution Lifting the State of Emergency In light of the improving regional and international situation, and upon the advice of H.E. the President, the Parliament hereby lifts the State of Emergency in effect across Zapadnaya. The Parliament would also like to take the opportunity to praise the sterling efforts of the Zapadnaya Frontier Guard Corps and the Gendarmerie as they work tirelessly to secure the country and it's borders. === Status: Approved Votes: 499 Yea, 0 Nay, 1 Abstention

[b][u]ZCNA – Elections to be held shortly as Parliament moves to lift State of Emergency[/b][/u] [i]“In a statement from the Office of the President this morning, it was revealed that the delayed national elections will take place without delay as the Parliament moved to lift the State of Emergency last night. According to the statement, the regional and international situation has sufficiently improved so as to permit the government to take steps towards restoring normality. The first of these steps, the statement revealed, will be the holding of national elections without further delay. Accordingly the Zapadnaya Electoral Council has made all necessary preparations for the elections to be held and has stated that it will be ready as early as tomorrow. The Electoral Council has confirmed that in light of the extraordinary situation which caused the election delay, that there would not be sufficient time to allow the usual extended period of campaigning. Instead, the Council stated, it is of vital importance for the voting and transition process to occur without any further delay. After meeting with H.E. President Dragomirov and the Electoral Council, Prime Minister Grigorova has confirmed that the national elections will be held in 3 days time. This decision, the Prime Minister revealed, was discussed with the Parliamentary leadership of all political parties and was agreed upon in advance. The Prime Minister also confirmed that H.E. President Dragomirov intends to stand for re-election to the Presidency.”[/i]

[b][u]Ministry of Defense Order (Classified)[/b][/u] In order to aid in the streamlining of the arms production process, the Ministry of Defense hereby orders the following armaments production agencies to be merged into a single entity: -Zapadnaya Rocket Guidance Bureau -Zapadnaya Rocketry Production Bureau -Tons O’ Projectiles Inc. -Sharp Knives & Explodey Things Ltd. The four agencies shall operate under the control of the newly created Zapadnaya Rocketry Systems (ZRS) and shall be given the mandate to design, develop and produce short, medium and long range rockets as required for both civilian and military use as specified by the government. Rocketry production facilities currently under the control of Zapadnaya Aerospace Research (ZAR) are exempted from this order and shall continue to operate independently. Any costs associated with the merger of the four agencies shall be paid by the Ministry of Defense. Alexei Boyanov – Def. Min.

SNN – Electronics industry output rises by 12% “Zapadnaya’s electronics industry has reported significantly higher than expected output for this quarter. According to industry reports to the Finance Ministry, industrial output in the sector has surged by 11.6% as a number of factories have significantly increased production in response to sharp increases in export demand. The Armaments industry has also seen significant growth in output, but not to the scale of the electronics industry. According to industry reports sent to the Finance Ministry, the Armaments industry has seen a 5.82% increase in overall output as additional production capacity is brought online to bolster arms supplies to the Zapadnayan military and the Gendarmerie. The Agriculture industry has seen a 0.24% decline in output as farmers and distributors reroute agriculture for export to ensure sufficient quantities of food for the local market. Citizens are being urged to substitute local agricultural products for their foreign equivalents where available to support local production over foreign imports. While the prices of local agricultural products have remained unchanged, the prices of imported products have increased by an average of 1.2% since the increase in regional tensions.” (OOC Note: Edited due to the war being wiped)

The [b]New Treason Act[/b] and the [b]Military Manpower Mobilization Act[/b] have been approved by the Parliament and the Senate and have been signed into law by H.E. the President. The [b]National Budget 20XX[/b] has been approved by Parliament.

SNN News – Small protest gathers in front of Japanese Embassy “A group of 300 protesters staged a small protest in front of the Japanese Embassy in Sofia today. Each of the protesters wore matching clothing and each carried a caricature of the Japanese Empress with the words: “Imperialist Empress: Why you no speech proper English!” on it. As the protesters marched up and down the street, they repeatedly yelled: “It’s Godzilla!” Officers from the Gendarmerie showed up at the protest five minutes after it had begun, suggesting that this was not an authorized protest. After the commanding officer of the Gendarmerie addressed the protesters, they dispersed peacefully. Upon investigation we learned that the protest in front of the Japanese Embassy was not organized by a political group or organization but was arranged by noted comedian Colin O. Meehdyan. We believe that the comedian organized the protest as an ad for his new program ‘Zapadnaya Yesterday’. If our belief is correct, the individuals may have staged the protest as a sort of flash mob rather than a political statement. We contacted the Gendarmerie and requested information on the protest. An officer of the Gendarmerie has confirmed that no protest permit was issued for the gathering and that an investigation is being launched into the event to identify the organizers. The officer urged us to remind the public that protesting without a permit is an illegal act.” (OOC Note: Edited due to the war being wiped)

ZCNA News – Lira crosses 3 ISU mark and settles at 3.26 ISU “The Zapadnayan Lira crossed the 3.00 ISU mark for the first time in trading today as concerns over the rising regional tensions hit the exchange rate. The Lira settled at 3.26 ISU per Lira after declining from a high of 2.01 ISU per Lira. The devaluation of the local currency has raised concerns about long term damage to the Zapadnayan economy if the slide is not reversed or halted over the medium term. In response to the decline, the Central Bank of Zapadnaya (CBZ) has announced that the currency will be allowed to approach 3.50 ISU per Lira, but that the Central Bank will intervene to prevent the currency from moving any further beyond that benchmark. The Central Bank also rubbished reports of a shortage in foreign currency and published a report showing that all requests for foreign currency were being honored without delay. In other news, the Zapadnayan Stock Exchange (ZSE) saw another day of sharp losses as the overall index fell 7.2% in a single day, rounding off a week of continuous losses. The Ministry of Finance is said to be watching the situation closely as it develops.” (OOC Note: Edited due to the war being wiped)