Imperator Azenquor

[b][u]VNN News: VfD protest fizzles as only few citizens attend[/b][/u] “It was planned as a test of support in Vancouver for a directly elected Governor, instead it turned into nothing more than a minor protest. The protest planned by Vancouverites for Democracy (VfD) was held in downtown Vancouver today, but only managed to draw a total of 53 attendees. The group is urging reform of the Vancouver Charter to have the Governor of the Territory directly elected by voters rather than being appointed by the Crown and endorsed by the Vancouver Legislative Council. For several days, the VfD had suggested that it would tap into the anger of ordinary Vancouverites and create a ‘tidal wave’ movement that the government would have to pay attention to. Instead, it appears that most citizens have ignored the call and simply continued their daily lives as normal. While surveys of the popular mood in the Vancouver Territory show that 62% of people want the Governor to be directly elected, only 3% of those surveyed are willing to protest in order to achieve such a reform. 36% of those surveyed indicated that they felt that the current system provided a sufficient democratic mandate to the Governor, while the remaining 2% were undecided.”

[b][u]Communist electoral challenge dismissed as PM forms cabinet[/b][/u] "The last of the handful of electoral challenges mounted by Communist Party leader Radislav Berdymuhamedov were dismissed by the Electoral Council this morning. In its ruling, the Council stated that the Communist Party failed to provide sufficient evidence to support their allegations of electoral fraud. Accordingly, the ruling said, the Council had no choice but to determine that the allegations were without merit and may have been an attempt to ‘delay the certification of the election results’. In the ruling, the Electoral Council apologized to the Russian people for the delay in the certification of the election results and stated that internal policies will be reviewed to ensure that electoral challenges and investigations are handled in a timely manner from now on. With the results of the election now certified and all challenges dismissed, Prime Minister-designate Rinald Kanic has submitted a request to His Imperial Majesty the Tsar to be permitted to form a new government. If approval is granted, Kanic will lead the Fatherland Party government as the next Prime Minister. In an unsurprising development, Prime Minister-designate Kanic has reappointed all outgoing Fatherland Party ministers. Communist Party Leader Berdymuhamedov released a statement accepting the ruling of the Electoral Council but maintaining that ‘serious electoral fraud’ took place. The Communist Party leader has called for the party to undergo a period of ‘intense reflection’ on the results and to chart a new way forward. In his statement, Berdymuhamedov also reminded the Meritocratic Socialist Party, that it now has a ‘profound responsibility to the working classes’ as the only left-wing opposition party in the 7th Duma."

(OOC Note: Edited due to the war being wiped)

(Not accepting nominations) Justinian, Horo, Melech

The message from Druk Yul would be forwarded to the Office of the Presidency. The Presidency would send an internal memo to the Zapadnayan Foreign Ministry in response:

SNN - Stock market dives 4% due to regional tension, unease about state of emergency “In response to the rising regional tensions and the prospect of conflict, the Zapadnayan Stock Exchange (ZSE) fell by 4.11% in the past two days. While the government is keen to downplay the significance of the decline, there are concerns that it may mark the beginning of a sustained downward movement of the ZSE. Adding to economic concerns, the prospect of the tensions impacting Zapadnaya’s ability to import and export goods via the Danube or the Bosporus straits is also raising questions. While such limitations are unlikely to cause major problems immediately, the potential future impact on the national economy cannot be understated. Some economists are already forecasting a decline in the value of the Lira and have even suggested that it may cross the psychological threshold of 3.00 Lira per ISU. The State of Emergency and uncertainties about its scope and duration are also adding to the uncertainty and may be damaging business confidence. With so much at stake, the government needs to announce a detailed and coherent strategy for protecting the local economy and avoiding an economic recession. Such an announcement must deal with the issues of manufacturing exports, and access to foreign currency. The government should also reassure the public that it is not considering the imposition of currency exchange controls or a dual exchange rate system.” (OOC Note: Edited due to the war being wiped)

***Military Preparations*** Under the 11th Presidential decree 5,000 additional Frontier Guard Corps personnel would be moved to the Yugoslav-Zapadnayan border to bolster the existing personnel in the area. The Frontier Guards would devote the bulk of their efforts to securing the border and preventing infiltration. The Zapadnayan Army would not simply watch from their barracks as conflict moved ever closer to the country. All military installations in the west of the country would be placed on the highest level of alert. Military personnel based at Fort Achelois (Montana), Fort Atropos (Pernik), Fort Boreas (Blagoevgrad) and Fort Aether (Sofia), would be given urgent orders by the Defense Ministry: === As the first military units moved into position, they would practice positioning tank traps and anti-tank teams at the 60 m mark along each usable roadway from the border. The reaction and deployment times would be noted by the Defense Ministry and plans would be adjusted accordingly. As soon as the first troops participating in the exercise left their bases, the Zapadnayan government would send a message to Yugoslavia stating that the government would be undertaking a series of military exercises in the area and that the border would be temporarily closed for 72 hours. (OOC Note: Edited due to the war being wiped)

***Ministry of Foreign Affairs Report (Classified)*** The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has, after careful verification with our diplomatic and Interior Ministry staff, determined that there are currently no citizens of Zapadnaya present in the following countries: -Alvonia -Belarus -Cisalpina -France -Hungary-Slovakia -Japan/EAI -Northlands -Sverige -Sparta -United Kingdom In light of the possible outbreak of conflict in Europe, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirms that any Zapadnayan citizens who were previously visiting the following countries have safely returned home: -Muscovy -Romania -Yugoslavia The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is continuing to carefully monitor the situation and will issue periodic reports. (OOC Note: Edited due to the war being wiped)

Military Manpower Mobilization Act In order to boost the pool of manpower available for the construction of additional security and defense projects, the government of Zapadnaya approves the following: -The control of all private and public construction firms shall temporarily pass to the Ministry of Defense during wartime. -The government retains the right to repurpose and redirect any portion or the entirety of the Zapadnayan labor force to projects determined to be in the national interest. -Individuals who are redirected to projects while holding positions with private employers are required to be fully compensated by said employers. -In the use of this act, the government pledges not to relocated individuals from extremely vital areas such as health and food production as doing so would have a detrimental impact on the wellbeing of the nation. -The government hereby pledges that this act shall not be utilized except as an emergency during conflict. === Status: Approved Votes: 490 Yea, 9 Nay, 1 Abstention (OOC Note: Edited due to the war being wiped)

[b][u]VNN News: Vancouver Residents plan protest to demand election of Governor[/b][/u] [i]“A local citizen’s action group called the ‘Vancouverites for Democracy (VfD)’ has announced the launching of a campaign for the direct election of the Governor of Vancouver. The campaign is aimed at mobilizing grassroots support among Vancouver residents and lobbying the Vaulian monarchy to amend the Vancouver Charter. Under the terms of the Vancouver Charter, the Governor of the territory is appointed by the Crown and approved by a majority of the Vancouver Legislative Council. The Vancouverites for Democracy are calling on the Crown to allow the nomination and election of the Governor without the approval of the Legislative Council. This move, the group argues, will increase accountability in the province and allow a direct mechanism by which the Governor may be appointed and removed. Opponents of the proposed reform argue that the current system already creates a network of checks and balances on the authority of a Governor. To aid in informing the public of their cause, the VfD has announced plans to hold a protest in Vancouver tomorrow afternoon. When contacted for information, the Vancouver government has confirmed that the VfD has received a permit to stage a demonstration for five hours tomorrow afternoon. It is unclear how much support the reforms proposed by the VfD has in the territory. In other news, the Vancouver Legislative Council has dissolved itself in preparation for the next elections in the territory. Residents will be asked to elect fifty of the one hundred member Council to govern the territory for the next five years. The other fifty members of the Legislative Council are appointed by imperial decree of the Vaulian Imperator."[/i]-R. Porter

The Foreign Ministry would issue a public statement: (OOC Note: Edited due to the war being wiped. Border closure did not occur)

The following private message would be transmitted to the Romanian government via the Zapadnayan Embassy in Bucharest: == Almost simultaneously the following private message would be sent to Sparta:

(OOC Note: Edited due to the war being wiped)

[b]***Ministry of Defense – Immediate Purchase Order (Classified)***[/b] The Defense Ministry hereby orders the following equipment (expedite where possible): -500 SS-26 Stone missiles (ZAR) -500 Fateh-110 missiles (ZAR) -Construction of 3 Voronezh Early Warning radars (ZAR) (Low priority) -19,824 Assorted anti-tank and anti-personnel mines (ZDS) Defense Ministry funds transfers will be made shortly. Work on the Kirov project undertaken by Zapadnaya Shipyards is to be suspended until further notice. [b]-Alexei Boyanov – Def. Min.[/b]

***Classified/Closed Session of Parliament*** Resolution declaring a State of Emergency in Zapadnaya In light of significantly rising tensions in Europe and the heightened risk of the outbreak of armed conflict affecting the Balkan region, the government of Zapadnaya has decided to immediately undertake the following: -A State of Emergency is hereby proclaimed in all provinces and regions of Zapadnaya beginning at 1400ZST this afternoon until such a time as the Parliament decides to revoke this proclamation. -The Parliament hereby invokes Sections 1.3 and 1.5 of the Continuity of Government Act. All key government institutions shall move to their secondary locations without delay. -Under the terms of the Civil Airspace Alert System, all international flights scheduled to arrive at airports in Zapadnaya after 1400ZST this afternoon are cancelled without exception. -Outbound international flights destined for adjacent countries (i.e. Romania, Yugoslavia, Sparta and Russia) will depart on schedule. Outbound international flights to non-adjacent countries are cancelled without exception. (Despite these restrictions, Zapadnayan airspace remains open for civilian overflights through established civilian air transit corridors). === Status: Approved Votes: 500 Yea, 0 Nay, 0 Abstention (OOC Note: Edited due to the war being wiped)

ZCNA News: Budget debate begins as gov’t announces national defense policy review “Prime Minister Iskra Grigorova brought the first budget of her second administration to Parliament this afternoon and outlined the government’s vision for a massive overhaul of the Zapadnayan economy. The new budget makes significant adjustments to income taxes, customs duties and overall government expenditure while managing to maintain a primary surplus of 4.5% of GDP. Under the proposed budget, Zapadnaya’s national debt will decline from Z$267 Billion (30% of GDP) to Z$202 Billion (22.7% of GDP) in the next year. Should this downward trajectory be maintained, the government is projecting the reduction of the national debt to 8.11% of GDP in six years. On income taxes, the government has unveiled significant increases in taxes across almost all tax bands. The tax rate for individuals making Z$18,000 or less per year has been reduced from 10.0% to 9.5%, however the tax rates for individuals who make Z$18,001 to Z$37,000 has been increased from 15% to 17.5% and the top tax rate of 40% has been increased to 58.5%. The government has sought to offset the increases in income taxes by reducing VAT from 11% to 8% for general goods and from 13% to 11.8% for luxury goods. In terms of overall expenditures, the proposed budget will reduce spending across several areas. Funding for Healthcare and Pensions & Benefits will be cut from Z$89 Billion each to Z$53.4 Billion for healthcare and Z$44.55 Billion for Pensions. Infrastructure development funding has been slashed from Z$17.82 Billion to a shocking record low of Z$4.46 Billion. Salaries of government officials and administrative expenses will decline from Z$62 Billion to Z$26.73 Billion. The government will, however increase funding for Education, National Defense and Policing. Funding to the Education system will be increased from Z$53.5 Billion to Z$71.28 Billion, funding for Policing will be increased from Z$8.9 Billion to Z$44.55 Billion. Expenditure on National Defense will be increased marginally from Z$98 Billion to Z$115 Billion. According to the Prime Minister, the increase in the Policing budget is primarily to enable the Gendarmerie to expand their capability to combat cyber and organized crime and to complete the transition process from the Zapadnayan Police Force (ZPF) to the Zapadnayan Gendarmerie. The Z$17 Billion increase in military spending has been allocated to expedite the Armed Forces Professionalization process, to procure new equipment and to repair key military infrastructure that was allowed to fall into a state of disrepair. Z$2.4 Billion of the funds allocated to the military will be used to fund the pensions of 14,273 military veterans of the Civil War whose pensions were not paid by previous governments. The proposed budget will see the government spending only Z$396.5 Billion this year while expecting revenues of Z$401.2 Billion."

Zapadnaya National Budget Summary: Total Projected Expenditures: Z$396.5 Billion Total Projected Revenues: Z$401.18 Billion Budget Deficit/Surplus: +Z$4.68 Billion Total Outstanding Debt: Z$202.47 Billion Revised Rates of Taxation Income Tax < Z$18,000 Rate: 9.5% Z$18,001 to Z$37,000 Rate: 17.5% Z$37,001 to Z$80,000 Rate: 27.5% Z$80,001 to Z$100,000 Rate: 33.3% Z$100,001 to Z$200,000 Rate: 43.5% Above Z$200,001 Rate: 58.5% V.A.T. Rate: 8.0% (General), 11.8% (luxury goods) Corporate Tax Rates: 26% Capital Gains Tax: 22% (Ceiling) Inheritance Tax: 23.8% National Insurance Tax: 1.50% Customs/Import Taxes: Preferential Rate: 12% (General), 14% (Luxury Goods) General Rate: 18% (General), 19.5% (Luxury Goods) Hostile State Rate: 28% (General), 35% (Luxury Goods) Enemy State Rate: 109% (General), 173% (Luxury Goods) == Status: Debate Approved Votes: 342 Yea, 145 Nay, 1 Abstentions

[b][u]SNN – NPLA raises rent fees nationwide, begins property audit[/b][/u] [i]“The National Property and Land Agency (NPLA) has only existed for six days so far, but it has already taken controversial actions. In an announcement today, the agency revealed that it will be increasing rent prices for 60% of tenants who live in public housing. According to the agency’s report, it has decided to increase rent prices by 8.2% for class 1 housing, 15.6% for class 2 housing and a shocking 26.9% for class 3 housing. The increases are set to take effect within 60 days and may not be appealed by tenants. The NPLA also announced that it had now taken over the administration of all public housing from the provincial authorities and that all payments which had previously been sent to those authorities are to be sent to the NPLA. The agency also revealed that it has begun an audit to determine the condition of all public property now under its administration. The audit will also identify properties which are in arrears and is expected to be completed in a month. The announcements from the NPLA have sparked alarm among some public housing tenants who fear that they will not be able to afford the new rent charges and may shortly find themselves homeless. Others fear that this sudden increase is only the first of many and will eventually push the cost of living in public housing out of their reach. On the other end of the spectrum, some public housing tenants who are financially better off have expressed the hope that the NPLA will allow them to purchase their homes under the new law. There are also reports that a handful of private companies have sought to determine if the NPLA will allow them to purchase a number of public housing units In response to the developments, the banned Communist Party of Zapadnaya issued a statement calling the moves ‘a callous and vile attack on the working class’ and pledging to undertake ‘revolutionary acts of civil disobedience in solidarity with the proletariat’. The Opposition European Future Party (EFP) issued a statement condemning the government’s move as being ‘counterproductive’ and ‘poorly planned’. The EFP suggested that the solution to the public housing issue involved the subsidizing of new private home constructions and incentive schemes that would see individuals in public housing move into these new homes. The government’s current plans, the EFP argues, will simply create a massive new problem in its attempt to solve an old one.”[/i]

***Classified*** In light of the potential outbreak of hostilities, the government has decided to move to DEFCON 2 and to raise the National Threat Level to Severe until further notice. The government has also determined that the Internal Threat Level will be raised to Elevated. The Ministry of Defense has also determined that the Border and Airport Threat levels will be raised to Severe for the duration of the State of Emergency. (OOC Note: Edited due to the war being wiped)

***Classified*** In light of the growing concern of the government regarding the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the government's positive outlook on the bilateral situation with the Kingdom of Romania, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has decided to downgrade our travel classification of Yugoslavia from B(+) to C(-) with immediate effect. The travel classification of the Kingdom of Romania will be upgraded from C(+) to B(-). (OOC Note: Edited due to the war being wiped)

A glass of water would be placed in front of the Carthaginian monarch by a Presidential aide who would quickly return to his position alongside his colleagues. President Dragomirov nodded briefly before replying: “Indeed. I hope that the quiet lasts, but unfortunately that is rarely the case. From our perspective we were glad to see coordinated and rapid intervention for the sake of maintaining stability and protecting citizens rather than the more common intervention for the sake of expanding territory which became the norm for certain European Community member states. In light of Carthage’s timely intervention in Sparta our government took the decision to seek to establish diplomatic ties with Carthage in the hope of laying the foundation for a diplomatic, military and economic relationship between our two nations. It is our government’s sincere hope that we may discuss the possibility of drafting a PIAT as the first step toward establishing ties between Carthage and Zapadnaya. After a short period of time has elapsed, and the bilateral relationship between our nations is firmly established, we would wish to upgrade that proposed treaty to a full Mutual Defense Pact. I would welcome your thoughts on such a proposal, your Majesty.”

The Zapadnayan Prime Minister would make a few quick notes in a file in front of her before replying. [i]“That sounds like quite an interesting proposal. Military cooperation is such a vague…and rather general term. Exactly what kind of cooperation does the French government envision? And how would such bilateral cooperation be able to overcome the issue of the significant distance between France and Zapadnaya? Also, I must admit I’m somewhat curious, why make this overture now? If indeed France is surrounded by some less than friendly nations, is the purpose of this request to utilize our ‘ability to reach beyond our borders’ as a deterrent to those nations? Or is this an attempt to lay the foundation for a repeat of the pathetic and abysmal failure that was the EuroComm 'experiment'?"[/i]-PM Grigorova

The ‘National Housing Centralization & Privatization Act (20XX)’ and the ‘Proposal to Amend the Child Naming Law (1946) (Child Naming Law Amendment)’ have been approved by the Parliament and the Senate and have been signed into law by H.E. the President.

Fatherland Party wins super-majority as Communists see vote collapse “After electoral officials took the decision to prevent the release of partial election results, they have announced the finalized results of the Russian Federal Duma elections. According to the election agency, there was a turnout of 84.16% of eligible voters across the Greater Russian Empire. Of total votes cast, less than 1.4% of votes were disqualified either as a result of the individual selecting more than one political party, or by spoiling their ballot in other ways. Of the valid votes cast, 75% of votes were for the Russian Fatherland Party and its leadership team of Rinald Kanic and Felix Matviyenko. The only other party to obtain sufficient votes to enter the Federal Duma was the Meritocratic Socialist Party which obtained 25% of the vote. This result means that the Russian Fatherland Party will have 525 seats in the 701 member Federal Duma, while the Meritocratic Socialists will hold the remaining 176 seats. This result gives the Fatherland party 174 seats more than the 351 seats required to obtain a majority. The results will mean that there will be a strong Fatherland Party government that will hold a supermajority for the next Federal Duma’s term. Fatherland Party leader Rinald Kanic has hailed the party’s victory as ‘a renewed vote of confidence in the government by the Russian people’ and a ‘strong mandate for further progress and reform’. As was widely expected, the Communist Party has challenged the results and has claimed that ‘massive fraud has taken place’. The Communist Party has sought to have the election results annulled, but they have not presented any substantiated evidence of electoral fraud or any actions that would invalidate the election results. In light of the poor showing by the Communist Party, there are now persistent rumors that party leader Radislav Berdymuhamedov may face a leadership challenge due to his lackluster tenure as Communist Party leader. There are even suggestions that the party’s decision to challenge the electoral results may in fact be motivated more by a desire to keep the party’s name in the news or to deflect attention from the party’s poor performance.”

The French delegation would be met at the airport by a small welcoming party and would be greeted by Zapadnaya’s Foreign Minister Ivo Draganov. After a brief welcome ceremony the French delegation would be transported to the Office of the Prime Minister. Once the delegation was ushered into a conference room in the building, they would be met by the Zapadnayan Prime Minister and one of her deputies. [i]“May I once again welcome you to Zapadnaya. Additionally I would like to express my government’s appreciation of France’s return to the international stage. I understand that the French government wishes to discuss the establishment of relations between our two countries. What precisely do you have in mind?”[/i] – Prime Minister Iskra Grigorova