Buryatia shuts down Parliament

[Imperator Azenquor]

BCNA: Parliament shut down

“Today after the Parlaiment debated for three hours on the proposal to hold a Constitutional convention, the Parliament could not proceed with a vote as Opposition MPs filibustered the measure for several hours, much to the annoyance of the government. The arguments and filibustering continued for the entire session, delaying the vote until tomorrow’s session.

The Opposition has claimed that they will continue to do everything in their power to block the vote, and the President is not amused. In a shocking response to the Opposition filibustering, the President has submitted a formal request to His Highness Prince Yuri, requesting that he shut down Parliament in preparation for a snap election. The Palace has not yet responded to the request, but it would have a significant impact on the Constitutional reform process.

According to the President’s Office, the Parliament would be suspended for five months in preparation for an election in the sixth month after dissolution. The President has sought to use two separate Constitutional provisions to keep the Parliament at bay until the reform process is nearly complete. Under the first law, the President may, with the assent of the Monarch, suspend the Parliament for up to four months, and would then rule by decree. The second law permits the President to dissolve the Parliament for up to two months in preparation for a Parliamentary election. The use of both of these laws at the same time has never been done before, and if approved would permit the nations Parliament to be suspended for a total of six months, and would hold an election immediately afterward.

In the request submitted to the Palace, the President specified that all devolved Parliaments would function normally, despite the proposed suspension of the National Parliament. The President has specified that she will involve the people of Buryatia in the decision to suspend the Parliament, by tendering her resignation and holding a Presidential election if the suspension is approved. This would mean that she would seek a second term in office, and permit the nation’s electorate to decide if they agreed with her decision or not. A renewed mandate would indicate stronger support for the President, while an election defeat would bring an Opposition candidate to power.”-Reporter

*Reporter is handed an update while on air*

"We can now confirm that the Palace has agreed with the President's request and has shut down the Buryatian Parliament. We can also confirm that President Rokossovska has tendered her resignation and has set the date of the next Presidential election to next week."-Reporter

[Amyante]

"Zargathia has experience with absolute monarchies, and wishes to extend an offer for advice should Buryatia request it of us. Aside from that, we wish it luck during this transitional phase, and feel the need to mention that during this period, the planned reforms can be easily implemented as there is but one person in the State at the moment. Any decision made by Prince Yuri therefore has 100% political backing within Buryatia by default,"

Edited September 12, 2009 by Amyante

[Imperator Azenquor]

A short response is sent:

"Actually Buryatia does not have an absolute monarchy, there are distinct limits on the powers allotted to the monarch during such situations. President Rokossovska will remain in office until the next Presidential election. She is the only government official who would have greater Constitutional powers as a result of the suspension of Parliament."

[iamthey]

"The measure for the referendum clearly passed through your plebiscite. If Parliament can't do the people's will then a new election should be called for." -James Crown

[Amyante]

"We are aware of this. However, it seems we had misread the news bulletin, and mistakenly believed the President to be the Head of Parliament. The combination of these led us to believe that the President would be considered part of the Parliament and therefore included in its suspension. Our apologies for misunderstanding."

[Razgriz 2K9]

We wish Buryatia luck in solving this political crisis.