NEW WESTERN ATLANTIC - King United Dark Republic has privately been considering electoral reform for weeks, and has now publicly mentioned it on Discord. The specifics of his proposal include expanding parliament, shortening length of a Senator's term, abolition of two separate classes, and the revision of proportional seat allocation.
According to His Majesty, expanding the Senate has yet to be decided, but he did state that he foresees a 30-person legislature becoming a reality in the near future. Whether that will be by the end of the month, end of the year, or in 2019 is to be determined. When it expands, it will allow for smaller parties to obtain a seat more easily than the current methodology. Shortening the length of a Senator's term is not something that His Majesty has actively called for, and he admits that he does not necessarily want this to become a reality, but that he may have no other choice. This is because the Atlantican Constitution requires a legislative election to occur every three months, and if classes I and II are merged, then they would be forced to be up for election at the same time. This would effectively halve the term length of a Senator to three months, down from six. Revising the proportional seat allocation has been at the top of the priority list. If implemented, this would alter how seats are distributed. If the Senate were to house 30 members, then 25 would be elected purely based on popular vote, meaning that every 4% would guarantee a seat (100/25 = 4). The other five seats would also be determined by the people's vote, but in an alternative way. Those five would be divided among the top-two finishers in an election, effectively providing an incentive for parties to place first or second, and thus rewarding them. Finer details have yet to be ironed out in His Majesty's electoral reform, but these are the primary objectives and details we know so far.
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NEW WESTERN ATLANTIC - Activist Senator Bennisia has resigned following a scandal that included accusations of harassing Force, an allied region to the New Western Atlantic. The allegation made by the government of Force was serious enough for the joint-embassy between the two regions to be closed.
Bennisia apologized for remaining in touch with his former region, but his attorney, CM Pink Fluffy Sheep, has denied that his client had any intent of forcing the two regions to cancel the shared embassy. The Justice Ministry, headed by JM Dukna, selected former Senator Dependants to argue on behalf of the prosecution. He took little time to announce the charge of treason against the region by Bennisia, a very serious and career-damaging claim. The prosecution reportedly has screenshots of a back-and-forth conversation between Bennisia and Force officials. The defense attorney has claimed to have seen the evidence, and states that no treason is apparent and countered the claims by alleging that Force officials have been purposefully trying to instigate Bennisia ever since he fled Force to join the New Western Atlantic. The Justice Ministry has since withdrawn the case for reasons unknown. NEW WESTERN ATLANTIC - Two term Justice Minister, former longtime Affairs Minister, and Activist Chairman Hevern has decided to step down as leader of the mainstream centre left party, coming as a shock to most Atlanticans.
Under Hevern's Chairmanship, the party has transformed from a small opposition movement to the governing party throughout most of 2017-18. Being the co-founder of the Activists put him on track to have a longlasting impact on the party and the region, which he did. His first bold move that made a name for himself was when he stood up to then-Founder Baconbacon123 after he accused the entire Activist party of being "puppets" and hence was removed from the region along with the rest of his party members. When the Brotherhood of Kyro and the United Dark Republic defended Hevern, they too were removed from the region. The allegation by the former founder was later revealed to be mostly false and Baconbacon123 apologised, but this led to the creation of the New Western Atlantic and the Activists have grown ever since after being victims of puppet paranoia. The beginning of the region still had the Constructivists as the largest party, but the gap between them and their left wing rival Activists narrowed significantly. Eventually the party was able to elect Hevern in to the cabinet and later pushed Broncos Fast Nation, the other Activist co-founder, in to office. Together they would govern and promote progressive ideals, but their electoral success was far and few between until back-to-back Constructive governments led by Heisenbee and Baconbacon123 swept in an era of inactivity and population decline. That was until Ostermeer became Prime Minister and the Activists took control of government for the first time in the region's history, the region's activity climbed again and has continued to under Prime Minister Riost. Hevern's one vote loss to Dukna was a major shock to the political establishment, but it shows that an energised right wing and a fractured progressive bloc can not be underestimated. If it is, it will be at the region's detriment because the progress that has been made over the last two years could be in jeopardy. Though Dukna has shown signs of activity and continuing Hevern's reformative measures, like adding public defenders. Riost will have big shoes to fill. The resignation of Hevern as leader of the Activists is an earthquake-like event in regional politics, but history should look kindly on his record of standing up to the Red Scare-esque paranoia of the radical right in the region's early days and the way he implemented a firm but fair law and order approach, including the way he defended second chances in the region. By Trump and Pence | former Constructive Senator NEW WESTERN ATLANTIC - This month the Senate has heard a multitude of proposed bills. First was The People’s Sponsored Services Act (L.R 72), authored by fmr Sen. Trump and Pence, the bill sets jurisdictions of the law and constitution for services if they are sponsored, with exception to the current Discord administration, the bill passed into law with 13 Aye, 0 Abstain, and 6 Nay.
The Second bill this month from the Senate is the Political Integrity Act (L.R 73), which repeated Political Deceit Act (L.R 61), but is a lesser version of the bill. It loosens some of the restrictions set in L.R 61, the bill passed into law with a vote of 14 Aye, 1 Abstain, and 7 Nay. Next on the list is an amendment to the Mono-Position Act by allowing Deputies to serve as Senators, which was recommended by His Majesty and others. This bill passed with an overwhelming 17 Yay, 1 Abstain, 1 Nay. Another bill on the docket is the Snap Election Regulation Act (L.R 75) which would have set a procedure and rules on Monarch’s power to hold Snap Elections. The bill failed with the vote of 9 Aye, 0 Abstain, 12 Nay. After L.R 75 failed, the Senate held a short election for Senate Clerk, since Senator Struberria formerly held that role prior to becoming Royal Duke. The election resulted with Cesorion winning by default with his sole opponent dropping out. Lastly, the most bill the Senate is hearing is its current on the floor, the Rights and Protections in Court Act (L.R 77). The bill would establish basic rights in the High Court, and it has been authored by Chief Justice Kyro himself. The bill is projected to pass with the current vote tally standing at 15 Aye, 0 Abstain, 2 Nay. NEW WESTERN ATLANTIC - Less than one hour ago, reports surfaced that the Union of Confederate Region's very own World Assembly Delegate, Krualstiken, ejected over 130 residents within the span of ten minutes. This comes after Conch Kingdom, the New Western Atlantic, Europeia and other regions condemned Langor Empire, also known by his Discord nickname, "Atero," for claimed misconduct. Krualstiken has been hailed for doing the right thing by a wide majority of Atlanticans, with Regional Front chairman Grand Rebels saying that "he's my kind of guy." Another resident commented that he would even vote for Krualstiken should she ever join the region due to standing up to the authoritarian Langor regime. Nationstates moderators are reportedly investigating Langor Empire for the allegations of misconduct. Several regions, including Conch Kingdom and The West Pacific, are rumored to have stated intentions that they would spearhead a raid on the Union of Confederate Regions should he be banned from the website due to rules violations. The Atlantican government would likely join in on such an interregional effort.
NEW WESTERN ATLANTIC - The Justice Ministry headed by Hevern has formally indicted Senator and Regional Front Deputy Chairman, Saint William the Horrid, on accounts of espionage and conspiracy to commit a crime. This indictment comes just days after the midterm Senate election where the Regional Front campaigned tirelessly to cast the so-called "establishment" as corrupt, mainly the Activist and Constructive parties, respectively. William even went as far to attack his party's former candidate for Prime Minister this past December, The Silver Eagles, as a part of this establishment and therefore also corrupt.
Irony and hypocrisy is on full display in this instance, especially for a person who lambasted Silver Eagles, Josh, and others in this apparent establishment for being corrupt, but now he has been indicted for the same thing he attacked so many others for. It's good timing for William that this comes after the senate election ended, but it's bad in that he now faces an unexpected challenge for his position as the Deputy Chairman of the right wing populist Regional Front party. Before the indictment was made, the now-disgraced Deputy Chairman faced a vote of no confidence by his fellow party members. The result ended in a five-to-five even-split, and so that pushed Chairman Grand Rebels to schedule an intra-party election for the Deputy Chairmanship. The position is being sought by several party members, including Communications Minister Silver Eagles and Aincrahd. This admittance of guilt in conspiracy to commit espionage and corruption will do him no favors as he's barely holding on to his position as it is. NEW WESTERN ATLANTIC - Less than 17 hours remain before polls officially close and we can project where each and every seat will be allocated, but that doesn't mean the results we've seen so far aren't an indicator of how it may all play out. As it stands, the Activists appear to have received more votes than any other party. Their share of the vote is down compared to the Winter election, but they have tallied more votes than ever before. They are expected to retain the three seats they were defending, and have an opportunity to gain one more seat. The Constructivists are coming off their worst electoral performance ever, but the good news for them it that they have increased their vote share by three points, and have 50 votes right now. That's up from the 29 votes the party received last Senate election, the biggest vote gainer of any party this election. They have successfully retained their three seats, but are not expected to flip one to their column. The Liberal Democrats, unlike the centre right Constructivists, are coming off their best electoral performance ever. Having received 19% of the vote in the previous Senate election, the party was within a point of breaking the coveted 20% threshold. This election hasn't been as positive for them though, for while their overall vote total has increased by five votes, they are barely mustering 15% of the vote. This is lower than their previous two elections. The party is expected to hold on to one of its seats, and the odds of them retaining the second one is estimated to be 50-50. The Regional Front were heading into this election with strong expectations as their Deputy Chairman said he believes they could become the largest third party in the region, and hopefully increase their legislative mandate to knock the Liberal Democrats off as the kingmaker. And while the Liberal Democrats have seen a drop in their vote totals; this populist party has failed to overcome their third place finish. The current numbers indicate that the Regional Front have fallen just shy of their record electoral performance from the last midterm election, where they received 10.9% of the vote. The Democratic Socialists have been hurt by the loss of their two most prominent members, Elizabeth Isles and Aestorn, but they are seeing only a one point drop in their support despite having three more votes than their previous election result. The party is expected to retain its sole seat with 7.6% of the ballots being cast for them, no gains are expected however. The recently-founded Unity Party is off to a decent start as it's only existed for less than a month, but it's unlikely to get representation in the Senate as it has fallen short of the five percent threshold. If a surge in their vote share is seen though, they will likely be flipping the vulnerable Liberal Democratic seat. SEAT ALLOCATION ESTIMATES:
Activist: 30% (3 guaranteed) + 4.5% remainder = 3.45 seats Constructive: 20% (2 guaranteed) + 8.7% remainder = 2.87 seats Liberal Democratic: 10% (1 guaranteed) + 5.2% remainder = 1.52 seats Regional Front: 10% (1 guaranteed) + 0.5% remainder = 1.05 seats Democratic Socialist: 0% (n/a) + 7.6% remainder = 0.76 seats Unity: 0% (n/a) + 2.9% remainder = 0.29 seats By Trump and Pence | former Constructivist Senator NEW WESTERN ATLANTIC - Roughly two days from writing this article, the Founder and Monarch started a poll proposing a new amendment to our Regional Constitution. This amendment, written by infamous Former Speaker of the House and Senator Trump and Pence with help and revisement by the fabulous Founder and Monarch United Dark Republic; proposed changes will including the changing of the definition of citizenship, civil rights, High Court Jurisprudence, and other changes.
Major supporters of the proposed amendments include HM United Dark Republic, Fmr. Sen. Trump and Pence, CM Silver Eagles, Sen. Norrizi, Chancellor Black Sheep, Prince-Consort Ex Patria, Sen. Trade Federations, Sen. Struberria, Chief Justice Kyro, IM Baconbacon123 (Surprisingly), and Sen. Grand Rebels (Yes, Grand Rebels, the man whose vote is automatically no on any reform in the senate that isn’t abolishing it). Prominent opponents of these amendments are Sen. Bergonnia, Prime Minister Riost, Sen. Ormantum, and Fmr. CM Thornian. The current vote on the amendment is: Yea: 75.7% (103 votes) Nay: 24.3% (33 votes) Turnout currently stands at 136 for its second day, and is expected to exceed 150 by the conclusion of the poll. This leaves the count as approximately 76% in favor, and 24% in opposition. The Amendment is expected to pass, but it's too early to make a formal projection here at RBC. NEW WESTERN ATLANTIC - The challenge to the controversial "Political Deceit Act", or L.R. 61, has been denied in a marginal 3-2 decision. The bill prevents elected or appointed government officials the ability to swap their political affiliation after having assumed office; it's possible that Thornian's successful reelection played a role in this legislation. He was elected as a Constructivist and within days of winning he decided to change his party to the Activists before his second term even began. He has since resigned following the controversy surrounding the embassy with Gay, but it shed light on a loophole that some people believe should be closed.
L.R. 61 led to a debate in the senate after it was proposed, but ultimately it passed with eleven senators voting in favor while six voted against. A party-by-party vote breakdown is shown below. Political Deceit Act (PDA) L.R. 061 - PASSED Activist caucus: 5 ayes, 1 nay, 1 abstain Constructive caucus: 4 ayes, 1 nay Liberal Democrat caucus: 1 aye, 3 nays Other(s): 1 aye, 1 nay, 1 abstain Total: 11 ayes, 6 nays, 3 abstains Associate Justice Dertas gave the High Court's majority opinion, with Associate Justices Engium and Sozland concurring. His explanation was "The government isn't impeding your right to align with a party, the law just states that if you change parties while in office you must either abdicate or stand for election." Chief Justice Kyro and Associate Justice Katarial comprised the dissenters. NEW WESTERN ATLANTIC - Leader of the Liberal Democratic senate caucus, Bergonnia, has axed the coalition between his party and the Activists. This comes after Communications Minister Silver Eagles sent a regionwide telegram that contained evident partisanship by targeting the Liberal Democratic party and condemned Thornian along with two others by name; understandably, the Liberal Democrats went to the message board to voice their opposition to the new Communications Minister. Several Activists and Constructivists also lined up to oppose the Minister's actions; most notably Nydaymos and Calponia. Activist Senator Nydaymos later motioned to remove Engium from the High Court due to his decision to reject hearing two of the four lodged cases against Silver Eagles, claiming he did not have the ability to assume the position of interim Chief Justice. Engium responded to Nydaymos by explaining that he is the senior-most sitting Associate Justice on the High Court, and that it is justified for him to temporarily assume the position as the head of the Judiciary. Bergonnia and Nydaymos refused to concede however as they went through with proposing the expulsion of Engium from the High Court; this has essentially pitted the Senate and the Judiciary against each other. Leader of the Liberal Democrats senate caucus, Bergonnia, made a public post criticizing the Activists for their apparent lack of action and underwhelming condemnation against Silver Eagle's telegram. Activist Chairman Hevern gave a searing response to Bergonnia's announcement stating "Deputy Chairman Bergonnia seems to lack the ability to read, if he'd look in the High Court then he'd see that the Activist-controlled Justice Ministry was prosecuting the Communication Minister's telegram." |
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February 2019
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