Selucia

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Agrippa Trebellius wins his third consecutive elections
September 5398


Since the restoration of the Republic by the Aliī Populī, led by Agrippa Trebellius Simo, there have been already three elections. Each of them won by Agrippa Trebellius himself. The last election, in September 5398, was won with more difficulties than the other ones. Ever since Agrippa has been governing, the world - and Majatra - has been turning more unstable and complicated to deal with. Some have already been asking Agrippa to improve relations with other nations, especially Majatran ones, by joining the MSCO and holding private and public meetings with other political leaders all around the world. However, Agrippa has been reluctant to do so, in a situation he deems as "unstable and dangerous for the Selucian nation". This has also led to several criticisms, particularly by the Prōconsul and main opposition, Aulus Papirius Frugius. Aulus argues that, ever since Agrippa won the first elections, no real reform has been done to the nation, which is in deep need of change and reform. Additionally, the fact Agrippa has been winning so many elections has called the attention of many people scared of returning to a monarchy, arguing that Agrippa might be sabotaging the elections to rule forever.

Several members of the Senate have started to show disappointment at Agrippa and publicly hold speeches calling him to resign, including Aulus himself, who has said multiple times that "the nation is thankful for Agrippa having led us to a Republic, but that does not mean we are thankful for how he's managing the Republic". Agrippa, meanwhile, dedicated a few comments to these criticisms saying that he is "preparing to bring the change the Republic needs, but that might take decades and we have to be patient and acknowledge the difficulty of the situation in Selucia". Moreover, he said that everyone is free to present themselves as candidates and challenge him if they think they can do better for Selucia - which has actually caused several members of the Senate to present themselves as candidates for the Consulship of 5401.

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Selucia in political and economical crisis, experts warn
November 5399


The recent cut of Kafuri gas and oil exports in Majatra has alerted many Selucians, as their economy heavily relies on foreign exports. The event is occurring during the restoration of the Republic, which is still under development according to the Cōnsul Agrippa Trebellius. This has only served to increase the political turmoil in a nation that desperately craves change and progress. Over the past year, prices of electricity have been getting excessively high according to economists, which is developing into a general inflation throughout the nation. Agrippa Trebellius, however, refuses to listen to advice and criticisms and seems reluctant to condemn Kafuristan and join the MSCO, fearing that it could worsen the situation of Selucia. Members of the Senate are starting to organise in opposition to Agrippa Trebellius with the hope of electing someone new in the upcoming 5401 elections, most likely the Prōconsul Aulus Papirius. The people on the streets, meanwhile, are becoming increasingly tired of the way politics are handled, arguing things were better off under the old regime.

Due to the nation's instability, the apparent lack of proper police and military, and the impending crisis, criminal activity has increased, especially with lootings and small-scale theft. Additionally, there have been several protests and strikes in Assedo, with frequent attacks on property and public officials in the Forum Hobraziae. Religious groups have condemned this attack on such a sacred city, reminiscent of the times of Selucian glory. Armed gangs have been spotted in several cities, although they do not appear to be organised and connected to each other. The Cōnsul has been pressured to do something immediately about this before the situation escalates.

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The three candidates for the upcoming election hold speeches throughout the nation
May 5400


With the fourth election since the restoration of the Republic happening next year, the three main candidates for Consulship have started making speeches throughout the nation to convince the population to vote for them. The main three candidates are the Cōnsul Agrippa Trebellius Simo, the Prōconsul Aulus Papirius Frugius, and the Minister of Education and Culture Caelus Cluilius Thrasea. Agrippa Trebellius decided to hold his speech in the Senate soon after announcing his plan to restrict gun ownership (previously free without restriction for any adult) in order to stabilise the nation and avoid the situation escalating further. Aulus Papirius decided to hold the speech in the capital, Auroria. And finally, Caelus Cluilius held the speech in Argona, a place of great importance due to being the "birthplace of the old Republic".

Agrippa Trebellius' speech

The first speech was done in the Selucian Senate by Agrippa Trebellius soon after introducing the law to restrict gun ownership. Agrippa is known for having led the revolution to restore the Republic and having won all three elections since then. He supports the modernisation of the nation of Selucia to align its values and traditions with the rest of the world, as well as advocating for liberal democracy and gradual, slow reform. He's seen as a very moderate candidate.

Senate and People of Selucia, I have brought the republic back to our nation, I have done away with the old corrupt elite, and slowly, ever since I have been governing, Selucia has been becoming more and more competent, even if it's a slow process and difficult to notice sometimes. Many have criticised me for not having done much since I got the Consulship for the first time, thinking I am trying to keep it for myself only with no intention of improving the nation. The truth is, if that was the case, I would not have restored the republic but seized the throne for myself, I would not have risked my life for the cause of not just I, but all of us, and I would not be here doing all I can to save Selucia from chaos. But you have to understand that, whatever positive change you want me to bring to our nation must be done with caution and slowly, because our nation is fragile right now. The recent crisis in Majatra has put us in an even weaker position, and we are not to do radical and eager reforms, naively believing we will get away with it successfully. If Selucia wants to be strong and remain stable, we have to adapt to the rest of the world. We are not in the Imperial times anymore, and we will do better to understand that. So, I pray for you to understand my position and continue voting for me for the next Consulship.

Being done in the Senate, currently very divided, the speech did not meet much support and applauds, with many of whom supported the other candidates refusing to accept the words of the Cōnsul. In fact, due to the last sentences spoken by Agrippa, Caelus Cluilius decided to leave the Senate earlier to avoid listening to him any further.

Aulus Papirius' speech

The Prōconsul Aulus Papirius, who has been competing for Consulship with Agrippa since the restoration of the republic, and a loyal ally of his until the recent events in Majatra, decided to hold a speech in the capital city, Auroria, as an answer to Agrippa's speech. Aulus Papirius does not propose something much different from what Agrippa wants, although he seems to be more progressive and craving for immediate reform. He's also not fully convinced by the idea of modernisation, suggesting a sort of hybridisation between ancient and modern values.

People of Selucia, as you may very well know, I have always been the Cōnsul's second hand in everything. I have always supported his cause and Consulship. But not this time. We have enough reasons to doubt his intentions. In 7 years of a democratic republic, do you want to hear how many laws we have made? One. And I'm referring to the gun ownership restriction law that Agrippa has recently proposed, which has not yet even passed. Yet still, we have to naively assume that Agrippa is bringing, eventually, reform to our nation? Are we to blindly trust his words? But if only that was his only issue! He also proposes to align our values with those of the rest of the world, clearly abandoning the Selucian values and traditions that are recognised and valued by people all over the world, and that we adore more than any other. It is, plainly put, ending the Selucian nation. While I disagree with this, it is true that in some things we must align ourselves with the rest of the world, particularly more developed nations, as it would surely benefit us. Which will come with costs, for sure - but our culture, what defines us, must never be abandoned. It's time for our nation to shine brightly, more than ever before, without plunging into chaos and destruction, tyranny and corruption. It's time for reform, now or never. So I ask for your vote next year, or our nation will be done for.

The speech of Aulus ended with a lot of applause from the people in the streets assisting to his speech, many waving Selucian flags. The people are starting to see Aulus as a more serious and reliable candidate than before, probably due to his sudden opposition to Agrippa almost overnight.

Caelus Cluilius' speech

The Minister of Education and Culture Caelus Cluilius held his speech in Argona, hoping to attract the conservative Republican sector of the population. He is the only one who proposes something entirely different from the other two candidates, likely being unable to find a compromise at all with them. Caelus is a religious man who joined Agrippa's revolutionary group, thus earning him a position in the government. However, he has never been very supportive of Agrippa's dream. Caelus is fairly conservative and traditional, wanting to keep the Selucian culture and doing away with any sort of foreign intrusion on the Selucian culture. Not just that, he completely opposes the modernisation plan, arguing that, instead, Selucia must go back to the old values, following a similar reasoning to Aulus. As a consequence, he proposes a traditional system of republicanism, like that of ancient times, where a Cōnsul cannot be elected more than two times nor do consecutive terms, thus allowing more people into Consulship.

Modern Selucians, and old Selucians, it is a pity that I have to start my speech making such a distinction, but you have nothing to worry about because if you continue voting for Agrippa or Aulus, there will be no "Selucians" anymore to talk about! How is it that we do away with a corrupt monarchy and the first thing you do is also get rid of the Selucian nation? And how is it that Selucians, my beloved Selucians, vote for such traitors to our culture? I am deeply sad by this news, by everything that's been happening the last 7 years. I see, year after year, how my culture is disappearing. And it's my own fellow Selucians who are destroying it! Do not be fooled by those traitors, Selucia must stay strong. Our culture has had a lot of impact in the past, and if we work together, we can make it glorious again, like the old days. We should not abandon, by "modernising", our culture. And we should not change it in any way. Our culture is sacred, and the current Republic, while better than tyranny, is far from perfect, being ruled by incompetent traitors who manipulate its population! Do you want to know what we must do? Get rid of Agrippa already! Letting him govern us for three consecutive years is not much distinct from tyranny, even if we delude ourselves into thinking it's fine because the people are voting for him! We should reform the Republic into what it once was, free from tyranny, and a beacon of our precious culture. I hope the Selucian people are with me before it's too late.

The speech was seen with a lot of applause and support, as Caelus' charming and populist appeal to the conservative population was very effective. Not just that, many people throughout Selucia were endeared by his speech. However, it's still unclear whether Caelus could even compete with the other two candidates in the next elections.

[TRA]

Beiteynu
Hadayim meets with IVO to establish Vamaj supply network - August 5400

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Aulus Papirius wins Consulship elections of 5401
November 5401


Aulus Papirius Frugius has won the recent elections of September 5401 and has become the new Cōnsul of Selucia, as well as the second person to win elections in 8 years.Aulus Papirius got 57.23% of the votes, followed by Agrippa Trebellius with a 32.43% of votes, and Caelus Cluilius with a 10.34. Aulus seemed to be the most likely to win, due to him presenting a middle point between the other two candidates: a mild modernisation without abandoning the values and traditions of the Selucian people, immediate reform, and the possibility of getting closer to other nations, particularly those in Majatra. Meanwhile, Agrippa Trebellius will remain as Prōconsul.

As for why Agrippa managed to continue getting so many votes, experts claim it's largely been caused by the recent events since the speeches done a year ago, in which under the Consulship of Agrippa, two treaties were signed: one from Badara that granted temporal oil and gas, and the Vamaj Oil & Gas Distribution Framework Agreement, accepting oil and gas coming from Vascania and that some other Majatran nations have been ratifying. Together with passing a law limiting gun ownership, which seemed to control the situation from escalating further, Agrippa gained the trust of some more voters still. However, clearly not enough from the results of the elections: people seem to want more change and see a fresh new frace leading the changes.

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Caelus Cluilius accused by the Senate of treason and organising an attempt against the State
July 5406


Having passed a number of reforms that somewhat liberalised the nation, Aulus Papirius gained support from the people and went on to win the September 5404 elections, marking his second consecutive term in office. However, Cluilius and his supporters, referred to by the rest of the Senate as the "Regressīvī", appear to be still unhappy with the status quo and the way Aulus, and previously Agrippa, have been managing the nation. Since Agrippa restricted gun ownership, there have been significantly fewer armed conflicts. That said, the Senate continues to fear another revolution or coup.

After peacefully leaving the country to an unidentified location, Mānia Cassia Aquilīna, the previously Imperātrīx, is likely still supported by many people. Many senators have expressed mistrust towards Cluilius and his intentions due to the Regressīvī's call for the dissolution of the status quo and a return to historical values, even though they haven't provided many details. This leads them to believe that Cluilius may be planning to bring back the Imperātrīx. For his part, Cluilius stated that he is a republican who only wants to bring back the original republican values rather than modernizing and destroying the traditions of the Selucian culture and making it more like those of other nations that he considers to be "overall unimportant and irrelevant" and "clearly inferior" to the Selucian culture, but that we are leading Selucia to that same path.

The senators who back Aulus have become very angry over this, and as revenge for being called Regressīvī, Cluilius' followers have started calling them "Modernī". In the Senate, tensions are starting to arise between these two factions. The largest group so far, the Modernī, have acted quickly to harm the Regressīvī and their image, accusing Cluilius of betraying Selucia and the republican cause by speaking out against it, plotting against it, and even taking part in a covert effort to overthrow it. Although definitive evidence hasn't been released yet, Cluilius has been spotted having secret meetings with shady organizations. He has defended himself by claiming that he is free to hang out with whichever group of people he wants and that there shouldn't be any reason for accusing him of anything as long as there isn't any proof of him breaking the law or acting in an inappropriate way. A minor altercation broke out between two senators from each group as a result of the Modernī's accusations, and Ludo Scapula, the Modernī senator, was taken to the hospital with somewhat serious wounds. Demetrius Calussa, the Regressīvī senator in question, has been detained and will be tried soon; however, there is no chance of victory for him. The two groups are currently spreading propaganda about the other group while its leaders work to maintain calm and prevent things from getting worse.

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Caelus Cluilius murdered in front of the Selucian Senate
August 5406


A month after the Modernī accused him of conspiring against the republic, causing tensions and disputes between the Modernī and the Regressīvī that resulted in the hospitalisation of one Senator and the detention of another, Cluilius, one of the leading contenders for the Consulship and the main representative of the Regressīvī, was assassinated in public directly in front of the Selucian Senate, which was reformed as part of the Modernī modernisation plan. Cluilius had gone to the Senate to discuss the issues of the previous month in a private meeting with the Cōnsul Aulus Papirius. However, as he was leaving, two men who were waiting for him to exit suddenly raised their guns and began firing at Cluilius from a distance. Two of the bullets struck him, one in the shoulder and the other in the chest. He then fell down the stairs and struck his head, which is most likely what killed him. Despite not suffering any serious injuries, the two senators who trailed him were also shot and are currently receiving medical attention. The assassins drove off from the scene shortly after they shot him down.

However, the cameras installed at the Senate entrance have allowed the police to identify these two men. The parents of these two Florentian revolutionaries, Velius Nasica and Leontinus Mancinus, had previously fought for the Aliī Populī during the republican revolution of 5371. Fearing that the Regressīvī would do away with the achievements of their parents, they took action to end the life of their main representative. The police have already caught them, and they are currently on trial for their actions. They appeared to accept their fate and consider themselves guilty from the start, although adding that they "do not regret what they did" and that "in the future, you will thank us for what we have done."

This has left the Senate in a bad situation. Aulus has delivered a speech both in praise of Cluilius and denouncing the assassins' actions. "We may not have been friends, and we were indeed political enemies. Just the day of his assassination, we had met to discuss what to do to stop the conflict from escalating. We did not want to see Selucia rot in chaos and destruction, we did not want to see our people fighting each other. Thus, I have to condemn the actions of the assassins, and thank them only for the fact that, if things get worse from now on, they'll be remembered for bringing us that doom." As a result, the Senate has introduced a law to completely ban gun ownership unless professionally required. Tensions between the two factions are rising as a result of the Regressīvī's accusations that the Modernī are terrorists who "threaten the republic they supposedly want to protect so much". Accius Acidinus Bonus will be replacing Cluilius as Minister of Education and Culture.

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The Senators discuss over what to do as violence and conflict escalates further
October 5406


Some months after the assassination of Caelus Cluilius, the main representative of the Regressīvī, carried out by two men called Velius Nasica and Leontinus Mancinus, who have already been jailed and will face 20 years of prison each, the conflict between the Regressīvī and the Modernī has only increased. There have been a few fights in several cities: historical cities that have been of importance to Selucia's history and glory tend to be siding with the Regressīvī, not wanting to see their reputation go away, while other cities, especially poorer ones, seem to be siding with the Modernī. But in many cities the situation has been peaceful thus far, with only conflict arising in some, mainly in Auroria, Florentia, and Argona. The police has been working to stop violence in the streets as well as the resurgance of armed groups, but in the next months we will likely see more protests, strikes and revolts against each other.

The Senate has decided to hold their first meeting after the reform of the Senate building, which is meant to look like a hybrid modern-ancient Selucian culture. The Senators have decided to come up with a solution, but some Senators have been rather uncooperative, particularly the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Titus Vipstanus Habitus, siding with the Modernī only as a temporal measure, and Primus Sylla Fulvianus, a radical Regressīvī. Titus seems to believe in the importance of getting closer to the foreign, developed world, and recognises the need for modernisation, but he still believes the modernisation of culture and its hybridisation is going too far - despite this, he heavily disagrees with the Regressīvī, thinking they're radicals who want to install a dictatorship or some other form of authoritarian government, justified by their appeal to tradition.

According to Titus, modernisation is democracy, but not abandoning Selucian culture. Yet still, he will support the Modernī against the Regressīvī, even if only temporally. Meanwhile, Sylla has answered back by condemning every single Modernī, calling them traitors and that "such traitors should never be allowed to touch the Senate, which has never been for poor barbarians who, predictably, just want to do our way with everything being Selucian means to us." This has only served to spark up more conflicts, and in fact Sylla has called out the masses to "speak and act out against the status quo that is threatening the Selucian nation and slowly turning it into an inferior state despite how glorious it could be." Sylla was asked to leave the Senate during the meeting, and peacefully accepted the request, but pointing out the hypocrisy of trying to censor and block his opinions in a so-called "democracy". Aulus has intervened to say that if he doesn't manage to fix the current conflict, he will resign if necessary and hold extraordinary elections for the sake of doing a good action before his parting, and thus the meeting resumed with applauses from both sides.

As they were leaving the room, some Senators were attacked by some citizens, without leaving any serious injuries. The citizens had their faces covered and did not intend to kill anyone, but likely simply cause fear and give a message. We cannot tell what the specific purpose was, as both Regressīvī and Modernī got attacked. Meanwhile, Sylla was waiting for the Senators to leave and then had a conversation with some of them outdoors, convincing some of them of his arguments, and arguing with some others. Sylla seems to have become the new public representative of the Regressīvī, succeeding Cluilius, although seemingly being more radical than him.

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The Cōnsul hospitalised after being attacked
December 5407


After winning his third election in September, Aulus has been in power for six years, albeit with less support every day: Aulus received 57.23% of the vote to win the Consulship, while Sylla received a 42.77% of votes, becoming the Prōconsul. Agrippa ended up retiring from politics and the public eye due to the results of these elections and the escalating conflict. Tensions between the Modernī and the Regressīvī, however, have increased due to the somewhat close results between the two candidates. So much that, in the Forum Aureum of Auroria, three months after the elections, Aulus and his bodyguards were shot by an armed group. They were taken to the hospital after the police and ambulance were contacted right away by the citizens in the area.

While the other bodyguard is only mildly hurt and will recover, one of them died. Aulus, on the other hand, was shot in the chest and was in even worse condition, but he is still alive for now. The five men who are suspected of being behind this have not yet been caught, and the police have no leads as to who they could be. However, it is speculated that the Regressīvī are seeking revenge on the Modernī for the assassination of their representative a year ago, Caelus Cluilius. It looks like this will likely turn into a larger conflict given the ban on gun ownership, failed attempts to communicate with the Regressīvī, and the radicalisation of their representative, Sylla.

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Aulus Papirius dies; the Regressīvī stage a coup
January 5408


After being hospitalised due to an armed group attack, the Cōnsul Aulus Papirius Frugius passed away from his wounds a month later. Now, the original representatives of both factions, the Modernī and the Regressīvī, are dead. Since Aulus passed away and Agrippa had recently retired after the last elections, there isn't a new candidate other than Sylla. Given the recent events and the extreme radicalisation of the Regressīvī, the Modernī are hesitant to present a new candidate. The Regressīvī have taken advantage of this political gap, and Sylla mobilised forces to take control of the Senate and appoint himself as Cōnsul under a provisional dictatorship until the situation is resolved.

So far, no senator has been executed; instead, the most open and loud ones have been kicked and some have even been imprisoned for their actions. The Modernī faction appears to be falling apart due to a lack of leadership and a reluctance to publicly oppose Sylla's coup. A few days later, Sylla organises a special celebration for his Consulship, declaring that "we will not allow the Modernī to continue destroying our nation and culture, so this is a new era for Selucia, or I should say old. Consequently, I announce the end of Selucia's hybridization as my first law as Cōnsul and temporal dictator: the days of trying to reject our traditions, values, and culture are long gone! And for that reason, I'm dressing with traditional Selucian clothes as proof, and I invite everyone to do the same from now on."

That being said, he has taken care to stress and reiterate that the Regressīvī seek to restore the ancient Selucian values rather than overthrow the Republic and impose a monarchy. The Senate will carry on as usual, the dictatorship is merely a temporary solution that will only serve for critical situations, and the Modernī will lose their political rights. Though it was predictable that something similar would happen at some point, there is little chance that they will actually repress the Modernī much: the two factions are merely figurative groups lacking any true structure and are hardly organised. Instead of "joining" the Modernī, you become one because you share their representative's views and ideas, similar to ideologies. This means that the only people who will experience repression are those who publicly express their opinions and who also happen to be Modernī sympathisers. That being said, it's unclear and unpredictable whether or not Sylla's can be trusted. Due to a lack of other candidates, Accius Acidinus Bonus, who succeeded Cluilius as Minister of Education and Culture, was appointed Prōconsul.