Deltaria

[jamescfm]

Solidarity support the government's emergency measures but remain critical of foreign policy
          28 May 4852

Čachtice, Darali: Catalina Urzica, the foreign affairs spokesperson for Solidarity, has escalated the party's criticism of the government's approach to foreign policy issues as the country continues to grapple with last month's terrorist attack in the capital. Despite offering conditional support for the emergency measures proposed by the government, including an increase in defence spending, Urzica emphasised that the government had placed Deltarian lives at risk through their "neo-imperial adventurism".

In a short public address this morning, Urzica told journalists that "in international affairs, nations reap what they sow" and that the hawkish foreign policy of successive Liberal Conservative governments had increased the risk of attacks against the country. In spite of the rhetoric, she re-affirmed the party's strong support for ensuring that Deltaria can defend its borders and project influence abroad but emphasised that this should be "in support of the sovereignty of states and the rights of all peoples".

The remarks come as Solidarity look ahead to next year's federal elections in which they will attempt to defeat incumbent president Zikmund Zukal. In the last election Zukal won a comfortable victory in part thanks to the support of the popular retiring Matěj Petr. Since then his party has faced a number of challenges that have led many in the opposition to consider that they may be on the brink of a breakthrough moment at the national level.

Earlier this year the Liberal Conservatives signalled they would support a Solidarity bill that eliminated taxation on religious organisations. Within the party many have celebrated the decision as a sign that the government has lost its nerve and may be worried about the chances of Solidarity winning a legislative majority next November. At the moment it is not clear who will be selected as the party's presidential candidate and several figures are reported to be considering standing in the primary election scheduled for early next year.

[NuclearGandhi69]

viewtopic.php?f=17&t=66&p=166316#p166316

[Rogue]

OOC Source: Pinterest

Liore: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that Deltaria has received permission from Liore authorities to send a task force consisting of special forces units and several air wings to the Dovani nation. This taskforce, led by special army command, will be tasked with locating and destroying DLO cells, which are concentrated in the border region between Liore and Mina. They will get further assistance from military and foreign intelligence agencies from Deltaria, Badara and Istalia to locate these cells. According to earlier statements by the foreign office in the MSO general assembly the DLO has several strongholds in Liore and most of its operational leadership is likely residing there. This prompted the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to put in a formal request with Liore to send Deltarian military and intelligence elements to Liore and cooperatively take on these cells. Liore has thus agreed to the task force being send there despite experts pointing out the volatile role of Liore with the DLO and other pan-dovani organizations. The Liore government itself has repeatedly advocated for pan-dovani goals to be furthered in the past and some experts even accuse Liore of aiding the DLO on several occasions. Despite this complicated situation President Zukal approved of the operation which is now being named "Operation Striking Defeat".

This operation, targetted at those that killed hundreds of Deltarians and several Istalians, will bring an end to the DLO as a organization and make sure that justice is served. Together with out Majatran allies we have come up with a comprehensive plan of dealing with these terrorist cells and thanks to Liore its cooperation we can begin to strike back at those that have been striking at us. Let me be clear. Deltaria is now in a total war with terrorism. We will not rest till the last perpetrator of the attack on Cahtice is apprehended or killed and we will aid every nation that combats terrorism. Terror is not acceptable and we must always stand firm against those that want to harm us.

said president Zukal.

While ZNZS units have already begun scouting missions as part of operation striking defeat the SUVO, Deltaria's internal security and intelligence agency, has performed a series of raids accross the country targetted at suspected terrorist cells. A report from the Ministry of Internal Affairs suggests that around 60 people have been arrested in the raids with millions in cash and hundreds of weapons confiscated. The SUVO has stepped up monitoring operations as well, keeping track of internet searches and other "suspicious activity". Human rights activists have carefully condemned these methods, citing possible lines being crossed and the possibility for judicial overreach. The Ministry of Internal Affairs has stated that "everything our agencies do to combat terrorist activity is done within the scopes of the constitution and the law". The Federal Police has also stepped up activity, routinely checking up on known criminals to see if they supply goods to terrorist cells as well as stepping up car stops in an effort to better monitor possible movements by car.

[Rogue]

OOC Source: The Independent

Cahtice: As the situation surrounding the terrorist attack on Cahtice unfolds the historical ruling party of Deltaria, the Liberal Conservatives, have adopted the new name of "Union for Democracy" to "better represent our big-tent nature". The name change, adopted by a majority of party members in a online vote, marks the second name change of the party in its long and succesfull history. The party started out as the Conservative Democratic Union or KDU. The KDU, though less succesfull at the start, became the dominant ruling party in Deltaria within several years, tapping into its hosian, rural and middle class base for the first time. After several electoral defeats later in its existence the KDU reformed into the Liberal Conservatives, staying true to its conservative ideals but removing some of its hosian aspects. The Liberal Conservatives have now existed for 20 years, rulling during almost its entire tenure as a party. But dissent and division in the party is growing. While the Petrist wing of the party (named after former president Matej Petr) still holds onto the leadership over the party this position is being threatened by a influx of new, young and ambitious party members. The Pragmatic wing of the party, more moderate then the rather conservative petrists, have been growing in strength and are noa actively threatening Petrist principles. This rumbling within the party has caused polls with Solidarity to be getting closer and thus the Petrist wing led by president Zukal has, to turn the tide, now proposed yet another name change.

While this change will likely do little to determine the party its electoral succes it does show the uncertainty and conflict within the party. The moderate wing has now caused the petrist to agree to a name change that seemingly moves the party to the center. While polls are closing its unclear how next years election will play out, with Zukal gaining popularity due to his response against the terrorist attack in cahtice many polls seem conflicted about the future of the party and the country. Will the petrists hold on to power? Or will a possible solidarity victory cause the UPD Petrist faction to collapse?

In Doron Akigo it seems the collapse is already happening. Unsatisfied with the name change and the seemingly increased influence of the moderate faction within the party the Liberal Conservatives of Doron Akigo (LCDA) have officially split from the national party, keeping the Liberal Conservative name. The Doron Akigan branch of the party is perhaps the most conservative of all branches. Operating in the nominally independent Doron Akigan Republic it has stand firmly behind former president Petr and his successor Zukal. With its leadership now fearing a move to the center the branch has vouched to continue Petrist policies in Doron Akigo and has thus split from the national UPD. The LCDA is the second largest parliamentary group in the Doron Akigan People's Assembly with only the Doron Akigan Independence Party being bigger in terms of seats. They have been governing with the DAIP since last election and have passed a series of conservative small government reforms that have seen Doron Akigo become one of the most decentralized entities in the Federation. The UPD Chairman, Rudolf Moravec, has stated to be "dissapointed" with the LCDA split from the national umbrella but wishes its members, "great success in their goal to further the conservative ideals within Doron Akigo."

[Rogue]

OOC Source: Teller Report

Cahtice: Prime Minister Jan Mašek. For over 20 years he has been in his position, serving 2 presidents and playing a instrumental role in cabinet affairs. According to political analysts Mašek might be the most influential member of cabinet having a direct ear with the president. But who is Jan Mašek? How did he end up in his position and how did he manage to maintain his cabinet despite a power transition?

Jan Mašek started out as a financial director of the Cahtice City Bank. For years he spent his time managing finances before finally at the age of 32 he moved into politics, being elected a councilmen for the Cahtice city council. He maintained this position for 5 years, first as a independent but later as a member of the KDU. When he got the opportunity to serve as District manager of the Federal District of Cahtice he took it, being in charge of managing district finances and coordinating between the mayor and the regional government. By this point the KDU had reformed into the Liberal Conservatives, giving new opportunity to Mašek. He worked his way up the party through cleverly handling the district and making sure party ideals were maintained there. When Matej Petr was elected president he took his chances, reportedly directly requesting the position of Prime Minister with the promise of, "loyally serving the president, the party and the people". At this point he was seen as a capable manager. The Prime Ministers office is in charge of managing the cabinet and communicating the presidents wishes to the cabinet. In some countries this position is named the Chief of Staff. Other then that the Prime Minister also serves as second in command and performs tasks delegated to him by the president. Jan Mašek was picked by Petr to be his Premier just after getting elected. Mašek got to work, assembling a list of old Hosian Democrats and Rightist Conservatives within the party to serve in cabinet, uniting the new petrist wing with the old ruling hosian democrats. By doing so Mašek ensured the unity of the party and created a cohesive and strong executive.

During the petr era Mašek was in charge of the governments response to religious intolerance. Many accuse Mašek of being the architect for the Deltarian strikes against Kundrati though he himself has always stated it to be a presidential decision. During the 15 year rule of Petr, Mašek remained Prime Minister and kept the cabinet together until Petr finally decided not to run for a fourth term. After this decision Mašek was the one that brought up former assistant to Petr Zikmund Zukal as his possible successor, knowing that Zukal would continue Petrist policies and thus was likely to renominate him as Prime Minister. His plan worked, resulting in Zukal's election as president and Mašek continuing to be Prime minister.

Now Jan Mašek is seen as possibly the most influential voice within the government. Some even argue he determines policy and not president Zukal. Just like before Mašek has been put in charge of the security response to the terrorist attacks of several months ago, granting him an even bigger say in government. While Zukal has already announced he will run for a second term, Mašek has silently hinted at being interested in the position of president once Zukal is done himself. At the current age of 62 Mašek still has the ability to run for president. Furthermore Mašek is seen as a firm Petrist, which could hurt his chances for the presidency as the petrist movement is losing traction within the party apparatus. One thing is for sure. 20 years as Prime Minister have made Jan Mašek one of the most influential politicians in a generation.

[Rogue]

OOC Source: War on the Rocks

Liore: In a report aimed at President Zukal the State Directorate for Intelligence (SDI) has accused the finance minister of Liore Jahi Buhari of financially aiding the DLO with both financial means and information. The revalation came to light in the comprehensive intelligence mission set up by the SDI in an effort to find the leaders of the DLO and tap into their communication networks. Minister Buhari became a prevelant figure in the investigation, eventually leading to the SDI confirming a large financial string moving from the Liore treasury to DLO operatives. President Zukal, upon receiving the intelligence, immediately asked the ambassador to Liore to formally request the arrest of Buhari and his trial for war crimes. In a public statement following the news Zukal said, "a official minister from a valuable ally has breached the trust of the Deltarian people and put at risk the special relationship our two government have with eachother. He can be personally tried for war crimes as his acts have led to the eventual killing of 300 Deltarian and Istalian civilians."

Liore has yet to respond to the request or allegations and many wonder what may happen next. With Deltarian troops now actively working in Liore to find and destroy DLO cells a potential breach of trust could be a serious danger to Operation Striking Eagle. Furthermore the financial consequences for Liore could also be grave, with Deltaria investing billions into its economy annually through its aid program there is a potential for this financial revenue being cancelled if Liore refuses to apprehend their minister. The SDI on its turn is rumoured to be expanding its surveilance operations in Liore, now actively looking at other government officials and using Deltaria's detailed sattelites to get a better understanding of possible DLO hideouts.

In the meantime Deltarian special forces continue to pound into existing DLO strongholds. The Deltarian airforce has stationed several multirole fighters and bombers on Liore airstrips as a temporary measure to aid forces on the ground. The ZNZS has so far conducted 100 operations as part of the larger Operation Striking Eagle, reportedly capturing 4 villages from the DLO and destroying several of their camps with the help of Deltarian air support and Liore special forces. Its unclear where the DLO leadership is currently residing and the search for them continues, so far around 9 Deltarian soldiers, 44 Liore soldiers and a estimated 690 DLO operatives have been killed in the operation.

[jamescfm]

Marcel Caragiale selected as presidential candidate for Solidarity in surprise result
          1 May 4853

Čachtice, Darali: Opposition party Solidarity have announced the results of the internal party primary election to select their presidential election for the upcoming federal election in November. In a surprise result, party officials have selected the naturalist and environmental campaigner Marcel Caragiale. Despite having no prior connection to the party, Caragiale announced that he intended to stand in the election at the end of March.

One of the country's most well-known broadcasters and writers, Caragiale had received minimal endorsement from major party figures and was not expected to be a significant candidate in the election. Even so he had broad support from party members who valued his commitment to the causes of environmental justice and international cooperation and this seems to have been reflected in the election results with Caragiale winning a substantial 62% of the vote. In particular he seems to have performed well with local party officials over the senior party leadership.

Early polling shows that Caragiale is performing notably better than the perceived favourite going into the election Solidarity parliamentary leader Florin Adamache. Despite the positive signs the Solidarity candidate will have a difficult challenge as he attempts to displace incumbent President Zikmund Zukal. At his final campaign event before the results were announced Caragiale reaffirmed his political philosophy, saying "the people of Deltaria have been neglected in favour of the military-industrial complex and big business, our task is to take power away from the special interests and hand it back to ordinary working families".

[Rogue]

OOC Source: Bush Campaign

Cahtice: The ruling Union for Democracy, headed by current president Zikmund Zukal, is becoming increasingly worried about their prospects for the upcoming 4853 elections scheduled for next month. New polls indicate a close race between incumbent president Zukal and his Solidarity challenger Caragiale. Until a few months ago Zukal was riding on a wave of support following his actions in Liore against the DLO, the organization responsible for the Cahtice terror attack, but in the latest polls that support has been eviscerated and Caragiale has succesfully turned the conversation from the need for a strong leader to the need for structural social reform. The unemployment rate remains stagnant at 8%, economic growth is less then anticipated and a new report shows a increase in poverty and income inequality. These social and economic problems are a serious blow to Zukal and his UPD, who are seen as the main reason behind the worsening social situation in the country. Despite his popular actions in Liore Zukal is now only 1% ahead of Caragiale in some polls, polling at 50,5%. Several seats for the Federal Assembly previously solid for the UPD have now moved to a toss up margin, including the Darali seat of Assembly Majority leader Emil Mišalko who is seeing a strong challenge from young Solidarity candidate Klaudie Tomková. If the polls prove to be true the UPD might go from a constitutional majority in parliament to a roughly 50-50 split or even losing control of the Assembly all together.

As the chances of a continuation of the 20 year rule from the UPD seem to dwindle the pragmatic and moderate wing of the party, led by Bernard Kozár, is openly calling for a change in party doctrine and leadership, "Under petrist leadership our once big-tent center-right party has moved to the right wing fringes of the political spectrum. All aspects of social life are worsening and a continued focus on military prowess and power projection has left our people behind. Our party needs to return to the values that made it great and i urge my colleagues to rethink their support for the Petrist agenda. Its time for a change."

The tightening polls, social unrest and unrest from within the party itself make it increasingly more likely that Solidarity might pull off a major electoral victory, possibly their first electoral victory since the movement was founded.

[Rogue]

OOC Source: Slovakia

Cahtice: The Union for Democracy led by President Zukal has, in a suprising turn of events, defied expectations and maintained its majority in the Federal Assembly while President Zukal has won reelection with a comfortable margin. Polls seemed to suggest that Solidarity might take both the presidency and the Federal Assembly with a neck on neck race between the two parties. But, just like the election before, the polls proved to be wrong and Zukal was reelected president for his second turn winning with 38 million votes (69%). His party won 39 million votes (69%) and maintained a majority of 94 seats over Solidarity. Several key races of for example the majority leader in the assembly which polled in toss-up margins were won comfortably by the UPD with majority leader Mišalko winning his seat's reelection with 57% of the vote. The stunning wins have been yet another victory for the Petrist wing of the UPD, which had seen stiff opposition from within the party itself. Zukal, seen as a petrist himself, will now retain control over the party together with his Petrist majority.

The major upset was likely caused by yet another strong showing of the UPD with the middle class, which has remained loyal to the party despite a falling income, higher housing prices and a worsening economy. This loyalty is largely caused by the fear of a Solidarity government possibly worsening the middle class. The UPD, in several campaigns ad's fueled by the Petrist wing of the party, portrayed Solidarity as a socialist extreme left wing party determined to undermine the Deltarian economy, traditional values and principles as well as its domineering position globally. This "fear" for extremism tapped into by the UPD in this election has likely caused the traditional religious, middle class and upper class demographics to stay loyal to the UPD despite a increase in curiosity for the Solidarity program. While turnout amongst the poor, more solidarity leaning voters, has been higher then the previous election it was still on the low side (42%) meaning that a large demographic for Solidarity did not turn out to vote, likely because of the status quo that has kept people just above the poverty line preventing them from voting out of necessity or desperation. And while solidarity has shown its strongest result since its foundation the end result was one of underperforming and dissapointment.

Despite this big win for the UPD the rumblings and dissatisfaction within the party continues. The hostile and dividing nature of the campaign led by the petrists as well as the loss of ground in Dissuwan seats has given the Pragmatic wing of the party steam to continue their push for change. The Petrist wing has also proposed a large amount of conservative and right wing policies set to pass the assembly that is even alienating some of their hosian democratic allies, furthering the divide within the party. One party member who did not want to be identified stated that "Its civil war" within the UPD and that despite their election win, "their is a clear fight over the party its future direction and ideological drift." Some seem to speculate that the UPD might be experiencing a major transition away from the Petrist power bloc that has controlled it for over 20 years. President Zukal, despite saying its to early to speculate, is rumoured to not run for a third term due to unstable health, leaving the path for the UPD nomination wide open.

On another note Jan Mašek, 20 year long Prime Minister, has been renominated by Zukal to be his premier. This makes Mašek one of the longest serving members of a executive branch in a democratic nation on Terra, setting him on the path to serve as Prime Minister for a full 25 years.


Every seat of the Federal Assembly won in the last election. Solidarity has maintained their strong standing in the Blue Collar Belt while also winning a majority of seats in Dissuwa allowing them to govern with the Dissuwan Social League. This was the strongest showing of Solidarity since its founding.

[Rogue]

OOC Source: Wallstreet

Cahtice: The Deltarian economy is continuing to fall into a steady decline. A recent report from the Deltarian Office for Economic Management showed the growthrate in the negative for the first time in two decades. The growthrate sat at -0.5% compared to +1.9% last year. Furthermore the unemployment rate has increased to 9% and inflation is on the rise, currently sitting at 5% inflation. Social statistics also show a bleak picture. Earlier this year The Deltarian reported that poverty and other social factors were on the rise, this rise has continued. Around 9% of Deltarians now live below the poverty line, more then double from what it was two years ago. Income inequality has skyrocketted as well. Within just 5 years it has tripled with the top 1% in Deltaria now owning 23% of all wealth, still decent when compared to other countries but triple what it was from 3 years ago. Homelessness is also on the increase, thanks in part to rising housing prices.

Economists seem to be in agreement that all these factors combined are putting Deltaria on a collision course with the possibility for another major recession looming. The extreme worsening of Deltaria's social and economic climate are likely caused by government policy of the last 40 years, particularly of the last 20 years since petrism entered the political landscape. Under the petrist ideas, created through combining conservative and libertarian ideals, the government needs to play a very small role in society, delegating most tasks to lower governments as well as lowering taxes, deregulating the economy and enacting social laws that reaffirm conservative principles. These policies, fully enacted over the last 20 years, have caused Deltaria to become one of the most capitalist, deregulated economies in the world, the elimination of state regulatory institutions and the enacting of strict conservative law.

This intense deregulation, decentralization and lowering in taxes has resulted in a "Market that has stepped a line and decided that everything its possible, without limits." Companies started to only care about profit and rich individuals, due to low taxes and no regulations, have only become richer and in every sector the market has taken over. "In the housing sector the market has been increasing prices based on demand. There is social housing, but under the Petr and subsequent Zukal administrations even these programs have been handed over to private corporations. Its all about profits, which drives up prices and leads to a increase in homelessness and much more problems."

This hyper capitalism that has taken a hold thanks in part to government policy has now let to the downwards spiral of the Deltarian economy. Just like the major economic crisis that plagued Deltaria at the end of last century this new brewing crisis is developing to become a new and possibly more dangerous challenge then those before. With the Zukal administration still dedicated to their free market principles and conservative course many within his administration are now openly calling for austerity measures to stop the deficit from growing and hopefully halt the downwards spiral Deltaria now finds itself in. Economists seem to agree however that the only way to turn back the tide is to do what the Koleno administration did during the last major crisis, heavy government investment and a return to more moderate and balanced economic and social policies, something this administration and the current UPD party are clearly not planning to do.