Cildania

[jamescfm]

Guiliano Alagona’s plea to Cildanians: “vote for justice and order”
     13 March 5332

Ahead of early elections next month, former Prime Minister Guiliano Alagona has told Cildanians to “vote for justice and order”. At a party event in the capital, Alagona told a crowd of supporters that the country’s political instability was the result of “backroom deals and treachery”. In an unusually pointed remark, he accused Redentur Piscopo and People’s Choice of “pulling the rug” on the previous government.

Earlier this month, the governing coalition collapsed after criticism over their handling of anti-Yeudi violence. In the wake of the Sacred Follower Erial Synagogue terrorist attack, the government had proposed sending military personnel into sacred Yeudi religious sites across the country. Opposition politicians have condemned the measures as draconian. The controversy culminated in the resignation of Franġisku Namur as the leader of the Radical Labour Party.

The upcoming elections have the potential to define Cildania’s political destiny. As a result, the political atmosphere is heated. Guiliano Alagona has been active on the campaign trail alongside other senior figures in Alagona Faction. The former Prime Minister has made several appearances alongside Constitutionalist Party leader Sigismondo Falzon. The two men hope to demonstrate the stability offered by their political coalition the Alliance for Cildania.

L-ewwel24 is a television news channel and online news website owned and operated by the Alagona Group.

[ReformedEndralon]

Endralonian Prime Minister Visits Beiteynu and Announces Plan to Accept 500,000 Yeudi refugees from Cildania

[RadicalGeo]

Mattew Levanzin to become PLR leader in aftermath of disastrous election result


Mattew Levanzin (pictured) has been named as the party's new leader.

Qart Qildar, Cildania - In the aftermath of a crushing election defeat the 47 remaining PLR deputies have chosen Mattew Levanzin to serve as the party’s new leader. The party must now regain the faith of the electorate if it wishes to become the face of the Cildanian left once again.

The party had originally intended to hold a poll of its members to determine who they wished to serve as their next leader, however, Mr. Levanzin received the endorsement of 34 of his PLR colleagues in the Council. This prompted his nearest challenger, Edera Galdes-Bajada, to withdraw from the race. Galdes-Bajada has now been chosen to serve as the party’s next Deputy Leader, ensuring that the more moderate factions will retain a voice.

Mr. Levanzin, whilst not often critcising the leadership of Franġisku Namur , is known to be much further to the left on a range of issues than his predecessor. It is expected that under him the party could see a dramatic re-alignment compared to the policies it has followed in recent years as it looks to restore its popularity among voters.

In a speech at the party’s headquarters in Qart Qildar, Levanzin thanked his colleagues for their support and said that “our focus must now be on returning the Radical Labour Party firmly to the left, to become the leading voice for essential services to be ran for the people and not for profit, to create an economy where there are fair wages and a society where everyone is equal and poverty is wiped out”.

The PLR’s new leader also announced that the party would be setting up an internal inquiry into the disastrous election result and how it can look to improve dramatically going forward.

Il-Gazzetta Radikali is property of Grupp Gazzetta, a private limited company.

[TRA]

Beiteynu
May 5332 - Kohav begins preparations for the Yeudi Fleet

[TRA]

Beiteynu
May 5332 - "Our patience is running out", says Yishelem

[Pragma]

17 June 5332
Alec Benaglia dies after brief illness aged 77
The former Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister died at his home in Sur municipality, Aqildar.
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Alec Benaglia has died at the age of 77 at his secondary residence in the municipality of Sur, 20km from the capital. His death comes after a brief illness that appeared just before the election, which had caused him to stand down as a deputy and give his spot on One Flag's electoral list to another. Despite his advanced age, up until the last year Benaglia was known to be in good health. He was an active member of the Council of Deputies tennis club and had recently celebrated his 55th wedding anniversary to his wife Marija Benaglia. Mrs Benaglia released a statement confirming the news and saying that they had been 'madly in love' the whole five-and-a-half decades.

The former PM's death has shocked many close associates and led to a tributes from across the political spectrum. One Flag leader Margerita Giudice called him a 'great friend' and said he would be 'dearly missed'. Yan Despott, who worked alongside Benaglia for over a decade, said he was 'shocked' by Benaglia's death and asked supporters to pray for his family. One Flag has announced that a painting of Benaglia will be portrayed prominently at the party's headquarters as a mark of respect.

Benaglia was chosen as leader of an all-party coalition after the restoration of Cildania's democracy. He was the first PM in Cildania's modern multi-party democratic history. As Prime Minister, he oversaw rapid constitutional change including the end of the old monarchy and the instatement of Ġakbu Maria as Grand Prince. He was a stalwart against corruption and a former prosecutor who took down several organised crime bosses in southern Aqildar during the tumultuous period before democracy was restored. His feud with fellow One Flag founder Denzilee Depares culminated with the later's sacking as a minister. Other achievements under his premiership include the changing of the national flag, significant agriculture and ecological devolution, the Regulating Nobility Act of 5323, the reduction of the legislature to 300 seats, the creation of public radio and TV and the formal recognition of climate change by the government.

Benaglia's passing has also had an effect on the supposed 'B-innom' conspiracy theory, started by far-right conspiracist Lażżru Alessi, which postulates that Alec Benaglia was working from the inside of the Cildanian government to expose and combat Beiteynuese interference. Benaglia's passing, therefore, has caused shock and fury among its true believers who are now suggesting that Benaglia was poisoned. B-innom, short for 'Benaglia innominate', has attracted a small group of followers who believe Beiteynu pays the Order of Saint Sebastian to attack Yeudis so they can excuse a future Beiteynuese invasion of Cildania.
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Il Bandiera Indipendenti is a political and current affairs newspaper aligned with the One Flag movement in Cildania. It has a religious, conservative and pro-Hebilean editorial stance.

[Zanz]

In rural Cildania, continued military presence at synagogues, while controversial, finds advocates


Historic B'nai Achim synagogue in rural Kammum is home to a small minyan.

August 18, 5332 | In the remote highland valleys of southern Gilzon, the small city of Kammum is a relative center of diversity. Qildari, Hebilean, and Cildanian Yeudi coexist here in tense balance, with the latter group facing all the same troubles as their brethren in the bustling cities of the coast.

B'nai Achim, a small synagogue in Kammum, home to a congregation of 25 orthodox Cildanian Yeudis, has seen attendance drop nearly by half, and its members now worry theymay soon no longer be able to assemble a minyan at all.

It is not difficult to understand why: when Elija Galdes, a congregant, approaches the synagogue today, he still faces a sight that the newly re-empowered Alagona government officially forbid over a month ago - two armed military men still stand watch over the synagogue, citing authorization from the former Minister of Justice, Hosegħa Caxaro.

Though the sight is unexpected and perhaps disheartening to the eyes of those accustomed to the swift efficiency of government change on the coast, here, Galdes says, wheels turn slowly, and though it is widely understood that the military should not be actively patrolling anymore, there are advocates for the continuation of the patrols both within and without the small Yeudi community.

"Of course it is terrifying to walk past them, their guns..." Galdes explains, "Many of us won't risk it - we know these men, they are locals, they are boys who spat on us in school yards, who wave the red and black... But then again, they are often the ones who spat, rather than threw stones. These men have disdain for us, but they do prevent the elements who truly hate us from doing harm while we worship."

This complex relationship, where the protection of military men feels necessary to ensure the continued survival of the Cildanian Yeudi community, so much so that the direction of Qart Qildar is interpreted creatively and enforced only slowly is not unique to Kammum. Galdes says that he has heard of similar situations in nearby northern Aqildar principality, and, worse, of militias serving similar functions alongside explicit military presence elsewhere.

The Alagona government stated in a comment to the Ħarald tas-Sur that it was investigating claims of continued military presence outside of synagogues against orders, and that offenders would be tried in military court for insubordination.

The Ħarald tas-Sur is one of the oldest Cildanian newspapers, which nowadays lays its focus on investigative journalism. It usually remains politically neutral but has a history of writing for the upper middle class.

[TRA]

Beiteynu
Beimar Industries to provide Guarder trucks "at cost" to Cildanian Government

[Pragma]

1 February 5334
Giudice defends One Flag's new environmental policies
The former Defence minister has pushed the party in a more eco-conscious direction.
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In a post on her weekly blog, hosted on One Flag's website, party leader Margerita Giudice has defended her decision to pursue a more pro-environment position as part of One Flag's platform. Giudice noted that environmental degradation would be most severely felt in rural areas - central to the party's agrarian identity - and that damage to the environment would be damage to small-scale farmers and the sustainability of their business. The only current female political leader in Cildania, Giudice further noted that as a mother she wanted to leave a well-maintained and clean countryside for her children to inherit.

Her push for greater ecological focus within the party has been met with a warm response by the party's "Hosian democratic" wing, to which Giudice belongs, which sees stewardship of the environment as an important part of their faith. It has brought scepticism, however, from farmers in rural Kinaan and miners in northern Aheblun who worry about new regulations that could increase costs and damage their industries. All of these constituencies are vital to the One Flag movement's electoral successes, so balancing their interests can be seen as a major test of Giudice's leadership ability.

Giudice has been known as an advocate for the environment within the One Flag movement for as long as she has been an elected official, but since obtaining the leadership and especially since becoming leader of the opposition she has sought to implement her stance in a stark departure from her predecessors. Under the late Denzilee Depares and then later under Yan Despott, the party took a moderate - if slightly sceptical - approach to environmental concerns and advocated for localism as the solution. Though Giudice stresses that she still supports community-centred decision-making on ecological issues, where One Flag is represented in local government it will pursue a policy of preventing waste mismanagement and maintaining air quality. This could bring the party into conflict with some wealthy land-owners, though smaller-scale farmers especially from Hebilean backgrounds might not mind their larger competitors being challenged by One Flag's leader.
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Il Bandiera Indipendenti is a political and current affairs newspaper aligned with the One Flag movement in Cildania. It has a religious, conservative and pro-Hebilean editorial stance.

[jamescfm]

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Purple boots banned by San Mikiel Saints owner Guiliano Alagona
3 March 5334

Cildanian second division football team San Mikiel Saints have told players they will not be allowed to wear purple boots during training or matches. The new policy was devised by club owner Guiliano Alagona. Currently serving as the Prime Minister of Cildania, Alagona is known to be a superstitious person. Sour relations with Cildanian political party People's Choice, whose official colour is purple, have reportedly strengthened his view.

Although it might seem unusual, Alagona’s suspicion about the colour purple is not uncommon in Cildania. Historians are unclear on the origin of the superstition. According to one version of the story, it is linked to the colour’s association with royalty. The treachery of royal families is said to have led to an association between the colour and bad luck.

San Mikiel Saints are hoping to secure promotion to the Premier League this season after narrowly missing out last year. In the opening weeks of the season, the team has struggled to find form. Since purchasing the club four years ago, Alagona has invested significantly in the team. Nonetheless they have struggled to achieve on the pitch. During his tenure so far, Alagona has fired four different managers.