Cildania

[Pragma]

     Who is Lunzjata Bellia, the new Minister of the Interior?
     12 January 5350

     

Lunzjata Bellia, a little-known backbencher just under a decade ago, has become an increasingly present face in Cildanian politics. She has been described as a 'rising star' by Prime Minister Botrys Meilaq, who has appointed her to lead the Interior Ministry after four years as Minister of Defence. Bellia was made deputy leader of One Flag and was in contention to run for its governorship in 5344. At just 45, her status as a mainstay of the Cildanian cabinet has raised questions about her origins and experience, though it has also raised excitement among One Flag members who view her as a key part of the party's future.

A native of Kbira in Jilrit, Bellia was lauded as a 'charismatic new face' for Cildanian conservatism by former party boss Yan Despott upon her decision to run for national office. Her father is a property developer, and she was raised to be a devout Hosian, a faith that she says motivated her to enter politics. Joining One Flag shortly after the first modern democratic elections in 5321, she would quickly rise up the ranks to become leader of the party's student wing at the University of Kbira. Despite misgivings about her age, Bellia was selected as a candidate for the Council of Deputies in 5332 at the age of just 26. She was barely elected as the eighth of eight BW deputies from the principality.

"Patriotism and patriotism alone is all that a Minister needs to do a good job."

As an ardent member of the party's right flank, Bellia had an uneasy relationship with moderate former BW leader Margerita Giudice. Giudice did not give Bellia a position as a party spokesperson, despite encouragement from the party's Jilrit caucus and a number of senior conservative deputies. After Botrys Meilaq became One Flag leader following Giudice's death, Bellia quickly rose up the ranks as an olive branch to the party's more hard-line elements. Under the first Azzarà cabinet, she was appointed as a deputy minister responsible for the Kbira Military Academy - where her brother is a senior advisor. During the formation of the second Azzarà cabinet, she was unexpectedly nominated as Defence Minister. Commentators and opposition figures questioned her experience to lead such an important ministry. To this accusation, Bellia notoriously replied that "patriotism and patriotism alone is all that a Minister needs to do a good job". Her appointment to the Ministry of the Interior was less surprising given the spread of ministries in the Meilaq cabinet - though in the current climate of organised criminality, this job may be one of the most important responsibilities in the country. Bellia has promised to fight organised crime and put more police officers on the streets. She has also made 'depoliticising' policing a priority.

Bellia's politics have caused concern among environmentalists, advocates of religious freedom, and the LGBT community. She once described the legalisation of same-sex couple adoption as a 'grave mistake' and has questioned whether or not climate change is real. Bellia also whether atheists can be 'moral or loyal to our country' and called republicans 'cockroaches'. One BW member was suspended after describing Bellia as 'the female Denzilee Depares', a comment Bellia refuted - though she has also made comments defending the controversial former BW leader.

With BW's right-wing faction motivated by one of their own being in cabinet, Bellia's career trajectory could have influence on Cildanian politics for years to come. Though Botrys Meilaq has led the party to two good national results, he has also overseen the collapse of the iK alliance and is aligned increasingly with the liberal AgK. For conservatives concerned about the internal stability of the OtSB, the social libertarianism of the PK, or the leadership strife of the GtP, a Bellia-led One Flag could garner strength in conservative areas. The main downside would be Bellia's lack of connection to the Hebilean community, and any future leadership election would likely draw a bid from former Aheblun governor Balidir Tabatabal who has significant strength in that demographic. There is also the matter of Bellia's performance in her new portfolio, which looks difficult given the rise in political and gang-related attacks. Regardless, One Flag's internal dynamics and ideological future are far less clear-cut than they have been for many years.

     KKX is a Cildanian public service broadcaster based in Qart Qildar

[Drax]

TRADE AGREEMENT BETWEEN CILDANIA AND DELTARIA RATIFIED

viewtopic.php?f=17&t=4398&p=186286#p186286

[jamescfm]

Escaped tiger kills three people in Qart Qildar
     1 March 5350

Three people have been killed and another two people are injured after a tiger attacked multiple people on the outskirts of Qart Qildar. Local police had warned residents of the capital earlier this week that a tiger was believed to be loose in the city. The animal is believed to have escaped from the private residence of arms dealer Ġużepp Schiavone-Cordina. Police confirmed that the tiger has been destroyed.

Regulation of animal welfare and ownership is devolved to the principalities in Cildania. In the principality of Aqildar, there are no regulations governing the ownership of wild animals. As a result, exotic animals have become a common status symbol among the city’s wealthiest residents. Tigers are among the most desirable. The difficulty in obtaining them has made ownership a status symbol for many. Demand for the animals as exotic pets has created a black market internationally.

Local residents have already begun to demand justice for the deaths and injuries caused by the animal. Police did not comment when asked whether they planned to take action against Schiavone-Cordina for allowing the animal to escape. Despite the lack of regulation, it is possible that he could be charged for failing to keep control of the animal. Schiavone-Cordina did not respond to a request for a comment.

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

[Reximus]

Ilħna | "Voices"
"Your Source for Cildanian News"


Nunzio Piscopo Ousted as People's Choice Leader; Claire Tortell Takes the Helm
March 5350


Claire Tortell, former two-term Governor of Jilrit, is the new leader of GtP

ĦASRIJA -- The ratification of a treaty with Beiteynu against People's Choice objections. The dissolution of The Community electoral alliance. The failure to pass the International Disentanglement Act. The abysmal electoral results for GtP in 5349. Being shut out of cabinet formation negotiations. These factors all contributed to a sense of tension at the national headquarters of People's Choice in Qart Qildar soon after the election results came in. A bout of finger-pointing neglected the fact that the entire party, in many ways, was to blame for its terrible electoral outcome.

In fact, the 5349 elections were the worst on record for People's Choice since it contested its first election under the late Redentur Piscopo in 5326. So poor were the election results that Nunzio and his brother, Xand Piscopo, the two sons of Redentur, were the only two elected GtP Deputies from Aqildar, the capital region.

Għażla tal-Poplu Results by Region: 5344 -> 5349
JILRIT: 15 -> 11 (-4)
KINAAN: 4 -> 5 (+1)
AQILDAR: 4 -> 2 (-2)
GILZON: 4 -> 1 (-3)
AHEBLUN: 3 -> 4 (+1)

GtP's electoral beating was worst in Jilrit, its former stronghold where former two-term Governor Claire Tortell announced that she was running for the Council of Deputies. In the eyes of many observers, this was a political necessity for Tortell after it became clear that the iK electoral alliance was dead. It was a tacit concession that Jilrit would no longer be under GtP leadership, and the party took a hit in that province because of that perception. Nonetheless, Tortell wound up elected to the Council - as did Marco Pisanti, a Tortell loyalist who had proven himself a thorn in the side of Nunzio Piscopo.

Soon after the election, Pisanti and a handful of deputies from Jilrit and Kinaan presented an intra-party motion of no confidence in the leadership of Nunzio Piscopo. Piscopo's allies (who controlled the party secretariat) refused to act on the motion and Pisanti brought his own party to civil court. The case was dismissed given a clause in the GtP bylaws which required intra-party arbitration prior to any legal action. The arbitration panel appeared to be narrowly stacked with Piscopo loyalists, but the sudden heart attack and death of former minister Sebastjan Pellicano shifted the balance of the panel, and the leadership challenge against Nunzio Piscopo was allowed to go forward on a narrow vote.

Now testing the provision for removal and replacement of a party leader for the first time, the provisions written in the party bylaws became extremely important. The parliamentary party is empowered to remove its leader, but the replacement powers lay with registered GtP voters from the prior election. By a vote of 18 to 5, Nunzio Piscopo was officially ousted as GtP leader, but he insisted that he would fight for reinstatement at the next leadership election.

He was challenged by Claire Tortell who, while voting for removal, had maintained a sense of relatively high ground as compared to the fickle and temperamental reactions by Piscopo. Indeed, many keen observers pointed to Marco Pisanti as doing the dirty work for Tortell. The total electoral pool was 1,405,770, of whom approximately 1.1 million were registered as voting for GtP in advance of the election and were sent a mail ballot for the leadership contest.

Għażla tal-Poplu 5350 Leadership Results
[_] Nunzio Piscopo, Deputy of Aqildar - 201,364 (27.7%)
[X] Claire Tortell, Deputy of Jilrit - 525,581 (72.3%)
--
1,134,056 ballots sent
726,945 ballot returned
64.1% turnout

With Claire Tortell elected leader of GtP by a wide margin and a decent intra-party election turnout, it remains to be seen how she reinvigorates a party that has traditionally been viewed as the domain of the Piscopo family. Without the personalist appeal of Redentur, the party has faltered in each of the three last elections. An additional pressure is that the Piscopo Trust Foundation, which is controlled in part by Nunzio and Xand Piscopo, has issued veiled threats of pulling funding. Whether or not GtP can forge its own identity - apart from the Piscopo family - remains to be seen.

[Zanz]

OOC n.b.: backdated post

     

     "Fejn hu Fish Hook?"
     8 September 5349

Friday's passage of the Meilaq Cabinet marked the end of the longest continuous tenure for a Prime Minister in Cildania in the Restoration period. A. "Fish Hook" Azzarà had occupied 14 Bajja San Gorg from the passage of March 5341's First Azzarà cabinet until this weekend, when the Ahebluni fisherman and outgoing PM was last spotted by reporters in a window overlooking the back gardens of the residence apparently speaking animatedly on the phone.

Since then, Fish Hook has been neither seen nor heard from. Cildanian law gives outgoing Prime Ministers several weeks to vacate the residence, but Fish Hook is reported to have left in the early hours Sunday without notice. When officials entered the residence on Monday morning, they found it in "minor disarray", according to a statement released by the Interior Ministry, but went on to say that the Ministry "does not suspect foul play" in Fish Hook's apparent disappearance.

Rumors have swirled around the vanishing, with many drawing parallels to the 5334 disappearance of OtSB leader Ilarju Rizzo. Amateur investigative forums online have been awash in alleged details - a side door to the residence was found slightly ajar, some claim, and a note hastily scrawled in the nearly-illegible handwriting of Fish Hook's unique and famous three fingered left hand had been found. Lunzjata Bellia's Interior Ministry apparently took these sleuths seriously enough to totally dismiss them, noting in their statement that there was "no reason for concern."

Whatever occurred on Bajja San Gorg over the weekend, it marks another page in a confounding relationship between Cildania's most famous fisherman and the apparatus of the Cildanian state. Fish Hook was a profoundly popular politician, though his Fishermen's Faction was never particularly popular on the whole. Fish Hook's success was born in his ability to insert himself into nearly every political conversation of the decade, with a charisma based paradoxically on both overwhelming presence and an air of intense, carefully cultivated mystery. The FtS leader had been accused of much over his time - sexual impropriety, mob connections, and ties to foreign interests foremost among the complaints. FtS itself has been thought to be in financial trouble for some time, and Fish Hook's disappearance, if it truly is a disappearance, can only hurt the party's prospects.

     Illum Kinaan is a news agency based in the Kinaan region of Cildania. It covers both local and national current events.

[Pragma]

backdated post




     BW largest party as FtS collapses
     20 July 5349

After three cabinets led by A. "Fish Hook" Azzarà, Cildanian politics looks set for a significant reset. The Fishermen's Faction fell to a low of 18 seats, despite entering the Council of Deputies less than a decade ago with a sizeable caucus. Therefore, it seems unlikely that a fourth Fish Hook cabinet will be formed, with BW leader Botrys Meilaq being the favourite to succeed him. Meilaq's party surged to first place despite a dip in support in Aheblun, with results elsewhere being overwhelmingly positive. It is One Flag's best electoral result in over two decades, back when Yan Despott was party leader. Meilaq would be the second BW Prime Minister after the late Alec Benaglia, who led an all-party coalition shortly after the restoration of democracy in 5321.

The left-wing ALU took a respectable 31 seats in its first elections, allying itself to the established PLR to contest governor races in all five principalities. PLR-ALU unity candidates were elected in Gilzon and Aqildar and came a respectable second in Kinaan. In that north-western state, the OtSB won yet another victory with an unexpected endorsement from the local BW branch. OtSB lost seats nationally but remains in second place overall. The other governor races resulted in victories for the Alliance for Cildania. In Aheblun, the BW endorsed Aheblun League candidate and party leader Monica Bessaoud - as did both national AgK parties. The AgK performed poorly in other Kinaan and Gilzon, and the split between the PK's Aqildar branch and the FA allowed the PLR to win in the central principality. Alagona's Faction won in Jilrit in an agonisingly close race between themselves and BW - leaving the largest national party with no gubernatorial representation. Regardless, BW-AgK coalitions may be formed in Jilrit and Aheblun while the OSB may look to BW support in Kinaan. Overall, the AgK parties, GtP, and PLR saw only minor changes to their national representation.

     Governor results:

     

     KKX is a Cildanian public service broadcaster based in Qart Qildar

[RadicalGeo]

PLR enters Government for the first time in 8 years
5 September 5349


PLR Leader, Edera Galdes-Bajada (pictured), has committed the party to be part of a new governing coalition.

Qart Qildar, Cildania - The Radical Labour Party is set to enter government for the time in 8 years after reaching a coalition agreement with the One Flag party and the Alliance for Cildania. The new government will see PLR leader Edera Galdes-Bajada serve as Deputy to the One Flag’s Botrys Meilaq. It will be the PLRs first stint in government since 5341.

The PLR will take up 3 positions in the new cabinet with Edera Galdes-Bajada serving as Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Justice, Ġuljetta Micallef serving as Minister of Health and Tereża Kliem serving as Minister of Education, Culture & Sport. The new cabinet will be majority female with 7 of the 13 Ministers being female, including all of the Radical Labour Party’s ministers.

The decision to enter the cabinet came after an election result that received mixed reaction from amongst the PLRs membership. Whilst the party did become the 3rd largest in the Council of Deputies, it did also lose 3 seats compared to the previous election. However, the party retained the Governorship of Gilzon and narrowly won the gubernatorial election in Aqildar with the help of its new “United Left '' pact with the Alliance for Freedom and Equality, who will serve alongside it in the two new Principality-level cabinets.

Speaking at a press conference following the coalition agreement, the PLR leader, Edera Galdes-Bajada, promised that the PLR would “use its period in government to push through reforms in health, social services, education and the other key priorities of Cildanian society”. She also said that “we want to be able to see tangible progress by the time of the next election and to leave the demons of the past in the past”. Although, it remains to be seen if that is possible.

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

[Kubrick]

OtSB leader Zammit-Barca makes full recovery
Qart Qildar, Cildania
21 March 5350

Three months after being shot the party leader of the Order of Saint Sebastian makes a full recovery. On social media a smiling Dumniku Zammit-Barca announced he would return to work the following Monday. Zammit-Barca was shot in the wake of the massive data leak regarding the Anti-Fraud Task Force. Police believe there to be a link between all recent shootings but have made no progress with the case, much to the dismay of many AFTF members and the family of Zammit-Barca.

The party leader himself was less shocked at the lack of progress and the shootings: "This is the fourth time they tried to get me, no doubt they will try again." In early January reports were made that Zammit-Barca's health was worsening, but after a surgery the medical personnel at the Scirocca private clinic were able to stabilize the politician. In his social media announcement the politician quipped that he was under strict doctor's orders "not to get shot again".

Despite calls from family and party associates the OtSB strongman has rejected all requests to resign from politics. "I will not admit defeat, not to these people." In a statement the Scirocca clinic confirmed the release of their patient, remarking that "90% of the recovery is up to the patient, mr. Zammit-Barca worked hard to walk out of our clinic." Acting party leader Mosè Eradi has confirmed Zammit-Barca will resume his duties as the "commander-in-chief" on Monday.

[RadicalGeo]

     New abortion law to come in to force
     31 January 5351

     

At midnight tonight, Cildania's abortion law will be formally amended for the first time in 14 years. The passage of the Right to an Abortion Act will overturn the section of the 5337 Sanctity of Human Life Act which banned the termination of pregnancies with the exception of medical emergencies. The new law will allow women to end a pregnancy at any point during the first trimester without needing to provide a reason.

The new law was approved in a 188-47 vote in the Chamber of Deputies, with the One Flag party notably choosing to abstain. The proposal saw cross party support from the Radical Labour Party, the Constitutionalist Party, the Alagona Faction, the Alliance for Freedom & Equality, the People's Choice party and the Fishermen's Faction. The primary opposition to the bill was led by the Order of Saint Sebastian.

The new law has been called a "step in the right direction" by one of Cildania's leading women's rights organisations. The Cildanian Women's Voice was one of a number of organisation which regularly held protests outside the Council of Deputies calling for a change to be made in the country's abortion law, it's leader, Ġiżimin Boffa, said that "we are very pleased to see that the old outdated and restrictive abortion law has been overturned. However, this should just be the beginning and there is so much more that can be done going forward. We will continue to call for more change and the further enhancement of the law in regards to a woman's right to choose".

The Minister of Health, Ġuljetta Micallef, has also celebrated the passing of the new law. Speaking in the Council of Deputies, she said "this law will once again ensure that a woman has the right to choose when, or if, she has a child. It will also help to stop the well-known phenomenon of backstreet abortion clinics which put women's lives at risk purely for wanting to make the right choice for themselves and their livelihood. Of course we must do more for Cildanian women, children and families but this law represents a great first step. My ministry will do all it can to ensure that this new law is adhered to across the nation and that every woman is given access to an abortion if required."

However, there is also strong opposition to the new law by many politicians and religious groups. One of those is Luqa Lisano-Raggio, the OtSB Health & Social Services spokesperson, who said "the passing of this law is a big shock to all conservative voters of Cildania, it is sad to know that a little over half of the political field endorses the murder of children. The OtSB will always fight against the murder of unborn children. The first trimester might look like a good compromise, but this slippery slope will lead to full pregnancy abortions down the road. The OtSB hopes to outlaw abortions once again in the future, to only keep them for medical emergencies where we understand that the life of the mother is more important than the unborn child."

The leader of the Apostolic Church of the Isles, Patriarch Alexander XXIII of Qart Qildar, also released a statement condemning the new law. In it he said, "abortion is a practice which directly contravenes every belief held by those who follow the Hosian faith. The right to life of an unborn child should be upheld in any moral society. Those who have voted for this law should take time to read the scripture and fix the course they have set this nation on. I am deeply disappointed with the news today and will continue to support those who wish to bring an end to this barbaric practice. The poor souls who will be lost due to this will be in the prayers of every good Hosian."

The government will now also have the task of ensuring that the new abortion law is followed by Physicians across Cildania. A number of organisation have already questioned whether the government can force physicians to provide abortions against their will. The head of the Medical Association of Cildania, Dr Feliċ Sciriha, has already said that the organisation "will fight to ensure that our members are able to hold their personal beliefs in conviction. We will not allow for them to be forced to provide procedures which go against their religious or other beliefs". This has raised questions as to how the government can enact the law without impeding on individual citizens rights.

     KKX is a Cildanian public service broadcaster based in Qart Qildar

[jamescfm]

     Foreign minister Guiliano Alagona marries for the fifth time
          22 February 5351

Guiliano Alagona has re-married his first wife Helena Alagona (née Zagami) at the age of seventy-four. The couple married for the first time in 5302 and had four children together, including the current Minister of Labour and Industry Elena Alagona. After divorcing in 5315, Guiliano Alagona remarried three times. In 5244, he divorced Lourennais model Marie-Noëlle Moineau.

Guiliano and Helena are believed to have reconnected around four years ago, shortly after the former recovered from an undisclosed, serious health problem. Despite rumours of infidelity, the pair had retained an amicable relationship over the three decades since they split. The wedding ceremony was relatively small. In a short statement shared on social media, the couple confirmed they had re-married, saying “we are blessed that God has given us a second chance together.”