Selucia

[Aethan]

Confusing elections revalidate the coalition government
The victory of candidates opposed to govern with the MTS in the elections to Censor and in the islands of Oleria and Aquilonia does not prevent Portia Marsyas from returning to govern in coalition with the MTS


Consul Portia Marsyas arriving to meeting with the leadership of the MTS after the elections

Surprising. It is the word that political analysts use to describe the results of the last elections in Selucia, which have produced a political landscape more divided than ever.

After five years of a coalition government between the pagans of the MTS and the leftist COSIRA, a government that no one was betting would last an entire legislature, these elections have shown the strengths and weaknesses of each party, but have also yielded confusing data that analysts politicians did not see coming and that from now on they will try to explain.

First, participation has dropped significantly. This is probably due to the absence of a real opposition, given that the only two political formations present in the Senate of Selucia currently govern in coalition, so this fact discourages potential voters from going to the polls looking for a government alternative. In this way, participation has dropped from 71.22% to 59.24%, the lowest turnout in decades.

Secondly, the Censor elections, which have pitted the current Consul Hasdrubal Adad against the President of COSIRA Epidia Barbatus, very critical of the government pact with the MTS, has been saved with the victory of the latter by a margin of less than 800,000 votes out of a total of 44 million, obtaining Mrs. Barbatus 50.89% of the total. This result has come as a surprise for COSIRA itself, who since Atilia Valerius' victory in 4832, two decades earlier, have seen defeat after defeat.

Thirdly, the elections to Praetors of the islands have revalidated the immense power that COSIRA has on the island of Oleria, where its current Praetor Ballio Thrasea, although he has also suffered a drop in the number of votes, has revalidated his victory to a new mandate obtaining more than 66% of the votes. Thrasea, who was also very critical of his party's pact with the MTS at the national level, sees his power within the party greatly strengthened, and what is more important: the 99 representatives from Oleria are now much needed. But in addition to the great victory for Thrasea, the other surprise of the night has come from Aquilonia, where COSIRA has achieved the two Praetors by obtaining 51.02% of the votes. The revelation candidate of these elections, Caesia Zosimus, who replaced Severinus Lurco leading the regional federation, is a great defender of Mr. Thrasea's thesis and perhaps most importantly: she defends the limitation of all religions to the private sphere, without exception . This can lead to problems for the governing coalition at the national level, since both parties reached a pact to keep the religious issue in a beneficial status quo for both, which can now blow up if Mrs. Zosimus applies some laws that already has advanced.

Fourth, the national elections have given another surprise: despite the fact that COSIRA has once again become the most voted party, with just over 22 million votes, it was the MTS that, with 21.9 million votes, has won the largest number of seats - 376 versus 374 - largely because of COSIRA's poor performance on the island of Sadaria. In this way, the MTS revalidates its majority in the Chamber by just 1 representative, which will force the voting to be carried to the extreme and take care that all the necessary representatives are present.

After knowing the results, the MTS contacted COSIRA again to revalidate the coalition government once again, and as the statutes mandate, COSIRA again convened its Federal Committee to make the decision. And although there again won the option to govern in coalition with the MTS, a substantial change took place: it was no longer only the two members for Oleria who opposed this coalition, but the two representatives for Aquilonia did the same. And although the result of the vote remained comfortable - 7 favorable versus 4 unfavorable - it implied a change in trend. And above all, it unleashes rumors within the party about the next steps for Ballio Thrasea and Portia Marsyas.

In a joint press conference between Mr. Thrasea and Mrs. Zosimus after knowing the results, both have reaffirmed their opposition to the government pact with the MTS, and have warned their party that together, both federations add up to 250 of the 374 Quirites that COSIRA has obtained, which implies that with the unfavorable vote of both, the majority of this government to approve any international treaty is limited to the necessary 500 Quirites, not one more nor one less.

Mr. Thrasea, who has not wanted to answer the questions about the setback that the Supreme Court of Selucia has given to his government's complaint against Hasdrubal Adad, has preferred to make way this time for the great protagonist of the elections, Caesia Zosimus, which has revealed that among the laws she plans to present as soon as the Aquilonian legislature is inaugurated there are several that could be interpreted as an attack against the religious pacts agreed between the MTS and COSIRA.

From the national leadership, Portia Marsyas has not wanted to make statements about it, and has only recognized that the coalition "has worked well these years" and that she will do what she considers best for the party at the national level.

[Polites]

Crisis in Selucia
prid. Id. Oct. MMMXLIV a.R.P.c.
(October 14, 4855)


Cooperative supermarket owned by Buy and Use Corporation in Hieronymium, Sadaria

Selucia is one of the first nations affected by the economic crisis that started in Deltaria in Iunius MMMXLIV a.R.P.c. (June 4855 CE) and is spreading throughout Majatra and the rest of Terra. As a member of the Majatran Economic Association, Selucia is particularly sensitive to economic developments on the continent, especially its two powerhouses, Deltaria and Istalia. The effects of the crisis have already been seen as the Auroria stock exchange has registered record losses for three days in a row this month. However, the Selucian economic system has a number of features that make it resilient in times of crisis. As had previously happened during the infamous "Black Thursday" crisis in 4429 CE, the Selucian cooperative sector, whereby all firms are required to be democratically-run by their employees, complemented by consumers' cooperatives in the healthcare, financial, and retail sectors, has managed to weather the storm without major losses. The cooperative economy of Selucia, partially modelled on the historical example of Seko, has as its main disadvantage a tendency to limit or even eliminate economic growth, while its main advantage is resilience and stability. Coupled with the fact that the Selucian coalition government has explicitly adopted "degrowth", i.e. the equitable descaling of economic activity, as its official economic and ecological policy, the coopearative economic system has, in spite of losses, not led to an increase in unemployment, large-scale bankruptcies, or the need for government bailouts or recapitalization. The government did however adopt a series of emergency economic policies designed to limit the effects of the crisis. A new budget proposal nearly tripled government spending, with most of the increase going towards vital sectors, including healthcare, education and culture, food and agriculture, and the environment, in order to guarantee that any losses will not affect essential social services as well as the guaranteed minimum income. The vastly increased spending will be financed by much higher tax rates for the highest income brackets and increased corporate and sales taxes, as well as proposed capital controls that will ensure that the crisis and higher tax rates will not lead to capital flight. In order to limit the risk of unemployment, Selucian cooperatives have negotiated a drastic reduction in work hours instead of laying off personnel.

In addition to the economic policies implemented by the government, Selucia has also decided to open its gates to some of the largest Endralonian companies. In addition to pharmaceutical company 3M, already operating on Selucian soil, the government has encouraged the supermarket chain Buy and Use Corporation to open several supermarkets in Selucia. As required by Selucian law, the Endralonian multinationals are not allowed to own a majority of shares in any company, while their Selucian subsidiaries are required to be run as cooperatives and distribute a majority of their profits to their employees. The Endralonian multinationals are also strictly forbidden from any form of advertising. Although the improved access to the Selucian market may not be enough to save 3M from bankruptcy, especially given the government's refusal to recapitalize any failing private business, the increase in foreign capital will likely allow Selucia to stabilize its economic situation and allow it to further pursue its dream of a just reduction in economic activity.

[Augustus Germanus]

The Government of Davostan announces its candidacy for the World Congress Security Council Seat D

[Rogue]

New government regulations and investment program takes effect, Deltarian economy slowly stabilizing

[Polites]

Coalition Ends
a.d. VI Id. Apr. MMMXLVIIa.R.P.c.
(April 8, 4858)


Eshmunamash Medullinus, Praetor Peregrinus in the previous government, now Consul in an MTS government

The elections held last November had a disappointing result for all those involved. After a decade of cooperation in government between the two largest parties, during which time the nation witnessed the fallout from the financial crisis originating in Deltaria, the election effectively made no practical difference. Voter turnout declined somewhat, and although it lost the popular vote, the Selucian Traditional Movement retained its narrow majority in the People's Assembly, increasing it by only one seat. The Traditionalist candidate to the Censorship, Hieronymus Gennadius, narrowly defeated his rival, incumbent Epidia Barbatus, and the party slightly increased its vote share in the Aquilonian election, allowing it to form the Aquilonian government in addition to that of Sadaria, the stronghold of the Selucian Traditional Movement. Although overall the Pagan party improved its position, the election was otherwise underwhelming for both major parties. The leadership of the MTS cast the blame for the poor performance of both political parties on voter apathy and indifference towards the grand coalition between the only two parliamentary parties. Although it was hailed as a triumph for Selucian democracy at the time, the coalition government between the Selucian Traditional Movement and COSIRA led to an erosion in voter trust in the electoral system, as federal elections effectively became meaningless and the distinction between the two parties became blurred.

As a consequence the Selucian Traditional Movement, under the leadership of Eshmunamash Medullinus and Numerius Flavonius Calogerus, decided to break its alliance with COSIRA and form a cabinet on its own, led by Medullinus and Flavonius as the new Consuls. The new cabinet was quickly sworn in and it announced a departure from the centrist policies of the previous government. The Medullinus-Flavonius Consulship announced several measures that move Selucia to the right, while retaining the cooperative economic system and the commitment to degrowth intact. A number of proposals from the new cabinet, including the removal of the emergency taxes introduced at the height of the economic crisis, a ban on alcohol and tobacco, the reintroduction of capital punishment and the implementation of judicial corporal punishment, the legalization of gladiatorial games, and restrictions on strike action mark the government's commitment to more conservative policies, while the abolition of mandatory minimums and the legalization of local currencies emphasize the fact that the new government will not depart too much from the existing consensus. Most notably, the religious compromise between the two political forces in Selucia, whereby the Aurorian Patriarchal Church and other religions that do not grant equal status to women in their ranks are subject to persecution, remains in place. Moreover, a piece of legislation compromising on the nation's symbols is expected to pass with the support of both political parties. Because the shift to the right of the Selucian Traditional Movement has been rather moderate, and because of continued cooperation and compromise across party lines, it seems that Selucia is now dominated by the political conflict between the center-left and the center-right, becoming a mature and stable democracy once again.

[Aethan]

Knife noise in COSIRA
The expulsion from the Executive of Bright Dawn after four decades in government gives wings to Thrasea's supporters, who has already announced a motion of no confidence against Portia Marsyas


Atia Gavia Bellator, Minister of Labor of Oleria and right hand of Thrasea

Portia Marsyas's time of grace seems to be over. After new elections with a turnout of around 50%, in which COSIRA has once again proclaimed itself the winner in total number of votes, but in which the Censorship and the Aquilonian region have been lost to the MTS, the spirit within the party seem to be hot.

Marsyas, who came to the general secretary of the party promoted by the leftist sectors and with a clearly progressive platform, took little time to turn her back on those who supported her, and as soon as the results of her first general elections as Secretary General of the party reached a government agreement with the MTS, harshly criticized by the most leftist sectors of the party. However, oblivious to the noise and with the support of the party's Federal Committee, she revalidated that government pact once again after the following general elections, where despite being the first force in number of votes and achieving the best result for the party ever, largely thanks to the impulse of the popularity of the Praetor from the Olerian island Ballio Thrasea, was not enough to win in number of seats. Now however, once the MTS has announced a return to its more conservative principles and the breaking of the previous government pact, her leadership hangs by a thread.

Ballio Thrasea, who has once again revalidated his position as Praetor de Oleria for the third time in a row with more than 6 million votes and over 65%, said after the new conservative government was known that it is time for a change.

"I warned it from the first moment: the MTS is not a reliable partner. I was not listened to and it was preferred by the leadership of this party to touch power than to make a strong opposition and to be able to win the elections - in number of seats, because in number of votes we have already won them - in the medium and long term. This leadership that we currently have has to end, since it has shown its incompetence. We had a golden opportunity to differentiate ourselves from them, and we let it pass. It cannot be said, on the other hand, that the coalition between the MTS and COSIRA has also provided any significant advance for the citizenry to justify that pact, and now that they have gotten rid of us, the laws they propose return us to the more reactionary and conservative MTS, to which we were used before they were they will disguise themselves as moderates. That is why I am announcing, here and now, that I will take a motion of censure against Portia Marsyas before the Federal Committee. "

Mr. Thrasea thus criticized two of the laws proposed by the MTS, in which only conscientious objection on religious grounds is allowed and in which striking workers are allowed to be fired, secondary strikes are prohibited and their right to the strike to the "essential sectors".

For the motion of censure to succeed, at least six of the eleven members - including the Secretary General himself - of the Federal Committee must vote in favor of the early calling of a vote for the position, and then they will be the militants those who with their vote decide whether to keep the recently dismissed in office or elect someone new. For the moment, Thrasea already has the six necessary votes: his own vote and Pontidia Cornix's for Oleria; those of Caesia Zosimus and Talmudia Modia Catus by Corgana; and those of Ateia Tranio and Citro Probus by Sadaria Orientalis, and it is not ruled out that another member may join at the last minute.

In a tweet published a few minutes ago, the leader of the COSIRA Youth, Gorgines Salinator, has affirmed that "when you do not keep your promises, you get what you deserve", referring to the campaign that Mrs. Marsyas made and then left aside, and has also given its explicit support to Atia Gavia Bellator, current Minister of Labor of Oleria, right hand of Ballio Thrasea and known in the regional parliament for his heavy hand against labor exploitation and her communist origins.



Mrs. Bellator, who has already announced, supported by Mr. Thrasea, her intention to attend these primaries, has recognized that she is not ashamed of the label of "communist", and has declared that, if the MTS really wants to have a reason to refer to COSIRA as "communists", if she proclaims herself the winner she will give them sufficient reasons for it.

Once again, Portia Marsyas has refused to give statements to the press about the current situation, but sources close to the still secretary general say that every day she finds herself more alone within the party, and her attitude does not help to win support. According to various polls conducted among party members, 32% of them say that "in no case" would they vote in favor of Marsyas to keep her post, which puts her in a serious predicament. In any case, she has not yet said that she is going to appear in the primaries, and in addition, she could resign before the Federal Committee vote that takes place this afternoon. Many militants have already gathered at the gates of the party headquarters, demanding her resignation and a strong leadership that opposes the policies that the MTS will foreseeably apply during this term thanks to its majority in the National Assembly. In what some recognize as a desperate attempt to save her political image, Mrs. Marsyas has announced the breaking of the agreements on religion with the MTS.

[Polites]

Mass Suicide in Sadaria
a.d. III Non. Feb. MMMXLVIIa.R.P.c.
(February 3, 4858)


Photo of the illegal compound of the Children of God, taken days before the mass suicide

The nation was shaken today to discover the horrific mass suicide perpetrated by the notorious illegal cult known as "Selucia's Children of God". The cult's compound in rural Sadaria was due to be dismantled by the local Sadarian authorities following reports of illegal religious activity, but when the police forces arrived, they found all 96 members of the cult, including its charismatic leader Petrus Burret as well as 23 children, dead. The cause of death for most members was determined as suicide by the ingestion of cyanide, with the exception of the cult's leader who died due to a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

"Selucia's Children of God" was a small apocalyptic Hosian cult founded and led by Petrus Burret, the self-proclaimed younger brother of Eliyahu and herald of the eschaton. The cult was founded seven years ago, and is one of the many small Hosian doomsday cults founded in recent years, largely in reaction to the government's persecution of the Aurorian Patriarchal Church and other Hosian Churches. The "Children of God", like many of the other apocalyptic sects, see the ongoing persecution as a sign of the end times as the "persecution of the saints", an event signaling the imminent apocalypse in some interpretations of Hosian eschatology. "Selucia's Children of God" were known as a particularly strict and separatist sect, demanding that all members cut ties with the outside world and practicing very puritanical sexual ethics as well as a gendered division of labor. Some members are even known to have castrated themselves, in their expectation that in the Kingdom of God they would lead a pure and sexless life. The mass suicide appears to have been motivated by a desire by members to shed their mortal bodies and be reborn in heaven as "Children of God", although a more prosaic explanation is that the members wished to avoid arrest at the hands of Sadarian authorities.

"Selucia's Children of God", although technically illegal, was tolerated by the local authorities given the sect's small size and isolation from the rest of society, but the mass suicide has led to calls to take more aggressive action against dangerous cults. The new government announced that it would take much harsher measures against "monotheistic cults" and that it will implement a more stringent enforcement of the anti-Hosian legislation.

OOC: Backdated to match the date of the newspaper article

[Aethan]

Bellator wins the primaries
Portia Marsyas decided to run for the general secretary election and has barely garnered 5% of the votes


Bellator after being elected General Secretary

Tremendous setback for the already ex-general secretary of COSIRA. After her dismissal from office by the favorable vote of 7 of the 11 members of the party's Federal Committee, Mrs. Marsyas decided to present her candidacy again to the primaries, hoping that she could come back and return to office. However, with all the votes of the militancy counted, it has become clear that she has lost the favor of her own voters. With the announcement of the results, Oleria's Labor Minister and Ballio Thrasea's favorite candidate, Atia Gavia Bellator, has emerged victorious with a staggering 89% of the vote, giving her a wide margin of confidence, while Mrs. Marsyas has barely obtained 5% of the vote.

In statements to the media, the now new COSIRA general secretary has stated that she will work tirelessly to correct past mistakes, in a veiled reference to her predecessor, who has left the party headquarters through a back door and in the company of no one , according to various sources who were inside the headquarters.


Marsyas right after losing the party primaries

Mrs. Bellator, who for the moment will maintain her position as Minister of Labor for Oleria, has warned that "contemplations are over" with MTS policies.

"It is time to be a serious and responsible opposition. A real opposition, which the citizens see as an alternative, and in which they can trust again. We are not worth winning the popular vote if we later lose representation in the National Assembly. We must be aware that there is still much to do, and these two coalition legislatures have meant a lost decade. And a decade is a long time. Therefore, it is time to work between now and the next elections, and then it will be seen " .

For the moment, Mrs. Bellator has already announced that they will not reach any agreement with the MTS on constitutional reforms, because, in her opinion, "what they seek is to increase their power and reduce that of the popular classes", in addition to " little by little undermine the rule of law "that cost so much to bring back to Selucia. She has also warned that this year it would be necessary to appoint the new members of the Supreme Court, an act that corresponds to inaugurate the Praetor Civilis, and that otherwise, the current members will remain in office.

The general secretary, who has been congratulated via social networks by all the regional secretaries, has also taken the opportunity to condemn the "Children of God" sect and offer condolences to the relatives of the deceased.

"From here, I want to send my sincere condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives in the mass suicide perpetrated by the sect known as" Children of God. "We must work together to eradicate this problem from society, and we must do it untiringly. There are no colors, no politics in this issue. We must join forces".

The Praetor of Oleria, Ballio Thrasea, has been more specific, and has accused the government of Sadaria of "turning a blind eye" to a problem that was already known and has requested that responsibilities be clarified, as well as consolidating the belief of that "religions, in their most basic sense, are a fundamental problem in our society, which blinds us and makes us commit despicable acts like this one that we have witnessed."

[Aethan]

Agreement between SuCoSQua and ITEAK
Both research institutions sign a collaboration agreement that will place them at the forefront of global science


Avita Armiger (left) and Cuileán Ó Broin (right), after their agreement

Great day for science. This is how numerous entities and scientific journals have described the agreement reached between the SuCoSQua of Selucia and the ITEAK of Kirlawa, through which both research institutions, which have earned themselves to be among the most prestigious in the world, agree to join forces in the formation of a international cooperative for independent scientific research between the two countries, which will foreseeably allow great advances and discoveries to be achieved in less time. The Magna Magister of SuCoSQua, Avita Armiger, and the Reachtaire of ITEAK, Cuileán Ó Broin, have signed the agreement this morning in Victoria, at the SuCoSQua headquarters, before a broad scientific and research committee and chaired by the award-winning researcher Selenium Nabor. Now, both will travel to the ITEAK headquarters to carry out the same protocol, and seal the agreement between both institutions.

This agreement, which has transcended with the most absolute discretion and which places both nations at the forefront of scientific research, thus grants greater opportunities for science at a global level, and various entities believe that this agreement will be extremely beneficial to advance in the science and medicine.

In statements to the media, Avita Armiger said she was "extremely happy" with the agreement, and thanked her counterpart in Kirlawa for the predisposition to dialogue that she considers "sometimes fails in our society." She has also taken the opportunity to encourage the youngest to take an interest in science and the world of research and has asked the international community to allocate more resources to empower the brilliant minds that can hide among their citizens.

[jamescfm]

Deltarian Déjà Vu: The Structural Problems of International Capitalism as the Source of Repeated Economic Crises