Cildania

[Pragma]

     Bellia denies knowledge of Meilaq's alleged crimes
     24 May 5364

Prime Minister Lunzjata Bellia has denied any knowledge of the alleged crimes of former Prime Minister Botrys Meilaq. Her period before the court has been much-anticipated, especially since numerous opposition figures have called for her resignation. The PM took the stand as one of the last witnesses to be called before the court.

Bellia did not budge on her line despite intense questioning from the prosecution. She died knowledge of Meilaq's 'gift' from a construction company during his time as deputy PM, saying that she had not been informed of the matter. Bellia further stated that she had no communication with Meilaq after his arrest in 5362 and did not know any details about alleged events surrounding retired footballer Adam Meilaq, Botrys Meilaq's son. Asked how she could have been 'ignorant' to these events while serving near her former colleague, Bellia said she had been focused on tackling increased gang violence and the rise of the Lahlou syndicate in Aheblun.

Meilaq was seated mere feet away from Bellia before she was called to testify, with pictures of the two Prime Ministers in a court making a striking impression. One picture, which shows Meilaq looking directly at Bellia while she looks away, has gone viral online and has been featured on the front of numerous international papers. Ultimately, however, many expressed disappointment that the current PM did not provide much information and instead 'pled ignorance' on most questions.

     KKX is a Cildanian public service broadcaster based in Qart Qildar.

[Pragma]

     Meilaq guilty on five of six charges
     3 February 5365

Former Prime Minister Botrys Meilaq is the latest name in the "City of Bribes" scandal to be found guilty in a high court. Convicted on five of six charges, the former One Flag leader was found to have accepted bribes as a mayor, then as a minister, and finally as PM. He was also found guilty of obstructing justice after lying during official police questioning. Sentencing will commence later this year and the former PM could expect to spend as many as twenty years behind bars for his cumulative crimes.

Meilaq was found not guilty on a second charge of obstructing justice, in which it was alleged that he prevented an investigation into the death of an Aheblun man. The man, who was not named during the trial, was an alleged 'pimp' who prosecutors say was killed after dealing with Botrys Meilaq's son, retired footballer Adam Meilaq.

A former Prime Minister being convicted of such serious crimes has caused uproar on social media and led to calls for One Flag to disband. Already three of the party's deputies have defected to sit as independents, but Prime Minister Lunzjata Bellia is insistent she will maintain her position. Already, the Radical Labour Party (PLR) and Order of Saint Sebastian (OtSB) have deregistered due to the conviction of several of their former politicians on various counts of corruption. The Alagona Faction has split and its future also seems uncertain. The political landscape in the wake of the scandal and subsequent trials will be unrecognisable from the one that arose shortly after Cildania's return to democracy. More than ever, that promise of democracy seems elusive and unsettled in a shaken country.

     KKX is a Cildanian public service broadcaster based in Qart Qildar.

[Pragma]

     

     Bellia to launch own party as One Flag falls apart
     12 February 5365

Prime Minister Lunzjata Bellia and her loyalist caucus within One Flag (BW) have started their own political project, titled 'Cildanian Restoration' (RK). A more avowedly conservative party, Bellia says that RK will focus on 'faith, family, farmers, and free markets'. This suggests the party will take a more orthodoxly conservative approach to economics, while its predecessor One Flag was largely centre-left on economic and environmental issues. Bellia also confirmed the party would retain a commitment to localism.

After six moderate deputies left the party willingly, in opposition to the PM's refusal to back down after her mentor Botrys Meilaq was convicted of corruption, Bellia insisted she would continue to fight and seek to retain her position at the top of Cildania's wobbling political hierarchy. Her previous project, Lunzjata Bellia's List, failed to make gains in the last election. Polls, however, show a slight uptick in her popularity as ardent conservatives decry a 'witch-hunt' against Cildania's longest-serving female PM of the modern era. Her pugnacious attitude and refusal to back down has also recovered her popularity among right-wing voters, after an initial collapse in her support due to the 'City of Bribes' scandal.

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

[jamescfm]

Elena Alagona sentenced to three years in prison on corruption charges
Qart Qildar, Cildania
9 March 5365

Elena Alagona, the former leader of Alagona Faction, has been sentenced to three years in prison after she was found guilty of accepting bribes during her time as a deputy. Prosecutors were not able to secure convictions on three other charges against her. Alagona spoke only to confirm her name at the sentencing. In a statement shared by her lawyer, she reiterated her previous claims that the charges were politically-motivated.

Alagona is the second high-profile politician to be convicted on corruption charges in recent weeks. At the beginning of last month, Botrys Meilaq was convicted on five separate charges covering almost his entire political career. Although her political career is assumed to be over, Alagona has pledged she will continue to fight to clear her name and end the “corruption witch-hunt”.

[jamescfm]

Grand Prince Ġakbu Maria dies, aged 99
     4 August 5365

Grand Prince Ġakbu Maria, Cildania’s reigning monarch for over forty years, has died aged 99. Across the past four decades, the Grand Prince has become a symbol of Cildanian democracy. Despite a collapse in public trust in recent years, the Grand Prince remained popular among the general public. Four years ago, he appointed a regent in light of his declining health.

Prime Minister Lunzjata Bellia has declared a week of national mourning. In a statement, she described the Grand Prince’s passing as a “momentous but sad moment in the history of our nation” and said he was a “a loyal servant to the country”. Konstantinu Lateo, leader of the Cildanian Social Democratic Party, added that the Grand Prince “served our country with exceptional grace and dignity”.

In line with Cildanian’s constitutional provisions, the Council of Princes will meet in the next seven days at the Monastery of St. Origen in Aqildar to begin the process of selecting a successor. In the forty years since the Grand Prince acceded to the throne, there has been significant social and political change in the country. The death of the Grand Prince provides an opportunity for the whole country to reflect on this change.

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

[Pragma]

                         

     Turnout collapses as GtP surge
     6 July 5365

Turnout has collapsed to a record low in a national election shaped by apathy and distrust. With the jailing of many prominent former politicians, including a former Prime Minister, only 36% of Cildanians turned out to vote - less than half the number who voted three years ago. Ultimately, Claire Tortell's People Choice party stormed to victory in a historic result for the group, taking more than a hundred seats.

With several historic major political parties deregistered - including BW, the OtSB, and the PLR - new parties rose in their place. The conservative Cildanian Restoration party, captained by Prime Minister Lunzjata Bellia, performed poorly and won just 47 seats. The fragmented Alliance for Cildania collectively came second overall, but individually only one of its members was particularly successful. The Cildanian Social Democratic Party (PSDK or SD) won 62 seats, coming second as a party, while Liberal Values (VL) and the struggling Constitutionalist Party (PK) won just 21 and 11 seats respectively.

The anti-corruption Citizens Alliance - Moderate Force coalition won 40 seats, above expectations for the relatively new parties. Their anti-corruption rhetoric resonated among a significant portion of ethnic Hebileans, who largely blanked Lunzjata Bellia's new project despite its status as the informal successor to One Flag - an explicitly pro-Hebilean party. The Agrarian and Fishermen's Party (PAS) stumbled and received only 15 seats.

The Alliance of Cildania won the governorships of Gilzon, Aqildar, and Aheblun. People's Choice won the governorships of Jilrit, its historic stronghold, and the conservative north-western state of Kinaan.

     KKX is a Cildanian public service broadcaster based in Qart Qildar.

[Kubrick]

H'ákat: Irts! TemrKnsékbeid opens iron mines in Cildania and Gaduridos

[thefalloutfan101]

     Citizens Alliance enters coalition government, leader Zerafa pledges to "arduously" tackle corruption
     12th October 5365

After the conclusion of the snap elections in July, and the recent swearing in of a new cabinet, Citizens Alliance - Moderate Force, has entered government in a bipartisan coalition with People's Choice and the Agrarian and Fishermen's Party. The key posts of both the Interior and Justice Ministry were secured by the organization, fulfilling a longtime goal for the party. Wasting no time, AC leader Zerafa in remarks after the vote pledged to tackle corruption "arduously", and in a move of indicative of his work ethic as a journalist, announced he was reorganizing internal leadership within the political organization, stepping down as leader and handing the post to his deputy and best friend Grazzju Ferzin. He was subsequently made Chairman, a partially ceremonial role to allow the now-cabinet level official more time to throw himself into the daunting work that lies ahead.

While not exactly a turnout the organization wanted, owing to a staggering decline in voter turnout at just over 36%, signaling a glaring apathy among Cildanian citizens in the democratic process, Zerafa nonetheless thanked voters for their increasing support to his coalition, and championed that "change was finally coming" to the nation. While not entirely on the organization's focus for the government term, the AC | FM coalition also were handed the Ministries of Health and Social Welfare, alongside the Ministry of Technology and Innovation. Recently-sworn in health minister Ms. Zeza Fleri spoke out about a planned collaboration between the ministry and Zerafa's Anti-Corruption Commission, and pledged to investigate alleged corruption within her ministry.

"The most critical of our state services, the Cildania Health Service, has not been spared by the endemic corruption that plagues our nation," she stated in remarks. "as reported in Majatran Eye three years ago, our health service was at the fore of particularly egregious corruption allegations, among other critical agencies. This has contributed to a decline in the quality of healthcare across numerous municipalities, long lines, and even the backlogging of pensions and social security benefits." Ms. Fleri has already sought to undergo an "internal restructuring" of the subordinate agencies of her ministry, sacking the head of the CHS and the director of the National Pension Fund, replacing them soon after.

Elsewhere, the AC took the time to reflect on current events of the past few months; Zerafa welcomed the arrests of former PM Botrys Meilaq and former Alagona Faction leader Elena Alagona, calling them a "step in the right direction", but argued that true change begins at the top. Subsequently, Zerafa spoke at length about the actions his Anti-Corruption Commission will undertake, the most significant of which floated by the politician being a full internal audit of all cabinet ministries in collaboration with the Cildania Criminal Investigation Agency (CCIA), arguing that the attempts made by previous governments to fight corruption were half-hearted. Already, the organization is rumored to be in talks with its fellow coalition partners as well as its own deputies in the Council of Deputies over a comprehensive anti-corruption legislation. Details are scant, but one of the rumored provisions which allegedly has support from Zerafa is a clause that forbids politicians implicated in the City of Bribes scandal from holding political office ever again.

Zerafa and the AC also voiced their condolences for the death of Grand Prince Ġakbu Maria, who passed away at the age of 99 in early August. AC leadership wished the best for the incoming Grand Prince Adherbal of the House of Ashtzaph in his efforts, remarking that the political atmosphere at present was markedly different than the conditions upon which his predecessor ascended the throne to.

"His Serene Highness, Ġakbu Maria, oversaw a transformative and watershed period in Cildanian history," Zerafa spoke in a session of the Council of Deputies not long after his death. "Never before has our nation experienced a renaissance such as the past four decades upon which he was present for. The Grand Prince remained a bedrock symbol of our democracy, despite the trials and tribulations it faced." The AC leader applauded the late Grand Prince's service to the nation, noting his humility and dutifulness.

Il Kurrent is a newspaper and online news website focusing on politics and current affairs, with a liberal editorial stance. It is owned and operated by the Alliance Media Group (AMG).

[thefalloutfan101]

Justice ministry sets out on anti-corruption agenda; requests budgetary increase
     10 February 5366

As the justice minister Kristofru Pace sets up his office's anti-corruption agenda, a hurdle has reportedly emerged: a lack of funds. Echoed similarly by the interior ministry, the two cabinet-level offices find themselves "astounded" by the breadth of corruption left in the wake of the City of Bribes scandal, and their no-nonsense attitude towards an issue proving daunting to actually go about fighting it. As such, both ministers have petitioned the finance ministry, both in behind-closed-doors talks and in discussions with lawmakers, to call for an increase in their respective offices' budgets. While further details are still being debated, Mr. Pace agreed that an increase in funding from 5bn Cildar to 10bn, arguing that the large-scale nature of Cildania's corruption demands "all the available" tools to combat it.

Similarly, interior minister Lwiġi Calleja also wished for an upping of his office's budget, though at a more modest expense of 8bn Cildar, up from 4bn. He argued that the change was necessary to prepare for further possible arrests in collaboration with Mr. Pace and potential asset seizures. "The increase is simply needed to cover costs, and execute our duties more efficiently," Mr. Calleja stated in a press conference with lawmakers in Qart Qildar. "We feel that currently the large scope of my colleague Mr. Pace's investigation is inadequate for the interior ministry and its subordinate agencies to bear the brunt of."

Meanwhile, the Chair of the Cildania Anti-Corruption Commisssion and current Chairman of Citizens Alliance Alessandro Zerafa has already begun issuing a flurry of orders from his office. Most recently, as previously reported by Il Kurrent, the cabinet official has already issued an internal audit of all cabinet ministries, an arduous task that will likely take months before a full report is brought to the public. Mr. Zerafa has already begun collaborating with the head of the CIldania Criminal Investigation Agency on the matter, reporting "profound" initial findings, and in a statement to journalists declared that "What we saw in the City of Bribes scandal is, unsurprisingly, only the tip of the iceberg".

On advice from his subordinate, Mr. Pace has also issued summons for several major figures in Cildanian politics, media, and business. Though none were implicitly named, it is expected that figures from all major parties of the former political establishment will be called to speak in closed-doors meetings with lawmakers and members of the judiciary. The minister is also seeking to establish a link between organized crime and corruption in Cildania, a long-alleged notion in the nation's history, though several have denied the claims, arguing it is a "baseless conspiracy".

Elsewhere, AC lawmakers within the Council of Deputies have continued to work on a comprehensive anti-corruption legislation with their fellow coalition partners. Though debate is ongoing, prior rumors that suggested a clause to permanently bar those charged with corruption from holding political office ever again were confirmed true, in statements made by one lawmaker from the AC. "These corrupt, self-serving politicians have trampled over their duties as civil servants," he stated in remarks to the Chamber. "The damage that they and numerous others have done to our institutions - our constitution - is unfathomable. Our citizens do not rightly know who to trust anymore. We simply cannot allow them the chance to run for office again, to repeat those mistakes and renege on their promises. For there to be redemption, they must never be seen here in our government again."

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

[thefalloutfan101]

     

     Lawmakers scramble to approve new cabinet following PAS's departure
     29th July 5366

With the sudden departure of the Agrarian and Fishermen's Party from the governing coalition of the Citizens Alliance and People's Choice, many were left anxious about the prospect of heading towards a minority government or a snap election, but such fears have seemingly been quelled as the government maintains a razor-thin majority of just three seats, placing the government at 144 over the opposition's 141. Lawmakers have nonetheless been scrambling to appoint a new cabinet, though a spokesperson for Prime Minister Tortell claimed that the government was "continuing to work without interruption".

As it stands currently, lawmakers, largely from the AC, have come to agreement on a draft proposal for the new cabinet, replacing most of the PAS's ministries with a joint list of their own and People's Choice. The legislator who proposed it, Mr. Ġużè Bianco, one of several current MoC for Aqildar from the AC, stressed that it was a work-in-progress legislation, and requested the consulting of his organization's fellow coalition partner over the proposed changes. "Without consensus, nothing can get done, and you risk ruffling a few feathers," he stated in remarks to journalists. "As such, we invite our coalition partner to review our current changes and come to an agreement."

If accepted in its current form, the AC would now be placed on equal footing with the PC, with both holding six ministries each, not counting the office of the premier.

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