Istalia

[TheUnicorn.]

DIMISSIONS IN THE ULD: THE PRESS SPOKESPERSON, SECRETARY, TREASURER, PRESIDENT OF THE PEER TRIBUNAL AND, MOST SURPRISINGLY, FIRST VICE-CHAIRPERSON LOSE THEIR POSITIONS


Although the storm outside, it seems as if Sabbagh is able to keep the Liberal Democrats together.

Istalian Politics are currently the most heated up since when President Reale announced his Veto, and even before that. For a situation similar to this, we have to go before the political impasse of the last term, the Simonette cabinet, the stable ones led by Logatto and Balotelli and the ULD's long-term, stable political dominance during the Vespa-Baldassare cabinets. Although the Liberal Democrats are in a state of utter unrest, they seem to be more united than ever; although the party has proposed very few bills this legislature, the external struggle has helped the Teals, Federalists and Centrists to unite.

And it seems as if the most recent event that shook the party is a sign of that; the wave of dimissions following the comments of the minister of Justice about the current investigation. Many say that the comments were true, even if the Minister herself, so far, took no action to fulfil them. Sahal Sabbagh, apparently after many days of discussions and consultations, decided to dismiss some of the most well-known members of the party from their positions in the leadership, with those being the likes of Maalouf, Espinoza, Tiame and even Vespa-Baldassare.

Soon after the information surfaced, the chairperson had a press conference to explain her decisions.

My decision comes as a surprise to many, but know that I have consulted them with the people that have been dismissed themselves, and they all agreed, so the dimissions can be also taken as resignations. We had to take radical steps, as we were forced to do that because of the actions that were taken by the government, currently repressing the opposition. But why these people? Mr Maalouf and Ms Espinoza were responsible for the budget, so that is to be understood that, if anything negative did happen, without either me or Chairperson Simonette knowing, that they likely had the information, and we consider it as something of honour and clarity that they should resign. Mr Tiame has lost his position as the Press Spokesperson for reasons unrelated to the affairs; he was dismissed, or rather he resigned, but due to our complicated system a resignation is asking the leadership to dismiss the person resigning because he announced that he wishes to run for the position of secretary. Ms Giordia has lost her position as the president of the peer tribunal for reasons similar to those of the Treasurer and Secretary, namely we consider it as a necessity, due to the fact that the peer tribunal is the formation within the party that is supposed to oversee justice. And Ms Vespa-Baldassare has resigned due to the fact that she previously served as the national coordinator, and oversaw the regional structures, which are currently investigated by the Ministry. We will hold ballots for all of the positions in the following month.

The changes were soon commented by the party's ex-Chairperson and current Deputies Leader, Grimaldo Simonette, who said that they will cause unnecessary conflicts and result in the party destabilising itself, something that, according to Sabbagh, who soon responded, Simonette has experience in. Another person to comment was Vespiano Badia, the party's President, who said that the result of the actions will be, unlike Simonette theorised, further stability, and will result in the internal state of the party becoming better.

It does seem, however, as if Badia is considering running for Vice-Chairperson, which makes Simonette's response to him, in which he said that Badia is just begging Sabbagh to endorse him.

[Freiheit Soldaten]

Istochniak Republic requests recognition of Istochniak independence and arms from Istalia

This morning President Ivankovic issued a statement requesting Istalian recognition of Istochniak independence from the Great Republic of Kalopia along with a small shipment of arms to help equip the Istochniak Defence Forces in the event of war breaking out with Kalopia.

[Nichola]

NICOLA BORROMEO SI DIMETTE
FLORENZA, PADAGNA - Il vicepresidente del FD, Nicola Borromeo, ha annunciato in una conferenza stampa le sue dimissioni dalla carica di Vicepresidente del Partito per motivi di salute. Borromeo ha 75 anni ed ha annunciato inoltre che, finito il mandato da parlamentare, si ritirerà dalla politica. Il Presidente Rosso ha annunciato che la Ministra dell'Educazione, Raffaella Flo, sarà la nuova Vicepresidente. A termine della conferenza Borromeo ha dichiarato che nessuno può essere un sostituto migliore che il Ministro Flo.

La nuova Vicepresidente del FD, Raffaella Flo, e l'uscente Borromeo.


FD VICEPRESIDENT RESIGN
he vice president of the FD, Nicola Borromeo, announced at a press conference his resignation from the office of Vice President of the Party for health reasons. Borromeo is 75 years old and has announced that, after his parliamentary term, he will retire from politics. President Rosso has announced that the minister of education, Raffaella Flo, will be the new Vice-President. At the end of the conference Borromeo declared that no one can be a better substitute than Minister Flo.
Above an image of the new vice president, Flo, and the outgoing Borromeo.

[November]

ELECTION BLOG: LdC CAMPAIGN STARTED


With the General Elections coming closer, the Lega dei Cittadini has officially started their nationwide campaign for the 4372 General Elections. Presidential Candidate Valentina Fenici was the first to officially announce the campgain, with its slogan: ''Orgoglioso d'Istalia'' (Proud of Istalia). Fenici is also present on the campaign poster, on which they chose to give her a strong look, coming across as a leader.

''We really look forward to the upcoming campaign, despite all the setbacks in the preparations. It has been a roller coaster from start to end and we're planning on finishing it with a bang'', says campaign leader Maurizio de Fiore. He became acting chairman of the LdC in February 4372 when the then incumbent chairman Matteo de Campagnella, also founder of the party, suddenly died from a heart attack three months before the elections. This event lead to a stop of campaign preparations, and slowed down the progress. But now, the party is back on track and taking steps in campaigning for seats in the Chamber of Deputies. ''Romula is not the final station, it will be the beginning of a journey that will help Istalia flourish in it's glory'', Fenici spoke at the campaign presentation. Despite all the events of the last year, the LdC seems to maintain a solid position in the polls with more or less than 40 seats.

Regarding other political events, such as the investigation on the youth organisation of the Alternativa Istaliana and the heavy-loaded debate on nuclear weapons, a brief statement was given:

The Lega dei Cittadini will await the judgement of the institutions of this matter and will act upon them as soon as the elections are over. We're going to focus on our first nationwide campaign and have to manage our time and efforts wisely. Therefore we will be less present in the political debate, but after the elections our voice will be louder than ever before.

[Koba998]

President Casto's health is poor: he won't run for the next elections. Socialist Sando Pettini will take his place


Fidelio Casto, current Head of state

Fidelio Casto (69) announced today during a meeting with the press that he won't run as Head of State during the next election. In facts, his poor heart conditions weakened during these difficult years of presidency, leaving him incapable to substain, eventually, other four years of presidency. Beside these problems, several polls already declare Casto as one of the most beloved presidents Istalia has ever elected.
During the meeting, Casto introduced Sandro Pettini (67) to the press: historical socialist figure of Istalia, close friend with Endrigo Bellinguer, he grew like Casto in the syndacalis movement, before taking action in spreading his socialist and democratic values - untill these days, Pettini never subscrived to the Communist party. Like Casto, Pettini is known and respected from a large slice of the political spectrum, due to his moderacy and his innate efforts to always find a compromise with distant visions of the world. Closing his speech, Casto invited all the forces which sustained the government in these years "to support Pettini during the next elections. Only by doing this we can defeat the right and continue the democratic government of Istalia, which, from the economical scenery to the civil one, made again Istalia influential all over Terra."


Sandro Pettini, candidate Head of state

[TheUnicorn.]

THE ULD ELECTS PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & UNVEILS POSSIBLE CABINET

As the ULD always does, it held a congress before the elections, to unveil their new presidential candidate, as well as their nominees to lead the ministries.

First, as always, the presidential candidate. As always, the race for the seat was tight, with many politicians joining the race, hoping to become the ULD's hope for regaining the presidency.

The people that got enough signatures to advance to this round were:

Arno Diamante, ULD Deputy, lawyer, constitutionalist and former University Professor;
Alessandra Ramano, Businesswoman, ULD Senator, and current speaker for Finance;
Najeer el-Saladin, Deputy Leader, ex-minister of Foreign Affairs and Politologist, long-term ULD member.

Now, the candidates themselves may not seem that impressive, but that's because the other candidates, Maalouf and Biele, decided to endorse el-Najeer in a compromise.

El-Najeer also won, obviously, gaining 82% in the second round, in which he confronted Diamante.

But after the Presidential race, Sabbagh, who was, obviously, elected to be the party's candidate for Prime Minister, announced her candidates for ministers. Although there were no big surprises, the lack of a few faces among the possible cabinet peaked the interest of journalists.

The cabinet, as it was unveiled, consists of:

Prime Minister - Sahla Sabbagh. Obviously, as per tradition, the chairperson of the Liberal Democrats is also the candidate for Prime Minister.

Foreign Affairs - Sultana el-Nassar. The ULD's Senate leader, el-Nassar also served as Istalia's ambassador in Beitenyu and, before that, in Badara. She has long-standing experience on the international stage, and a strong position in her party.

Internal Affairs - Giorgia Taime. Relatively unknown to the general public outside of Sarregna, the regional governor of the region has a lot of experience in administration, and is one of the party's eight Vice-Chairpeople.

Finance - Massimo Meir. A senator of the party, also serving as the Deputy Leader, since Cappola assumed the position of First Vice-Chair. He is a brilliant economist, hardcore capitalist, and a person of huge political experience.

Defence - Mariano Lepera. The grandson of the former president, he also served as an advisor to him, and as the chief of staff to president Reale. He served as a soldier for four years.

Justice - Egeo Biele. Many wonder if Biele, a well-known politician of the party, and, formerly, one of the most famous Istalian lawyers, will be able to actually become a minister, ever.

Infrastructure - Davide Xhosa. Romula's ex-mayor, Xhosa, although his dark carnation which alienated many in his Padagnan homeland, is currently the leader of the party's Mezzodiurnan structures.

Health - Elmo Cappola. The face of the ULD's "medical guild", or an alliance of doctors within the party, Cappola is also the current First Vice-Chairperson of the Liberal Democrats, and Sabbagh's most trusted man, which lead many to believe that he'd be a candidate for a more powerful ministry.

Education and Culture - Oriana Turrigno. Professionally- a high-school teacher, once, currently an MP of the ULD. Turrigno, during her service as a teacher, got nominated and won many awards, including the award for the best Istalian teacher.

Science and Technology - Alan Giordano. Once again, an investor, businessman, linked to the ULD since his youth- the classical story of ULD ministerial candidate. However, Giordano, before joining the ULD, was briefly of the "Istalian National Marijuana Society", which does make him special, in a way.

Food and Agriculture - Adriano Mussolia. Interestingly, before becoming an MP, Mussolia was a chemist and biologist, developing special, collectable, genetically modified pumpkins.

Environment and Tourism - Bianca Milano. The heir to Istalia's largest hotel empire, Milano also, in her youth, was a child actor and environmental activist. She is also a member of the small green faction within the party.

Trade and Industry - Vespiano Badia. Before Ramano, he was the party's finance speaker. A ruthless but effective politician, and a member of the Teal faction, the media sometimes call Badia the "blue Rumpelstiltskin", claiming that he'd do anything for a good trade deal, as can be seen in his short history as the chairperson of a... love company.

[Axxell]

Istalian Edition
Elezioni 4372: Valentina Vitali, Alleanza Radicale, sarà uno dei candidati di "Insieme per l'Istalia" ma un eventuale supporto per Pettini è già stato formalizzato come anche il sostegno di tutta la sinistra al secondo turno
Il centro-sinistra e la sinistra istaliane correrano con tre candidati al primo turno ma al secondo turno saranno unite le forze, la Vitali: "ora l'importante è difendere il Paese dall'ombra del passato, da corruzione ed immobilismo"

Valentina Vitali

ROMULA - La campagna elettorale è ormai nelle fasi più calde e Valentina Vitali da mesi ormai sta girando per il paese tenendo comizi in tutte le più grandi città istaliane come la candidata Presidente dell'Alleanza Radicale che sarà sostenuta dal Fronte Democratico fin dal primo turno. Accanto a lei, sempre per il centro-sinistra, correrà il candidato del PUP, dunque la coalizione Insieme per l'Istalia presenterà due candidati, soprattutto per volontà del più recente membro della coalizione che però ha garantito che se la Vitali passerà al secondo turno avrà il suo appoggio.

Il voto della sinistra istaliana, comunque, sarà ancor più frammentato dato che, come annunciato da tempo, anche il socialdemocratico Pettini correrà come candidato del PCI. Nonostante i numerosi candidati, comunque, le dirigenze di AR e PCI hanno già formalizzato un accordo di mutuo sostegno per il candidato che passerà al secondo turno. Alla luce del trend degli ultimi anni, buona parte degli esperti ritengono Pettini il candidato della sinistra con più chance per passare il primo turno.

Imprevedibile invece il voto a destra alla luce delle indagini in corso che stanno coinvolgendo Alternativa Istaliana e che sembra possa essere stata all'origine dell'ondata di dimissioni all'interno dell'Unione dei Liberal Democratici. L'elettorato si mostra diviso: se da una parte si hanno delusi e detrattori della Destra, accusata di aver piantato radici profonde nel sottobosco economico del paese durante i quasi trent'anni di dominio politico, dall'altra si hanno invece gli oppositori del governo che sostengono le accuse di persecuzione politica da parte della sinistra al potere.

Altro importante fattore da considerare è anche la frattura interna al PCI, che vede l'ala massimalista in rotta con la dirigenza moderata e riformista. Pettini, infatti, non è stato di certo un candidato che ha soddisfatte Marco Pizzo, leader dei Metzisti-leonidisti, e le critiche infatti non sono state poche, con inviti da parte dei massimalisti verso i militanti a disertare le urne.

Elezioni dunque fortemente imprevedibili, anche per la presenza dei candidati dei due nuovi partiti presentatesi sulla scena politica nazionale, uno dei quali ha presentato un programma rivolto ad una vera e propria rivoluzione istituzionale. La Vitali, tra i vari argomenti presentati durante la campagna, ha anche difeso il regime Semi-Presidenziale, queste le sue parole:

Il Panorama politico istaliano semplicemente non permette un efficace funzionamento di un sistema Presidenziale! Saremo otto partiti in parlamento dopo queste elezioni, lunghi dialoghi e dibattiti saranno sicuramente necessari per formare un governo, con il rischio che il Presidente, fossimo in un regime Presidenziale, debba guidare un gabinetto formato da esponenti di partiti a lui avversi. Come potrebbe imporre la propria leadership? Come potrebbe promuovere le politiche per il quale è stato votato? E dunque, chi guiderebbe il governo in queste condizioni? Non un vice-presidente, che dovrebbe essere eletto insieme al suo Presidente, e allora chi? Questo o quest'altro ministro? O dovremmo optare per un governo direttoriale? Ma chi allora potrebbe assumersi la responsabilità delle azioni del Governo? Chi dovrebbe risponderne di fronte ai cittadini alle urne?
Il nostro sistema semi-presidenziale semplicemente permette la massima elasticità di fronte alle più svariate situazioni e di fronte i più svariati risultati elettorali. Il nostro sistema può risultare in effetti sia parlamentare che presidenziale, a seconda della maggioranza che esprime il Governo. Con una maggioranza a favore il Presidente della Repubblica può agire esattamente come in un sistema presidenziale, con un primo ministro che agirà come coordinatore del Consiglio dei Ministri e che seguirà gli affari quotidiani ed ordinari. In caso contrario, a differenza di un sistema con unico capo di stato e di governo, avremo un Primo Ministro a guidare il governo e che sarà responsabile di fronte all'elettorato attraverso il suo partito. La tradizionale frammentazione del panorama politico istaliano ed un governo che deve sottostare alla fiducia del parlamento impediscono la riuscita di qualsiasi esperimento Presidenzialista. L'ultimo tentativo ha avuto come epilogo un decennio di impasse politica e due mandati presidenziali senza la possibilità di formare un governo. Temiamo che le stesse condizioni possano ripresentarsi e... non credo ciò possa essere un beneficio per il paese.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Luthorian Edition
Elections 4372: Valentina Vitali, Radical Alliance, will be one of the candidates of "Together for Istalia" but a possible support for Pettini has already been formalized as well as the support of the whole left in the second round
The istalian left and the center-left run with three candidates in the first round but in the second round will be joined forces, Vitali: "now the important thing is to defend the country from the shadow of the past, from corruption and immobility"

ROMULA - The electoral campaign is now in the hottest phases and Valentina Vitali for months now is running around the country holding rallies in all the largest cities of Istalia as the candidate President of the Radical Alliance that will be supported by the Democratic Front since the first round. Next to her, always for the center-left, will run the candidate of the PUP, so the coalition 'Together for Istalia' will present two candidates, this due to the will of the most recent member of the coalition but which has guaranteed that if Vitali will go to the second round she will have PUP support.

The vote of the istalian left, however, will be even more fragmented given that, as announced for some time, also the Social Democrat Pettini will run as a candidate of the PCI. In spite of the numerous candidates, however, the AR and PCI leaderships have already formalized a mutual support agreement for the candidate who will pass the second round. In light of the trend of recent years, most experts consider Pettini the candidate of the left with more chances to pass the first round.

On the other hand, the right-wing vote in light of the ongoing investigations involving Alternativa Istaliana, which seems to have been also at the origin of the resignation wave within the Union of Liberal Democrats, is unpredictable. The electorate shows itself divided: if on the one hand we have disappointed and detractors of the Right, accused of having planted deep roots in the economic undergrowth of the country during almost thirty years of political domination, on the other hand there are opponents of the government that support the accusations of political persecution by part the left now in power.

Another important factor to consider is also the internal division of the PCI, which sees the maximalist wing in serious contrast with the moderate and reformist leadership. Pettini, in fact, was certainly not a candidate who could met the expectations of Marco Pizzo, leader of Metzisti-leonidisti wing, and the criticisms were in fact not few, with invitations from the maximalists to the militants to desert the polls.

These elections are therefore highly unpredictable, also due to the presence of the candidates of the two new parties arose on the national political scene, one of whom presenting a program aimed at a real institutional revolution. Vitali, among the various topics presented during the campaign, also defended the Semi-Presidential regime, these are her words:

The istalian political panorama simply does not allow an effective functioning of a presidential system! We will be eight parties in parliament after these elections, long dialogues and debates will certainly be necessary to form a government, with the risk that the President, if we were in a Presidential regime, has to lead a cabinet formed by members of parties opposed to him. How could it impose its leadership? How could it promote the policies for which it was voted? So who would lead the government under these conditions? Not a vice-president, who should be elected together with his president, and then who? This or that minister? Or should we opt for a directorial government? But who then could be accountable for the actions of the Government? Who should respond to citizens at the polls?
Our semi-presidential system simply allows maximum flexibility in the face of the most varied situations and in the face of the most different electoral results. Our system can indeed be both parliamentary and presidential, depending on the majority expressed by the Government. With a majority in favor, the President of the Republic can act just like in a presidential system, with a prime minister who will act as the coordinator of the Council of Ministers and who will follow daily and ordinary affairs. Otherwise, unlike a system with a single head of state and government, we will have a Prime Minister to lead the government and who can be accountable to the electorate through his party. The traditional fragmentation of the istalian political landscape and a government that must undergo the confidence of the parliament prevent the success of any Presidenzialist experiment. The last attempt had as epilogue a decade of political impasse and two presidential terms without the possibility to form a government. We fear that the same conditions will reoccur and... I do not think this can be a benefit for the country.

[13ShinyTie]

AI will NOT run its own candidate amidst drama
An independent IPV candidate carries the hopes of the right

As expected, the Nationalists will not run their own candidate, despite Aurora Adorinda Wishing to do so. The reason is clear: there is a severe lack of confidence. The investigation which has severely undermined the Nationalist popularity, which now is expected to drop to 4th place according to most recent polls, has become a dark cloud over the party, with more evidence being discovered proving that the Nationalist Elite guaranteed favorable government contracts to some private companies in return for campaign funds. The companies involved have not been yet discovered, hence there are no charges, but many believe that due to the sheer amount of sums it must have been the top corporations in the largest economic sectors which the AI legislation of recent years has favored, namely infrastructure, energy and most notably independent journalists predict the Defence industry to be involved as well.

Meanwhile, the independent IPV candidate is a true conservative one, representing the closeness of the AI and its closest partner in recent years, the PRI. He has the complete confidence of the leadership, and aims to overthrow the hegemony of the PCI and ULD, which both represent liberal values to an extent in the social sphere. Economically centrist, he allows for a larger voter number to support him and keeps the IPV coalition together, whose only notable disagreement is in economic matters.

[cb15]

SAMARA WINS PUP PRIMARY, ADVANCES TO THE GENERAL ELECTION AS PUP CANDIDATE

Rania Samara celebrates her victory in the PUP primary.
Rania Samara, the centrist candidate in the PUP primary, has won the primary vote for nomination as PUP nominee. The results are as follows:
SILICIA:
POZZI: 63 delegates
SAMARA: 37 delegates

SARREGNA:
SAMARA: 65 delegates
POZZI: 35 delegates

PADAGNA:
SAMARA: 54 delegates
POZZI: 46 delegates

MEZZODIURNO:
POZZI: 51 delegates
SAMARA: 49 delegates

TRIVENDITO:
SAMARA: 54 delegates
POZZI: 46 delegates

TOTAL:
SAMARA: 259 delegates
POZZI: 241 delegates

It is unknown what runnerup and liberal firebrand Chiarina Pozzi will do after this defeat.

[November]

DISSAPOINTING ELECTORAL GAIN PUTS LdC IN OPEN FIELD


In the aftermath of a long election night, where Istalia saw the right retake its dominant position and the nation was introduced to two new parties, the alliances in the Chamber are maneuvering to create a new coalition. After the dissapointing election result (27 seat gain in contrast to the predicted 50 seat gain), Party Leader of the Lega dei Cittadini, Valentia Fenici, released the following statement:

Even though our numbers are not that strong, we are willing to join any coalition or support one that will help us fight immigrant issues and bring us closer to a presidential republic. I know our position is not that powerfull *laughs*, but don't forget that politics isn't all about seats but about negotiations. Negotiations in which the LdC, even with only 27 seats, can make the difference between a majority or not.