Saridan

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Koeistad: President Oosthuizen and his cabinet have indicated that they are working on a legislative initiative for "federal reallignment". The plan, which would redefine the relationship between the provinces and the federal government, seeks to create a stronger federal government while maintaining the autonomy of the provinces. After last january's election and the subsequent election of Oosthuizen to the presidency, all provincial assemblies were also elected with RVB majorities, allowing Oosthuizen to call for a federal consultation with all the provincial governments to "reallign" the relationship between Koeistad and its subjects. Key to the consultation is the desire for the Oosthuizen led executive to create a "shared" federal system. Currently the provinces have sole jurisdiction over a number of issues. Under the new proposed allignment the federal and provincial governments would share nearly all responsibilities and could also legislate in all matters with the exception of defense, monetary and foreign policy as it stays in federal jurisdication. Culture would remain a mainly provincial matter, thus giving the provinces one last sole responsibility. Oosthuizen was elected on a platform in which he pledged for a stronger federal government, in line with his party its unionist ideas. He has tasked Secretary of Home Affairs Lihan Van Zyl and State Secretary Bronkhorst with conducting the talks with the provinces and reach a consensus.

Another bill, already passing the Volksraad, has also been enacted which increases the number of seats in the Volksraad to 150 and also changes campaign finance laws as promised during the campaign. All in all, the Oosthuizen administration is using its majority and power to make their promises come true.

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Koeistad: Secretary for Infrastructure and Transport Sebastian Van Jaarsveld has announced that his department is working with the State Treasury to create a new federal road tax meant to be used for maintaining the federal road and highway system. As of now, the federal government uses general taxation to pay for maintenance of infrastructure. Under the new plan, every automobile owner would pay a tax based on the weight of their car. The higher the weight, the more you pay in taxes. This tax will then be fully used for maintenance of the federal road system, thus creating more room to use general taxation for other means. The idea behind it is that bigger cars and cars with more weight exert a heavier toll on the road its lifespan, thus warranting more taxation. The move also fits in the government its attempt to create more efficient taxation schemes, seeking to step away from arbitrary general taxation without a clear meaning and focussing more on specialized taxation, in which the government levies tax for a specific purpose. Secretary van Jaarsveld has also encouraged provincial governments to adopt similar schemes for their road systems, thus ensuring that a uniform system of taxation for road usage and maintenance is used. The State Treasury meanwhile is also exploring the possibility of creating a VAT tax, which has never been properly introduced in the country. If this plan comes true, President Oosthuizen has already stated he will do his best to lower income taxes to equall things out, creating a more diverse revenue stream for the government to use.

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Koeistad: State Secretary Bronkhorst has revealed the federal government its economic strategy in the coming years, focussed primarily on "handing the provinces the tools to improve." According to Bronkhorst provinces have been lacking on the topic of economic policy, often not having a clear and set policy to roll out and implement in their province. Furthermore the connectivity between the different provincial economies is lacking in key areas, with the State Secretary seeing this specifically as a "big topic for the federal government to tackle." With the recent reallignment of federal power the State Secretary has much more influence to dictate the direction of policy, with Bronkhorst seeking to use this newfound influence in steering the national economy towards what she calls "autonomous growth." The federal government will focus on maintaining a strong lobby in each province, meant to keep the provinces in a generally similar direction. But they are also encouraged to stimulate local strengths "the beauty of our system is that the provinces have the autonomy to use their strengths and enhance them. Thats why i hope that while economic relationships between the provinces will improve, they will also keep their unique character." Bronkhorst also announced the introduction of key subsidies as well as a federaly enforced requirement for provinces to hand in their annual budget with the State Treasury, to make sure the federal government has a adequate picture of provincial finances and can intervene in the places that it is deemed necessary. This new direction of "directed autonomy" will, according to Bronkhorst, improve connectivity and economic cohesion while at the same time stimulate the economic growth in the individual provinces that the federal government is hoping for. The policy is also seen as a mix of Oosthuizen and Bronkhorst policies, as Bronkhorst is known as a interventionist within the RVB while President Oosthuizen was elected on a ticket of smaller government within the economy.

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Koeistad: Secretary for Defense Piet Witboei has announced a continuation of the government its "reallignment" policy, introduced by State President Oosthuizen, with the Defense Force to become the latest governmental department to come into contact with the new policy. Secretary Witboei announced that the nature of the Defense Force needs to change:

For decades we have lived under the presumption that instability will not be felt on our continent and in our vicinity. The regime change in Valruzia, continued unrest in Malivia and incidents in Dovani have shown that we live in a extremely volatile world. The Defense Force needs to adapt to this new reality and, in the spirit of other Cabinet programs, should reallign our defense posture.

Secretary Witboei seeks to slightly change the doctrine of total defense to a more "nuanced" military posture. One of the ways he seeks to do so is through the introduction of one additional division to the army, which should be a mix between the current Pantserdivisies and the specialized light "Vinnige Reaksiekrag". This new division would thus be equipped with heavier equipment then the Reaksiekrag but would still be more mobile then the pansterdivisies. The army will retain its quick-reaction doctrine and will, under this reallignment, still remain relatively small to keep its technological and mobility edge. The navy will gain a much more prominent role. The Department of Defense will invest millions into upgrading and modernizing facilities in the existing naval stations and ports. Furthermore the navy will expand its role from simply defense of territorial waters to the projection of influence in the wider South Ocean and the Sea of Lost Souls. With this in mind, a expansion of capabilities and combat ships might be on the horizon. Secretary Witboei however refused to comment on potential investments and aquisition of new ships. Lastly the airforce will retain its role as primarily a support force for navy and army, but with both these branches to be expanded the airforce is also potentially in the eyes of defense strategists for expansion. All in all while the general policy of the Defense Force is to remain the same, some key changes will likely make it a slightly larger and more operationally active force in the near future.

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Party of National Renewal seeks to challenge right-wing dominance in Saridan

With the Republican People’s Movement sweeping the 5361 elections without any clear opposition, Adonis Van Straaten, one if the country’s wealthiest investors has thrown his hat into the ring. His new party of “National Renewal” seeks to defend liberal values and pursue a moderate approach to governance. Van Straaten criticised the pace of recent constitutional reforms and in particular the newly granted powers of the government to grant or deny approval to political donations. The new party leader accused the government of undermining democracy in Saridan and attempting to cut off funding for rival parties.

Nevertheless, Van Straaten’s party voiced cautious support for new economic reforms but criticised the lack of opposition voices in the current parliament and the speed with which the proposal was opened to voting. The incumbents meanwhile appear to be aware of this new electoral challenge and have tabled a motion for early elections, seeking to secure another term in government before the new party establishes itself. Time will tell if the new party can provide a credible alternative to the RBV.

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Koeistad: By original design of State President Oosthuizen the Department of Home Affairs has put forth a legislative initiative to sync the provincial elections with the Volksraad elections. The move, supported through letter by the 5 RVB provincial governments, would make it so that if the Volksraad is dissolved all the provincial assemblies are automatically dissolved with it and hold a election on the same date. According to State President Oosthuizen the syncing of these elections would "make the electoral process easier, less costly and strengthen cohesion in the country." The five provincial governments have put forth similar bills on the request of Home Affairs, likely cementing the new law into provincial law as well. The move has been criticized by oppossition figures, who see it as the latest attempt by the Oosthuizen government to undermine democratic norms. Experts believe that if provincial elections are synced with federal elections it could lead to "domino voting", with the party winning federal elections also winning the provincial elections. The danger of this is that the autonomy of the provinces is undermined, as the federal government would be composed of the same parties as the provincial governments. But President Oosthuizen and State Secretary Bronkhorst have dismissed the criticism, stating that it is merely a measure to "save costs and create a more efficient voting process."

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Koeistad: In recent years presidential powers, both de-facto and de-jure, have been on the rise according to political analysts. RVB rule has led to a centralization of power in the presidency, with the State Secretary becoming less prominent as more responsibilities flow from the presidency. It was in State President Oosthuizen his electoral program, centralizing government power, but it has unintentionally led to the post of President becoming more prominent then it used to be, with nearly all final decisions of the executive coming from or being approved by the president. Experts have now been classifying Saridan as a centralized semi-presidential system, whereass it used to be a system where president and State Secretary shared power it has increasingly become evident that the State Secretary is mostly a administrator and serves at the whims of the State President. Recent changes in the constitution have also made the State Secretary direct deputy of the President, thus making it even more dependent on the presidency. While the State Secretary is still to be approved by the Volksraad, it is a mere formality that the President his pick is accepted. While many Saridani's seem indifferent to the change in the power dynamic the current State Secretary Corli Bronkhorst has reportedly clashed with President Oosthuizen on multiple occasions, with Oosthuizen not able to dismiss his head of government as she holds major support within the ruling party.

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Koeistad: The federal government will partially liberalize the energy sector and will encourage provincial governments to follow it with those steps. The primary reform focusses around companies selling energy to consumers. Currently the federally owned "Saridani Energy" and the smaller private "FedOil" provide the majority of energy to consumers, with little to no private involvement in the selling process. Under the new legislation proposed by the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources the market will be opened up, with private companies allowed to buy energy and sell it to consumers. With the reform the government hopes to create more competition in the selling process, thus allowing lower prices and making it cheaper for consumers. The entire production, export and import of energy will remain in state hands as Saridani Energy will continue to be the main providor of the actual electricity and other energy products. The state owned Staatsolie will remain state owned, with early speculation suggesting that the hallmark company would be sold off and made private. Those efforts had been halted by State Secretary Bronkhorst, who convinced the Minister for Energy and Natural Resources that the entire production side of energy should remain a state affair. Provinces will be given subsidies to stimulate the creation of new energy providors, as to create a vibrant new market.

Critics suggest that the liberalization might make it cheaper for consumers in the beginning, but could affect the quality of service in the long run. The potential for these new private bussinesses to go bancrupt and their customers to live in energy insecurity is also a risk, but Minister De Jager has argued that these liberalizations will only improve service and availability as not all is bet on just one providor but is spread out over multiple.

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Koeistad: The JAS Gripen, the main fighter jet of the Saridani Air Force, will undergo a extensive modernization program led by AG. The Gripen has been the main fighter jet for the airforce, used for both aerial control and ground support. Currently the Saridani Air Force operates 28 Gripen fighters. After years without significant upgrades the Department of Defense and Asvald Gruppen have struck a deal to modernize the jet for Saridani service, which would create a update package for the jet to make it a fully modern and capable jet comparable to other recent models. In addition, the department of defense will purchase a additional 14 Gripen jets from AG, making the total 42 jets. It fits into the overall strategy of the Defense Force, which seeks to strengthen the air force in support of the Army and Navy. Secretary of Defense Witboei reacted to the deal he struck with jubilation:

With this deal we secure a continued partnership with AG as it continues to operate in Saridan. We also beleive that this deal will strengthen the core of the air force while we look for ways to further develop the overall Defense Force.

Besides this deal with AG the Department will also invest into expanding and improving the military airfields, primarily on Sint Pieterseiland, as the defense community sees the island as a increasingly important piece of the country in trying to enhance defense as well as increase the influence of Saridan.

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Kroonstad: In the city of Kroonstad, Boerestaat, a new opera has been launched in its Grand Opera house named "A Quiet Home". The opera, written by famous Saridani opera writer Jaivyn Van Vollenhoven, tells the story of a maid serving a rich Dorvish family. The maid, named Ellis, serves the family well but ends up in a affair with the father of the family. The two try to keep the affair a secret but fail to do so, leading to the mother Nelia trying to expose the two in front of the entire household. The Opera is a dramatic play with laughter and a cry, with critics calling it "one of the best Vollenhoven opera's we have seen in years." The songs in the play are of high quality, with "A Quiet Home" the first Vollenhoven play to release its songs on online music platforms. These have racked up nearly 2 million streams, with tickets for the actual opera having been sold out till next year. Vollenhoven responded to the positive reviews by saying that the play was his life's work, something that took years of continued creativity and perssistence to complete. Now, after a continious 19 years of writing, his "A Quiet Home" seems to be a sensation amongst Opera enthusiasts, with even mainstream news channels reporting on its release. The play could not have been made possible without funding however, as the Provincial Executive had subsidized the Grand Opera in Kroonstad with thousands, allowing the opera to fund the preparation for "A Quiet Home".

"A Quiet Home" will remain in the Grand Opera house for 2 years, after which Vollenhoven and the Grand Opera house will evaluate whether to extend the number of shows available.