Deltaria

[Drax]

ZLOUTENE OKO

POK MAY COMPETE IN DARALI

Hradnice, February 18, 5044: Education and Culture Minister Ferdinand Mrazek, who is Protikladny Opzicny Kongres (POK) Delegation Leader in the Duma, was in Hradnice today meeting with POK cell leadership in Darali Province concerning whether to seriously contest Darali Province in elections three years away.

ZLOUTENE OKO asked Mrazek whether POK would be competing in Darali. He responded:

Not decided yet. We believe we can but while there is still time we are evaluating whether the necessary resources should be allocated; the question we keep hearing is do we need our heads handed to us in a wicker basket again.

ZLOUTENE OKO indicated left libertarian is a description being heard about POK and asked what it meant. Mrazek said of this:

To us it means promoting individual liberty by small government but not turning that idea into justification for segregation, atrocities, corporate rule of everything, gun worship, destroying the safety net or failing to be accountable for polluting the environment.

Further, smaller government is a tool we are proposing in the peculiar circumstances of the current regime not necessarily something that would be helpful under different circumstances.

ZLOUTENE OKO noted although POK – 03 had passed the Duma, POK - 4 looked doomed and asked if it was posturing for a purpose. Mrazek answered:

There is that effect; POK – 04 does inform potential constituencies where we stand on issues which is important for a relatively new party. As a matter of strict fact, we should never have included the reduction of the legislative term since it requires a two thirds vote while the other measures only require a majority which we in fact did muster. Expect to see some of those provisions again in POK – 05.

As to whether POK would be in favor of repeal of the Balgrad Accords, The Education and Culture Minister responded:

Well we would hardly object if that came about; obviously POK has no stake in them. Our current agenda however only calls for negotiating modification of a few of its provisions.

Asked by ZLOUTENE OKO if POK had heard anything of former Premier Jankova, Mrazek replied:

Frankly comrades, the only rumor we have heard is that she was seen at a concert at Naban University featuring the music from the opera, Malatesta Agonistes. Nothing more.

POK Duma Delegation Leader Mrazek

[Rogue]

OOC Source: laststandonzombieisland

Alazinder: The Province of Alazinder has been shaken by a series of tremors for the past few months. Government officials have yet to give an exact reason for the tremors, as Alazinder isnt on a breakline known to cause earthquakes or tremors of any sort. The tremors started 4 months ago and have happened on occasions throughout the past months. While government officials wont tell the media what might be going on, the military its actions might give some hints. Several roadblocks in the areas affected by the tremors have been set up, checking incoming vehicles and sending back media officials while letting through local residents. The mystery of the situation causes some concern with international organizations. Deltaria has focussed massively on nuclear energy in the past few years, creating a variety of new reactors accross the country. While the nation has, by law, outlawed the development of nuclear weaponry some international observers have researched previous remarks by both the current First Minister and the Tsar, which cite that Deltaria "needs nuclear weaponry" to be taken seriously on the world stage and "halt our continious decline". Furthermore government budgets show gaps of billions in the last two years, with the Imperial Ministry for Finance not able to give a proper explanation on where this money has gone to.

As mystery clouds over the tremors and the entire situation, international observers remain wary and have urged other nations to look into it. Both the First Minister and Minister of War have called the insinuations "nonsense" and have condemned the media reports as "fake news of the highest order, we would be breaking our own laws".

[Drax]

ZLOUTENE OKO

POK LOOKING FOR ALAZINDER TREMOR EXPLANATION

Cachtice, February 16, 5045: ZLOUTENE OKO has learned that Pavol Smutny, the Minister of Science and Technology, met with senior Ministry staff concerning possible sources of the serious tremors in Alazinder Province. Five directions for inquiry emerged.

Terra wide, the most common non natural cause of earth tremors is fracking. Ministry officials said speculators tend to go too big with too little safety or preparation or geological knowledge. But for over 100 years Deltaria has been importing under favorable contractual terms more than enough oil and gas to meet its needs so it is hard to believe anyone is bothering with fracking n in Deltaria.

As to natural causes, the Ministry is feverishly rechecking its data and confirming it with commercial, scientific and academic sources. While truly unlikely the remote possibility of some natural explanation is being sought. A cataclysmic calamity is regarded as highly unlikely. The Ministry regards doublechecking all possible natural explanation as its responsibility but every indication is that the known fault lines of the tectonic plates have not done any shifting nor has any relevant volcanic activity occurred.

The possibility of a nuclear reactor accident could certainly cause tremors but hardly a series over several months. Further, covering up responsibility and even the cause of a nuclear reactor accident would be expected, the fact of one would not.

Similarly, an extreme industrial accident is a remoter possibility but the reasoning for ruling it out are the same. The fact of such an accident causing that effect can not be concealed; people who know things talk. They always have.

A fifth possibility is some series of weapons tests nuclear or otherwise. The thinking in the Ministry of Science and Technology is that this is the source and the scientific tremor records are consistent with this but no relevant information has been received or made available from the Defense Ministry.

ZLOUTENE OKO has also learned Science and Technology Minister Smutny will discuss how to pursue this line of inquiry with the Protikladny Opzicny Kongres Duma delegation.

Science and Technology Minister Smutny

ZLOUTENE OKO

POK ASKS FIRST MINISTER AND DEFENSE MINISTER TO ADMIT OR DENY MILITARY WEAPONS TESTS IN ALAZINDER

Cachtice, February 23, 5045: On behalf of the Protikladny Opzicny Kongres (POK) Duma delegation, Science and Technology Minister Pavol Smutny has brought the following questions to the floor of the Duma:

POK has three questions of the First Minister and Defense Minister. First, will either the First Minister or Defense Minister or both admit or deny there was weapons testing causing a series of earth tremors over several months in Alazinder Province?

Second, if those tests occurred, were they nuclear in nature?

Third, does either the First Minister or the Defense Minister know whether testing of weapons by our military caused the repeated earth tremors in Alazinder Province?

[Rogue]

OOC Source: Google

Cachtice: The Ministry of War, led by Minister of War Vojtěch Vlček, has admitted that the military, with approval from the council of ministers and the Tsar, has begun a nuclear weapons program with the goal of granting Deltaria "nuclear weapons capabilities". This means the government is actively ignoring its own laws on banning nuclear development. The military was reportedly already seeking nuclear capabilities but had not pursued them until the Council of Ministers approved. The Tsar himself has always expressed his desire of making Deltaria the "predominant military power on terra" which would include nuclear capability. The new approach and developments are however a risk taken by the government and military, as internationally nuclear weapons are banned except for some nations such as Dorvik. The Tsar, in a public address, called this situation unfair, "giving only a selected amount of nations the power of nuclear weaponry is casting any other nation into a corner and telling them they can be annihalated and cant defend themselves. Deltaria wont abide by such rules."

International observers seem to think Deltaria is willing to suffer possible economic ramifications in order to obtain nuclear weaponry. It is unclear at what stage the development of nuclear weapons currently is but it seems to be in the testing stages before initial procurement. The first goal, according to insiders, will be developing short to medium range missiles to be fired from constructed missile silos after which the second stage will be submarine launched missiles. No international response have come as of yet, being unclear whether any will come.

[Rogue]

OOC Source: Northern Hikes

Cachtice: The quest for a vibrant tourism sector in Deltaria continues as the newfound Deltarian Empire has sparked a new approach for the Ministry of Tourism, seeking to use the new monarchy to strengthen tourism in the country. Deltaria's landscape is dotted with age old castles, palaces and more, especially in its mountainous south. These were already attractive for many cultural tourists, but now have a extra load on them as Deltaria is once again an Empire. This "Imperial Touch" as Tourism minister Věnceslav Adamček has called it, is aiding in the boost for the cultural tourism sector. This boost includes additional funding to cultural museums and maintenance of cultural sights, funding for the development of a comprehensive tourism strategy in the south, including a new slogan and a marketing campaign to promote the sector and culture of Deltaria. An emphasize is also put on ensuring citizens that despite its semi-constitutional status, Deltaria still grants a large amount of freedom to its citizens and also to its visitors, with people not needing to worry they will be affected negatively by the Deltarian regime in place.

The new approach, nicknamed the "Imperial Pride Approach" or IPA will be implemented over the coming years and is expected to further boost cultural tourism, which could become as big as leisure tourism by the end of the decade accroding to early reports from the Government Panel on Tourism.

[Drax]

ZLOUTENE OKO

POK QUESTIONS CCS LEADERS ON NUCLEAR WEAPONS

Cachtice, February 18, 5046: Anezka Vanickova, Minister of Infrastructure and Transport and Acting Alazinder Regional Secretary for Protikladny Opozicny Kongres (POK), thanked the Minister of Defense on behalf of the Protikladny Opzicny Kongres (POK) Duma delegation, for responding to the POK inquiry and admitting the military had started a nuclear weapons development program. Vanickova also had some qurstions.

POK has three further questions for First Minister Hynek Šulc and Defense Minister Vojtěch Vlček. First, will the Defense Minister resign for lying to the Sovereign People of Deltarska Rise about the military conductinfg a nuclear weapons program?

Second, were there other members of the Council of Ministers besides the POK Ministers who neither knew of the approval vote nor approved proceeding with the nuclear weapons program?

Third, was approval by the Defense Minister, the First Minister, the Council of Ministers or the Tsar before or after the nuclear weapons program began?

ZLOUTENE OKO asked Vanickova what was next, and she responded:

Elections. Which we expect to change nothing. You may very well ask why we do not just resign. Which we may have to do either because we believe we are accomplishing nothing or because the military disbands us as an irritant. The question for now is are we willing to be content with having a positive influence on the parts of the government unrelated to national security while national security is handled entirely by an independent military.

Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Vanickova

[Rogue]

OOC Source: Wikipedia

Cachtice: The Tsar has issued a statement to the Imperial Duma that has made clear his intention of keeping the current sitting tsarist appointed government in place. The decision comes as the recent election for the Imperial Duma saw the power dynamic change little compared to before, with the Central Czarist Party only losing 2 seats but maintaining their position as the biggest party in the Duma. The Tsar, after assesing the situation, has come to the conclusion that the Duma will not be able to form a civilian government and he will therefor dismiss any cabinet it appoints. "The only way for this term to be fullfilled is through the current all tsarist cabinet" he stated in his address, closing the door yet again for a cabinet created by the democratically elected parties. The Central Czarist Party has applauded the move, stating that "The Tsar has once again shown to be a stabilizing force in Deltaria and we will continue to work with him to better the nation." Other parties such as the POK have stayed silent, in fear of retalliation for authorities and likely shocked by their election loss. Furthermore the Tsar has instructed his government to "look for ways in reintroducing the Czarist Genderarmee". This force used to be the personal police force of the Tsar hundreds of years ago, known for its brutality and mainly used to maintain the Tsar his power. If the Genderarmee is reintroduced, it will mean a further strengthening of the Tsar his power and possible repression.

Many now wonder whether Deltarian democracy is now truly dead. After the constitutional monarchy was replaced with the Empire political freedom had already been greatly curtailed but the Balgrad Accords had at least maintained basic functionality of democracy, with a democratically elected parliament and the Tsar bound to a constitution that protected civil rights. But as time progresses the Tsar is increasingly flexing his muscles and guiding the executive decisions of government. The Balgrad Accords, though practically still in force, are slowly eroding away. What can the remnants of democracy do to safeguard their influence?

[Drax]

ZLOUTENE OKO

POK LOOKS AT WAY FORWARD

Naban, February 18, 5047: In the wake of serious losses in the 5046 Duma elections, Protikladny Opzicny Kongres (POK) leadership met over the last few days at its party headquarters to consider the way forward. ZLOUTENE OKO saw indications three factions had developed. Asked about this, POK Party Leader Ferdinand Mrazek responded;

Three directions; true enough; but also a plan. Fundamental number of importance in Duma is 2/3. We had a third and now have a quarter. DSLU has a little over a third. Between DSLU and POK there is a majority but less than 2/3.

ZLOUTENE OKO asked what the factions are, and Mrazek replied:

One idea is we need to repair our relation with our constituency and work toward getting 2/3 of the Duma votes held by legislators favoring the rights of the Sovereign People. That is to say DSLU and POK. This is where I am concentrating my efforts.

The second approach is to remember the military can have the tsar disband us at any moment. Infrastructure and Transport Minister Anezka Vanickova wants to look at where we go from here. She is in discussions with former Premier Jankova and people favoring reviving Lidova Fronta about whether they should join us, we should join a new Lidova Fronta or all should join DSLU.

The third approach is that of Pavol Smutny, the Science and Technology Minister. Professor Smutny wants to use the political and legislative tools at hand to move beyond receiving the orders of the military through the tsar and CCS toward the Duma negotiating a better future for Deltarska Rise with the military.

ZLOUTENE OKO asked what that future might look like, and Mrazek answered:

Well, it will be a long hard road but we see four possible intermediate phases likely. First the military may just suspend all parties and rule through the tsar and adherents it trusts to do its bidding. Personally I put this at 50 – 50 probability; Professor Smutny thinks the odds are better. A second outcome could be repeal of the Balgrad Accords and return to an actual constitutional monarchy. The third would be abdication by the tsar in favor of his sister. And the fourth would be a negotiated coalition where the military is party to an agreement with the Sovereign People.

As to the plan, we are taking all three approaches for now but are trying to make it clear if the military tells the tsar to disband us we will disband. We acknowledge the military to date has not opened fire on the citizenry since imposing the tsar upon us. We do not want to make things worse through stupidity. So we have not called for a general strike or party led paramilitaries or demonstrations against the palace.

POK Party Leader Mrazek

[Drax]

ZLOUTENE OKO

JANKOVA IS FIRST MINISTER BUT FOR HOW LONG

Office of the First Minister, August 18, 5047: First Mnister Evzenie Jankova today issued the following statement:

The government quite realizes the tsar and the military are not happy that the government they wished to keep is no longer in office. What we want to do is talk to the tsar about what would be an acceptable cabinet to the tsar, the military and the Sovereign People as represented by the Duma.

The government does not have immovable positions such as that a particular party must hold the office of First Minister but rather we want to discuss how the Sovereign People, the tsar and the military can all have a stake in the government.

Asked by ZLOUTENE OKO if she expects the tsar and the military to begin talks, Jankova replied:

Rather unlikely.

First Minister Jankova

[Rogue]

OOC Source: Wikimedia Commons

Cachtice: The Tsar has, after a month, negotiated a deal with the new Duma mandated cabinet which would see the cabinet continue in its current form while allowing the Tsar some say in its management. This deal was formed as the two sides stood against eachother after the POK and DSLU formed a coalition government against the will of the Tsar, who wished to maintain his own cabinet. After the new goverment was formed, basically two governments were put in place, the one of the Tsar and the one of the Duma. The CCS condemned the Duma, stating their actions "undermined the Empire" and "Destroy our basic foundations." The Tsar however decided to negotiate, wanting to prevent a lengthy process of instability that could potentially hurt internal stability. This new deal will see his own cabinet dissolved with him recognizing the authority of the Jankova cabinet. A groundbreaking deal, which is seeing a first victory for democratic parties in the Duma.

But while the Tsar negotiated, the military was reportedly sidelined. It is a publicly known secret that Deltaria's military is often the only constant factor within Deltarian politics. The Empire itself was formed as the military believed the new Tsar would grant them more power and expand the authority of the military. While at first this was the case, with this new deal all progress lays in jeopardy. The new government has openly criticized the military in the past and with military officials now sidelined in politicial negotiations rumours have it that the military feels like it is losing control. While no official news has come out, political analysts point to previous moments in Deltarian history, citing the military could very well betray the Tsar to preserve their own power, something that would set back Deltarian stability by years and would likely mean the firm settling of the Armed Forces in Deltarian politics. For now, democracy seems to have prevailed.