Beluzia

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Rand Wilkins: 150 Sleeps in the Presidential Bed


"This is not over": Wilkins has not been terminated - he'll be back.

He may be out of power for now, but now former-President Rand Wilkins has made history as he becomes the shortest-reigning Beluzian President on record. He was President for just 5 months flat from December 4074 under the end of April 4075, before being eliminated behind the SWP's Conor O'Leary in the first round of voting at the May 4075 elections.

When teased about his short term, Wilkins' supporters were heard protesting that "length of term doesn't matter", and that "it's what you do with it that counts".

As he boarded his helicopter back to Neguina, he insisted to the gathered media: "This is not over, I shall return!". Wilkins remains a popular choice for the Presidency, still having won 16% of the vote in the first round, so it is likely he will return to the ballot paper at the next election.

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President Jacob Quirrel: Who is he?
An in-dept profile of the political life of our new President: Jacob Quirrel


^ Quirrel has been a big name in the NLP for a while

After the 4078 elections our new President is the NLP's Jacob Quirrel. Quirrel has been a party big-wig since its inception, and has been the author of some of its most important proposals. He has been an elusive beast, however, and kept to the shadows, only stepping into a leadership role (as Deputy Leader) at a time when the NLP's polling figures plummeted to just 5%.
He is best known, however, for his relatively early work on banning the Death Penalty. In 4059, Quirrel authored and proposed the Cessation of Permission and Employment of Capital Punishment Act. At the time, however, his party held no representation in the Senate whatsoever, relying on soliciting the support of other parties to pass the Bill. This was done successfully, the Bill being passed 681 votes to 69.
The passing of such important legislation, by a party with no representation in the Senate, was notable enough on its own; but many speculate later that without Quirrel passing the CPECPA, the New Liberal Party may never have got off the ground. In an interview earlier this year, former-President from the NLP Christopher Rayworth concurred with this theory, commenting: "It's not out of the question to suggest I may never have won a single term [as President], were it not for the work of Senator Quirrel. His death penalty Bill really put us on the map; without that single, central, tangible issue, we [Rayworth and his campaign team] could never have roused the support we did. It's a go-to answer for campaigners and supporters - it's something we can point to that defines our values. We owe everything to the work of Jacob Quirrel."

Quirrel continued irreplaceable in his role as Justice Spokesperson for the NLP. He was a figurehead for the party and rallied party support for many causes. He also continued work behind the scenes, helping to author the Political Freedoms Bill, which was unceremoniously struck down by establishment parties, but was later quietly implemented by a number of smaller Bills, proposed by the very parties that batted away Quirrel's proposal.
Unfazed, the Senator continued pushing for new causes. Among others, he co-authored the Regional Empowerment Bill, in which he called for the regionalisation of courts. He wanted to give regional courts full jurisdiction over cases of regional law, and hand jurisdiction of national law entirely over to national courts. This proposal was vehemently opposed by the established parties, but this didn't stop Quirrel, and the Regionalisation of courts soon became a pet-project for him - he would make it happen somehow.

At this point, however, everything changed for Jacob and his party. At the 4064 election, the New Liberals came second, winning 121 seats. After the ensuing Coalition negotiations, Quirrel was unsurprisingly appointed the role of Justice Minister. He quickly busied himself reforming prisons and encouraging rehabilitative methods over 'punishment' of criminals, an approach which received mixed reviews in the industry.
It wasn't until the days of the Daybreak Coalition, which began it's time in office in 4068, that Quirrel was able to realise his aim of regionalising the courts. It was not a move that held much support in the Senate at the time, but Quirrel persuaded his party to ask for its inclusion in the Daybreak Coalition's Coalition Agreement. It was agreed, and subsequently Coalition members had to support the move - by this, the Regionalisation of Courts Act was made law in February 4069.
However, fortunes turned sour for Quirrel after his party left government. In 4071, soon after the NLP lost much ground at the 4070 elections, the Beluz Progressive Democratic Party proposed the Regional and National Courts Act, which overturned Quirrel's Bill in its entirety. Senator Quirrel protested the Bill fiercely, demanding answers of the government: "what reasons can be given to transfer power over regional law to national courts? Or indeed, to let regional courts decide on national law?" However, no answer was offered, not even by the proposers of the Bill. He sat down to the sound of silence, visibly angered as his work was quietly undone.


^ Quirrel protested the RaNCA in the Senate, but his interrogation of the Bill fell on deaf ears

At this point, Quirrel set his sights on other things. He proposed his final Bill as Justice Spokesperson in 4073, the Liberalisation of Marriage Act, in which he afforded protections for the status of Polygamous and Incestuous marriages and relationships. Many viewed this as a 'goodbye' from him, it being another progressive Bill on a legal matter of morality, just like the one than kicked-off his career. It seemed poetic to end on.
It wasn't a goodbye from politics, though. In 4071 he had ran in the NLP's first Presidential primaries. In the end, after winning 3 states, he came second to Federalist Faction Whip Kyle York, outpaced by only 4600 votes, from a turnout of 1,020,481 votes. York's time as nominee was short, however, and soon the 4075 primaries rolled around. Quirrel was in a strong position, his only main challenger being the disgraced former Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Gregory Muttonson. Party Leader Claire Murray openly voiced her support for Quirrel, and he swiftly won the primaries with over 50% of the vote.

And that brings us to today, when after a hard-fought campaign, President Jacob Quirrel now holds the highest office in the land. Will he use his position to push for the kinds of reforms he has supported all his political life, or will he sit back, listen and be a calm, careful, pragmatic man of people? Only time will tell, but there is one thing we do know - this man has changed Beluzian politics before, just by calling from the sidelines; there's no reason to expect he won't do it again, and next time in a much. much bigger way.


OOC: Sorry for the HUGE piece of writing - Jacob Quirrel is such a complex character and now he is President I couldn't bear to keep the full story to myself. Enjoy!

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Fmr. Pres. Rand Wilkins, Aged 82, Involved in Fatal Automotive-Accident

First respondents rushed to the scene as the candidate's vehicle is hit by a drunk driver in one of Negunia's regional highways
National Highway 52, Negunia - The former president was involved in a fatal accident today. A man by the name of Tremon Jacobs was driving under the influence. Police reports have him driving down the outside lane as the former presidents' car was entering the highway. He was doing about 85 MPH. By the time his mind comprehended what was going on, he had smashed right into the rear of the car. Both Tremon and Wilkins' driver suffered severe injuries. WIlkins was pronounced dead about an hour after the accident. The chief of the Negunia State Police said this in a press conference

What happened on NH-52 today was a very unfortunate set of coincidences that resulted in the death of the former president. We have concluded that Jacobs was under the influence of alcohol. He was above Negunia's legal limit and will face DUI as well as manslaughter charges. We are going to take this case to the legal system and we will insure justice is served.

This leaves the grieving party without a leader. The party chairman, Sen Mark Warren, has announced that a convention will be held in 6 months with primaries to be held in 5.

Gov. Erika Wilkins, "Negunia Will Serve Justice"

The Negunia governor and daughter of the former president has announced that the state will put as many resources as possible into the investigation and trial in the death of Rand Wilkins. She refused to comment any further. Many feel that she will run to take her father's place. The Negunia governor has neither confirmed not denied those rumors. More news will be brought in as the situation develops.

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Primaries for SLP Heat Up as First Post-Debate Poll is Released

Candidate Erika Wilkins gives holding a rally the day post debate polls came out
Iliathar Straight, Bailon - The debate held by SLP candidates ahead of the primaries in Bailon saw the party argue over policy that it once held common ground on. The frontrunner, Gov Erika Wilkins, had what was considered a mediocre performance. She advocated the mainstream policy for the SLP, workers rights expansions, clean energy, and progressive social policy. Shadow Education Minister Tommy Randall jabbed at the governor, saying that "mainstream policy has seen us put international affairs over our affairs". His isolationist message has picked up some following, but ultimately leaves him far behind his rivals. Former Bailon governor Lance O'Neal talked about giving the states more power. He slammed Erika, saying "as a governor, you should know the frustrations about some national committee coming in and deciding that a highway should be placed here and a national park there. We need local infrastructure control". He's considered the winner of the debate last night. Two more average performances came from the center-left Sen Casey Gray and far left Sen Lisa Sargent. All 5 candidates are still in a position where they can win the nomination

Erika Wilkins 28%
Lance O'Neal 25%
Lisa Sergant 20%
Casey Grey 17%
Tommy Randall 10%

SLP Primary Committee Unveils New Delegate Allocation System
The SLP's Primary Committee, a branch of the SLP National Committee, has announced a new system for allocating delegates to states. Now, it is based on a states registered voter count, not the number of representatives a state has. The number they use is 1 delegate every 5,000 voters, with every senator and governor being a super-delegate. Under this new system, here are the delegates for each region (OOC: numbers are based on vote totals and are lower to account for any independents)

Bailon: 1,490,000 voters- 298 pledged and 17 super
Iker Ado: 570,000 voters- 114 pledged and 6 super
Negunia: 3,250,000 voters- 650 pledged and 43 super
Iliathar: 1,330,000 voters- 266 pledged and 16 super
Parlos Decina 1,510,000 voters- 302 pledged and 20 super
Total: 1,732 majority 867

Chairman Mark Warren said that "these new rules will make our primaries fairer and more representative of our voter base"

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SLP to Hold Brokered Convention
Primary Results Pagehttp://imgur.com/a/h2xIl

In what was a close and shocking primary contest, no candidate has reached the majority of delegates needed to become the nominee. No one candidate has reached the 867 majority needed to become the nominee. The campaigns are now rushing to establish floor teams to try and become the nominee. The front-runner, Gov Erika Wilkins is in the strongest convention situation, both being popular with the establishment of the party and has the most delegates for the first ballot. She has said that she is confident in her chances in winning on the first few ballots. Her main opposition, Fmr. Gov Lance O'Neal, says that he is confident in his campaign.

We can and will take this party in a new direction, giving more power to local governments while using the federal government to protect the worker's rights this party has advocated for 86 years. We will find our delegate support and we will take the presidency

Sen Lisa Sergant is also confident as well. Her 3rd place position puts her into a decent spot, though some say that her far left stance will cost her against the more mainstream Wilkins. The center left Grey is less confident, but still feels that his idea of attempting to get broad support by moving center may appeal to states like Bailon, which often swings to and from SLP support. Randall is betting on the increasingly militant stance of the party to try to win some old guard support.


Day 1 Ends in Stalemate, Ballot 5 Producing No Winner
First Ballot Results
WIlkins 589, O'Neal 420, Sergant 376, Grey 230, Randall 117

Day one ends in stalemate as 5 ballots have yielded no winner. As expected, O'Neal's Negunia support collapsed but is starting to recover. Sergant's gained some momentum since ballot 3 as Wilkins has remained at about 750 delegates since ballot 2. Grey's appeals to swing states appear to not be helping him much, while Tommy Randall's support has collapsed. Another interesting thing to come from day 1, all but 3 superdelegates have gone Wilkins, the remaining 3 are other candidates. As day 2 approaches, this convention needs to make up it's mind before the party ends up in an incredible stalemate.

Ballot 5
Wilkins 756
O'Neal 469
Sergant 340
Grey 151
Randall 16

Day 2, No Winner by 12, Wilkins to 724
The stalemate continues as ballot 12 sees no winner. Erika is losing ground, but sources say she will step up her day 3 game. Randall has also dropped out, freeing his supporters.
Ballot 12
Wilkins 724
O'Neal 529
Sergant 339
Grey 140

5 Days and 42 Ballots, Erika is the Nominee

Balloons drop as Erika finally clears 867

After 5 days of a slow, tedious, and what many call pointless contest, the stalemate is over. Like a bunch of soldiers that just found out the war is over, the entire convention was in a state of relief. Some were angry, obviously, but many were cheering that it was finally over. Erika now has the job of mending a broken, divided party. She has already announced a complete reshuffle of the shadow cabinet line-up and is preparing another 4 days of the convention for speeches. All 4 other candidates will speak, though few actually will end up on the shadow cabinet.

As the exhausted delegates leave for their hotels for the night, many in the party feel that Erika has one chance. If she blows this election, many speculate that she won't be coming back.

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Election "A Triumph for Liberalism" says PM Murray
New Prime Minister Claire Murray says the 4082 elections were a triumph for liberalism, as a single-party NLP government takes office


^ New PM Murray has been leader of the NLP for 11 years

The elections of October 4082 were undeniably historic. The NLP, a party founded just 25 years ago, took home 47% of the vote this October, now holding 353 seats in the Senate. President Jacob Quirrel of the NLP has also been re-elected. As the results came through, members rejoiced at party HQ in Port Tackstov, Iliathar.

However, the morning after the result, it appeared the New Liberal would have to form a coalition with one other party in order to hold a majority in the Senate. Alas, in the days that followed, the oldest Beluz party still active, the Stanton House, collapsed. Their absence from the chamber gives the NLP a working majority, which they used to form the first single-party majority government of Beluzia for some time.

Beluzia's new cabinet will include members only from the New Liberals, featuring party heavyweights such as Isabel Minford in Internal Affairs, Finance Minister John Bills and former Presidential Nominee Kyle York leading the Justice Department. At a press conference earlier today the Prime Minister set out her party's programme for government:

Make no mistake, we will pursue the unapologetically liberal, progressive, libertarian, federalist agenda that 28.6 million people voted New Liberal for. The people have spoken, we have listened to them, and no one can stop us now!
For many years my party has spoken of the great future that lies ahead, if only the government would set aside its own interests and do what is right. Now, my government shall deliver that great future.
Welcome, friends, to a brighter time; welcome to New Liberal Beluzia!

Veherment opposition has already been levelled against the new government, following the PM's magnanimous 'victory speech'. However, with a single-party majority in the Senate, anything short of constitutional amendments (which require a two-thirds majority in the Senate), the NLP government already has the power to change at whim. Power it will hold at least until the next elections in 4086.

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Coup "Imminent" as Cabinet Squabbles Turn Sour
Rumours have been circulated of an "imminent" plot to oust PM Murray from her position


^ The Prime Minister has denied her position is under threat

One would expect the first single-party majority government of Beluzia for more than a century would be one of the most prolific by far, but the NLP government has seemed stifled, producing only seven Bills since the Finance Minister John Bills' initial Budget. This week the source of this bottle-neck has become clear, and it's not pretty for the NLP. The 353-strong NLP parliamentary party is split; bitterly split. Early on in the term, the united glee at their electoral fortune seemed to unite them somewhat, but with over 200 Senators joining them in at the '82 elections alone, not all of them have proved tame.

Prime Minister Murray now faces the prospect of a coup, after a Cabinet meeting adjourned of Tuesday following fiery exchanges. Four Cabinet members and just under one hundred NLP Senators are thought to support current Libertarian Faction whip Gregory Muttonson as Leader, believing Claire Murray has been deceitful and contravened New Liberal values of liberty in her successful attempt to win the top job in government. Muttonites point chiefly to the series of increasingly harsh demotions received by Muttonson after Murray beat him in the 4071 leadership contest. Following a rabble-rousing speech at the NLP's recent conference, Muttonite Cabinet members have launched a series of attacks on the Prime Minister and relations have broken down dramatically. Government is essentially in gridlock as communications break down and almost all departments are now split.

Though Claire Murray denies her position is under threat, and claims she still has the support of the majority of the Cabinet and Senators, inside sources have made it clear a coup against the Prime Minister is expected within the month.

How did this happen?
The Full Story
Since the 4078 elections, a small, but not entirely unnoticeable, group of trouble-makers has been mud-stirring from the NLP's darkest back-benchers. The most notable members of which were three men named Gerald Emerson, Jeff Peacock and Sam Dowers. These Senators entered the chamber at the '78 elections, the former two from Iker Ado and the latter from Bailon. All were of the Libertarian Faction of their party, and all were supporters of the recently appointed Libertarian Faction Whip, Gregory Muttonson.

Senator Gregory Muttonson had begun his political career as the NLP's Foreign Affairs Spokesperson, and was a key figure in withdrawing Beluzia from the Artanian Union in 4068. However, after losing a bitter leadership contest to then Finance Spokesperson Claire Murray, his career went downhill. He subsequently lost two attempts at the party's presidential nomination, and Leader Murray did not make it easier for him, appearing to undermine him a every turn. This small, but formidable group of supporters were fiercely supportive of Muttonson's strong libertarian voice, and were infuriated as he was demoted first to Defence Spokesperson, and then off the Frontbench entirely. It appears Murray was trying to silence him. The gang of three partook in regular obstructive behaviour, talking-out Bills, undermining pro-Murray Senators' positions in debates and sometimes outright defying the party whip. However, their number, and thus their effect, was small.

However, following the elections of 4082, the Senate was flooded with NLP Senators, some of whom has most certainly not been vetted for office. Many were standing very far down the party list in areas the NLP never did well in. However, with the collapse of a number of non-socialist parties, the NLP became a beacon of hope for many who were fed up with recklessly left-wing administrations. The effect was monumental for the NLP, as they gained over 350 seats, and with the subsquent collapse of the Stanton House, the NLP gained a single-party majority. A single-party government was hastily formed - "we have won outright, we can do as we wish" was the implicit gleeful cry - but lying in the shadows a movement against Claire Murray, the then soon-to-be Prime Minister, was growing.

Though they had multiplied in number, early in the term their effect was small. Most in the parliamentary party were still starry-eyed from the idea of having formed a single-party government, and were grateful to Leader Murray for supplying such a victory. The Muttonites, as they soon styled themselves, had other ideas though - they believed the victory would have been as great, if not greater, under a Muttonson leadership. Gregory Muttonson himself never officially recognised the group; he was on the Frontbench after all, and had a reputation to uphold. He did not want to be dragged into any underhand activities, as that would give Leader Murray the ability to eject him from his Frontbench position, and he knew she'd jump at the chance.

A year went by, and the Muttonites laid-low. With the Senate devoid of much legislation, there was little to rebel against. The anger at Murray had not dissipated, though. For every speech she made, the Muttonites had a counter-narrative; for every move she made, the Muttonites tried to trip her up; they were relentless. It was only in the September conference of 4084, however, that the Muttonites finally had their breakthrough. What they needed was support from the Frontbench, support from the man that was the group's namesake, they needed Gregory Muttonson. He dropped many hints throughout his appearance at the conference that suggested he support a 'change in the structure of the party, and indeed the government', but the most black-and-white was released during his speech on the final day of conference, from the main stage:

Friends, we are not just a party of government, lead by a Prime Minister and a President, we are a party of liberals, lead by strong voices and steadfast values. I believe that a party should not be in government purely as the fruit of attempts to gain seats; a President should not be elected purely as the fruit of attempts to gain swing-voters; a Prime Minister should not be appointed purely as the fruit of attempts to silence dissent. Our values should be what drives us. So what are our values? Well let me sum them up in one simple word - liberty! Yes, liberty. Liberty means giving everyone an equal chance, liberty means freedom of speech, liberty means putting principles above ambition, liberty means letting all voice ring out, not crushing others for fear they may be more powerful than yours. Liberty means taking control, and letting all opinions free!

Many took this as a battle-cry, a call to arms. He had decided - it was time for justice. It was time to oust the political operator who had stood in his way of winning so many races. Over the following weeks, Muttonson began to stir up trouble at the Cabinet table. He built up a series of allies. Standing with him are Foreign Affairs Minister Alfred Mayer, Defence Minister Graham Foxtrot, Health & Social Services Minister Cathleen McGibbon and Environment & Tourism Minister Lucy Carmicheal. Sternly supportive of Claire Murray stands Internal Affairs Minister Isabel Minford, Finance Minister John Bills and Justice Minister Kyle York. President Jacob Quirrel is also a known ally of Murray. Others remain undecided Muttonson is now ready for the attack, and his supporters are behind him every step of the way. A grand stand-off between the Muttonite rebels and the pro-Murray loyalists now begins.

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BREAKING: Featherstone Dissolves NLP - Government Abandoned
The New Liberal Party Chairman Barry Featherstone has officially disbanded the Party amidst a coup against the NLP Prime Minister


^ "The NLP was a great party once, for the sake of its memory I let the dream die with some scrap of dignity, at least." - Barry Featherstone's words as he left ECHQ

What has been described as a 'quirk' of the NLP Constitution has allowed Party Chairman and Founder Barry Featherstone to officially disband the party. Chairman Featherstone travelled in person to the Electoral Commission's Head Offices in Port Tackstov to officiate the dissolution himself. Visibly emotional as he left the building, Featherstone announced to the assembled press that he took this action to "let the dream die with some scrap of dignity".

This comes in the wake of a Vote of No Confidence in Prime Minister Claire Murray which was passed with 161 votes for to 128 against, 64 Senators abstained on the open Ballot. Following the result, another vote was immediately held intending to elect Senator Gregory Muttonson, the figure at the head of the coup against the PM, as the new Leader of the NLP. At least 44 Members are said to have backed the vote before riotous violence broke out in the meeting room, in full view of the press. Several Senators have been arrested, whilst others have spoken to the media expressing their outrage at what they call a Muttonite Senators' attempt to elect a new Prime Minister in an 'underhand' manner.

In the minutes following the eruption almost all Cabinet members resigned from government, their offices acting quickly in the impending disaster, perpetuating the state of disarray. Just 130 minutes later, NLP Chairman Barry Featherstone was spotted heading into the Head Office of the Electoral Commission, and it was made public via social media that Featherstone had 'pulled the plug' on the New Liberal Party. As he emerged from the building, he had this to say to reporters waiting outside:

Today... today an unfortunate- highly unfortunate- series of events has taken place. After 27 years I fear my party has broken down. Following the scenes this morning I dread a troubling implosion. Liberal values have been left behind - it appears the NLP is no longer capable of fulfilling it's role in Beluzian politics. Some thought a majority government would be the best thing for Beluzia, and history will judge if that is true, but I now know it was lethal for the party I love. Today I mourn it- the NLP was a great party once, for the sake of its memory I let the dream die with some scrap of dignity, at least. I could not bear for it to go any other way, and... well, I thought this would be my last chance to do that...

It is unclear as yet if the NLP will re-form in some way, but for now, with bad blood amongst many members and other members disgraced, it is unlikely any "NLP v2" can return as a serious party of government in any form.

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"Happy Days Are Here Again!" Delegates Shout as SLP Convention Opens

Convention planners had rigged a massive balloon drop for the unanimous motion to resume all campaigning operations

Colbert City, Negunia- Today emotions ran high as the 22nd SLP national convention, first of the party's revival, was kicked off today. It started with the arrival of the 2,000 delegates the motion disbanding the party 40 years ago required for a party reformation. They all gathered after the old SLP youth wing, Young Social Liberals(re-branded as Young Progressives), organized the convention in Colbert City, Negunia. 2,000 Delegates were chosen from about 10,000 requests. The delegates represented people that grew up in the 70s and had some nostalgia for the party, some old party members, young progressives from universities and colleges across the country, union leaders, and environmental activists. This broad coalition was organized about a month prior, agreeing to have Young Progressives Chairman Billy Blanchard be appointed convention chair until the convention nominated a new national chairman.

With Mr. Blanchard presiding, the convention organized itself in an unbelievably rapid fashion. Observers described the feeling at the convention center as "palpably excited" as the construction team worked for as much as 12 hours, on their own accord, to get the center ready. With two weeks to spare, the convention was ready for the delegates.

Day 1 opened with a sense of excitement on the floor. It took until about 1:00 PM to get started. Here is a transcript of the start of the convention

Announcer: May we have order in the hall. Now, our first guest today will open this convention. She was a major figure in the Negunia SLP and the national SLP. A staunch advocate for the rights of workers and an excellent campaigner. Please welcome to the stage, the last presidential nominee of the SLP, daughter of president Rand Wilkins, and former governor of Negunia, Erika WIlkins.
*Negunia music starts to echo across the hall. The crowd is in uproar here*

The delegates begin chanting "Erika!".

Erika: Thank you. Thank you. Good afternoon. I'm letting this room know that while I may be getting up there in age, I feel like I did 40 years ago right now. I'm here to give a few words. 40 years ago, we were divided. We were torn apart by a primary that we would not be able to recover from; consequently, we motioned to halt all operations and adjourned this convention indefinitely. Now we see a resurgence of the right in Beluzia, and many of us felt that we needed to go back and fix the left. So, I now would like to make a few motions. I motion to bring this convention back into session. Do I hear a second? (Second!). All those in favor please say "aye"(the entire delegation shouts "Aye!"). I can say that this convention is now in session. I now declare that this convention is in session. Secondly, I motion to adopt the rules of the 21st National Convention. (Seconds and Ayes are shouted from across the room). Wow, you guys are one step ahead of me. Next, I motion to adopt a floor vote on the presidential nominee and national chairman of the convention as per the procedure on voting. (Second!, followed by "Aye!") Finally, I motion to resume all party operations, including campaigning, as per the provisions in the rules of the 21st national convention. (Second!). All those in favor please say "aye" ("Aye!").The ayes have it. The convention has ruled that the SLP will resume all party operations. We're back Beluzia!

After that the band started playing old campaign songs as balloons dropped into the hall. It really was a spectacle. The appearance of Gov. Wilkins was a surprise to everyone in the room there, the excitement bringing the room into celebratory chaos. About half an hour later, Billy Blanchard was nominated as chairman of the SLP.

"It Took One Ballot This Time" Convention Nominates Progressive Devin David

After taking a majority of delegates, Mr. David wasted no time in getting out there, despite the election being 3 years away

On day 1, the SLP has nominated Mr. Devin David of Bailon. He fits the staunch progressive nature that made up the old establishment of the SLP. He has had a record of progressive lobbying and is set to take the SLP into the next generation of Beluzians. Here is the result of the 1st ballot
David- 1,213
Karl Cooper- 642
Various others- 145

There was a significant challenge from center-left "O'mallite" Karl Cooper, who campaigned on expanding the military, only nationalizing healthcare , and leaving regulations to the states, where the SLP may have stronger control. David campaigned on nationalizing key industries, restoring and expanding the NHS, tax reform, and expanding civil rights.

Mr. David thanked the convention for the nomination and hoped that the party would unify to restore traditional left wing politics to Beluzia.

[phonexia]

David on International Affairs "An SLP Administration Will do More"

The SLP presidential nominee in an interview about foreign relations

Fort Thorne- SLP presidential Devin David answered questions in a live interview about the current state of foreign affairs. Mr. David was first asked about the developing humanitarian situation in Saridan. Note, any bold statements were from the interviewer, Todd Finn.

Alright, Mr. David, we are seeing a situation that is on the verge of a crisis in Saridan. How would Beluzia act under your administration?
Well Todd, it would start with us actually doing something. Right now, we are seeing a defiant Vanuku and Saridan with an Istalian delegation that is frankly about to start a war at this rate. However, I personally do feel that a humanitarian mission is needed here. We have suffering on a scale that is unacceptable in every sense of the word and we are facing near genocide in Saridan.

So, you're in favor of a naval mission to Saridan?
To stop the genocide, yes. While I and pretty much everyone else in Beluzia despises slavery, we won't get anything done by insisting abolition. That should be the ultimate goal, but right now we need to end this rounding up of Saridan citizens and forcing them into so called "reformation camps". We may be small Todd, but when there is this major, state sanctioned oppression of citizens we cannot stand by and do nothing. I hope that Vanuku realizes that as well. Would you deploy naval vessels to a naval mission?
I would be in favor of that, yes.

The interview then moved on to what David felt the role of Beluzia should be in the WC

Mr. David, how about the World Congress? How should Beluzia be in there?
Look, we need to promote human rights. If I am fortunate enough to appoint a WC ambassador, we will make it our goal to expand the rights of all citizens of Terra. Todd, center to this is ending the state sponsored oppression of the minority, women, and LGBTQ communities. Firstly, did you know that 7 countries, including Beluzia, openly state that, by law, marriage is between a man and a woman. That is an unacceptable statistic. Trust me, under a David administration, it starts at home and it will not end until a gay person can head anywhere on Terra and have their marriage recognized. There are several countries that ban interracial sex and 4 countries that either ban or restrict interracial marriage. It will be the goal of my administration to fight for these rights, and I see the WC as the perfect platform to do so.

With just over a year before the general election, the SLP, once one of the main left wing forces in Beluzia, is wasting no time in getting its revived message out there. Local and national candidates have taken to the airwaves. The Social Liberal National Assembly Campaign Committee and the SLPGFOO have begun operations in preparation for the summer, when most hard campaigning will begin. Mr. David is also taking to the airwaves across the nation, looking to take on what he calls "the new right wing establishment".