Ostland Allgemeine Zeitung
Grand Duke elevated to Archduke; Parliament passes constitutional amendments.
January, 5270 (Backdated)
Wolfsheim - Grand Duke Franz VII announced in early January, 5370 that he would be calling a meeting of all nobles in Ostland to meet in Wolfsheim to discuss the future of the Grand Duchy of Ostland. Franz VII, a proponent of "Hulstrianization", petitioned the collection of nobles regarding his titles, currently the Grand Duke of Ostland and Prince of Touryou. Laurenz von Seidler, a lesser noble of the court, suggested that the Grand Duke adopt the title of Archduke in favor of the title of Grand Duke, which was not particularly used by the Hulstrian nobility and often associated with "foreign" titles. An overwhelming majority offered to "upgrade" or "promote" the Grand Duke to the title of Archduke and formally recognize the Grand Duchy of Ostland as the Archduchy of Ostland, a significant development given the deep cultural ties that Ostlander's have kept with their Hulstrian counter-parts. In recent years the Ostlandic government has had an influx of Hulstrians, typically conservative Hulstrians, who have fled the nation in favor of "sanity" in Ostland. The Grand Duke willingly accepted the promotion and the Staatsminister, Luka Mateschitz, and the Eastern Land Council passed a resolution adopting the now Archdukes titles, congratulating him on his promotion. In Hulstrian nobility culture an Archduke is often see as the level of a King, a Prince and a Grand Duke in some circles.
The Staatsminister also announced that the Eastern Land Council had adopted another set of amendments to the Constitution of the Grand Duchy of Ostland, the most notable being the title change to the Archduchy of Ostland. Representatives also enacted another change, altering the title of the legislature from the Eastern Land Council to a more traditional, Parliament (Hulstrian; Parlament). During the opening plenary session of the new Ostlandic Parliament, the Staatsminister who presided over confirmed that a number of political parties and political organizations had merged. The Landbund and the East Hulstrian Workers' Party had merged and formed the East Hulstrian Land Association (Hulstrian: Osthulsterreicher Landbund; OHLB), merging together their positions. The Political Leadership Corps announced that they would continue, the Hosian Democratic Alliance and the Ostland People's Party announced a merger forming the Hosian People's Party (Hulstrian: Hosianische Volkspartei; HVP) providing a significant boost to their membership and leadership. The People's Alliance '79, the Social Democratic Party of Ostland and New Dawn remained independent and did not merge.