New Verham

[thefalloutfan101]

Shine Vyerkhem Medeelliin Agyentlag
Shine Vyerkhem Medeelliin Agyentlag (New Verham News Agency) is the state news network of New Verham,
owned by the national government under a 55% share. NVNA strives to report all major news with integrity and honesty.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
19th April 5119
National highway project successfully completed as president marks its inauguration in televised ceremony
Cutting the mainline ribbon at the confluence of the H1 and H2 roadways in northeast New Verham, the president took the time to inaugurate the exhaustive road network by driving on it himself in his personal car, taking an hour-long drive along the H2, which trailed along the coastal provinces.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

by:

Janggi Kyeinnüdtei
Political commentator and analyst

BAATRYNSENTII - After almost twenty years in construction, the national highway project spurned by current minister of industry, infrastructure and public works, Toghaimur Alkhnudarga has finally come to its conclusion, in an event televised nationwide. The public works project, which aimed to connect the vast interior of the country with major cities, is set to allow virtually millions of New Verhamese citizens and tourists alike vastly easier access to the country. While infrastructure projects were floated around by the pre-war Shudargaünen administration, their implementation was ultimately abandoned due to the outbreak of the New Verhamese Civil War. In the immediate aftermath of the conflict, major roadways, bridges and other transport networks were badly damaged or outright destroyed, prompting an expedient reconstruction effort that eventually coalesced into the major project that now stands completed today. The new roadways, aside from allowing much easier freedom of movement across the country, now serve as a powerful network for economic growth, as major industries can now stand to transport essential goods and services to major cities and towns within a much more significantly reduced timeframe. "This is a vast boon for all business," remarked one analyst. "The benefits this will bring are absolutely immense."

In the televised event, which featured the president, both him and Mr. Alkhnudarga thanked the government and the public in their continued faith and patience in the administration, with the president giving special thanks to the state-run New Verham State Corporation, whose work was invaluable in ensuring the project was executed efficiently and within a timely manner. Mönkhdevshil even spoke about the potential of bestowing the corporation with a formal award at a later date. After his congratulatory speech, president Mönkhdevshil cut a ribbon across the road, which lay at the intersection of the H1 and H2 highways, before getting in his personal car and taking an hour-long drive down the H2, visiting towns and villages along the coastal provinces with a cadre of reporters (including the SVMA) following close behind. Shortly afterward, all three roads were declared open to civilian traffic, with dozens of cars driving across it throughout the rest of the day. Elsewhere, small business owners hope that the newly-finished project will provide traffic to their stores, with many eager to see new customers in the late spring and summer shopping seasons. Other projects currently in progress by the government, such as the Shikumo-Rosenheimsee Dam project, can now also begin in earnest and much more efficiently, as the H1 roadway snakes across much of the northern wilderness, which is where the proposed site for the project lays, at the confluence of the Shikumo river, which flows from neighboring Seko, and the Rosenheimsee (Lake Rosenheim), allowing workers to begin laying the groundwork much more expediently, as the government now commits fully to its next public works initiative.


A visual map showcasing the three new highway systems now built nationwide across New Verham. The H1, H2, and H3 highways have all been highlighted for easier viewing. The H1, which was the largest and thus longest to build, connects the nation's far west interior and trails to the south. The H2 connects most of the center of the country, connecting with the H1 and the H3, with the final highway running along the interior sections of the coastal provinces of the country.

[Rogue]

Baatrynsentii: The Armed Forces have, under the leadership of Chief of Staff Tokhta, announced the peacefull seizure of power in New Verham in order to "protect our democracy." The announcement came after columns of soldiers and armored vehicles cordoned off the capital city, with special forces spotted at the presidential palace. Over the last 2 years President Khutula had ammassed more and more power and had been preparing a legislative initiative to abolish elections outright. With the military pledged to defend the nation's fragile democracy many wondered if they would abide by Mönkhdevshil his core principles and step in before it was to late. It seems they have, as President Khutula had been arrested and power temporarily transfered to General Tokhta who announced that measures to reinstate civilian governance would be enacted as soon as possible. The PAP, the longest serving ruling party in the country, has also been abolished due to Khutula his corrupt behavior, having basically morphed the party into his own image over the course of his term.

The military has stated that while they seek to reinstate civilian rule they might do so under a new constitution, expressing the fear that under this constitution another Khutula scenario could be reality.

[Rogue]

Baatrynsentii: The National Party has won the first election after the coup staged last month, which saw the military hastily drafting a new constitution that "better reflected the democratic will of the people." Under the new constitution presidential powers remain formidable, with the leader of the biggest party in the new Chamber of Representatives automatically becoming President. The President gains wide powers, such as wide powers of appointment, able to appoint the members of the government (state ministers, ministers, state secretaries and vice-ministers), the members of the High Court, the members of the Provincial Court, the members of the Court of Auditors, the Governor and Vice-Governors of the National New Verham Bank, the Governors of the provinces, the members of the National Security Council, the General Chief of the Armed Forces and his deputy, all other command posts in the military, the National Police Commissioner, and the 2nd in command and the chiefs and directors of the intelligence and security organs. Furthermore the provinces have been redrawn into 10 new provinces, and the electoral system now used is a FPTP one, with the country subdivided into 300 constituencies. The parliament has also been made bicameral as a new check and balance, with the new Council of Provinces to act as upper house fully appointed by the provinces their elected councils. While stable governments are almost a certainty under this FPTP model, the government will still be better balanced then the previous, with more possibility for democratic institutions to provide counterweight to the executive. To compensate for the lack of direct democracy the new constitution gives specific responsibilities to provincial and local governments, devolving some parts of the governing process. Provincial governments will be in charge of Sustainable spatial development, including water management, Environment, energy and climate, Vital countryside, Regional accessibility and regional public transport, Regional economy, Cultural infrastructure and preservation, Quality of public administration. Furthermore the Governors of the provinces serve in a overseeing function and head the provincial governments, but have to work with elected councils in forming proper governing coalitions. Local governments, these being Urban and Rural municipalities, will have the responsibility to manage land-use planning, public housing, management and maintenance of local roads, waste management, local security and the distribution of social security. Mayors will also be directly elected this time around with both Provinces and Municipalities also having an elected council to legislate local taxes and other minor responsibilities.

Under this new system the military, which was a large drawer of the constitution, hopes to better divide responsibilities and power, lowering the chance for an abuse of it later down the line. Besides the National Party winning a majority in both Chamber and Council the Liberal Party became the second largest party, with the SocDems winning a minor fraction of seats, primarily in urban areas. Mönkhdevshilism also seemingly hasnt dissapeared, with the SocDems preaching to have Mönkhdevshilism as one of their core principles. National leader Anar Tömörbaatar is to be elected President by the Chamber of Representatives, set to serve a 5 year term as the country its leader.


Election result by province, blue being National, yellow being Liberal, red being SocDem


The Chamber of Representatives election


The Council of Provinces election

[Rogue]

Baatrynsentii: President Tömörbaatar has won reelection just several months after his first election to the presidency after a newly called election that put into force new ammendments to the constitution. These ammendments were primarily focussed on the executive, with the presidency now being popularly elected. The President will serve a 6 year term that is not renewable, thus giving every president just one term to serve. Chamber elections are to be held every 3 years, allowing a "midterm" evaluation of the president his policies. Furthermore term limits to representatives in the chamber have been enacted, with no representative allowed to serve consecutive terms. The provinces, their powers and other provisions remain the same. Presidential powers also largely remain the same, with only the power to issue executive orders now added to the presidency. The position of Vice President has been abolished, with the Speaker of the Chamber serving in the capacity as second in line of succession. The ability for early elections has been scrapped from the constitution, ensuring stable and continious government.

The changes come after President Tömörbaatar had rebranded his National Party to the Action Party, a homage to the banned People's Action Party. The AP also won a small but steady majority in the Chamber of representatives under its new 200 seat FPTP system, giving the president the majority he needs to govern for at least the next 3 years until the next midterm election.


The presidential election


The Chamber of Representatives election

[Rogue]

Baatrynsentii: President Tömörbaatar has revealed his first major legislative initiative, a hallmark promise of his election campaign, which is a major reform program for the Armed Forces. For years the armed forces themselves had also been requesting a major review of its assets, strategy and structure in an effort to keep it a potent fighting force. President Tömörbaatar had, during his election campaign, promised to reform the Armed Forces and make them into a "strong, capable and modern force". The president primarily sees a role for the Armed Forces in defending the country itself and projecting power in the region. The Armed Forces will operate under the combined name of the Armed Forces of New Verham, with the individual branches to be renamed into the New Verhamese Ground Force, the New Verhamese Air Force, the New Verhamese Naval Force and a new to be created New Verhamese Home Guard. The new Home Guard will be a military police/gendarmerie branch, responsible for conducting border patrols and immigration checks as well as aiding the National Police in serious crime investigation. The Home Guard will also be able to be deployed in combat zones to secure civilian areas and govern them when neccesary. Under the provisions of the proposed reform the New Verhamese Ground Force is to be drastically cut, from 120.000 men now to only 50.000 regular soldiers when the reforms have been fully implemented. The document describes that the government seeks to "create a modern, effective and vibrant ground force not focussed on numbers but quality and speed." Meanwhile the navy will receive additional funding and personell, anticipating a navy buildup to increase New Verham its role in the wider region and maritime trade. The Air Force will also see a cut in personell with around half of the military airfields also be the closed. In return new storage depots and logistical capabilities are to be build.

Another major proposal in the reform includes the introduction of a new procurement process, with the Ministry of Defense to gain the new "Office for Military Procurement" as the only government agency responsible for military procurement. A new system of private bidding for military contracts will be introduced, with the OMP responsible for issuing and approving contracts, based on demand from the different branches. President Tömörbaatar stated that while this reform is the first step towards a better functioning armed force, he sees a improvement of the economy in the long term as a major moment to actually invest in new equipment, with replacing the old Trigunian equipment in the armed forces being a main priority.

[Rogue]

Baatrynsentii: The Ministry of Defense has revealed a major deal with both Zardugal and Dorvik that will see New Verham purchase tanks and jets totalling more then 4.7 billion LOD. The purchase, likely to be a massive strain on this years budget, comes after recent military reforms that had set the stage for modernization of the Armed Forces of New Verham. Negotiations on the deal lasted for months, with Minister of Defense Argat Narinogoril even visiting both countries to hammer it out last month. Now the provisions of both deals have been revealed, with New Verham to purchase 76 Leopard 2A4 tanks and 10 F-16 multirole figters from Dorvik and Zardugal respectfully. The Leopard 2A4's will be used in the formation of the new to be created Mechanized Batallions that the Ground Forces seek to create, which will be the main firepower forces within the Ground Force. All the old T-79 tanks in Verhamese service are to be decomissioned and replaced by the 76 Leopard 2A4 tanks. The F-16's will be purchased from Zardugal and are expected to be the main jet in the Air Force its arsenal, also part of its efforts into modernizing its inventory. The massive pricetag of the deals, totalling 4.7 billion, does put a major strain on the national budget as the government has already announced that it will postpone several other programs in order to afford the purchase, as well as lend some of the money needed for the deals. President Tömörbaatar stated that these investments are necessary however, stating that despite the difficult economic situation of New Verham that it is "important to already put a significant step forward in trying to modernize our armed forces, no matter the difficulty it could bring in terms of the budget. For this government, security and stability are of utmost importance."

[Rogue]

Baatrynsentii: The government of President Tömörbaatar has announced a series of sweeping economic reforms meant to step away from years of state intervention and continued state planning in the national economy. The reforms, encompassed as the "National Recovery Plan" or NRP, consists of 500 pages worth of economic deregulation, changes in the taxcode and a major relaxation on rules for foreign investment. Under the socialist oriented governments of the past the state had sweeping powers within the national economy, often taking it upon itself to intervene whenever they chose to. President Tömörbaatar had already, during his election campaign, pledged to step away from such economic policies and "make way for the private market to evolve and lift our country out of its stagnation." For years New Verham has siffered from economic stagnation and even crisis, with nearly 15% of the population unemployed and the growthrate sitting at only 0.1%. Furthermore the state ownes major companies within the economy, hampering competitiveness. The biggest hurdle for the economy however is the rules on foreign investment, which were till now so strict that foreign investment into the national economy was rare.

With these new reforms all that is set to change. The tax system is set to increase taxes for higher incomes while lowering it for low to middle incomes. Furthermore several tax brackets will be removed, meant to streamline and simplify the tax code. Companies in almost every sector will see regulations cut, with only neccesary health and safety regulations remaining in place as well as regulations in some high risk sectors, such as the energy sector and the health sector. It will become easier to start a bussiness, with limits on who can and cannot open a bussiness to be relaxed. A new system of "innovation grants" is also to be introduced, with companies able to apply for a grant if they can prove that they are innovating within their sector. Most importantly major restrictions on foreign investment will be abolished, with foreign investors now able to invest in the national economy almost without limit, only in the energy, telecommunications, transport and health sectors their will be restrictions on foreign investments, with foreign investors not able to gain majority shares in these sectors. In all others the major limits imposed till now will be removed.

The reforms are likely to pass as both the AP of the President and the Liberal Party have noted that they will vote in favour, meaning both majorities in the Chamber and the Council. For the first time in years New Verham is set to open up to the free market.

[Rogue]

Baatrynsentii: The Action Party of President Tömörbaatar has expanded its majority in the Chamber of Representatives in yesterday's midterm elections, which saw all 200 seats in the chamber contested. Under the New Verham constitution the Chamber of Representatives serves 3 year terms, with its members not allowed to serve consecutive terms. This removed the incumbency effect, and also gives the people a chance to either approve or dissaprove of the President his policies in the midst of his term. The elections saw the AP win 110 seats, 9 more then the 5298 election. The Liberal Party saw a minor loss in seats as did the Vanukean People's Party while the Socialists and Democrats slightly expanded their share of seats. Overall the election saw minor changes but still managed to grant the president a comfortable 3 years of his remaining rule. This majority will likely help him in expanding his liberalization reforms regarding the economy and will allow him to enact long promised social reforms, such as a stricter immigration policy and a higher sentences for violent crime, both big promises of the Action Party. Outside observers have deemed the election "mostly fair", with some minor reports of voter intimidation at polling boothes but these largely orchestrated by private entities, with the government judged to be "fair" in their conduct of the election.


The Action Party expands their majority in the Chamber

[Rogue]

Baatrynsentii: 3.5 years after his term began President Tömörbaatar has appointed a new governor of the New Verham central bank. Until now the incumbent governor of 20 years Udutai Naranbaatar still remained in his post, seen as a veteran banker and pragmatic administrator. The President had however hinted at the possibility of replacing Naranbaatar, largely because he is seen by many as a remnant of state interventionism from the PAP era. The newly appointed governor, Khutula Kempf, is someone born to a Hulstrian father and Mu-Tze mother and is known as a liberal thinker. Kempf is known for his work at the Baatrynsentii university and countless of economic pieces over the years. It is believed that the President chose him to allign with the government its liberal economic policies. The Governor of the Central Bank is a powerfull position in New Verham, with the governor basically setting out monetary policy and overseeing the entire banking sector in the country. Furthermore the central bank and in turn the Governor sets interest rates, making the central bank extremely important in handling things like inflation. Kempf, just after his appointment, already made a drastic decision to cut interest rates from the current 15% to 12%, noting that the low inflation rate of only 1% does not warrant such a "extremely high interest rate". President Tömörbaatar only stated that he believes the appointment of Kempf will be a positive for the country as "Kempf has proven to be a trustworthy and dedicated economist ready to make decisions in the best interest of the country."

Kempf will serve a undisclosed term, with Governors of the central bank often serving till either resignation or replacement by the President.

[Rogue]

Baatrynsentii: In line with the AP government's liberalization reforms a new set of reforms, this time aimed at the banking sector, is likely to pass both the Chamber of Representatives and Council of Provinces comfortably. The new reform, proposed by the ruling Action Party, would see a large amount of regulations in the banking sector dissapear and make it easier to start a financial related bussiness or bank. The reform will also loosen controls on current banks and remove restrictions regarding investments, allowing banks to use the money from savings for investments into the national economy. The reform does make it harder to invest those funds outside of New Verham, as a means to encourage the financial sector to invest in New Verham itself. Overall however the banking reforms will mean a significant relaxation of financial regulations in the country, which had been under stringent regulatory rules since the first years of PAP rule decades ago. President Tömörbaatar has sponsored the reform, pledging to sign it as soon as it passes. Oppossition figures have noted a mixed response, with the Liberal Party rather positive while the SocDems and the VPP have condemned the reforms, fearing they might lead to financial instability in the long run.