North Dovani

[Rogue]

New constitution barely passes states, country to transform in presidential system
February 12th, 5202

Chinasa: One year after the electoral victory of Chizoba his DND party one of his key campaign promises, to create a stronger executive, has been narowly achieved as the states have all approved a new constitution that is similar in many ways to the old but changes several key provisions. The most vital change is the abolition of the Premiership and Governor-General office, to be reformed into the office of President of the Union which will serve as Head of State and Government. This office is to be elected every 5 years by a popular vote election under a two round system, with the two candidates winning most votes in the first round going to a second round if no outright majority is reached. This new President will be Chief of the Armed Forces, serve as the head diplomat, may disband congress, appoint judges to district courts and the High Court, appoint all Cabinet secretaries, veto legislation subject to a 2/3rd overwrite, appoint other federal offices, draft decrees as long as they do not contradict federal law and are in line with the constitution. No term limits will be in place.

To compensate for the loss of authority concerning the states the new constitution creates a bicameral parliament, consisting of the already existing Congress of Deputies as the lower house and the new to be created Senate of the Union. The new Senate will be a indirectly elected body of 110 members (5 per state) that is elected by state legislatures. The new Senate of the Union can send back laws first passed by Congress but may only do so twice for a single law. It must also approve the appointment of federal officials by the President. While Congress can be disbanded by the President, the Senate cannot, serving a 2 year term before 1/3rd of the senate is elected again. The Congress will retain most of its powers but will see its electoral system changed, with the party bloc election scrapped and instead all 640 seats being elected in a mixed-member system with 50% (320 seats) elected through single member consistuencies while the remaining 50% is elected through a national proportional election. This will thus allow for fairer representation, while likely maintaining a less fragmented congress which favours bigger parties.

Under this new system, now Premier Chizoba has stated he hopes for "an end to innefective governance" and "a new strong executive that can really make descisive decisions." The new constitution will take effect next month with new congressional and presidential elections to be held within this year. The ruling DND has announced that Chizoba will run for president, casting aside current Governor-General Bakano after his 8 years as the country its head of state under the old system.

[Rogue]

BREAKING

Reports have reached us of a security situation at the formal implementation of the constitution in the Congressional building. We will give out updates as soon as possible.

[Rogue]

BREAKING: States and Governor-General force last minute changes during constitutional convention
May 18th, 5202

Chinasa: First meant as a merely symbolic moment for a already determined administrative change the Constitutional Convention in Chinasa has turned out to be a political showdown that lasted for hours. Unbeknownst to the Premier the current head of state, Governor-General Bakano, had garnered support amongst 5 of the largest states and came into the convention ready to strike. Police forces, paramilitary and other securty agencies had gathered outside the Congressional building on the orders of the Governor-General to maintain order and keep deputies inside as the Governor-General laid out the demands of the 5 largest states, over 200 deputies and representatives from several government ministries. Instead of the new presidential system, which would consolidate executive power, Bakano described the idea for a new constitution based on a extreme and hardcore balance of power to make sure no one individual could accumilate to much influence in government. This new proposal would turn North Dovani into a Federal Parliamentary Semi-Presidential republic, where the new to be created Presidency would gain large influence but would be counterbalanced by a reformed, more representative parliament and a Minister-President who would serve as Head of Government. This new system, though messy at first sight, would also recreate three ethnic regions led by Keobi, Huhoa and Kyo people and reform the states into provinces.

Premier Chizoba tried to quickly ram through his previously proposed constitution but with tensions at the convention rising and police forces even entering the chamber he had to concede, suggesting to all those present to support Bakano his proposed constitution. All present, minus 3 deputies, voted to confirm the affirmation of the newly proposed constitution which will change the name of the country into the Federal Democratic Republic of North Dovani. With his unexpected defeat and now untenable position, Chizoba resigned as Premier (now Minister-President) and also as DND party leader, with Bakano, also a DND member, being chosen as his successor by party leadership. With the adoption of this new constitution Bakano his term limits have been reset and he has already announced his intention of running for President. The election for the new Congress, Regional assemblies, the Federal council and the Presidency is to be held in 30 days and under a new proportional system it is expected more parties will be vying for seats in Congress then ever before. Will this new system last? And will the recent advancements of North Dovani last under this new regime?

[Rogue]

DND Wins first congressional election, Bakano elected president
June 30th, 5202

Chinasa: The first election under the new system has taken place and resulted in the ruling DND retaining its place as the largest party. Despite the win, the election has resulted in a fragmented parliament with the DND only winning 29% of the votes and thus 29% of seats. The Social Democrats have retained their number two position but were followed close behind by The Alliance, the classical liberal center-right party doing better and better under the last system and now thus becoming the 3rd party. The Democratic party has also improved significantly, benefitting from the new proportional system to capture 77 seats. The Green Union also captured 77 seats while the new Far-left party named "The Left" has entered Congress for the first time, capturing 10% of the vote and 63 seats.

Under this election result the most likely coalition government will be one between the ruling DND, The Alliance and the Democratic Party, which would ensure a economically liberal, socially right leaning government. Ali Bakano, former Governor-General, has been elected President and has quickly announced that he will appoint Belonwu Yobanna of the DND as Minister-President, with Yobanna releasing a statement that it is his intend to form a coalition government with the Alliance and the DP. This would be the first coalition government in North Dovani in over 50 years, with previous governments largely having been majority governments under a majoritan election system. Will this new proportional system and coalition style governance be a good fit for the country? Scholars seem divided on the subject but the first ever democratically elected right leaning government is likely to give the answer in the upcoming term.

Bakano, as mentioned earlier, won the presidential election and did so convincingly with 67% of the vote. He will serve a 7 year term as President.


The Presidential result, left the results per province, right the results per region


Congressional election results, left the results per province, right the results per region

[Rogue]

New elections called as economic crisis worsens
June 18th, 5203

Chinasa: It came rather unexplectedly half a year ago. A major economic crisis hit North Dovani as new liberalizing reforms of the DND turned out to overturn the established economic order of the country that had worked well for over 2 decades. The crisis plunged thousands into immediate poverty and caused foreign investment to leave in droves, all because of a lack of control or sound economic institutions. For over half a year the center-right DND, DP, A coalition had attemtped to pass reform and bring back stability in the economic sphere. But after 5 long months these attempts have failed and the Democratic Party has left the governing coalition, with President Bakano now announcing the disbanding of Congress and new elections to be held next month. In this chaos a new party, the National Worker's Party, led by a young and charasmatic Hong Ujin, has surged in the polls, blaming communist elements, representative democracy and corruption for the failure of the national economy. His message of combatting corruption and establishing a "new social contract" has resonated with both young and old as more and more people feel the effects of the economic crisis. Many parties have already excluded working with the NWP but notably the old coalition party the Democratic Party has not stated whether it would form a coalition with the NWP. As the NWP surges in the polls it is possible it might become the largest party in Congress. The party is also notable for including members of all ethnicities in their ranks, giving prominent positions to Huhoa, Keobi and Kyo people and, despite experts noting their fascist ideology, primarily focussing their anger and resentment on political movements and democratic institutions rather then a group of people.

If the the openly anti democratic NWP wins the elections it is unclear what will happen if they manage to form a government.

[Rogue]

NWP Wins Big, seeks far-right coalition with Democratic Party
July 28th, 5203

Chinasa: Fear and worry has taken hold over North Dovani and indeed its neighbours as the far-right fascist National Worker's Party of Hong Ujin has won more then 39% of the vote and in an instant has become the largest party in the country. The biggest coalition party, centrist Democratic North Dovani, has lost big as did several oppossition parties with the DSD losing voters despite retaining second place and the Green Union completely blasted away, not winning any seats in congress. The Left, a far-left political party, has barely managed to win seats, winning only 2% of the vote and a total of 13 seats. The Democratic Party, criticized for leaving the government coalition, managed to gain seats and become kingmaker in coalition talks while The Alliance has also done well despite being a previous coalition partner.

The DP and NWP have already publicly acknowledged their intend of forming a government, increasing fears that a authoritarian styled coalition could take the helm in North Dovani. But despite having a majority of seats together the two parties still need the President to appoint one of its own as Minister-President before being able to actively form a government. President Bakano, himself from the DND party that lost bigly, always prided himself on impartiality but is now pressured by both the DND as well as other oppossition parties to not appoint a Minister-President and instead keep the current Minister-President of the DND in place. Bakano hasnt responded publicly yet so it is unclear what he intends to do but Hong Ujin, leader of the NWP, has already stated that the NWP and DP will work together to dismiss any government not created between the two parties. Which would mean either a complete deadlock in government or Bakano using his only real power, once again dissolving congress and hoping the NWP loses support.


The election results

[Rogue]

NWP Wins again as President attempts to circumvent the fascists
August 10th, 5203

Chinasa: The NWP has shocked North Dovani by winning a outright majority of seats in the second election this year. This election was called after the President, not wanting to appoint a NWP Minister-President, once again disbanded Congress and called a new election. He did this in the hopes that the NWP of Hong Ujin would lose support but in a suprising twist they expanded their lead and have won a outright majority, with 51% of the votes. Election observers have deemed the election mostly fair, apart from some minor occurances where voting machines malfunctioned. This means the NWP has won a majority of the peoples trust as Ujin had called the move of the President "a attempt to circumvent the will of the people." He had made this second campaign a campaign on the political system, openly stating that "if the NWP wins, we will drain this swamp of all heathens and create a state where all can thrive." Their partner, the Democratic Party, lost 1% compared to the election 2 months ago but Ujin has stated he will still work with the DP to "recall this corrupt and partisan President." Ujin has vouched to recall President Bakano if his party once again became biggest, which it did. Under the constitution Congress may issue a vote of no confidence in the President, if a majority is reached a recall vote is held which determines if the President is removed from office. In that time Congress cannot be disbanded.

With the NWP-DP coalition setting their sights on the presidency it is unpredictable what will happen if the President is removed.


The NWP winning an outright majority of seats and votes as the establishments plan to remove the NWP its popularity has failed.

[Rogue]

BREAKING: President recalled, NWP and DP to propose "comprehensive reform package"
September 10th, 5203 (Pre-posted)

Chinasa: After last months election the NWP and DP had moved ahead with their motion of no confidence the very same day, resulting in a recall election to recall the President to be scheduled for this month. In a shocking twist, President Bakano, being head of state for over 14 years under three different political systems, has been voted out of office as 59% of voters voted yes on whether or not to recall the President. Shortly after the news broke out thousands of supporters from the National Worker's Party and the Democratic Party flocked the streets to celebrate, with one supporter stating to the herald that "this is the day that entrenched politicians fail, where the people retake power, where we finally get to see a government led by Hong Ujin!"

While people celebrated in the streets deputies of both parties had worked throughout the night in anticipation. Once the news broke, a press release was send to all news outlets in the country with the details of a newly proposed reform package to "reorganize and strengthen the state", under the proposed changes the Head of State and Head of Government positions would be merged, with the new combined position to be named "Jidoja" or leader in Kyomal. This new position would be elected by Congress for a set 5 year term. The new reform also changes the electoral system, with all seats in congress no longer directly elected but instead appointed through the Federal Regions, which at this moment are mostly controlled by the NWP following last years regional elections. These reforms, according to critics, pave the way for the personal rule of Hong Ujin and, while still somewhat democratic as the Regions still have formal elections, might be a stepping stone for more as rumblings within NWP circles suggest Ujin seeks to completely dismantle the democratic state.

The proposed package is to undergo a fastened process, with the speaker of congress announcing the bill will be on the floor within a week and will, if approved, be send to the senate within a day after passing.

[Rogue]

BREAKING: NWP loses reelection against "National Coalition", constitutional convention to be called
August 8th, 5205

Chinasa: The NWP, in its failure to handle the economic crisis and attempts at overturning the democratic system, has been defeated by a coalition of all other oppossition parties united under the "National Coalition". This new coalition, formed after the DP also cancelled its alliance with the NWP, consisted of every single oppossition group in the country. While the NWP under its leader Hong Ujin had already undermined democracy and passed measures to secure themselves a victory the National Coalition played a smart game, winning the recent regional elections in the Kyo and Huhoa region and by doing so gaining a majority in the Congress of Deputies. Their leader, former DSD leader Chibuzo Chydee, has already been elected "Leader", the combined position of HOG and HOS created by the NWP. NWP leader Ujin had called on supporters to "paralyze the country" but actions by law enforcement and counter protests by the National Coalition have largely mitigated the effects of these actions and, with public opinion and the state apparatus behind them, the new NC government has put forward a law to ban the NWP due to their "attempts at dismantling the state and subverting democracy."

Besides the move to ban the NWP the government has also called yet another constitutional convention to "get rid of the undemocratic constitution and settle the question of our governance once and for all." Regional leaders are calling for a radically different approach with many of them now on their way to Chinasa. One thing is certain, the government is not ratifying any agreement "without the signature of the people" meaning that a referendum on any new form of government is likely to take place to restart the democratic and participatory process. It is expected that the first results of the convention will be revealed in a few months time.

[Rogue]

BREAKING: North Dovanians vote to adopt monarchical system of government
October 18th, 5205

Chinasa: As promised by the NC government a referendum has been held following the outcome of debate in the Constitutional Convention. During the convention a majority of states called for a "radical shift in the form of government" with many of them advocating for a monarchy, which would be more capable of preventing radicalism from appearing in North Dovani. In the end this was agreed upon but a referendum on the question had to be held and has now concluded in a overwhelming victory for the monarchist camp, with 62% of voters voting to adopt a monarchy. Now the real work begins as the actual form of how the monarchy would look like will be determined by the convention. There are several things that are generally agreed. The country will be a federal one where the ethnic regions maintain their autonomy and it should be democratic, so a absolute monarch has already been excluded. Also both Kyo, Huhoa and Keobi have stated they would not want a monarch to be chosen from the country its recognized tribes, fearing that a ethnic Keobi or Huhoa as monarch could spark future conflict. Instead they are seeking to invite a minor Dovanian house to seat the throne, keeping it a Dovanian monarch but preventing inter ethnicity conflict. The final choice is up to the people as both the new to be drafted constitution as well as the house to seat the throne will both have to be approved by referendum as well.

Initial reports indicate that the convention is leaning towards a FPTP electoral system to create strong and stable governments but that some within the convention also want a fairer system that would allow for more parties to form and gain influence in government. Some are opting for a return to the Party Bloc election system used before the NWP came to power which was rather stable, ditching the proportional element to it and instead create a bicameral parliament that would allow a balance in government to be formed. The party bloc system has been used in North Dovani its most succesfull system to date and would make sense if the convention seeks a stable form of government.

Besides the debate over government the banning of the NWP has also been finalized with law enforcement and even other security agencies nearly finishing a operation to close all its party offices in the country, a process that took a month and even cost the live's of 15 people as some NWP supporters attemtped to violently prevent the closing of offices. While radicalism is still a problem in the country it seems as if pro NWP sentiment is dying down as NWP leader Ujin fled the country in favour of Dankuk 10 days ago, with many of his supporters accusing him of leaving them behind and thus leaving the NWP its ideology.


The referendum result