North Dovani

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BREAKING: New constitution adopted, Dovanian Empire proclaimed, House of Simid-al-Akram to sit the throne
December 30th, 5205

Chinasa: Just before we celebrate the coming of a new year the constitutional convention has announced that the referendums on adopting the constitution and installing the House of Simid-al-Akram to the throne have passed in the affirmative, officially marking the adoption of the new constitution and the proclamation of the Dovanian Empire. The news came just hours after the results of the second referendum in one month, that of installing the House of Simid-al-Akram, came in. These results saw a overwhelming majority of North Dovanians vote to invite the head of the house, Numair I, to sit on the newly created "Ice Throne". Only a small majority of Kyo people voted against his ascension, largely because its leaders had called on them to do so believing that Numair was to closely alligned with the Keobi and Huhoa people. Numair, the head of the Minese tribe Simid-al-Akram, had been ruling a series of villages in northern Mina for over a decade. With his 62 years old hes relatively young. The convention, searching for a suitable monarch, offered him the new North Dovanian throne under the condition that he would relinquish his lands and titles in Mina as well as his Minese citizenship and instead fully dedicate himself to North Dovani, to which he agreed. With the referendum also confirming his ascension he is now officially titled Protector of the Realm, Bearer of the Faiths, Soul of the Northern People and Emperor on the Ice Throne.

Besided Numair his ascension the new imperial constitution has also been approved, with interim leader Chibuzo Chydee proclaiming the new Dovanian Empire in front of a crowd of nearly 1 million people in the Kyo city of Jinppo. The new constitution officially created a constitutional monarchy under a democratic system but with some interesting features compared to other constitutional monarchies. The country shall be a federal empire, with three ethnic Regions receiving the rights that states did under the previous constitution, allowing them to legislate a wide range of topics themselves. Below the Regions will be whatever the regions legislative as their administrative divisions, likely to be municipalities and potentially smaller divisions. On the federal level however the country will be divided into 22 districts following the lines of the previous states. These districts have no administrative function other then serving as divisions for elections in the country, representing geographic areas of importance. The island chains that had gained autonomy under the previous government will retain their autonomous status and will be seperated from the regional administrations. As for the federal government it will be organized into a parliamentary democracy with the previous party bloc voting system being applied for the election of the newly created Chamber of Deputies, changed from the Congress of Deputies. The new Chamber of Deputies will be elected every 5 years and consist of 580 seats. It will be the primary body of the Imperial Congress, serving as the chamber of confidence for the government. The upper house will be the Imperial Senate, elected by the regions which each elect 50 senators. The senate is a staired election, meaning it elects 50 new senators every 2 years (based on regional elections). The Senate will have the power to veto any legislation passed by the Chamber subject to a 2/3rd overwrite by the Chamber. The senate will also be in charge of constitutional ammendments and approving government appointments.

Different from other parliamentary monarchies is that the monarch will gain the right to use the reserve powers granted to him/her at their discretion, not needing advice or approval from government. This means that under this constitution the Emperor may disband the Chamber of Deputies, appoint the Prime Minister, lead the Armed Forces and veto legislation by not signing it into law without the need for any check or balance, granting the Monarch somewhat of a influential position. Besides this the monarch is official head of state, meaning he represents the nation abroad although he is expected to delegate this task to government from time to time. Also while he has the power to appoint any Prime Minister he would like, the Chamber of Deputies can still issue a vote of no-confidence, thus all but ensuring that he has to appoint a PM with a parliamentary majority. He can also dismiss the PM, but if he does so all government ministers are expected to resign.

The Prime Minister will be head of government under this constitution and, once appointed by the monarch, has broad powers such as appointing all other government ministers without the need for a confirmation vote, appointing federal judges (with the need for senate approval), setting out domestic and foreign policy agendas, chairing the Cabinet, oversee security agencies and any task delegated to him by the monarch, which often is leading the Armed Forces in peacetime.

The new Dovanian Empire is thus set to become a unique mix of democracy and interventionism. Millions are celebrating in nearly every major city as this new era of North Dovani is set to commence. With this new constitution also come new elections, with all previous political parties barred from participating in the Chamber of Deputies election scheduled to be held in 1 month time to ensure a fresh new era without previous conflict can be formed.


Referendum results of the house invited to rule


Referendum results of adopting the new imperial constitution

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First elections see Liberal Party win in landslide
January 19th, 5205

Chinasa: In the first election under the new imperial system the Liberal Party, a centre to center-left political party, has won a landslide victory in the Chamber of Deputies winning 370 seats in the 580 seat chamber. The party, led by Ch'ang Seong, is a offspring from several centrist and liberal parties as well as some members from the former DSD that united to form a extremely moderate center-left party. The Liberals ran on a platform of national revitalization and a outward look, pledging to take advantage of current turmoil on the energy market to boost our own energy industry, invest heavily in national infrastructure, establish and strengthen the new state institutions and providing stable and steadfast leadership. Their closest rival, the Federal People's Party, is a conservative political party that pledged a more constrained approach and a more liberalized economy, clearly not resonating with a majority of North Dovanians. The FPP won just 174 seats. Two minor parties also managed to win seats despite the party bloc voting system. The Democrats, a centrist social liberal party, won 5 seats in the traditionally liberal district of Akwad which was previously also won by a third party under the last system, continuing its streak of voting away from major parties. A fourth party, the far-left Dovanian Worker's Party, has won the "middle state" of Lapur, which is known as the most lef wing district in the country and which grants the party a pretty big 31 seats. The DWP has both socialist, communist and progressive elements within and openly calls for the Empire to be dismantled, naming it a mistake and advocating to the return of communist rule.

The Regions also elected their assemblies which has resulted in the Liberal Party gaining 76 seats in the Senate against the Federal People's Party with 51 seats. The 23 remaining seats have been filled with independents but the result grants the Liberals a 1 seat majority in the senate, ensuring full control of government. Emperor Numair announced that he will appoint liberal leader Seong as Prime Minister, opening up the possibility for Seong to appoint his cabinet and rule with little oppossition for at least the next 2 years until 1/3rd of the senate is rearranged. The Empire now has a fully functioning government.


The results, with the Liberal Party winning a majority

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Dolgava Lifts Sanctions on North Dovani

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Postdated

Chinasa: The Liberal government under Prime Minister Ch'ang Seong has announced the finalization of the constitutional process, passing with opossition support the last ammendment to the constitution which sees the Imperial Congress consist of the renamed House of Councillors (lower house) and the House of Peers (upper house). The election method of the house of peers will also be adjusted, with around 1/3rd of seats to be elected by the regions equally with every region appointing 16 peers, 1/3rd being appointed by the Monarch who has to appoint members from the tribes, high ranking civil servants or former Councillors, and 1/3rd to be elected in FPTP constituencies accross the country, meaning 50 seats are to be directly elected. With this system the government hopes to create a bit more representation in the upper house while still handing influence to the regions and now also partially to the monarch. All 3 methods are to see 2 years in between them, meaning every 2 years 1/3rd of the House of Peers is up for grabs.

The liberal government also stated that their massive economic package, expected to boost production and step up industrialization efforts, will be send to the House of Councillors within mere months, possibly becoming the biggest legislative proposal of this government and the likely hallmark on which it is to be judged.

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Kaliburg: State Secretary for Defense Udegbulam Chinou has travelled to the Kalistani capital of Kaliburg with a delegation of experts and diplomats to discuss the possibility for increased security cooperation. The meeting, dubbed a defense summit, will revolve around the possibility for technology sharing and future combined research between the two nations. North Dovani, both the ruling Liberals and oppossition Conservatives, has pledged to invest heavily in national defense as it had been neglected for nearly 50 years. This committment, combined with a increased look to the outside world, has now sparked this defense summit.

State Secretary Chinou stated that he

hopes that this meeting with our Kalistani counterparts will be productive and result in renewed security cooperation in a wide variety of fields.

it is expected the summit will last a week.

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Jinppo: The conservatives, under the CDP banner, have won the governorship in the western region of Cheon which consists of a majority Kyo people. The governorship, previously held by a monarch appointed overseer, was the first direct election for the regions leader since the proclamation of the Empire. While the Liberal Party had won a majority of votes in the general election 3 years ago the CDP had a strong campaign and their candidate, Hajgo mayor Pyon Kwang-Jo, was seen as popular due to his more moderate stances on especially social issues. In the end he won the governorship, winning with 52% of the vote against his Liberal opponents 47%. The Dovanian Worker's Party candidate won 1% of the vote. The governorship is the head executive of the Cheon Region, which adopted a constitution last year that sees a strong regional executive supporter by a unicameral legislature. The other regions, the majority Huhoa Korosso Region and the majority Igbo Akwara Region also adopted similar constitutions with the Korosso Region also having a directly elected governor while the Akwara Region has a indirectly elected Minister-President serving as prime executive but being elected by the regional assembly. This CDP win marks a possible hint at next years general election, which will see 1/3rd of the House of Peers in the form of directly elected seats be up for grabs as well as all 580 seats in the House of Councillors. Liberal strategists are however dismissing this win means a loss next year but as the economy continues to only marginally recover many wonder if the Liberal government can retain power.


The Cheon Region, won by the CDP

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Chinasa: The Liberal Party has suffered a significant defeat today but not a total smackdown, as the ruling party maintains a plurality of seats and only narrowly misses out on a outright majority. The result, which was somewhat unexpected, will allow incumbent Prime Minister Ch'ang Seong to maintain his position as the country's leader with Emperor Numair announcing he will not be appointing a new prime minister following the result. What the result does force however is that the Liberals seek a coalition partner as the party has lost both their majorities in the House of Councillors and the House of Peers, winning just 20 seats in the House of Peers compared to the CDP its 25 seat win in the election for 1/3rd of the upper house which causes the Liberals to lose their majority there as well. But there is one party that can deliver the Liberals what they need. The Democrats, a centrist party, have climbed the political ladder since last election and have become third in the popular vote, winning over 19% of the vote nationwide. Furthermore they won their first upper house seats this election, winning 2 constituency seats for the House of Peers. While the party has risen in votes it remains stagnant in seats, only winning 5 seats in the party bloc election. But those 5 seats are critical as they could deliver the Liberals a 1 seat majority in the lower house while the 2 Peers could also deliver a 1 seat majority in the upper house. While this would be a fragile majority it would still be one, allowing the Seong government to sit for another term. Representatives of the Liberal Party have reportedly already travelled to the Democrats their party HQ to discuss a possible coalition.

If it comes through this would be the first coalition government in North Dovani under the new system and would mean the first time The Democrats enter a government on either the federal or regional level. It would also effectively create a centrist governing coalition that is more based on compromise, something the liberals will have to get used to.


The election result, with the CDP making gains in both the east and west of the country while the DWP and Democrats retain their already held seats

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Chinasa: The Liberal-Democratic coalition is a fact after a month of intense negotiations which has resulted in the first multi party coalition government of the Empire. While the influence of The Democrats in terms of their seat count is small, they have wielded significant influence in negotiations as can be seen in the makeup of the new Cabinet. The Democrats have captured two high profile positions, that being the position of Foreign Secretary and that of Attorney General. Other positions they have gained are the Energy Office and the Office of Public Utilities. Thus giving The Democrats four positions in government. Seong has retained his position as Prime Minister as was previously announced. In the coalition agreement presented this afternoon the coalition partners have agreed to take serious steps in revitalizing the economy, which is still struggling, and continue efforts to develop national industry, the manufacturing sector as well as reform and rebuild the military. Their economic approach will be the "middle-road", likely to include a mix of subsidies, deregulation and a increase in federal government investment. Democratic leader Idris Khalifah praised the agreement and wished the new government between his party and The Liberals "the best of luck in fighting for the good folk." He himself will remain a Councillor in the lower house and lead his party delegation. While the new agreement and government have been presented with great fanfare political analysts wonder if their slim majorities in both lower and upper house (1 seat in each) will hold or if disagreements might pop up. The Democrats and Liberals are close in terms of economic and social policy but differ primarily on foreign policy issues, which is a topic that has gained more importance in North Dovani since the proclamation of Empire 5 years ago.

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Chinasa: The Democrats have, as part of their coalition agreement with the Liberals, managed to push through a major piece of legislation that had been one of their key electoral promises since the inception of the party. The legislation, a package of electoral reform, passed the senate with 76 to 74 votes, narrowly ensuring it passes. It will replace the party-bloc election method next election in favour of a FPTP single-member district election method which will divide the country into 580 contituencies. Every member will thus be individually elected under this new system instead of on a ticket like the previous. It had been a major point of contention between the Liberals and the Democrats, as the Democrats would likely get a major benefit from such a reform in future elections. Democrats argued that this reform would make the bond between voter and legislator more personal and it would result into slightly more voter participation and fairness in the election, as a candidate is now longer elected through the party list. This also makes the influence of parties smaller as members are elected individually and no longer rely on a party to put them on the electoral list. While this was thus contentious, Democrats made it a hard topic during negotiations and managed to get Liberals on board. The reform will thus go into effect next election but voters seem to have mixed feelings on the reform, citing their anger at the lack of actual steps towards improving the economy, rather then focus on yet another piece of electoral reform.

While the government is at work to draft a massive economic package the lack of speed on that front has made voters sway more and more to the CDP, which has gained traction since narrowly losing last election. Prime Minister Seong stated this reform "is yet another step in the direction of more transparancy and direct voter influence in the electoral process and will allow us to connect even more with the people we serve."

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Chinasa: With many people finally hoping for a stable political atmosphere a bombshell has put doubt in the entire political system as Emperor Numair, accompanied by his entire family and more then 2 billion in state funds, has left with a private jet and returned to his tribal lands in Mina, reclaiming his old tribal seat. This contradicts directly with the Emperor his agreement with the North Dovanian political establishment, which had made a agreement that Numair would relinquish any ties to Mina in order to become monarch. Numair used social media to state that "henceforth i will relinquish my throne in North Dovani and return to my ancestral land in Mina". This has left the country without a head of state or any successor, as the entire family of Numair has left with him. Prime Minister Seong has called a extraordinary session of Cabinet and the Speaker of the House of Councillors has also called a special session to debate the ensuing crisis. The governments of the three regions have all issued a joint statement that calls for "descisive action" and prevent a lengthy constitutional process, voicing their support for the federal government to adopt a new constitution and remove the monarchy as soon as possible, preventing a lingering constitutional crisis. Members from the federal government have also started to call for North Dovani to get in contact with Mina and try to have Numair arrested, as he has seemingly stolen 2 billion in public funds. Prime Minister Seong has promised to quickly deal with the lingering crisis with sources from within the government saying that a federation, which keeps intact the devolved power structures and only changes the federal government form, is the most likely and best solution to the lingering crisis.

When do North Dovani and its people finally find peace?