Vascania

National news threads that host the key national news outlets for each of the game’s countries.

Re: Vascania

Postby Pragma » Fri Nov 18, 2022 9:39 pm

Image

     Minority language programs to be reduced, says minister
     6 February 5213

Minister for Culture & Entertainment Dyal Poddar has said that programs aimed at helping minority languages will have to be reduced or scrapped to help improve Vascania's finances. Languages with less than 5 million speakers could see their financial support reduced by as much as 40% under his plans, while some larger regional languages could see cuts of around 20%. Currently, the government helps to fund linguistic immersion programs at all levels of education but this could be reduced to just primary and secondary schools by the end of the decade. This is despite long-standing government commitments over linguistic issues and critics say it contradicts the government's promises from the last election. Minister Poddar disagrees, saying that the country 'cannot afford luxuries at this moment in time'.

Vascania's economic malaise is certain to be a major factor in 5215's election. The moderate Democratic Vascania Party (DVP) is threatened by both right and left-wing parties but is still ahead in most polls. The announcement over language policy changes is not expected to have a major impact on the election as most minor-language-speakers already back the Socialist & Cooperative Alliance (SCA). A poll by East Kayal University puts the DVP at 40%, the SCA at 23% and the right wing parties at 22% together. The rest are undecided or voting for smaller, radical or regional parties.

     VascaniaNews is a Vascanian public news service produced by the Vascanian Broadcast Union
Currently playing in: Cildania

Image Vascanian Empire
User avatar
Pragma
 
Posts: 1416
Joined: Wed Apr 12, 2017 2:29 pm
Location: your mother

Re: Vascania

Postby Pragma » Sun Dec 11, 2022 9:02 pm

Image

     Polls point to victory for conservatives
     5 August 5224

The governing conservative National Alliance (NA) are on the verge of a majority if polls are to be believed, nearly a decade after they defeated the moderate Democratic Vascania Party (DVP). Polls show the NA on 40% of the vote, with the far-right PFP having their vote too concentrated in the right-wing north to risk splitting the vote elsewhere. The moderates and left-of-centre parties are struggling to get into competitive territory and risk losing ground in Thikkonagama, the suburbs of Kamalata and some historically left-wing rural areas.

The NA will likely benefit from the reformed electoral system which they enacted, which replaced the previous more proportional system with parallel voting. Under this system, there are 400 FPTP constituencies and 200 proportional seats elected state-by-state. These proportional seats are distributed independents of the FPTP constituencies, they are not supplementary to them. This system is highly controversially as it can lead to outcomes which are not reflective of the popular vote. With the right pretty strongly united under just one main party, it is the centre and left that are at risk of losing out in most constituencies. There are fears that the rifts between the centre-left and hard left could allow traditionally leftist strongholds to go to the NA for the first time ever.

The presidential race has also been shaken-up as popular, moderate independent President Rajan Kumesh is set to step down. This allows the NA to run their own partisan candidate in the hopes of winning almost all federal political power at once. Theoretically, the NA could win the presidency and parliament while gaining several state governments. This would allow them to further change the constitution, opening the door to a variety of previously unthinkable outcomes. Some on the far-right have talked about reintroducing the monarchy and the empire, but the leaders of the centre-right bloc have been quick to shut down any talk they deem overly radical - or rather, overly ambitious.

Image
     The Kamalata Times is a daily broadsheet newspaper in Kamalata with national and international circulation.

note: this article is back-dated
Currently playing in: Cildania

Image Vascanian Empire
User avatar
Pragma
 
Posts: 1416
Joined: Wed Apr 12, 2017 2:29 pm
Location: your mother

Re: Vascania

Postby Pragma » Sat Dec 17, 2022 10:24 pm

Image

     National Alliance majority after sweeping rural and exurban gains
     20 September 5225 (backdated)

Image

The right-wing National Alliance has swept to a majority with 337 of the 600 seats in parliament. After changing the electoral system to a primarily constituency-based model, the conservative government managed to get 39.1% of the popular vote and take advantage of the splits in its opposition, with the moderate Democratic Party and the leftist Socialists both struggling throughout the campaign to provide a solid vision for an alternative government. Left-wing strongholds like northern Rajuttistan, rural Bhaporistan and southern Utsal also saw massive electoral shifts to the right - beyond the exceptions of even some of the most optimistic National Alliance-aligned pundits. Prime Minister Har Anagal was quick to claim victory and announce the National Alliance's program of conservative reforms, tax-cuts and protection of farming subsidies. With the support of a right-wing president and right-wing governments in all but three states, this could represent a high-water mark for conservatism in Vascania since the fall of the monarchy.

The headlines in depth:

Opposition "unity tickets" fail
A major theme of the election was the extent to which opposition parties would be willing to cooperate to prevent a National Alliance majority. "Unity tickets" became a key phrase, and there was even a suggestion that some Socialists would stand down for Democratic candidates in highly competitive seats. This was quickly rebuffed by Socialist leadership, who spent much of the campaign attacking the Democrats as "National Alliance lite". For their part, the Democrats spent a great deal of time comparing the threats of the Socialists and the government - with one widely shared social media ad showing a coin spinning with the Prime Minister on one side and the Socialist leader on the other.

Ultimately, the Democrats united with various regional and agrarian parties to stand united candidates across the country. The Socialists also united with more left-wing parties outside of Bhaporistan and Utsal, where regional parties refused to cooperate with any national party. Despite this, neither opposition force could overcome a highly consistent National Alliance performance that remained steady at around half of the vote in rural and exurban areas. Notably, Prime Minister Har Anagal kept his seat in southern Rajuttistan on a much-increased majority, rebuffing his independent challenger who all other parties had dropped out to support in a bid to claim the biggest political scalp of all.

National Alliance dominates in rural areas
The performance of the government in rural areas was extremely consistent. Only 12 of the 150 most rural constituencies went to opposition candidates - three on Kayal Island to the Democrats; three to Socialists in their central heartlands; three to minor parties, and three to the far-right Popular Freedom Party in northern Kalam Nadu. The various agrarian parties that stretch from Kalam Nadu to Rajavant struggled to gain much traction and generally achieved only 20% of the vote in their target constituencies even when the Democratic candidate dropped out and supported a unity ticket.

The government ran on a pro-farmer platform of farming subsidies, lenient planning restrictions and partially funding irrigation systems ruled to be in the nation's agricultural interests. The Democrats, meanwhile, suggested cutting subsidies for farmers to pay for environmental policies that the National Alliance said would be 'too restrictive' for large farms and leave smaller family farms with less support and higher taxes. This also tainted the agrarian parties the Democrats were running alongside in certain constituencies, with some suggesting that the unity tickets had become too broad and were diluting the opposition's core messages. The government further campaigned on supporting local languages, bringing up the Democratic Party's cuts to local language support the last time they were in government. This went down well in rural Khond, Rajavant, Sanashtra and even traditionally left-wing states like Bhaporistan and Utsal - where local languages remain in the majority. Angst about demographic changes leaving rural areas behind also contributed to a more conservative trend in rural voting.

Presidential results

Image
Above: map of final round presidential results. The first round results are 53% for Srivastav, 39% for Gurnani and 8% for others.

National Alliance-endorsed Presidential candidate Yad Srivastav also won the presidential election with 57.5% of the vote, with independent Anarkali Gurnani (endorsed by both the Socialist and Democrats) only won in left-wing heartlands in the centre of the country and on the more liberal-minded coasts. Srivastav actually polled well ahead of the parliamentary National Alliance, largely owing to Gurnani's perceived weakness and significantly lower turnout. Turnout for parliament was 63%, but was just 52% for president as many leftist voters felt there was no pro-trade union candidate on the ballot and both candidates were from Rajuttistan. Candidates for president are elected by single transferable vote; no other candidate received 5% of the vote.

Gurnani was a coastal, Rajutti-speaking liberal and feminist author and lecturer who was unwillingly - and unwittingly - nominated by the Democratic parliamentary caucus. Reluctantly, Gurnani accepted the task but campaigned without much charisma. She remains a popular figure among the country's liberal women and could run on the Democratic ticket on the federal or national level. For now, she will return to lecturing at East Kayal university. President-elect Srivastav is a traditionalist and will likely bring new populist conservative zeal to the largely ceremonial presidency.

     VascaniaNews is a Vascanian public news service produced by the Vascanian Broadcast Union
Currently playing in: Cildania

Image Vascanian Empire
User avatar
Pragma
 
Posts: 1416
Joined: Wed Apr 12, 2017 2:29 pm
Location: your mother

Re: Vascania

Postby Pragma » Fri Dec 23, 2022 5:32 pm

Image

     President signs controversial changes to constitution
     1 June 5230

President Yad Srivastav has given his signature to a raft of changes to the Vascanian constitution, passed last month by the conservative majority in parliament. Hailed by Prime Minister Har Anagal as a 'momentous victory' for his government, the reforms would effect the electoral system and the balance of federalism across the country.

The right-wing National Alliance government have ran on changing the constitution in each election this century, but this is the culmination of their efforts. The proposals have been widely criticised by opposition figures as favourable to the government's electoral strategy, without having a strong non-partisan rationale. Most controversially, the bill will allow elections to be held every six years rather than every five - as is the current policy.

Electorally, the changes are subtle but significant. Rather than having the proportional seats given out in accordance with the overall popular vote, now each state will have a proportionate number of seats relative to their population - which will match the popular vote within that state. This means the threshold to gain a proportional seat is higher as rather than needing around 0.5% of the national vote to get one seat in a 200-spot list, a party must now have a concentrated percentage within a specific state. Having previously moved to a primarily constituency-based electoral method in their last term of office, Prime Minister Anagal has spearheaded further efforts to ban so-called "Unity Tickets" - where one party stands down in favour of another for a specific seat. Under the new constitution, a party must run in all seats in a state to qualify for access to the state's proportional votes. This means aligned parties must either merge or put forward competing candidates, possibly splitting the opposition vote.

The government says these changes ensure local representation and will prevent opposition parties from cynically pandering to specific constituencies without presenting a broader strategy. President Srivastav, signing the legislation, had previously said that if opposition parties are 'so concerned' with the operation of the government then 'they should just merge now, rather than striking undemocratic deals as part of a coalition'.

The opposition parties have already begun to discuss measures to combat the popular government, recognising the relatively stable state of the economy and public trust in the National Alliance to keep its electoral promises. The moderate Democrats and the left-wing Socialists are highly unlikely to agree a pact and will thus probably be running competing candidates in every seat, but there is some suggestion that the Democrats would be willing to move more radically to counter to the government. In some states, like Kalam Nadu, there are already moderate local parties with signification sway. One suggestion is that the Democrats could defederalise their campaign, running independently in states where they are stronger and as part of new, merged slates in states where they are vulnerable or weak. The Agrarian Party of Rajavant and the Kalam Nadu Liberals have hinted at support for that idea, but more populist or autonomist local parties in Bhapor, Utsal and Sanashtra will almost certainly refuse.

Image
     The Kamalata Times is a daily broadsheet newspaper in Kamalata with national and international circulation.
Currently playing in: Cildania

Image Vascanian Empire
User avatar
Pragma
 
Posts: 1416
Joined: Wed Apr 12, 2017 2:29 pm
Location: your mother

Re: Vascania

Postby Pragma » Tue Dec 27, 2022 4:24 pm

Image

     Government increases majority, President re-elected
     12 October 5231 (backdated)


Image

The National Alliance has swept back into power with 355 seats in the 600-seat parliament, up from 337 last election. The governing, right-wing party also increased its share of the vote from 39.1% to 43.5%, with its rural support intensifying in almost every state of the nation. The various opposition alliances struggled, with the Socialists getting 109 seats and less than a quarter of the vote - only getting much success in Utsal and Bhaporistan. Certain small states, like Hamal Pradesh, have almost no opposition representation in parliament and seemed to be abandoned by anti-government campaigners early in the election cycle.

The moderate Democrats allied with a variety of regional parties like the Kalam Liberals and the Rajavant Agrarians, but could barely mount a serious challenge outside of certain more urban areas. The Democrats made a serious effort to counteract electoral changes that had given the government a major advantage. Required to field candidates in all constituencies to qualify for the proportional seats, they managed to strike deals with local parties to field united campaigns that ultimately fell short. The Socialists, who refused to merge into a united opposition coalition, have been blamed for 'intransigence' by members of the Democrats and may face pressure to reassess their strategy for the next election.

Neither the Socialists nor the Democrats seem able to expand outside of their core votes. For the Socialists, ancestral regions in the centre of the country and working-class areas of the capital have been their bedrock but now seem like a ceiling as well as their economic values are viewed sceptically by small town home-owners and the aspiring middle classes of Rajuttistan and Kalam Nadu. The Democrats have the support of the Hosian minority and social liberals for their secular stances, but have spurned rural areas with their progressive cultural stances.

Image

In the Presidential election, incumbent National Alliance-endorsed President Yad Srivastav was easily re-elected against Andam Gill, a former state Frist Minister from Bhapor who ran a pan-ethnic campaign focused on uniting Vascania's diverse minorities. Gill's bid failed spectacularly, running far behind the parliamentary opposition parties everywhere except his home state, as President Srivastav mocked his perceived 'vagueness' on policy details.

The killer blow for the Gill campaign was Srivastav's lead in the Kamlata metropolitan area, which is a crucial vote-rich centre for opposition candidates. Outside of Bhaporistan itself, Gill won some support in the Hosian-majority areas of Khond and Rajavant; Democratic heartlands on Kayal Island; and in left-wing heartlands in Utsal and Sanashtra. This uneasy and unsuccessful coalition typifies the struggles of the Vascanian opposition, who are spread across the country with very differing interests and reasons for opposing Srivastav and the National Alliance.

With Srivastav re-elected, further conservative reforms can be expected. The possibility of changing the presidency to an electoral college, or even bringing back the monarchy have been floated. Polling consistently shows high public support for a right-wing agenda, but there is a chance the government could over-extend and inspire all their opponents to unite into one force. Srivastav has laughed-off the idea of a 'many-head-elephant' opposition coalition, as the presidential elections suggest that even in a one-vs-one race the National Alliance can easily get a majority of votes.

     VascaniaNews is a Vascanian public news service produced by the Vascanian Broadcast Union
Currently playing in: Cildania

Image Vascanian Empire
User avatar
Pragma
 
Posts: 1416
Joined: Wed Apr 12, 2017 2:29 pm
Location: your mother

Re: Vascania

Postby Pragma » Wed Dec 28, 2022 10:39 pm

Image

     President signs off on oil deregulation
     5 February 5233

President Yad Srivastav has signed off on the government's plans to deregulate oil extraction and production in the State of Vascania. Rolling back environment protections has been considered a 'third rail' in Vascanian politics but the National Alliance government has won successive mandates on the issue of reintroducing petroleum into the nation's economic landscape. The vote in parliament passed along partisan lines - 395 to 205 - six votes short of the two-thirds majority that would have made the bill veto-proof. Regardless, President Srivastav was always expected to sign the legislation and has been a vocal supporter of the petroleum industry in the past.

"The Oil Issue" has dominated Vascanian politics for centuries, with public opinion divided and governments brought down over the issue in the past. Now, however, oil production is considered a symbol of Vascania's past - a past many view as a more powerful and prosperous phase in the nation's history. Oil revenues made up more than a quarter of Vascania's GDP in the 4800s but has fallen away as a result of heavy regulation by previous moderate and centre-left governments. If oil fields in northern Rajavant, Bhaporistan and the Avidangana coast were to be reopened or expanded, it could lead to tension between the federal government and local activists who have persistently frustrated previous efforts to restart the highly controversial industry.

     VascaniaNews is a Vascanian public news service produced by the Vascanian Broadcast Union
Currently playing in: Cildania

Image Vascanian Empire
User avatar
Pragma
 
Posts: 1416
Joined: Wed Apr 12, 2017 2:29 pm
Location: your mother

Re: Vascania

Postby Pragma » Thu Dec 29, 2022 10:17 pm

Image

          Vascania discusses oil and gas cooperation with Dovani partners
          20 August 5233

The Foreign Ministry has announced that a 'variety of negotiations' are ongoing between their representatives and Vascania's Dovani partners to 'develop opportunities relating to our reformed oil and natural gas policies'. Vascanian diplomats have been involved in discussions with New Englia and Suyu Llaqta in particular, but have not ruled out further cooperation elsewhere. Alongside domestic activities, the government is planning to run a hybrid state-private model 'to ensure Vascania's vast resources are efficiently utilised with Vascania's many citizens in mind'.

New Englian cooperation is likely to involve the supervised operation of state-backed companies into the Vascanian market. Some analysts have speculated that oil could begin its refinement process in Vascania before being distributed to New Englia to create more advanced petroleum products. This cooperation is expected to provide new employment opportunities in both countries, including less economically developed parts of central Vascania where oil is high in quantity and relatively accessible for extraction. The Foreign Ministry has stressed that respect for environmental concerns and providing opportunities for young people are 'at the forefront of all negotiations'. The governing National Alliance has made inroads into areas like southern Bhaporistan in recent years, which are oil-rich but have high levels of unemployment.

Vascania has three key oil 'zones': one off its northern coast; one off the west coast of Khond; and one stretching across the interior of the country. While the terrestrial oil fields are the most expansive, there will be far more public opposition due to Vascania's broad and popular conservation system which includes national parks and state-level marine, jungle and/or woodland reserves. The northern oil zone stretches beyond Vascania's territorial waters and only around half of it has been previously internationally recognised as Vascanian. After conflict in previous centuries between Kurageri and Vascania over these resources, peaceful cooperation with states like Suyu Llaqta is preferred. There have even been suggestions of Vascanian cooperation to develop Llaqtan resource management but it is understood that talks are still in relatively early phases.

          The Kalam Courier is a daily broadsheet newspaper in Kalam Nadu with a conservative editorial stance
Currently playing in: Cildania

Image Vascanian Empire
User avatar
Pragma
 
Posts: 1416
Joined: Wed Apr 12, 2017 2:29 pm
Location: your mother

Re: Vascania

Postby jamescfm » Wed Jun 14, 2023 7:40 am

User avatar
jamescfm
 
Posts: 5470
Joined: Sat Jul 02, 2016 3:41 pm

Re: Vascania

Postby Pragma » Mon Jul 03, 2023 5:00 pm

Image

     Resentment boils over in Kamalata
     20 July 5326

     Image
     Above: Police stretched thin as riots feared in other major cities

Resentment and anger at Vascania's economic and social regression has boiled over in the capital as rioters set streets alight in protest of the government. Sparked by the announcement of further cuts to unemployment benefit, young people have taken to the streets demanding the resignation of conservative Prime Minister Zalim Patil - who has run the country for 16 years. Unemployment is at 18% nationwide and is especially high in the capital and among people under 30, leading many to fear hunger and homelessness.

The right-wing National Alliance has governed Vascania for much of the last two centuries, during which time there has been significant economic backsliding. Once a preeminent global power with a powerful navy and booming oil sector, the nation has fallen on exceptionally hard times. Schools and hospitals fall apart, medical supplies run low and historic building are left to turn to ruins. Infant mortality has increased to pre-unification levels while illiteracy has surpassed 20%. Vast areas of countryside have been left to fend for themselves as roads crumble and water becomes undrinkable. So much of the progress made in the nation's first few centuries of existence has been undone as states have fractured - while ethnic divisions prevent continent-wide cooperation and corruption sucks the public coffers dry.

The government has long banked on a split opposition in a parliament that is elected largely by first-past-the-post. Attempts to reconcile the diverse opponents to the status quo have failed, with far-right monarchists, liberals, regionalists and socialists all running separate lists and competing candidates in election after election. The National Alliance wins parliamentary majorities based on that division and its cynical appeal to religious fervour. Many struggling farmers and rural labourers vote for their re-election to prevent unwelcome social change while tens of millions remain totally detached from politics. Turnout has regularly been below 50% in recent decades, allowing the Prime Minister to retain his position with very low favourability ratings.

As anger now turns to violence, there are fears that something much worse is brewing. Separatists in Bhapor have become increasingly aggressive in their rhetoric, far-left agitators have threatened revolution in Utsal and calls to revive the Imperial throne echo from the ultraconservative north. A nation of nearly half-a-billion people, with hundreds of local languages is not easy to keep in one piece. Vascanian society is unravelling and this time there is no charismatic leader with a strong vision to save it.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
     The Kamalata Times is a daily broadsheet newspaper in Kamalata with national and international circulation.
Currently playing in: Cildania

Image Vascanian Empire
User avatar
Pragma
 
Posts: 1416
Joined: Wed Apr 12, 2017 2:29 pm
Location: your mother

Re: Vascania

Postby Pragma » Tue Jul 04, 2023 6:13 pm

Image
     Activists occupy police HQ in Sabuda
     5 January 5327

Months of unrest across Vascania have culminated in the Sabuda police headquarters being occupied by a left-wing activist group - in protest of government inaction on poverty and unemployment. It is the first government building to be stormed since the Kamalata riots last July, though a number of private businesses have been looted by protestors in major urban centres up and down the country. The group in Sabuda has been calling themselves the 26Movement, in reference to the year the unrest started (5326). Around 60 of their members surged into the building shortly after midnight and have barricaded doors and boarded up windows. They claim to have enough food and water for several weeks and have promised not to leave until their goals are achieved. 26Movement have published a list of demands including distribution of food to the poor, government resignations, a universal basic income and increased unemployment benefit. The government is refusing any cooperation and has promised to flush the activists out by force if necessary.

Prime Minister Zalim Patil has already declared a state of heightened threat in six states but pledged to stay on as PM despite unrest. His credibility was hit recently by the resignation of his far-right deputy Internal Affairs Minister for Prime Minister Patil's refusal to bring in the military against protestors. That minister has defected to the Monarchist League, which has been criticising the government from the right. The Monarchist League has found significant support in the country's ultra-conservative far-northern regions. Still the PM's federal government has allies in most of Vascania's state governments with the notable exception of Bhaporistan, which has also seen protests and strikes for several months.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Sabuda Guardian is a daily newspaper based in Utsal state. It is associated with the Vascanian trade union movement.
Currently playing in: Cildania

Image Vascanian Empire
User avatar
Pragma
 
Posts: 1416
Joined: Wed Apr 12, 2017 2:29 pm
Location: your mother

PreviousNext

Return to National News

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 19 guests

cron