Noumonde

[CCP]

OOC: Yes, agreed on both points.

[Aquinas]

October 4445

Crush the White Fighters and ban the fascists, Tsitohery tells Rutania

Prime Minister Tombovelo Tsitohery used a speech yesterday at a conference on "Pan-Esinisinduism (OOC: Pan-Africanism) in Terra today" to demand the government of Rutania "crush and destroy the racist White Fighters and "ban the bigoted Fascist Union". More controversially, he called for Hawu to "intervene through all necessary means if sufficient progress is not made", insisting that "if pan-Esinsindusism is to be taken seriously, then it is simply intolerable for all of this to be happening on Hawu's doorstep".

However, Tsitohery's stance was somewhat undermined by the Canrillaise establishment figures he is compelled to share power with in Noumonde. Deputy Prime Minister Louis Poullain commented that "Rutania has her internal issues but they are not really Noumonde's concern at the moment", whilst the more outspoken King Norbert said "I don't fully agree with the fascists in Rutania but I think they are mainly honourable people with some of the right ideas" and suggested "pan-Esinsinduism is a load of silly nonsense at best, and at worst it is a philosophy of resentful, primitive, black racism that is corrosive to the advance of civilised values".

[Aquinas]

March 4446

Fund Noumonde's land reform program, Tsitohery tells Rildanor

Prime Minister Tombovelo Tsitohery has publicly pleaded with "the government and people of Rildanor" to contribute to the International Noumonde Fund for Land Redistribution.

"As the former colonial power, Rildanor has a moral responsibility to work with us to help reverse the legacy of racial and economic injustice which they created," he said. More ominously, he warned that "the long-term stability of our country cannot be guaranteed unless we receive international assistance to enable us to achieve land redistribution in a voluntary and peaceful way".

Noumonde's leading Canrillaise politician, Deputy Prime Minister Louis Poullain, supported Tsitohery's plea, adding that "investing in Noumonde's long-term future is a case of enlightened self-interest for the richer countries, because they will benefit greatly through trade as a result of our increasing prosperity".

Critics within Tsitohery's Alliance for Progress are making no secret of the fact they feel the pace of land reform has been far too slow so far, and that the government should be using the power of compulsion in order to wrest land from the great landowners, rather than relying on expensive, voluntary buy-outs. They are also unhappy that King Norbert has not so far lived up to his pledge to make a portion of his land holdings freely available for redistribution.

[Aquinas]

June 4447

Royalists impose Supreme Court appointment


New Supreme Court Justice Rémy Chausson

Liberal-leaning Supreme Court Justice Marie-Laure Fournier won international acclaim for her protest against the suspension of parliamentary government. She underlined her protest by resigning, although she was reinstated by mutual agreement of the royalists and the opposition Alliance at the time the power-sharing agreement was signed.

About 4 months ago she again resigned, this time on the grounds of failing health. An intense political struggle broke out between the royalists, chiefly represented by King Norbert and Deputy Prime Minister Louis Poullain, and the Alliance, primarily represented by the Prime Minister, Tombovelo Tsitohery. The royalists wanted a traditionalist figure from the Canrillaise establishment, whilst Tsitohery was lobbying for a Malgy justice who would favour a much more pro-active approach on social justice and racial equality issues.

In the end, King Norbert lost patience and imposed his own appointment by royal decree. Fournier's replacement will be Rémy Chausson, the grandson of a former National Party Prime Minister and the godson of King Norbert's wife, Queen Claudine. Legal commentators say he is a very pro-establishment figure, unlikely to upset the apple cart very much.

Tsitohery criticised the appointment as "a regressive step which violates the terms of the power-sharing agreement". This is technically correct, as the power-sharing agreement specified that senior judicial appointments should be agreed by both sides. However, King Norbert and his National Party allies are claiming the King reserves "emergency powers" to resolve constitutional impasses.

[Aquinas]

Malgy protesters at Istalia-Vanuku summit plead for land reform cash

[Aquinas]

December 4447

WANTED: "King Julien XIII"



A warrant has been issued for the arrest of the sinister person posing as "King Julien XIII" who is currently running to be President of the World Congress's General Assembly. He is believed to have committed offences under Noumonde's lèse-majesté laws, in particular through mocking the royal family and falsely claiming to be the legitimate occupant of good King Norbert's throne.

He is also wanted on a series of other charges , including welfare benefit fraud and tax evasion relating to his failure to declare his income whilst working as a children's entertainer.

A large number of Alliance MPs are calling for a debate in Parliament about abolishing the lèse-majesté laws, which in practice have not been used for many years until now. However, this is likely to be blocked by the royalist National Party, whose support is necessary to pass any new laws under the terms of the power-sharing agreement.

[Aquinas]

April 4448

Town council forced to withdraw Talmoria airshow invitation



King Norbert has again exercised his "emergency powers", this time to compel Dranomasina Town Council to withdraw an invitation it had issued to the Talmorian military to put on an airshow.

Dranomasina, a popular seaside resort with a council controlled by the Malgy (OOC: Madagascan)-dominated Alliance for Progress, has staged airshows many times in the past - although usually the aerial vehicles have been provided by Canrillaise (OOC: French) countries.

Most commentators believe the King and the Canrillaise establishment are nervous about the growth of pan-Esinsinduism (OOC: pan-Africanism) amongst the Malgy in Noumonde, and did not welcome the prospect of an Esinsindu country getting an opportunity to use Noumonde's airspace to showcase its military prowess.

Mendrika Ramaroson, the Mayor of Dranomasina, accused the government of "racist bias against Esinsindu countries" and said "our town has lost out on a great potential opportunity". He was backed by Prime Minister and Alliance leader Tombovelo Tsitohery, who warned that the King's increasing use of emergency powers to get his way "undermines democracy and undermines the power-sharing peace deal we all signed up to".

The Ministry of Transport issued a statement claiming the decision to forbid the airshow "was not inspired by any political or racist sentiment" but was "due to concerns about safety and the amount of pollution the airshow would generate".

[Aquinas]

King Norbert protests "King Julien XIII" candidacy for top World Congress post, demands extradition

[Aquinas]

Tsitohery condemns rich countries over agricultural subsidies at World Congress

[Aquinas]

October 4449

Census shows slight fall in Canrillaise numbers

The official October 4449 census has provided the following findings for Noumonde's 17 million strong population:

Ethnic identity

Malgy (Madagascan) - 72%%
Canrillaise (French) - 18%
Malgyrillaise (mixed French/Madagascan) - 5%
Others - 5%

Religious identity

Malgyism (OOC: traditional Madagascan belief system) - 59%%
Aurorian Patriarchal Church (Catholic Church) - 31%
Others - 4%
None - 6%

The most significant shift is that the Canrillaise figure has fallen by 3 percentage points since the last census 10 years ago. This is believed to be due to a mixture of falling birth rates and increasing emigration, particularly to the Canrillaise countries of Alduria, Kanjor, Lourenne and Rildanor.

Several leading Canrillaise newspapers and magazines have run feverish headlines in response, such as that the Canrillaise risk "losing the country" if this demographic pattern continues.