The Genevan Arrow

NEWSFLASH: ACP No Longer has Absolute Majority in Parliament

2008-02-12T04:14:00.000-05:00

Imperial Parliament, Geneva - Franco Torres stunned Imperial Parliament officials last night as he formally left the Alexandrian Conservative Party (ACP) in favor of going Independent. Immediately after he announced this decision, he lodged a request to organize a new party, the Union of Christian Democrats.

With the resignation being handed in late last night, no one at the ACP has yet commented on M. Torres' decision.

What this means for the ACP is that they find themselves with only 42.8% of the Imperial Parliament's seats, down from 57%, on the roster. They remain the largest party, but no longer have stranglehold on the house.

Meanwhile, the inactivity of major government officials means that there has still been no action taken to fill the empty seat left following Liam Sinclair's resignation, last week. This despite M. Sinclair warning Parliament well in advance of the announcement.

Speaker resigns Parliament, body leaderless

2008-01-06T00:19:00.000-05:00

Geneva, Alexandria; ABCC News - Speaker of Parliament Pete James (AAP) recently resigned from the Imperial Parliament as the body readied itself for a prompt dissolution and an election season in full swing. The resignation came accompanied with a sudden leave of absence by James, leaving the Alexandrian Amelioration Party leaderless and in disarray in the midst of elections. In his hasty exit, James appointed Liam Sinclair as Clerk of the Imperial Parliament, making him Speaker upon the depature of James. Mssr. Sinclair denied being consulted to take up the position and quoted outside commitments as his inability to perform the duties thrust suddenly upon him.

Conservative MP from Rio Grande, Jose Frias, was visibly outraged at the Speaker's moves. "This is of course, the kind of half-baked schemes that the AAP and now departed Speaker Pete James have been so known for. Mssr. James just upped and left all of a sudden, leaving the Parliament abandoned and without leadership," stated Frias. Conservative MP from San Martin, Matthieu Poitiers, rose to volunteer for the vacant position to steer Parliament until its scheduled dissolution on the 15th of this month.

So far, it seems like Parliament will be leaderless for the remaining of the session unless the Emperor conducts a vote to replace the Speaker.

Ibelin seat to dominate election attention once more

2008-01-02T00:08:00.000-05:00

Race could end up exploding onto the national stage again

Crécy, Ibelin; Genevan Arrow – Prime Minister Juan Ciervo opened the election season today when he issued a writ of election that dissolved Parliament. This is the first election after the brief state of emergency caused by an inactive Parliament under the last Frias Government. It was during this emergency election that the contest for the seat of Ibelin, usually quiet, grew into a hard-fought race that ended in a tie and exploded into the national scene under the recent Code of Electoral Law. This election season, it is predicted that the Ibelin race will recapture national attention as more and more of its citizens rush to file candidacy papers to replace the recalled Lysander Spooner.

As this article went to press, Nicholas Bertrand of the new Liberal Alternative and a new citizen, Maynard D’Aire (Independent), filed their candidacy papers to run for the Ibelin seat. It is expected that Jean Carmicheal (AAP) will also do so, since he has previously stated his intent to run for said seat. Added to this is the wildcard – a renewed candidacy for the recalled Lysander Spooner (F-C) to regain his seat. Legally, since the recall election to replace him was never held, he is legally entitled to run for the Ibelin seat once more.

The Ibelin race is amounting to be a four-way race in a province where there are about six active citizens. Two of those – Jacques de Beaufort and Paul Joyce – have both been in an extended leave of absence for the last few months. If said citizens do not participate of the vote, it will be very likely that the race will be once again thrust into the national level for the second time in a row.

ABCC to reinvigorate its flagship, the Genevan Arrow

2007-12-17T13:43:00.000-05:00

Geneva, Alexandria; ABCC News - The Alexandrian Broadcasting and Communications Corporation, a state-owned broadcasting corporation, is currently discussing plans to reinvigorate and revitalize its flagship publication, the Genevan Arrow. Nothing as of yet has been made concrete, but the Imperial Cabinet is set to begin internal discussions as to what kinds of reforms and new policies will be implemented to reinvigorate Alexandria's only state-owned company.

The Genevan Arrow will officially restart its coverage of local Alexandrian news in coming days, stated the Palace of Wesloderia.

Alexandrian Government shaded with the Conservative blue

2007-07-26T08:17:00.000-05:00

Geneva, Alexandria; Genevan Arrow – The Conservative Party, capitalizing in the unpopularity of Prime Minister Pete James and the Alexandrian Amelioration Party, managed to score an incredible electoral victory in this month’s general elections.

The Alexandrian Conservative Party managed to recapture the Prime Ministry and Parliament for the first time since July of last year. Jose Frias was elected Prime Minister once more, defeating Prince Augusto of Corcovado with a large majority. The Conservatives also managed to capture almost every seat in Parliament except the traditionally liberal Valenciennes, who was won by the Alexandrian Amelioration Party.

Upon his swearing-in, Prime Minister Jose Frias addressed the Alexandrian people in an inaugural address, saying “I pledge to serve the people of Alexandria with the best of my abilities, and to work with my fellow parliamentarians in passing the legislative agenda I have outlined for my term.” The Prime Minister’s agenda includes the reintroduction of a national economy, betterment of relations with the Kingdom of Novasolum and constitutional reforms that will extend the length of Parliaments in Alexandria.

Alexandrian Public Radio makes its debut

2007-06-16T21:13:00.000-05:00

Geneva, Alexandria; Genevan Arrow - In a surprise release, Alexandrian Public Radio made its debut earlier today with a transmission of news and events for June 15th, 2007, to celebrate the 5th anniversary of His Majesty's ascension to the throne.

Alexandrian Public Radio has been in developmental stages since June 10th, when a small test broadcast was made that went largely unannounced and unnoticed by most Alexandrians. "WQe wanted to present a surprise broadcast for our citizens, so we kept it quite for a little while," stated His Majesty to the Arrow. "Hopefully now that our citizens and friends have seen APR, we can get their input to continue to develop the base that we have built."

ABCC Poll: 80% of Alexandrians hold "negative" opinions of Paulovia

2007-05-14T16:12:00.000-05:00

Geneva, Alexandria; The Genevan Arrow - Over the last few days, the Kingdom of Paulovia, the Empire of the Alexandrians and the Viking Empire of Stormark butted heads over the fate of the territories that once belonged to the Royal Kingdom of Gotzborg.

In the midst of the crisis, the ABCC conducted a poll in Jardins de Lautray, the Alexandrian citizens-only forum, where 10 Alexandrian citizens (out of 13 that responded to last census) regarding how Alexandrians viewed their Paulovian neighbors.

ABCC asked: What is your opinion on the Kingdom of Paulovia?

Positive [ 0 ] [0.00%]
Indifferent [ 2 ] [20.00%]
Negative [ 8 ] [80.00%]
Total Votes: 10

Incumbent Prime Minister kicks off re-election early

2007-02-15T12:45:00.000-05:00

Geneva, Alexandria; ABCC News - Incumbent Prime Minister Juan Ciervo of the People's Democratic Party officially lauched his re-election bid in a speech before the student body of the University of Geneva. "I feel that it is my obligation and honor to seek reelection," said the Prime Minister. "I ask the people of Alexandria to renew my term so I may provide the right leadership to better ourselves and reach new heights."

The announcement for a re-election bid by Prime Minister Ciervo is the earliest anyone has announced their candidacy for Prime Minister in Alexandrian electoral history. The election is expected to become a tight three-way race between the three main political parties of Alexandria. So far, other parties still have yet to provide an official candidate for the upcoming Prime Ministerial election.

6th Imperial Parliament to take posession

2007-01-30T09:16:00.000-05:00

Geneva, Alexandria; ABCC News – The 6th Imperial Parliament of Alexandria was recently chosen in what was a quiet election - no major campaign efforts were mounted by any political party within the Empire.

The results of the January 2007 parliamentary elections were confirmed immediately upon the closing of the nominations period, when it was obvious that all the candidates were running unopposed. All candidates won by default, resulting in the production of a more divided Parliament. Two seats (Asuncion and Baudrix) are held by independent candidates, two seats (Valenciennes and Ibelin) are held by the Alexandrian Anti-Party, and two other seats (Puerto Nuevo and Rio Grande) are held by the Alexandrian Conservative Party. The Prime Ministry is held by the People’s Democratic Party, which counts for one parliamentary seat.

The current makeup of the 6th Imperial Parliament might change within the next few weeks. The merger of the provinces of Asuncion and Puerto Nuevo into San Martin eliminated one seat in Parliament. A by-election is scheduled for this new seat.

Asunción and Puerto Nuevo ratify merger into San Martín

2007-01-30T09:13:00.000-05:00

Ávila, San Martín; ABCC News – In a historic provincial referendum, the provinces of Asunción and Puerto Nuevo unanimously merged into the new province of San Martín. In a brief speech to the people of the newly formed province, His Imperial Majesty called upon the new province to “build on the momentum of this historic event and establish a provincial government.” The results of the referendum were formally confirmed yesterday by His Imperial Majesty.

The referendum was triggered by the passing of the Provincial Reform Act of 2006 by the Imperial Parliament, which was given Imperial Assent on January 10th, 2007. The act was one of the cornerstones of the now-concluded term of former Prime Minister Jose Frias, the author of the act.

The establishment of the new province of San Martín is sure to evoke the emotions of many Alexandrians who were part of the Republic and later Empire of San Martín. It was when the Empire began to collapse and fragment that Alexandria acquired it. “This is a historic event, and it sure evokes those times in which San Martín was indeed the power of Cibola,” commented His Majesty to ABCC News.

Ciervo's Interior appointment meeting opposition in Parliament

2006-11-29T12:00:00.000-05:00

Geneva, Alexandria; ABCC News - In what seems the end of newly elected Prime Minister Juan Ciervos' political honeymoon, the Imperial Parliament has so far rejected the Prime Minister's appointment of Jean Pierre Robespierre to the Ministry of Interior. Jean Pierre Robespierre was formerly a member of the Alexandrian Conservative Party and served as Minister of Interior under the Frias administration.

Former Prime Minister Jose Frias, now an MP from Rio Grande, and Jacques de Beaufort, MP from Ibelin, have both set up opposition to Robespierre's appointment. Responding to the mounting opposition to Robespierre, Robespierre commented "Ok... what is up with the whole vote Robespierre out of office deal?"

The Ciervo Cabinet will include Jose Frias as Minister of Economics, Prince Augusto Benavides as Minister of Foreign Affairs. The Prime Minister has not submitted a candidate for the Ministry of Defense as of yet.

Ciervo wins Prime Ministry, end of Conservative Revolution

2006-11-21T08:47:00.000-05:00

Geneva, Alexandria; ABCC News – The Conservative Revolution, begun in part by the likes of Sofia de Aragon and Jacques Gordon and which led to the establishment of the current Constitution, has been ended by Alexandrian voters who elected Juan Ciervo of the People’s Democratic Party with 54.5% (6 votes) of the vote. Incumbent Prime Minister Jose Frias only obtained 45.5% (5 votes) of the vote in one of the closest Prime Ministerial elections in Alexandria’s history.

The results were certified today by His Imperial Majesty, who published an Imperial Statement confirming Mssr. Ciervo's win. As this article went to press, no candidate had made a comment on the election results.

Mssr. Ciervo's razor-thin electoral victory may have spelled the end for Conservative dominance of Alexandria's government. The Alexandrian Conservative Party has dominated the Prime Ministry since the ratification of the Alexandrian Constitution of 2005 last December. The last parliamentary election, held in October, were disastrous for the Conservatives who lost their supermajority in Parliament. Because the Prime Minister is also a member of Parliament, this was another resounding blow to the Conservative's shrinking membership in Parliament.

It is still not clear what is the agenda on Mssr. Ciervo's mind. During the campaign, he was the only candidate not to release a comprehensive manifesto.

ABCC poll gives advantage to Ciervo in Prime Ministerial elections

2006-11-13T09:31:00.000-05:00

Geneva, Alexandria; ABCC News - With the Prime Ministerial elections just a few days away, the ABCC released a poll giving the PDP challenger Juan Ciervo a comfortable majority over incumbent Conservative Prime Minister Jose Frias.

The poll, conducted by the ABCC from November 1st through the 10th, is a fairly accurate view of what the election might look like, since 8 out of 11 citizens participated in the poll.

Given the poll results, this election could indeed spell the end for the Alexandrian Conservative hold on the Prime Ministry since the ratification of the Alexandrian Constitution in December of 2005. Last parliamentary elections, the Conservatives also lost their supermajority in Parliament, due in part to inactivity and party division over Novasolum.

Frias releases "Agenda For Progress", some opposition

2006-11-06T10:43:00.000-05:00

Geneva, Alexandria; ABCC News - With just a mere 10 days until the next Prime Ministerial election, incumbent Prime Minister Jose Frias and the PDP challenger Juan Ciervo are facing off in a heated campaign for the Prime Ministry of Alexandria. Just today, Prime Minister Jose Frias presented the Agenda For Progress, a concise electoral outline of what his second term would look like.

"...I have proven under my administration that I have been a man of results, a man of strong conviction and a man of fierce resolve. I wish to continue the path of progress and needed reform that I have begun," wrote Frias in the Agenda. His electoral agenda highlighted several areas. These were government reform, electoral law, economics and finance, citizenship and immigration, society and civil rights, political parties, foreign affairs, provincial affairs and national defense. PM Frias reiterated his opposition to Novasolum, listing that it will be a priority to "reinvigorate the campaign for Alexandria’s departure from Novasolum."

The electoral manifesto has already recieved some opposition from the Alexandrian Anti-Party leader, Pete James. "I canot agree with this," said James, objecting to PM Frias' point on implementing policies that would curtail abortion in Alexandria.

PM Frias braces for 'tough' election

2006-11-01T09:19:00.000-05:00

Geneva, Alexandria; ABCC News - Incumbent Prime Minister Jose Frias officially launched his bid for a second term recently in a speech Monday before a large crowd in his home province of Baudrix, Alexandria. Meanwhile, the electoral race for Alexandria's top government position has begun to heat up, with the entry of former Chief Justice Juan Ciervo. Last Friday, Mr. Ciervo announced his resignation from Alexandria's highest judicial organ, and promptly filed his candidacy papers to run for Prime Minister for the ailing People's Democratic Party.

Pete James, who had filed papers to run under the Alexandrian Anti-Party, withdrew his candidacy after Ciervo filed his own.

Shortly after formally declaring the election race underway in his Baudrix rally, the Prime Minister said to ABCC News: "It will be a tough election for the Conservative Party ... I think it will be a close election." Despite recent opinion polls indicating support for the Conservative Party at a national level, PM Frias is bracing for a contested election. Last parliamentary election, the Conservative supermajority was decimated, mostly due to the inactivity of a large part of Conservative Party members.

As of yet, none of the candidates for Prime Minister have formally published an electoral manifesto, but the campaign is beginning to heat up with TV and billboard ads all over Alexandria. Pro-Ciervo ads are being run on the normally Conservative strongholds of Baudrix and Puerto Nuevo, pro-Frias ads are running nationally right now.

October elections for Parliament affected by activity

2006-10-19T07:27:00.000-05:00

Geneva, Alexandria; ABCC News – Despite low levels of interest and activity from most Alexandrians, elections for the Imperial Parliament went ahead despite the fact that two provincial seats for the Imperial Parliament remain empty. The seats for the provinces of Baudrix and Rio Grande did not receive any candidacy papers, and all of the other candidates won by default in provinces where elections are usually contested.

The Emperor decided against closing the Imperial Parliament and declaring a state of emergency. “I strongly believe in the democratic gains we have made over the last year, and I decided that Parliament could continue smoothly with just two seats empty. Hopefully, Alexandrians will see that an active Parliament is in their best interest,” said His Imperial Majesty to ABCC News.

The elections resulted in the surprising shattering of the massive Conservative supermajority of the 4th Imperial Parliament, and in the return of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to Parliament by winning the normally Conservative stronghold of Asuncion. Jean Pierre Robespierre, formerly a junior Conservative MP, ran as an independent. Most Conservative MP’s such as former Prime Minister Jacques Gordon (Baudrix) and Andre Cesaire (Rio Grande) have retreated into inactivity. Federico LeMamon, a former Conservative turned independent, also succumbed to inactivity.

Results of the October 2006 election for Parliament
· Asunción: Sebastien Alexandre (PDP)
· Puerto Nuevo: Matthieu Poitiers (ACP)
· Valenciennes: Pete James (AAP)
· Ibelin: Jean Pierre Robespierre (Independent)
· Prime Ministry: Jose Frias (ACP)
· Baudrix and Rio Grande remain empty.

Novasolum membership in re-evaluation once more

2006-10-19T07:24:00.000-05:00

Geneva, Alexandria; ABCC News – Speaker Pete James of the Imperial Parliament recently re-opened the long suspended vote on Alexandria’s withdrawal from Novasolum, which was closed when a conference on the matter was called in Geneva. Now that the 4th Imperial Parliament is closing in October 21st, the vote has been re-opened, but the tally is still unlikely to change.

The vote is tied 3 votes in favor (Frias, Cesaire and James) and 3 votes against (Poitiers, Ciervo and Robespierre) with two abstentions from two members in Parliament that are currently inactive (Gordon and LeMamon).

The Prime Minister has publicly stated in Parliament that he remains committed to seeing Alexandria withdraw from Novasolum. "My vote will stand firmly in the OUI. Just look at recent events - Novasolum was on the edge of a ineralliance war. What kind of alliance is that? Better to be alone than ill-accompanied," said the Prime Minister.

The push for an Alexandrian withdrawal from Novasolum sharply divided the Conservative Party, and possibly contributed to the departure of its junior MP Jean Pierre Robespierre and one of its greatest leaders, Cardinal de Beaufort. This issue is certainly going to factor into the upcoming Prime Ministerial elections in November, where the opposition is expected to be emboldened by a weak Conservative voter base.

Alexandrian Parliament amends Imperial Constitution

2006-10-19T07:20:00.000-05:00

Geneva, Alexandria; ABCC News – The Alexandrian Imperial Parliament unanimously moved towards amending the Imperial Constitution to eliminate two seats. These seats were established by the original draft of the Alexandrian Constitution of 2005. One was reserved for a member of the judiciary, which was to be appointed by the Prime Minister. The other seat was devoted to a Catholic scholar, appointed by the Emperor.

The Balance of Powers Amendment, as the bill that amended the constitution was called, recently received Imperial Assent and was made part of the supreme law of the land. The effort to “restore the balance of powers” was led by Lord Chief Justice Juan Ciervo, who was the first and now the only member of the judiciary to serve in the eliminated seat.

Lord Chief Justice Ciervo was appointed to the seat by Prime Minister Jose Frias, ending months of vacancy since the Constitution was ratified in December 1, 2005. The preceding Prime Minister, Matthieu Poitiers, refused to appoint a member of the judiciary to this seat in opposition to the concept. The other seat, previously held by Jean Michel Leclerc, remained vacant since the departure of Leclerc in March of 2006.

Central Bank of Alexandria fully operational

2006-10-10T08:47:00.000-05:00

Geneva, Alexandria; ABCC News - His Imperial Majesty recently announced the opening of the new Central Bank of Alexandria, and specified that citizens only have two weeks to reclaim all of the assets in the old Bank of Alexandria. So far, several citizens have reclaimed their assets under the old economic system and have registered an account in the Central Bank.

Links

Central Bank of Alexandria

Prime Minister grants more time for electoral registrations

2006-10-10T08:40:00.000-05:00

Geneva, Alexandria; The Genevan Arrow - To rescue the elections from a lack of candidates, Prime Minister Jose Frias announced that the time allotted for Alexandrian citizens to file their candidacy papers has been extended to October 12th. "The Emperor has indicated to me that a few extra days for registration should be made available," said Prime Minister Frias.

So far, only four provinces out of six have at least one candidate. The provinces of Rio Grande and Baudrix remain unrepresented.

Alexandrian election threatened by inactivity slump

2006-10-05T08:26:00.000-05:00

Geneva, Alexandria; ABCC News - As mandated by the Imperial Constitution, Prime Minister Jose Frias issued a writ of election effectively ending the 4th Parliament of Alexandria, allowing for parliamentary elections to occur. This time, the parliamentary elections in Alexandria coincided with a massive activity slump in micronationalism, and Alexandria has been subjected to some of the inactivity that is affecting nations like Shireroth and Anthelia.

"It is good to see that despite the general inactivity slump in micronationalism, we still carry on and allow democracy to march in our nation, " said the Emperor to the Genevan Arrow. "However, it's important that the citizens remain committed and participate in a democracy, if we are to continue to have one." Sources from within Wesloderia have commented that there are discussions within the Imperial Cabinet on what course to take should the election fail to gather momentum.

So far since the issuing of the writ by PM Frias, three candidates have stepped forward to run for the provincial seats of Asuncion, Valenciennes and Ibelin. Jean Pierre Robespierre has formally filed papers as an independent candidate, further evidencing the apparent split within the Alexandrian Conservatives over issues such as Alexandrian membership in Novasolum. According to the most recent ABCC poll released today, the Alexandrian Conservatives still garner 57% of the popular support. However, most of their MP's are either inactive, filed papers as Independents or are declining to run. This could destroy the Conservative super-majority that was built by Prime Minister Frias last election.

Geneva Arrow/ABCC Poll - October 2nd - 5th, 2006
What party will you vote for in the October 2006 elections?

Alexandrian Conservative - 57.14% (4 votes)
People's Democratic Party - 14.29% (1 vote)

Alexandrian Anti-Party - 14.29% (1 vote)

None of the above - 14.29% (1 vote)

ABCC placed under Royal Charter

2006-10-02T12:43:00.000-05:00

Geneva, Alexandria; ABCC News - An Imperial Decree was promulgated today placing the Alexandrian Broadcasting and Communications Corporation formally under the management of the Alexandrian government. This measure comes as the Emperor and several other Alexandrians try to revive the ABCC as the national news service and to futher expand its range of services. "This is a step in the right direction, and it will revamp our nation's oldest news service," said His Majesty. "It shall also trigger some economic activity in the future due to the possibility of privatization and such."

National economy undergoes massive reforms

2006-09-28T08:26:00.000-05:00

Geneva, Alexandria; ABCC News - The Economic Revitalization Act, a key piece of legislation in Prime Minister Jose Frias' efforts to reform the economy, was given Imperial Assent today after it was passed unanimously by the Imperial Parliament.

This act enacted massive reforms proposed by PM Frias in his economic agenda outline which drew much praise from intermicronational economists and from several Alexandrians. However, the Economic Revitalization Act deviated from the Prime Minister's original proposal to bring Alexandria into PHP MicroXchange 2 after several leading micronational economists suggested otherwise.

Among the reforms enacted by this act is the creation of a new banking system in which the Central Bank of Alexandria is the centerpiece, to be run on the PHP Bank program. The grand total of Alexandrian ecus now in circulation has been drastically reduced from 5 million ecus to 650, 000. This act also instituted a new tax which is expected to become a very big revenue source for the government - the Land Value Tax. The grant system was massively reduced, narrowing all grants to just one business grant for all newly established firms headquartered in Alexandria, and a one-time grant for all bank accounts opened in the new Central Bank of Alexandria.

First ARS recwar going "smoothly"

2006-08-03T13:27:00.000-05:00

Geneva, Alexandria; Genevan Arrow - If you haven't noticed, Alexandria is in a massive full-scale religious civil war... all in good fun, of course. The Alexandrian RecWar Society (ARS), recently founded by His Imperial Majesty the Emperor and His Grace Pete James, recently began its first rec-war. Recwars conducted in ARS have no impact on the reality of Alexandria, allowing anything to come and go.

The Alexandrian Wars of Religion have pitted Catholics against Sonic-worshippers in a desperate attempt to exterminate each other and impose their religion upon the Empire.

"For being the first ARS recwar, it's going pretty well. No one has been god-modding nor being a genuine ass in this whole thing," said His Imperial Majesty. "Everything is going smoothly."

Imperial Parliament slowly wakes up from post-election slumber

2006-08-03T13:18:00.000-05:00

Geneva, Alexandria; Genevan Arrow - The 4th Imperial Parliament is slowly starting to wake up from a post-election slumber with the re-election of Pete James (pictured) as its Speaker today. After the election, Parliament has remained quiet, and there are still elected MP's who have failed to sign their parliamentary oath to begin their term.

The quick awakening in Parliament came as the Emperor left a strong notice in Parliament earlier today, specifying that "if I don't see any progress soon, I shall have to declare a state of emergency and rule on my own."

Speaker Pete James began his second term as Speaker of the Imperial Parliament by reopening three bills originally proposed in the 3rd Imperial Parliament.