Commission

@Triloteren Accepted! Welcome to the European Union, and my apologies for the delay :)

Country name:United Duchies
Population (in RP):125,986,776
Catholic % of population:22.80%

Country name:Svarna Surya
Population (in RP):55,325,000
Catholic % of population:5.1%

Nation/Region Name: Portugal
Artist: Dulce Pontes
Song: Canção do Mar
Link to youtube: https://youtu.be/qpEz7Zaa1BY?si=fAJ7RlTWZ6wIUiHJ

Nation Name: United Duchies
Artist: Rammstein
Song: Adieu
Link to youtube:Adieu
Vote deliverer with their image linked:Lzzy Hale
Link to your flag: Flag

Statement on Nofoaga
A situation in Nofoaga has come to my attention that Spain has made moves and noise about a possible annexation of Nofoaga. I want to make absolutely clear as a representitive of Europeans and the EU I utterly oppose this. This is not the 1800's and age of imperialism where a nation can just annex and take land as part of some imperialist idea. I will continue to value sovereignty and freedom of the people of any nation in the EU as I was elected to do.

Statement On the Annexation of Nofoaga Issues
It has come to our attention that Spain has shown signs of intentions to annex Nofoaga. It goes without saying the United Duchies highly values national sovereignty and believes in the peoples will in any decision on who governs them .We will not accept the annexation of Nofoaga against the peoples will and without a fair and free referendum free of any any military interference. We do not believe it is appropiate to hold such a referendum with security forces on the ground and Spanish military in the country and we believe Spain needs to respect the sovereignty of Nofoaga. Should such a blatantly illegal annexation against the will of the people occur Spain will face the harshest diplomatic consequences and sanctions.

Part 5 - La Prima Riunione a Quattro

Luquillo (Puerto Rico)

Sebastián Rubio, or as they called him, Il Predestinato, was driving to the designated meeting place listening to the radio. The island of Puerto Rico had been chosen by Jean-Claude Juncker as the venue for the first meeting of The Great Three with their candidate to become the newest Spanish President. Suddenly, the radio started to play the song NUEVAYoL, by the famous Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny, and Sebastián began to sing: «Si te quieres divertir, con encanto y con primor, solo tienes que vivir, un verano en Nueva York». Just after the song ended, the radio gave Saturday's news, with Nofoaga being the main headline. "We rather rush all of this and get the Nofoaga affair done, or this ship is going to sink faster than the Titanic", thought Il Predestinato.

On the other hand, The Great Three had just parked in front of a typical Puerto Rican restaurant that was nearly full. «Over my dead body», warned Donald Tusk, who was the co-driver. Jean-Claude Juncker, who was driving, replied back: «C'mon Donald! It will be fun, and no one will realise about what we are discussing as there will be a lot of noise. By the way, I am really hungry, and I have told Il Predestinato to meet us here, so you have no other choice. Jesús, what do you think?». Jesús Aguilar was seating in the back seat, answered: «Well, I would love to know why I am in the back seat, but overall, this is risky».

«Cowards! That is what you two are! Donald, send a message to the kid and ask him about the food. You should be thankful that I told him to bring something as it was his first meeting with us!», cried the former Premier Commissioner. «He says he is bringing it, no worries. In the meantime, I have a question for you, Jesús: why do you say we cannot backstab Alberto? That was what we agreed on...», Tusk told the other two politicians in that car.

«You two remember we were the ones that encouraged him to run for the party's presidency, right? He did not want to leave Galicia, he wanted to retire there, and you Jean-Claude were the one to tell him 'Alberto, this is the chance that you were waiting for. You deserve it'. Is this even moral? Ethic? Is this the way you treat your friends? Forgetting about what they have done for you in the past? Because if those are our values, then I am sorry but do not count on me for this», Aguilar pointed out.

Tusk and Juncker were speechless. Jesús was right, they both knew it; and Donald felt increbibly guilty after the former President called them out: «You are right. We cannot backstab Alberto, it would not be morally correct to betray him the way we intend to», the Council Speaker added. Juncker reacted in a serious way: «What do you want us to do, Jesús? Put him in the Cabinet? There are no good destinations for him! Unless... Donald, didn't Ana want to retire and leave politics to make a career in the pricate sector?».

«She did indeed, Jean-Claude. Why?», inquired Donald. «I have got an idea... let's give Feijóo the Presidency of the Congreso de los Diputados! That's it, problem solved! He becomes the 3rd authority of Spain, gets a job, barely does anything at all... It is the perfect job, ideal for forcibly-retired politicians that no one wants in their Governments and that have no other choice. Obviously Europe would be the obvious place to go for him, that is where all that people end up at...», announced Juncker, who seemed to be realising about the fact that Donald and him were sent to Europe by Aguilar. Both the Speaker and the former Premier appeared to be thinking the same, and looked to the back seat, where Jesús was.

«I know what you are thinking, but I swear to God that is not the reason why I sent you two to European politics. I sent you because you are experts, that's all -Jesús explained rapidly, seeing how his friend's faces had changed in seconds- By the way, I believe that proposal is perfect, and certainly what we have been looking for». Juncker and Tusk decided to believe him.

Just as the three agreed on the new plans for Feijóo, Il Predestinato shew up in the parking lot and knocked at the car's window: «are you three planning to stay there for the entire day or what? C'mon, get out and let's go to a place I have discovered». After greeting him, the four made their way to Punta Bandera, a few hundreds meters away from where they were.

Punta Bandera, Luquillo, Puerto Rico

When The Great Three and Il Predestinato arrived in Punta Bandera, Sebastián Rubio gave his masters a menu from the fast food chain Burger King. «Jean-Claude, will you bring food the next time?», Donald asked his friend. «It is up to Christiane... remember I do not know how to cook, Donald!», the former Premier Commissioner laughed. «I think Sebastián needs to learn how to cook, because his first meal has not been as good as I would have expected. Yet, he saved the day, so I will not complain at all», commented Jesús. «You three should be more thankful - you would not be eating right now if it wasn't for me!», remarked Rubio.

Once they finished their meals, time they spent speaking about their lives, the four got down to business. Jesús Aguilar was the first to speak: «Okay, I believe we are good to go. Firstly, I would like to welcome you, Sebastián, to our private meetings. I will be very honest with you: we would have preferred this to happen later, but certain unpredicted events have forced us to act faster. During the last 4 days, we have been preparing part of your Cabinet. We want you to respect the current's Government Ministerial distribution, that is, same amount of Ministries, same Ministries; but not the same Ministers. Donald, do you have the list of confirmed members?», Aguilar inquired the Council Speaker.

«I do, Jesús. -Donald answered- Marta Merino will be the First Vicepresident and the Minister of the Presidency and Relationship with the Cortes; Roberta Metsola will be your Second Vicepresident and Minister for Territorial Administrations. Your Foreign Affairs Minister will be your great friend Gabriel Attal, the Ministry of Justice will be held by Cayetana, Penny stays at Defence, as Bravo, Bendodo, Mariastella, Anja and Pablo do in their Ministries. Last, but not least, Jenniffer Grandholm gets Energy. You get to choose the rest of your Cabinet», explained Tusk, who gave the paper with the empty Ministries to Il Predestinato.

«I am thankful to you guys for your help. I want Fátima in employment and Borja in Education. That leaves us with Agriculture, Environment and Health. Ester Muñoz will be my Health Minister, as she has huge knowledge on that area. On the other hand, Rafael Hernando in from Almería, which makes him the perfect profile for Agriculture. Finally, Luís Montenegro has suggested me to choose Marcelo Rebelo da Sousa for Environment; which completes my Cabinet. Then, we just need to get Alberto out and that would be it!», explained Sebastián.

«That is not the end of it, Sebastián. Of course, Alberto needs to accept he has to leave, and the new position we are offering him. Yet, we need to deal with the annexation of an island that we already control: Nofoaga. Concerning this Caribbean island, I have made a plan to make the annexation progress fast and easy: Marián Fonseca, the Spanish representative in the Nofoagan majority, will proclaim herself as the leader of the Republic's salvation Government, due to the inactivity of Lula's cabinet. Meanwhile, the Spanish military will back up Fonseca's claims, recognising her as the leader. As we hold a monopoly over the use of force in the island, there will be no powerful opposition to our moves, not even politically, as Lula dealt with that. Speaking of whom, she and all our friends will be brived, and will come out supporting the annexation. About civil unrest, we will obviously address it proportionally: if there is violence, there will be arrests. However, a referendum will take place, and considering we have been controlling the island from the shadows for a long time, that Nofoagans are as poor as rats, and that the political class will support becoming a Spanish Overseas Territory, they will massively vote yes. One month of pure political games to get a nice island in the Caribbean, and making people forget about... what was his name?», Juncker told the others.

«I thought that when you told me you were going to work on a plan concerning Operation Turtle Beach you were being sarcastic. This is simply amazing. Congratulations, Jean-Claude», said Jesús, who was surprised about Juncker's work. Suddenly, Il Predestinato interrupted them: «That is a nice plan, I must confess. Nonetheless, you seem to be forgetting the most important thing of this plan: how do we get rid of Alberto? If I remember correctly, you were planning to backstab him until a few days ago, when you changed your criteria. Now, what is the plan? We need him to accept that new job you were talking about!».

«You are just too worried about it all, relax!», Donald added. The Councillor for Spain then proceeded to describe what the plan concerning Feijóo was, shortly after he gave Rubio a paper with a poll on it. «What is this? A poll? How is this going to help us?», Rubio protested. He did not understand what Donald Tusk was trying to tell him with that paper. «Look at the results. If you analyse it carefully, you will realise that the Partido Popular does not have an absolute majority. In other words, we would lose power. So, all we have got to do is sending this poll to a newspaper, make them post it, and then talk to Alberto and convince him of leaving while he designates you as his successor. Easy!», Tusk exclaimed.

«Hang on for a minute... are you telling me the poll is not true? You have made these numbers up?», Rubio insisted, seemingly concerned. «No, these are real numbers, this is real data and those are the real results. If Feijóo decided to hold elections today, we would not remain in Government», added Aguilar. «Then, he will go. He will not be an obstacle to our aspirations concerning the next General Election», Sebastían concluded.

«If I were you, Sebastián, I would get your debate speech ready. Oh, and I would prepare another for when you take over the Party's presidency. Things are going to spice up next week, I assure you», Jean-Claude pointed out. «Concerning you two, we do agree that the Three of us will visit our dear friend when things begin to look bad for him; and convince him of retiring, do we?», he questioned Jesús and Donald, who agreed. «Fine, then we will meet in Madrid the next time...», continued Juncker.

«Not really... Before that, Mario has insisted on meeting again in Manarola. He wants us to attend, and for some reason he did not tell me about, he does not want the kid there. Rumours say he plans to gather all the regional leaders to convince them about the convenience of choosing Il Predestinato over Alberto, yet he did not confirm this», Tusk said. Juncker was just about to lose his temper, but controlled himself: «I hope he does not become another obstacle in our way», he exclaimed.

«Then I will see you in Manarola. Oh, and Seb, remember: do not talk to anyone about this. Operation Turtle Beach does not exist. Am I clear?», Jesús insisted. «Clear enough, Jesús», Il Predestinato answered back. The four politicians left the place. Countdown had started. The final days of Alberto Núñez Feijóo as the President of the Kingdom of Spain had begun.

Opinion Piece: Let's Actually Annex Nofoaga

By Jorge Vilches - 08.03.2025

The island of Nofoaga

No, I have not turned crazy. No, I do not know if the news are certain. Yes, I do believe we should annex Nofoaga. These three sentences are what I think about the newest horde of fake news that have arisen against our country, as people and Governments from the European Union take another chance to show their hatred towards our nation as to what we represent, to our values. Even if some reactions were unexpected, other cabinets have decided to make their stances after the statement released by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, which denied the claims made by the Sertian press regarding a 'likely annexation of the Republic of Nofoaga by the Kingdom of Spain under the name of Operation Turtle Beach'.

As a matter of fact, I say that we should actually annex Nofoaga. Of course, you might be thinking if I am drunk or anything, yet I am not. Have you ever thought about who controls Nofoaga? You could answer: 'oh, the Nofoagans do! They vote for their President, they have a Parliament, they are a sovereign Republic'. Your reply would not be wrong, yet, I must ask you the following questions: Who has the monopoly on the legal use of force in the island? Who has used their army to rebuild -and continues to do so- the Caribbean nation? If your answer is Spain, congratulations, you have found out who is really in control of the state settled in an island located in the Caribbean. We even have a representative in their Parliament that makes part of the majority! In other words, she makes part of their Government.

Nevertheless, this is not just about investment made in the island -if it was, the United Duchies would also have a fair shot at annexing Nofoaga- but rather a matter of who actually holds power in Nofoaga. Our country already has territory in the Caribbean, as the two military bases in Nofoaga were leased to Spain and remain Spanish territory, even if Nofoagan law is applied. If we annexed Nofoaga, they would become an Overseas Territory, which would eventually lead to the application of Spanish law in the island. Even if I am not an expert in law, I am going to assume that certain exemptions would be made considering the CCCC and other agreements with Sertia. It is certainly a complex aftermath that the Spanish Government would need to address carefully.

All things considered, let's actually annex Nofoaga. We would do the inhabitants of the Caribbean island a favour: more resources, more freedom, wealth would increase... If I were Nofoagan, I would begin to pray for the news to become true. Of course, you would not be independent, but then again, who wants independence if your nation depends on others for everything? Is that real sovereignty? The answer is no, that is not sovereignty - that it's just living off somebody.

Part 4 - Un Jour Avec Aguilar

Aéroport de Paris-Le Bourget (Île-de-France, Spain)

Ah, París. La cité de l'amour, or that it was they said. For Jesús Aguilar, it was the city of nightmares, as the Sertian press had, somehow, found out about The Great Three and Il Predestinato's plans to annex Nofoaga... peacefully, of course. The former President's private jet landed in Paris - Le Bourget airport, 12 kilometers away from the main city of the autonomous community of Île-de-France, late that night. The next morning, he was to meet the potential next Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation Minister, the Francinian Gabriel Attal. At Aguilar's express request, Marta Merino and Cristina Tierralibre were to join them. The former was a candidate for Vice-President of the Government and the latter was the autonomical President of Nueva Antequera.

That night, Aguilar did not sleep. He rented a car in Le Bourget and headed towards Coupvray, a village next to Disneyland Paris. During his trip through the Francinian roads, he listened to an ambient music playlist from Ratatouille, which made him feel slightly relaxed. When he arrived in Coupvray, the sun had already come out. He parked next to the village's Church, where he would meet his three guests. Once he made sure nobody was around, he got off of his car and entered the Church, that was empty and silent.

Église Saint-Pierre de Coupvray (Île-de-France)

Aguilar admired the church, which he believed to be beautiful. He sat on the bench closest to the altar, and began to pray. Five minutes later, his prayers were not the only ones that could be heard in the little church, as he was joined by a man. Jesús opened his eyes, looked at his right and saw Gabriel Attal. The young Francinian smiled, and when both were finished, they stood up and hugged. «Thank you for coming, Gabriel», said the former President to his apprentice. «It is always nice to meet with your master, despite not understanding the reasoning behind the decision of meeting in a church in Coupvray», Attal laughed. «Have you read the Sertian press?», Aguilar asked.

«I do not know if he has, but certainly both of us did», replied a female voice. Both Jesús and Gabriel looked to the church's entrance, where they saw Marta Merino and Cristina Tierralibre making their entry. «Jesús, since when do you believe meeting at the Lord's house is a good idea?», asked the President of Nueva Antequera before getting to greet the former Spanish President with a kiss on each cheek. «Since the Sertian press seems to be very well informed about our [The Great Three] plans, Cristina. I highly doubt there is anyone here at this time, so let's not waste our time in unnecessary debates», suggested Aguilar. His guests agreed, and they all took a seat on the bench where Jesús had firstly seated.

«I believe that if you two are here today, that is because you support our plans and you accept the offer we made to you... Yet, allow me to ask you, Cristina: why are you here?», the former Spanish President enquired Nueva Antequera's President. «Do you pretend to assault the Partido Popular and the Spanish Government presidencies without regional support? If that is your plan, you three are straight out crazy», she answered. «Hence, you are on our side. That is great!», Jesús claimed.

«Hang on you smart guy, not so fast! I obviously support one of the best advisors I have ever had, as I believe you three are right in what you intend to do. Nonetheless, if I am going to let Marta be the kid's Vicepresident, I want to be certain that I will be the party's candidate in Nueva Antequera once again», Cristina pointed out. «Fair enough. You are polling even higher than you did before the regional election, therefore I see no reasons to make a change», Aguilar replied.

«I also have a requirement -interrupted Merino, whose face expressed some sort of concern- Would you please tell us what the stuff concerning Nofoaga is all about?», the former Vicepresident inquired Jesús. Gabriel Attal made the same question, and added that if he was going to assume the role of being the Spanish Foreign Affairs Minister, he would love to have some sort of information about Il Predestinato's intentions. Aguilar looked around for a few minutes, and once he made sure nobody was around, he began to speak: «The Great Three, that is us, have drafted a plan for the aftermath of Il Predestinato's arrival to the Palacio de la Moncloa. The press will try to damage the kid's reputation, and yours too, after we oust Alberto to relocate him somewhere else. Subsequently, we thought it was a good idea to annex Nofoaga, an island we actually control, technically. Nofoagans would have a special status, yet they would be Spanish. Everyone would speak about it, and forget about Alberto».

«I will be very honest with you now, Jesús; please do not think I am not in favour of your plans: have you even thought of the consequences? Sure, everyone will forget about Alberto, but what will be the price to pay concerning our foreign relations? In addition, I am not entirely sure about Alberto deserving such a cruel end to his career. I think you should assign him a role in Il Predestinato's cabinet, instead of plainly backstabbing him. Have you thought on making him resign voluntarily? It would just look way better and nobody would suspect», commented Cristina.

«The Sertian Government has reacted confusedly. Furthermore, I do expect foreign governments to reject any and all attempts on the matter, specially Kamala. At the same time, I expect them to tolerate the annexation if we manage to make it look good. Jean-Claude is working on that, he will come up with a plan sooner or later. Then again, would you please elaborate further on your vision about Feijóo's resignation?», Aguilar wondered.

«I believe that what Cristina is proposing you is that we give Feijóo enough reasons to leave the Presidency. He is just not being the President we all expected, though he is a good man. He surely deserves a place in Il Predestinato's cabinet, and I would love to work alongside him. Besides, I am well aware of how well Alberto and Seb get along. You three have no right to ruin that relationship, or to ruin yours with the first Predestinato. Jean-Claude has forgotten about who actually chose Feijóo to lead the party?», inquired Attal.

Jesús had no words, Gabriel was right: Feijóo did not deserve a backstab. In the end, the Galician was his friend, and he always helped the former Spanish President in times of need. «I am speechless. You are right, Gabriel, he does not deserve anything similar to a backstab. -Cristina smiled- I will tell The Great Three about your concerns and we will find a solution to make this as smooth and fair as possible», Jesús assured. Merino smiled too: she finally was seeing the man she admired when he was the President of the Kingdom of Spain.

The four then discussed the electoral programme and the policies that Il Predestinato's Government would implement, as well as the proposals, ideas and suggestions that the guests at the meeting had. They stayed for about an hour before Marta and Cristina said goodbye to the two men. Cristina suggested Jesús to meet for a snack one day, which the former President accepted without hesitation. After both women left the church, Aguilar sat on the bench and prayed. Attal observed his master, who seemed to be sort of downcast. «Jesús, are you okay?», Gabriel questioned the former Spanish President.

«What were we even thinking about when we considered a good idea to backstab a friend?», he wondered, choking with emotion. «You know what, Jesús? The important thing is not what you planned, but what you will do, because that is what will be remembered in the future, what will go down in history. Thanks to this meeting, you not only realised about the value of that friendship for you, but also that you had hidden that version of Jesús who made a whole country fall in love with his way of being. That is my master: the emotional, sensitive and sincere boy who never gave up his ideals when he was President. And that is the kind of politician and Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation Minister I want to be... if you give me the chance, of course!», Attal stated.

«You have just earned it -Jesús pointed out, extending his hand and shaking it with Gabriel's- The job is yours. Thank you, Gabriel, for being the kind of person I told you to be. You still have the same character as you had the day that we met, which is something I love about you. Never change, please», Aguilar begged his 'pupil'. Attal smiled. «I will never, my friend. Thank you very much for trusting me», the Francinian added.

The former Spanish President and the soon-to-become Foreign Minister left Coupvrey's church and said goodbye to each other. On the way back, Aguilar reflected on the conversation he had just had in the Lord's house. He needed to find something to encourage Alberto to resign, while not ruining their friendship. Ousting him in any other way would be straight out cruel, not to mention the side effects. After he left the car in Le Bourget, he left París behind and headed back home in Andalucía. When he arrived home, his younger son surprised him by running up to him and hugging him. Jesús took him in his arms and kissed his forehead, and sent a message to Donald and Jean-Claude when he took a seat in the sofa: "under no circumstances we shall backstab Alberto. We must meet soon".

Statement - On the News about a Possible Spanish Annexation of the Republic Nofoaga

The Spanish Government and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, after the publication of a news article on the Sertian press that accuses the Kingdom of Spain and its Government to be preparing itself to annex the Republic Nofoaga and its territory, would like to refute these accusations, which are based on false reports and misleading statements from, allegedly, Spanish officials.

The Kingdom of Spain respects Sertian sovereignty and its Government, remaining a reliable partner and ally for Caribbean nations. As a nation with military bases and leased territories in the region, the Kingdom is committed with stability in the area, as it has proven over the past years in both the Kingdom of Sertia and in the Republic Nofoaga, remaining a good and trusted neighbour. These unfounded claims come as a surprise to the Spanish Government, that feels forced to deny that it is currently preparing to annex the territory of the Republic Nofoaga. This Cabinet clearly supports freedom of press, however; we believe that every publication should be verified before being divulged.

The Spanish Government is always open to attend to journalists that wish to verify or contact the Cabinet for any matter they deem convenient.

D. Sebastián Rubio Rodríguez
Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation