ECoJ

"Oh goodness, I have not been in St. Lucas for months now," Chai replied. The motorcade was too much for Chai, though she endured. She could not wait for the summit and the negotiations to commence.

Kamala loved meeting female heads of government; it was becoming more common. Icholasen, Inquista, Red Croatia and Mountenbourg started the recent trend of female leaders. She understood Elthize, for as much as they don't care for it, was only semi-illiberal. She smiled knowing that.

"We pretty recently had an election which my Labor Party won. I hope all is well in St. Lucas." She began to lead them to the twenty minute journey minutejourney motorcade, which would take them

It had been three long years since Elthize and California had held a summit. Before Chai took the presidency, before her country shook off what she perceived as "the liberal leeches", before Elthize could finally be a proper country with equal opportunities for all. California, despite being too capitalist for her taste, could be an example of how the winds of change could begin in Elthize, albeit very slowly. She was very aware of the reactionaries and their dominance the moment you stepped foot out of the city of St. Lucas, with the memory of her having tomatoes thrown at her in the city of Lucatian Gardens by about a dozen bastards still fresh in the brain.

But in the moment, none of it mattered. What mattered was this meeting with California's prime minister, Kamala Harris. The photoshoot commenced, flashes blinding what some people saw as a "historic moment": Two women, both heads of state, together, in a summit. Melissa Chai was far from the first female president of Elthize, three women had held the chair before her.

But she could be the most influential one.

"Mrs. Harris, it's great to see you."

Legislative Council of Angeles

Cortes Generales (Nueva Andalucía)

Legislative Assembly of Napa

Kamala was glad to have won a second term in the April election. The Parliament enjoyed an Easter recess, encompassing the second half of April. So that meant, the political ministry was not present in Sacramento. It was just her and Doug in the capitol, working in The Lodge.

"Doug, sweetie, isn't it nice to be in one place and be there for consecutive days?" she cokmented.

"Yes it is; I actually enjoyed campaigning across California," responded Doug. Kamala had a dumbfounded expression.

"...Honey, you just spoke...I had to do the politics."

"That's very true." As they maintained a casual conversation, a staffer interrupted.

"Madam Prime Minister, the Elthic plane is approaching the airport."

"That's my cue to leave."

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"No, the capital of California is Sacramento."

"Sacramento? What the hell is Sacramento? Why didn't they put the capital in Los Angeles?"

"Is our capital city St. Lucas, bud?"

"Yeah?"

The conversation between two random young men President Melissa Chai overheard before her flight to Sacramento kept repeating in her head, a perfect example of what education has become in Elthize. Budget increases, a revision of the content, all of them were long overdue. She was not satisfied with the work of Victor Delaney, her cabinet's education minister, but to dismiss him, a CSD member, could strain the coalition even more than it already has. She could call for a snap election, but would that help? Would she be re-elected as president? She did not know. The best she could do is her job.

After she left the airport, she met with Joanne Bird, Minister of Foreign Affairs, both had landed in separate planes. The special vehicle, belonging to the Elthic embassy in Sacramento, was waiting for them, as they made their way to the Capitol Building.

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"Looks a lot more impressive than what we have," Bird declared, after coming face to face with the front of the building.

A summit will take place on April 17, 2025 between the Commonwealth of California and Elthize, in the capital city of Sacramento.

15 April/Abril 2025

Stanford University, Cal-Berkeley and Cal Poly are leading research with The Department of Health on various diseases and mRNA vaccines.

EZIHL to start play in September 2025

The Elthize Ice Hockey League will start their inaugural season later this year
April 15, 2025

The Elthize Ice Hockey League (EZIHL) will commence with its inaugural season on September 8, 2025, the EZIHL commissioner, Gabe Keller, has announced in a press conference. The league will represent the highest level of ice hockey in Elthize, following the demise of the old Elthize Hockey League (EHL) in 2023.

"Words cannot explain how excited we are to share this moment with you", Keller stated in the press conference. "We are looking forward to seeing you in September."

Six teams will participate in the first season of EZIHL, including St. Lucas Blaze, Forecoaster Capitals, and Ackerson Guards, as well as teams from Montgomery, Brownell, and Mananifari / Hunnicutt (labelled as Hunnicutt in the league), who have not yet announced their branding. They have until July 21st, when the inaugural draft will be held, to do so.

The inaugural season will see the six teams play each other at least two times, one home game and one away game. They are divided into two divisions: The Northern Division will include Forecoaster, Ackerson and Brownell, meanwhile the Southern Division will include St. Lucas, Montgomery, and Mananifari / Hunnicutt.

The first and second place in each division will qualify for the semifinals, which will be best of five, and the winner of the two semifinals will qualify for the finals, which will be best of seven.

The regular season will begin on September 8, 2025 and will conclude on February 23, 2026.

The league has already had controversies. Hunter Vance, governor of Montgomery province, stated that, due to the province's long history with ice hockey, the province should have had at least two teams at the inaugural season. This proposal was declined by Keller, who noted that the EZIHL would expand in the future.

Additionally, the name of Mananifari / Hunnicutt being displayed as Hunnicutt was also controversial, as the name of the city was changed in 2024 to display both the Elfiz name and the English name, to reflect the history of the city, MP Rebel Kofi (Elfiz Party - Eltikitani) declared the naming "disrespectful". Preston Vale, owner of the Hunnicutt team, declined to comment.

Update 18/04/2025: The Montgomery and Hunnicutt teams have announced that their names will be Montgomery Royals and Hunnicutt Titans respectively.

President Chai to veto proposed CBI program

Chai stated that she would veto the proposed citizenship by investment bill
April 12, 2025

President Melissa Chai has given the red light against the possibility of foreigners acquiring Elthic citizenship by investment (also known as a CBI program), during a press conference in Forecoaster this afternoon. The bill, which was proposed by Member of Parliament Karl Lindberg (PCP - St. Lucas), was put into discussion in the parliament in March. Lindberg defended his bill, stating that Elthize could always use more investors in our region, and that the bill would bring a new source of income to the state. Critics, however, believe that the bill is both offensive, but also dangerous.

Laura Atteberry (CSD - Marchand) heavily criticized the bill, stating that citizenship by investment is "a great insult to those who have made the commitment to naturalize and become citizens of Elthize". Jack Netalini (Moderates - Port Nelson) showed great concern that the program would weaken the passport of Elthize, stating that the program would let foreigners who are citizens of countries with "weaker passports and poorer international standings take advantage of the Elthize passport, and this certainly would lower the value of [the passport] and its travel opportunities."

When asked whether if she would approve of such program if it were to pass the Parliament, President Melissa Chai responded that "the answer is a resounding no".

"Our passport is not for sale", Chai continued. "There will be no negotiations about this. Being an Elthic, being a citizen of Elthize, it has value, it must have value. Our passport is a proof of the well founded diplomatic relations our country has had since its founding, it is not a tool of convenience that can be used by foreigners with enough money to avoid visa processes, for easier travel. I will not let it happen."

The bill has a very slim chance of passing if it gets enough support from the Moderates. Freddie Abbey, party leader, stated that there would be no collective party vote on the bill, meaning that MPs of Moderates are free to vote based on their approval. The time for when the voting procedure for the bill will commence, however, is unknown.