News Media of Istkalen

A wave of recalls throughout Eastern Haane

In the fallout of the Comtois suicide and the Calais bombings, a number of recalls have occurred throughout Eastern Haane.

In Calais, over three-fourths of all members sitting on the workers' councils have been replaced, their constituents citing an extreme lack of transparency regarding the investigation into the bombings.

Many feel that they have become entirely divorced from the people.

"Look at the People's Militia," said a participant in one of the many assemblies used to instruct and recall councillors. "They are out of control; they know nothing but what is told to them. They have been, and are actively being brainwashed. My sister; my sister; she is evidence of it! These people; we must get rid of them all."

The same opinion has been repeated an uncountable number of times by a number of people throughout Eastern Haane.

Not a single workers' or national council has survived in its entirety; in each at least one member has been recalled.

"Down with the corrupt [removed]!" has become a popular slogan; one can hear it in every street and square.

In some cities, however, there has been retaliation. At 15:00 today, the Kiel People's Militia attempted to storm the General Hospital after workers there replaced the entirety of their workers' council, alleging a cover-up in the case of Mathilde Comtois.

The hospital remains occupied by the workers; a new 'counter-militia,' formed by the newly replaced workers' council there, is currently attempting to stop the People's Militia's onslaught.

"There is evidence for a vast conspiracy against democracy in Kiel," said Heiko Hahn, the newly-elected President of the Kiel Workers' Council. "An investigation has begun; we are now putting in place a number of reforms to stop such a thing from happening again."

Nationalization of 'essential services' begins

The Confederation Council, citing 'national security,' has ordered the People's Militias to nationalize all 'essential services.'

The exact wording of the order is unknown; basic details, however, are, largely because of the actions already undertaken.

Based on reported seizures, the following is due to be nationalized, put apparently under the control of cantonal legislatures:

all agriculture
all food distribution
processing plants for basic foodstuffs
all heavy industry
textile plants
hospitals and clinics
public works management

Housing is also apparently due to be placed under the control of workers' councils; there has been great resistance by the currently existing housing cooperatives to this.

Areaist communities (communes that follow the principles of "Areaism,' the ideology of the Ecological Assembly) have risen up in opposition, occupying large swathes of the countryside in an attempt to stop the nationalization of agriculture.

Those within Areaist controlled areas have reported that there has been little violence, nor any coercion to operate on Areaist principles.

"We have been allowed to remain as we were, democratic and operating as part of the greater syndicate," said an ecologist at an agricultural collective outside of Rosa-Luxemburg Stadt. "They have not touched anything within our allotted domain at all."

This is in agreement with Areaist principles, which stress democracy and non-violent protest over forceful revolution.

In the cities, there also exists opposition, generally organized through the syndical workers' councils.

Some members of the People's Militia have remained opposed to the nationalization effort; it is estimated that they make up about one-fourth of the total force.

Cantons declare independence

In spite of the additional power given to them, throughout the day, all 29 cantons have declared independence from the People's Confederation, largely citing the steps toward dictatorship that have been taken.

They continue to follow their original constitutions, retaining their commitment to socialism; however, in terms of structure, they vary widely:

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The cantons in green are 'Areaist' republics; following the ideology of Miranda Areai, the founder of the Ecological Assembly, they are somewhat meritocratic and technocratic, but retain democracy and ensure that the decisions that representatives make are in favor of their constituents, through 'consultation.' Industry, however, remains under the syndicates.

The cantons in red are 'councilist'; their legislatures are elected through what is known as soviet or council democracy, industry being held in the control of the workers' councils.

Cantons in yellow are parliamentary; they hold legislatures whose seats correspond to geographic constituencies and whose members are elected directly. As with other cantons, legislators are still bound to the mandate of their constituents; however, these cantons retain control over what has been 'nationalized,' and are expected to socialize the rest. These cantons have left the People's Confederation largely because of its centralization; they believe that socialization is in accordance with socialism, so long as a democratically elected and controlled legislature controls industry.

Cantons in blue are 'syndical/national' - half of their legislatures' seats are elected by the syndicates and half by the nations. Industry here, too, remains in the power of the syndicates.

Maroon cantons have legislatures elected by the various syndicates, with industry remaining in their power.

Two representatives from each canton are to attend a convention in Skagen at which a new constitution shall be written as to create a new confederation.

Physical power, however, remains partially in the hands of the current government. Only about half of Eastern Haane is controlled by forces loyal to the cantonal governments; that is, the areas controlled by the counter-militias, by the occupation movement, and by the Areaists; the rest remains under the People's Confederation.

Temporary adoption of 1932 Constitution by Skagen Convention

The 1932 Constitution of Eastern Haane, which established a confederal republic, has temporarily been readopted by the twenty-nine independent cantons of Eastern Haane until a new constitution can be drafted.

Said constitution establishes a 'Confederal Diet' of the presidents of each canton, which then from among themselves elect a State Elder.

The Confederal Diet has no legislative power except to do with defense, the maintaining of the confederation, and international affairs.

The State Elder would preside over its meetings and represent the nation; nothing more.

All remaining powers were held by the cantons.

The Confederal Diet will convene on the 27th as to elect a State Elder; members of the Skagen Convention are hopeful that their decisions will carry on to the new state.

The People's Confederation, as of yet, has not responded.

Confederation Council arrested; Weber flees country

Counter-militias and organizations formed by nationalization resistors seized the remainder of Kiel, including the Schloss, today. Little resistance was met; the vast majority of people welcomed them, impromptu celebrations being held throughout the city as they arrived.

The liberation, as it is called by many, was made possible through high defection rates in the old People's Militia of Kiel, caused as a result of doubt and guilt to do with the enforcement of the nationalization orders.

As news spread throughout the city, the members of the Confederation Council, as well as the Premier, attempted to flee the city.

At the time, they were not in session; all eleven were scattered throughout the city.

Most attempted to leave for the harbor; however, few reached it.

Five were apprehended in various locations throughout the city; another three were arrested at the boulevard which separates the city from the harbor.

Two were discovered attempting to leave in a rowboat.

Weber, however, as she was closest to the harbor at the time, was successful in her flight. A number of bystanders attempted to stop her; none were successful. Initial reports state that she stole a paddle boat before setting out across the lake in it.

If any have information on her whereabouts or have seen her, they are obliged to contact their local workers' council.

The members of the Confederation Council are to stand trial on the 27th.

Josephine Areai named State Elder; Weber found floating on pedal-boat in middle of lake by fishing crew

Josephine Areai, the daughter of the famed politician Miranda Areai, an immigrant to Eastern Haane, has been named State Elder.

The President of the Presidium of the Canton of Skagen, she first rose to fame as a prominent speaker in local non-binding deliberative assemblies, celebrated by many as the natural successor to her mother. However, she was unable to become the head of the Ecological Assembly, for it had already been taken, in her youth, by Annalise Bauer.

Despite this, she became famous throughout Eastern Haane, becoming known as the 'speaker' for her mother's ideology.

She was elected to the General Council in 2012 as a member of the Popular Front; after the scandal of 2018, during which Andries van Hoebeek narrowly escaped a vote of no confidence following his attempt to impose an unpopular economic liberalization decree on the country, she was heavily favored to become the next Supreme Councillor in 2020.

She was elected to the position of President of the Canton of Skagen after the first revolution of 2020, after which her popularity began to wane due to the new popularity for more orthodox socialist and communist beliefs.

During the second revolution, however, Areaism's great role caused her, as well as the ideology, to again rise to prominence. She was thus elected by the newly reinstated Confederal Diet by a wide majority - 20 to 9.

Areai wishes to mend the current partisan divisions by looking to the future; she wishes to create a movement that will essentially modernize everything physical, involving every citizen in a participatory and democratic way.

She does not want to impose all of Areaism on the country; she does not have the power to, either.

Her administration, however, will also be focused on national defense; she wishes Eastern Haane to have a military existing for self-defense. At some point, she has said, she intends to make Eastern Haane a nuclear state, as to allow for greater insurance against invasion.

In other news, Katrin Weber was found by a fishing crew, attempting to paddle toward Czech Slavia using the paddle boat she had earlier stolen in an attempt to gain asylum. She was severely dehydrated; she is now being treated at the Groningen General Hospital. She shall be questioned and put on trial after recovering.

Areai demands reconciliation

Josephine Areai, despite her controversial views on military, has come to support reconciliation between the People's Confederation and the nascent Confederation.

"We must stand united," she said in an official statement today. "They; they wish us to fall. In these times they shall take advantage of us, as to force us back to their wicked systems. Already they are open about this; they state brazenly that they wish to suppress the right of individuals to simply state their opinions."

She went on to argue that division was nonsense; that the new confederal system would end the tensions that had begun the suppression by giving all peoples 'true' self-determination:

"Why do we remain in this way? The division that we sought to prevent is ended, for now all have the right to decide for themselves their political system, without conflict, for the regional divides - they are regional, between the urban and the rural - are well-reflected in our cantons. We do not have to turn to suppression to end this, to end foreign influence; in this system the divides that blind people to it and bring them into different political bodies are truly ended."

Very strongly did she claim that the actions of the former government were in an attempt to end the political divides that had torn apart the country; on this did she demand the release of the Confederation Council:

"They are innocent; they did not conspire to destroy our democracy. They wished only to improve it; to end partisanship and to return our nation to sanity. Their measures were temporary, meant only to reconcile. Release them; you are doing an injustice by imprisoning them."

She ended by announcing the formation of a 'National Movement:'

"Despite our great economic progress, we remain backward. Through modernization shall we advance, both technologically and in unity. It is thus that I create a new 'National Movement,' in which all can volunteer on the behalf of our nation, to improve with their individual talents."

Katrin Weber, in recovery in hospital, has agreed to reconciliation, so long as "socialism remain irrevocable; as there is a true solution to these problems of ethnic, religious, and political division."

What the Confederation is Discussing

THE CONFEDERAL DIET

As of now, the Confederal Diet is discussing the structure and funding of the new military as well as devolution to various ethnic and religious groups. One of its priorities is the Univeralist Church, which was the subject to a debate in the community of Alsatian-speaking Haaneans, and eventually received the ability to impose social and cultural laws on those who accepted them, largely because of the potential of a new conflict arising over the issue. Also discussed was the possibility of devolving legislative power to refugees in Eastern Haane, especially to such groups as the Nicoleizians. However, the idea will almost certainly not be applied to all ethnic groups - for example, on the topic of the Kaasian diaspora, such a thing was outright stated to be an enabler of racism and a return "not just to capitalism but also to the fascism of the 1930s," in the words of Josephine Areai.

THE CONSTITUTIONAL ASSEMBLY

The Constitutional Assembly has agreed to retain the basic structure of the 1932 constitution. However, they plan to make a number of additions as to strengthen political and civil freedoms, ensure the continued survival of socialist institutions, and make the treaties with the State of Haane-Keste irrevocable.

THE CANTONS

Cantons, too, discussed the issue of devolution. As with the Confederal Diet, no real legislation has been passed; however, there has been great assent for devolving power to various professional organizations, especially the Association of the Medical Workers of Eastern Haane, as well as ethnic groups believed to be politically volatile (i.e, the Franconians, the Alsatians.) In some cantons, especially in the south, where deforestation led to a number of devastating landslides in 2013, the institution of severance and other Pigouvian taxes, as well as an expansion of the current preservation program, which currently aims for half of all land in Eastern Haane to be 'rewilded,' have been discussed. All have already passed further regulation on the People's Militas and workers' councils; some are going further and are putting forward plans for the complete destruction of the carceral state. Discussion on the approval of the orders passed by the former Confederation Council is ongoing; almost all are expected to approve, at the very least, the order banning political advertisement, with additional provisions for a stricter enforcement of some of its mandates. Last but not least, each is preparing for the creation of the next national budget and economic plan, with non-binding deliberative assemblies having been launched in all populated locales.

Josephine Areai: 'We must prepare ourselves'

With the declaration of the Soviet Republic, a panic has gone through Eastern Haane. While partisanship has most definitely decreased, many worry about the weakening nature of the Haanean state, which now seems bound to collapse entirely.

Josephine Areai, the current State Elder of the Confederation, has made a statement on the issue, arguing that the Soviet Republic is a complement to the Confederation, meant to represent the local interest:

"The Soviet Republic is not a rebellion; it is a cry for help, a cry that we must recognize. We are too slow in making our decisions. In the name of democracy have we in fact hampered it, suffocating the local interest for the national and partisan one. This is an impassioned appeal for a return to the days of a democracy in which debate was lively, but calm, and all the while cooperative. We will respect them, for this is what the people have chosen. It is thus that we will be joined in fraternity, the local and the national, the quick and the slow."

However, she warned of the message it could send to other countries:

"Yet despite our new unity, which can clearly be seen in every aspect of our new politics, it appears, to the world, that we are divided. Nothing could be further from the truth, but by maintaining two governments at the same time, no matter how harmonized and united they may be, we make ourselves appear weak and vulnerable. They will ignore our voice, the voice of the truth, and remain in their gilded towers, entirely ignorant of the sufferings of the people, pleasuring themselves with their temporal wealth. And when they are bothered, when they are annoyed, as the truth seeps into their deformed, twisted minds, they shall intervene. This will be their excuse; a distorted version of our current situation, fitting whatever evil, evil agenda they may have. We must prepare ourselves for an onslaught, against our democracy, against our people, against our country and our movement."

Areai announced her intention to help speed the process of building a Haanean military, at the same time arguing for an armed populace. These proposals have been introduced to the Confederal Diet and are being discussed; their passage, however, is uncertain.

She also revealed that she had, with her 'National Movement,' been organizing a number of 'unity' programs. These include the premiere, as well as a touring production, of the opera 'The Schoolgirls,' under development by the collective 'Group 47,' a music competition, and a bicycle race of Eastern Haane. When these are to begin, save for the touring production and premiere of the opera, which is scheduled to occur on the 10th, is unknown.

What the Confederation is Discussing

THE CONFEDERAL DIET

The Confederal Diet has official passed legislation on the military, mandating it to have a democratic structure based on 'soldiers' councils.' It has demanded, as funding, 5 percent of each canton's budget. At the same time, the Universalist Church has been granted autonomy if able to draft a 'Basic Law' for its government in the next four weeks. The devolution of powers to other ethnic and religious groups, however, is still being debated.

THE CONSTITUTIONAL ASSEMBLY

The Constitutional Assembly has made the position of State Elder a duumvirate, on the advice of newly appointed delegates from the former People's Confederation. An official statement listing the various rights of Eastern Haaneans has been added; a national court system, dividing powers between three different bodies, has been created. Work on the Constitution as a whole, however, is far from complete. Debate remains ongoing on institutions to harmonize law with that of the Soviet Republic, as well as the preservation of certain political bodies, especially the syndicates, from the People's Confederation.

THE CANTONS

A number of cantons, although not a majority, have voted in favor of placing severance and Pigouvian taxes as to increase revenue and decrease deforestation, which has caused a devastating number of landslides in recent years. Debate on the budget and on the soon to come national plan is ongoing; no real conclusion has been reached yet. Most cantons have approved the order on political advertising; some are still in debate. Movement has been made in those cantons debating the abolition of the carceral state; in all, however, deliberation is ongoing. Several have devolved power to professional organizations; this has been called fascist by some.

The March on Kiel - a terrorist attack kills 177

The political demise of Thierry de la Rocque has sent the Union of Guilds into extreme instability. The organization is now constantly rocked by division between four factions, each vying for total power. It is no longer in function; it has entirely fallen apart.

The strength of the other trade unions, perhaps most of all the Communist Workers' Front, which, in spite of the tragic death of its leader, Mathilde Comtois, has remained stable, has created a sense of anger within many of the UoG's members. "We were betrayed; what could we have done? And they, they; those who claim to love democracy, ideological diversity; they deserted us, slandering us, and took power over us, ignoring our wants and our needs."

These sentiments, so widely held within the party despite its apparent division, rose ferociously early this morning. A lone figure, early this morning, stood this morning, at about 6:30, in a public square shouting hateful phrases against the current government and its supporters. By 7:15, over three hundred others had joined him. This crowd, the seeming embodiment of the feelings that have overtaken the Union of Guilds, soon became violent, blockading the square and attacking those who attempt to gain access. About thirty were injured. At 9:00 this morning, those participating in the began to march for the capital, leaving behind them a trail of destruction. 63 passerby were attacked, 14 to the point of death, with a number of stores and stalls ransacked; there appear to have been a number of attempts made to set at least eleven apartment buildings ablaze.

As this mob slowly made its way toward the Schloss, where the confederal government is housed, a further ~250 people joined it. The People's Militia was inundated with frantic calls; those who attempted to respond were overwhelmed.

At 9:18, they had arrived. The Confederal Diet was in session, debating devolution for a number of minority groups. It was forced to flee, yet could not do it efficiently. A number of advisors, aides, clerks, and secretaries were themselves already trying to flee from the seemingly murderous mob, filling the narrow hallway that led to the back exit. The addition of the fleeing Diet made matters worse. A total of 124 people were attempting to push through the hallway, only a meter wide; 26 of them were trampled to death.

The mob, paradoxically calm in their desire to destroy, reached them at 9:21. They clubbed and stabbed those at the back of the frenzied stampede, injuring eleven and killing one. At 9:24, those who were fleeing made it through the back door. A Molotov cocktail was thrown into the dispersing crowd; 7 died, with 19 injured. Members of the mob chased down those who were fleeing, an additional six were clubbed or stabbed to death, with eight injured. Members of the People's Militia arrived on the scene at 9:31; the mob, by that time, however, had moved on.

Scattered, the mob continued its violence. The ransacking, arson, and attacks on passerby continued, with a total of 129 dead, in addition to those attacked before 9:30, at the time of publication.

201 arrests of individuals related to the mob have been made; violence continues spasmodically. The city has been entirely shut down; no one can enter or leave.

Violence has not spread elsewhere; measures have been taken by cantonal governments to temporarily control demonstrations as to prevent such an attack from happening again.

The death is without end: Wave of terrorism kills unknown number of people

The massacre in Kiel was believed to have been the final death throe of the previous instability. This has been shown to be untrue. Dissatisfied with commission candidates, many took to the streets. in almost all major cities. What began as peaceful calls for abstention became increasingly violent.

Mobs, like those of the previous attack but exponentially larger, began to attack our cities.

Polling booths, open that day, were ransacked. Voters and officials were viciously murdered. There have been reports of crucifixions in some areas. Ballots themselves were torn apart and burned in public squares as drunken revelers, screaming a number of violent slogans, danced around them, occasionally ululating. Effigies of a number of European politicians were constructed in these areas before being set alight or upturned. The offices of local governments were stormed, those working within, including a number of politicians, forced out before being shot to death. This fate has befallen the members of at least five cantonal legislatures as well. The national legislature remains besieged in Kiel.

Random acts of violence apart from these have been common. Stores have been ransacked, their workers killed; apartment buildings have been bombed or set on fire as exits were blocked.

In the countryside, large swathes of land are on fire as well. A number of collective farms have been razed; the same has occurred to a number of towns. Those in the area at the time have vanished entirely; many suspect that they are dead.

Meanwhile, the Patriarch of the United Apostolic Churches of Haane and Keste announced that the day was one of 'revelation' and 'rebirth,' leading a number of priests to begin to call parish members to their churches for the administration of the 'Sacrament of the Most Holy Truth,' which involves the consumption of the drug ievonuia. This resulted in a great deal of public disorder which have only served to further worsen tensions. The number of people affected by this announcement is unknown; the Patriarch has refused to rescind his declaration.

Mobs suppressed in major cities

Josephine Areai today was given total power over Eastern Haane, deploying the newly founded military, working with loyal divisions of the People's Militia, to put down the mobs. In Kiel, Skagen, and five other cities, they have been completely eliminated; while they continue to rage in the rest of the country, our brave forces are quickly fighting them.

Areai has also declared the foundation of a new party, the People's Front for the Salvation of Eastern Haane. It will have no ideology but will act as a mediator between the government and the people. Existing parties and unions will continue to exist; they will be slightly monitored to ensure against violence. There are also plans to reinstate the system of chambers, groups that will advise the State Elder on all legislation, potentially possessing the power of veto.

Civil and political liberties will not be suppressed; people will be free to demonstrate, speak, and publish both for and against the government, as long as there is no violence.

Barbed wire fence built around airport

The airport in Kiel, the only in Eastern Haane, was closed today following the evacuation of Spanish citizens. A barbed wire barrier was quickly erected around it; employees within were made to go to their homes. A growing crowd outside was processed; citizens of foreign countries were allowed into the airport, while those of Eastern Haane were not.

As a protest began to form outside of the checkpoint, the airport was closed. Individuals must now go to an office in Kiel and apply for a travel waiver there if they wish to leave the country, as to ensure that terrorists do not escape justice.

The average processing time for a permit will be 3 business days.

The liberation is finished; Areai declares elections to be held on 2 Jan.

The People's Defense Forces, working in tandem with the People's Militia, have completed the liberation of the nation. The mobs have been, in their totality, exterminated. However, they have left behind them a trail of death and destruction. The cities they once occupied have been gutted, tens of thousands, if not hundreds, are dead, their bodies strewn across the streets and in every building. In the countryside, large swathes of farmland and agricultural infrastructure have been destroyed, burned to the ground. Mass graves are common; the towns are often empty. In the current conditions, a famine is foreseeable. A guerilla war continues in the forests; the government recommends that citizens avoid undeveloped and rural areas, for these are their strongholds. Checkpoints have been approved as to stem the travel of terrorists to the area. A permit is not required as of now; however, those who are planning travel to the area should be aware of the high possibility of death or injury.

It has also been confirmed that all foreign citizens have been granted travel waivers, and thus are allowed to leave the country. None, however, have been approved for Haanean citizens as of now; this situation will likely change on Tuesday, when the first batch of them should be released.

Finally, Josephine Areai, the State Elder, has announced that, in accordance with the new constitution, elections shall be held on 2 January, to the federal and confederal bodies, as well as to the elected chambers and the State Eldership.

All candidates must be members of the People's Front; however, they will be allowed to campaign for and under the name of independent parties, unions, or other mass organizations.

The federal and confederal bodies will be roughly equal to the institutions that existed under the May - July People's Confederation; however, the nations have been merged into four national groups - the French, German, Dutch, and Danish Nations; and the Syndicates into the following 8:

agriculture and forestry
industry
trades
commerce and transport
finance and insurance
liberal professions
public service
other labor

The chambers are listed below:

Chamber of Governance (formed of representatives elected by political scientists)
Chamber of State (formed of representatives elected by all attorneys)
Chamber of Medical Science (formed of representatives elected by medical doctors and nurses)
Chamber of Societal Affairs (formed of representatives elected by sociologists and human geographers)
Chamber of Economic Affairs (formed of representatives elected by economists)
Chamber of Public Works (formed of representatives elected by civil engineers, architects, urban planners, and urban designers)
Chamber for the Public Safety (formed of representatives elected by civil and structural engineers, microbiologists, and epidemiologists)
Chamber of Local Government (formed of representatives from the municipalities)
Chamber for the Public Defense (formed of representatives elected by the military and the People's Militias)
Chamber for the Climate (formed of representatives elected by ecologists, biologists, and climate scientists)

Areai deposed after attempting to change title to "Her Holiness"

Josephine Areai today presented a bizarre order to the Confederal Diet, one that would force everyone in Eastern Haane to call her "Her Holiness, the State Elder Josephine Areai, Inculpable, Blameless, Pure, and Divine," under threat of imprisonment for a maximum of ten years. She then claimed to have 'astrally projected' and possessed a truck in Malborya, killing a number of 'demons' which apparently were threatening "the holy ecology of the world, which breaths and lives through me." Panic ensued; the representative Marine Marchand, within Areai's inner circle, began a vote of no-confidence which included the provision that the woman be executed for crimes against humanity. At this, Areai went berserk, and began to shout what appeared to be gibberish, banging the State Elder's Mace, presented to every head of state in Eastern Haane, against the floor, before screaming and running back and forth across the room.

The vote of no-confidence passed unanimously without any deliberation, as Areai continued to scream. A number of representatives attempted to apprehend her; however, she ran out of the barn in which the Diet was meeting.

Marchand was quickly named State Elder within five minutes of the incident, and promulgated the vote of no-confidence, resulting in a divide in the military of Eastern Haane over whether to support Areai or Marchand.

Areai was driven out of the farm in which the government was located to a safe house, whose location is currently unknown.

Despite this, the meeting of the Confederal Diet continued. Marchand introduced a new constitution - that of the 1939 People's State, albeit proclaiming a "Haanean State." Thirty minutes of deliberation were held before the constitution was adopted 25-4; it was thus that the Haanean State came into being.

Fighting broke out across the confederal territories; Areai loyalists were generally defeated, having to withdraw to a small region in the northeast of the country.

The Haanean State is both corporatist and socialist, dividing the nation into 7 professional groups. Each of these groups has a hundred-person assembly. The national legislature is formed of a joint meeting of all of these groups, and is known as the National Convention. The executive of the nation is a Consul, elected by the National Convention. Both the Consul and the National Convention may write laws; however, only the Convention may pass them. However, the Consul has strong veto power, one that can only be overruled by a vote 4/5 in favor of doing so by the National Convention.

Elections to the National Convention and the professional assemblies shall be held on Jan 2.

Hello. Can anyone hear me? The nation has fallen; yes, but why? The behavior of the masses is sudden; why is the question everyone is asking.

They have given up. To them, there is no God, and there is no sense. There is no moral code, no right and wrong; everything is permitted. What is happening now is their revenge in a world without reason or rhyme. A world where action do not have consequences, and a world which shall never change. They believe that they are in Hell, and thus have no bounds on what they can do.

Nothing can be done to change this. They have lived through so much pain and terror that they cannot believe otherwise. It is their only comfort; that whatever they do will have no impact, that they may do anything, for God has already forsaken them.

I do not know how to help these people. There are very few of us left who do not believe in this falsehood, and even fewer who are not at the brink of falling into it.

What can be done? Truly, I beg of you to answer this question, what can be done?

The Totalitarian State in Eastern Haane

It is of no use to hide anymore. They have surrounded us; we are either to die by starvation or at the hands of those demons, those soldiers.

I am the Speaker of the Forest Brothers, and I must report what has happened.

The Reitzmic forces have set up a totalitarian state apparatus. They know and see everything. You cannot hide from them, nor can you run from them. They will find you, and they will kill you.

From what we know, drones are everywhere, looking into the homes of people, boring their way through every last square centimeter of the forests and the plains. They would know even if a single blade of grass fell.

It is thus that they monitor those few people who are under their control. They, as far as we can tell, must conform to the Reitzmic expectations. If they are seen doing anything that could be construed as opposing the occupation, they are killed brutally, with excessive force.

Not even the sea is free of this control. It is regularly patrolled, regularly watched, so that nothing may come in and nothing may come out. It is an impenetrable wall of sorts, constructed to ensure that none chafing under the grip of the totalitarian Reitzmic state may escape.

These demons - demons, for their terror is beyond anything that any human could do - these demons must be removed from the country at all cost, lest freedom die forever. This will be terrifyingly difficult, for we have found that they truly know everything. If you even think of opposing them, they will find you quickly, and they will kill you without mercy. Physical destruction means nothing to them; they have prepared for every contingency.

Even now, as I sit in this walk-in closet in the dark, afraid even to breathe, they have already found me and my dying compatriots. They are outside, tempting us like the demons they are, trying to get us to leave our hiding place so that they may rip us into pieces.

But they are not the only totalitarian force in Eastern Haane. Many people abroad, as far as I can tell from the little I know, believe that there is no order in Eastern Haane. This is untrue. There is an order, terrifying beyond all else. It is an ultra-democratic order, being very literally the expression of the will of the people. It is an order that knows no moral bounds, an order that is out for revenge. It destroys all that is outside of it with a calculated ruthlessness. The brutality of it is so shocking that it seems as though it is entirely removed from civilization. But it is not. It is simply a sort of poetic justice, in a place where the people believe they are in Hell and thus do not have moral bounds upon them all, and are thus, at the very least, free to seek revenge.

The basis of this order, thus, is terror. Everything that it organizes that is not directly related to the terror is meant simply to sustain it. The infrastructural projects, for example, are being built with an admirable efficiency, determination, and democracy; yet it only exists for it is necessary to sustain the life of those participating in the terror.

The Haanean Empire is also totalitarian, but it is so typical of that type that one does not even have to describe it.

The people return to the cities following the execution of Areai

Josephine Areai was publicly executed yesterday after a major mutiny in her territory, caused by an attempt to begin a mass purge.

Today, the communes and syndicates, established by the soldiers' and workers' councils, have begun the process of 'repatriating' citizens from the collectives to their homes in the cities, an decision met with great joy by the populace. Immediately, a great exodus began, with thousands, perhaps even tens of thousands of people, simply marching along the roads and plains to their former homes, in a process that took several hours.

However, the vast majority of the two million deportees have not yet returned. The plan released by the Governing Council, with the consent of all communes and syndicates, has spaced the return out across two weeks, during which specific numbers of people will be returned each day, chosen by lottery, with exceptions made for families, who will not be separated.

However, there does exist a major problem. Kiel, from which about 200,000 deportees come from, remains in the hands of an occupying force, although this will likely end soon.

This has, however, resulted in a number of protests, which will likely be held for an hour every morning and night.

A resistance left from the Areai regime continues to fight in isolated areas in the countryside; they are few in number, and will likely be soon defeated.

MILITARY COUP: Government forced to become parliamentary democracy

On the night of the 6th, the Presidium of the Congress of Soldiers' Councils, meant to be disestablished with the end of the Great Haanean Revolution (not to be confused with the May, August, or September Revolutions), secretly ordered members of the military to impose a temporary state of martial law, lasting twelve hours. A strict curfew was put into place; the regular morning meetings were not allowed to convene, save for a period of ten minutes today when they were made to come out as to approve a hastily written constitution, drafted by the Presidium in the matter of six hours.

Under threat of death, citizens were forced to wave through motions of debate, before voting unanimously to approve the constitution.

This approval, once reported to by all units to the Presidium, was followed by the following declaration, made to an audience forcefully gathered in the central square of the now re-occupied Kiel by the former Speaker Kalju Aasmäe, also a member of the Presidium and complicit in the coup:

"Comrades! I hereby declare, acting as the representative of the Haanean people, that the People's Republic of Eastern Haane has been established!"

The national anthem, The Internationale, was then played from speakers taken from the collective farms that were formerly used to blast religious hymns in praise of Areai.

The Constitution in its entirety was then read out to those gathered. Many screamed when they found out that elections would be held only once every two years, rather than every four months; others fell down, writhing in apparent pain, when they heard of the "National Assembly," the unicameral legislature of the People's Republic elected by proportional representation.

Perhaps the worst part of it, however, was the declaration that political parties would serve as the central link between the state and the people. A great wail rose from the audience; many attempted to cut themselves with sharp objects they had on hand.

Many attempted to attack Aasmäe; a barbed wire fence, made of materials hastily collected from Areai's death camps, where people were buried alive hundreds at a time, stopped them.

The constitution establishes an assembly-independent federal republic, operating on the basis of consensus between so-called "syndicates," mimicking those of the Areai regime, represented in a "Syndical Congress," which would not be a legislature but instead an organization for "the harmonization of the syndicates with each other and with the national interest and spirit."

The National Assembly would elect the State Counsellor of the People's Republic every four months. It would have no power to write legislation of its own; it would only be able to approve or veto statutes sent from the State Counsellor.

The State Counsellor, with the confidence of the National Assembly, would appoint a number of ministers as to form the Government. The Government would be headed by a "First Minister," whose only responsibility would be to guide and unify the rest of the Government.

Advising the State Counsellor would be a number of "Chambers," also mimicking those of Areai. These Chambers would have the power both to advise when asked and to provide advice when not; they would also be able to propose possible legislation to the President,.

The Syndicates would form the most important part of the system. Responsible for all legislation alongside the National Assembly, they would have a level of autonomy, over affairs "not related to the national interest," to be decided by the National Assembly; however, they would be strictly limited in this by a "National Plan" developed by the Syndical Congress in conjunction with the State Counsellor and the National Asssembly. At the same time, statutes passed by the Syndical Congress would alter all those at a lower level. All law passed by them would be enforced by "regional courts," appointed by governors appointed by the State Counsellor.