News Media of Istkalen

[Istkalen]

Istkalen Information Service: Turn left

Rikkalek has yet again reorientated the country towards his personal "non-aligned socialism;" now, however, he no longer has to contend with liberals and nationalists in government, and is completely free to do as he wishes. As the country prepares for the 4 March elections, radical change has begun in Istkalen.

Istkalen was historically a hierarchical society, heavily claSs-stratified and dependent on perceived levels of education and skill. The state formed and directed all social, economic, and political life; not to obey it, even in the smallest way, was seen as treason. In effect, it an extraordinarily strict meritocracy, where the ability to produce was the sole factor in climbing socially, but also one that was heavily authoritarian if not totalitarian - the state was everywhere and everything, and all were expected to obey it unquestioningly for the "good of all society."

This was a system that by-and-large collapsed with the occupation, which removed the elite from power, causing more participatory and democratic institutions, albeit also ones more unstable, to gain significant influence. While significant aspects of the form of society remained unchanged, the country began to see a liberalization of the social environment. The 31st of January, when Istkalen's courts removed the elite from power by force, was in effect a culmination of this general movement, handing all power to the representatives of the producers of Istkalen.

Here is where socialism began to make its emergence. Society in Istkalen is centered, almost unhealthily so, on work and the workplace; therefore, any change in favor of democratization, whether in society or in politics, must also favor the democratization of the workplace; in essence, the adoption of even a moderate socialism.

Where this change is most salient is in terms of the relationship between ward committees and workers, and more indirectly through the various workplace committees and councils. Previously, the institutions were seen as above the rest; workers had to obey their every word, and in exchange received a paternal sort of love. The system, despite there existing nominal elections, was deeply elitist and paternalistic in nature.

This has become increasingly increased by a collective system. Responsibilities have been increasingly delegated to direct assemblies of workers; the workers' associations themselves are increaingly distancing themselves from the older, more aristocratic model, and appear to be attempting to transform themselves into idealized trade unions, becoming more participatory in nature as worker-representatives come under increasingly pressure to better represent the interests of workers rather than merely themselves and society.

Similarly, collective principles are being increasingly applied to production itself. Increased levels of cooperation across smallholdings, in particular the sharing of machinery and the maintenance of irrigation infrastructure, have been observed at ward levels; craftsmen and "designers" have similarly begun to organize themselves through the workers' associations - they now divide tasks between themselves via the associations, organize cooperation via the associations, and retain only the right to do as they wish with the final product.

Even more radically, food distribution has found itself partially collectivized. In workplaces and communal living spaces, individuals now divide duties among themselves for the action of the distribution of food and cooking, rather than doing it individually - creating, in effect, communal, voluntary canteens.

Even religion has been affected by this movement. Hundreds if not thousands of places of worship have been taken over by "assemblies of believers," which operate according to democratic principles and which have begun to purge the ranks of the clergy of, in particular, the most extreme, while at the same time deeply undermining traditional religious structures.

The desire is to uproot the old, which is seen as corrupt, for the new, a more democratic and egalitarian system. Rikkalek and his followers in particular want to supplant the old state for the more democratic collective. For them, the state is suppressive, but the individual is anarchic; the collective is between both, permitting its members freedom from demands from the state but also preventing them from acting with total greed as they would as mere individuals. Everyone, in their minds, must be made dependent on each other within the collective, and every collective upoin each other, to definitively prevent competition and greed and ensure national unity.

In the past, attempts to synthesize Lirisianism with democracy have resulted in bizarre, hybrid systems. Rikkalek's formulation of "non-aligned socialism," however, remains Lirisian - it continues to place the welfare of the nation as a whole above the individual, but all the same seeks to remove coercion from the process. It is perhaps the closest that Istkalen has come to any semblance of democracy; and yet, all the same, it could fail miserably, as so many other collective systems have in other countries.

[Istkalen]

Elections - The Debate - Opening Statements and Free Debate

A woman, dressed in brown, sits in front of a flickering screen, on which a silhouette of the country is shown. Hands clasped, she speaks, first in Kitets.

Citizens, you are listening to the National Information Service. In preparation for the elections of 4th March, the leaders of the four major political movements and groupings have appeared here, for the purpose of communicating to you their ideals, their positions - in effect, how they intend to govern. At the heart of any democracy is information, information made freely available to all citizens. For this to be hidden leads to a crisis in governance and people's rule. We will - and are, now, here - making every effort to ensure that this tragedy does not befall us, to provide a flow of truthful information to the people, to the citizens, so that they for themselves may make their own decisions in a rational way.

Present, from left to right, are Altay Sancar, of his newly founded Ecological-Socialist Movement, Vistek Rikkalek, of the refounded People's Association, Írenet Isteresskemar, of the newly founded Democratic Movement, and Yasemin Demirkol, of the newly founded Progress Party.

The format for this debate is as follows. There will be no exact time limit, but the debate itself may not exceed four hours in length nor be any shorter than one hour. Candidates will begin with their opening statements, and then will move to free debate - before then moving to closing statements. Civility is an expectation; not conforming to these rules and expectations set out will result in warning, then expulsion from the debate.

She repeats this in the four other national languages of Istkalen.

The candidates will now present their opening statements. We begin, first, with Ms. Isteresskemar.

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II: Good evening to all. Our nation is under attack. Our ways are threatened, our very sovereignty is threatened. Compradors, foreign agents, at every level of government and society act slowly to bring us down. The West does not like us, you see. Our ways are too free for them; they would prefer that we bow down to their materialistic neoliberalism, to become incessant, vapid consumers as the rest of them are. We are a nation of workers, of producers, and we will remain that way. The Democratic Movement seeks to turn our nation into a fortress. We will shut out the West, and seek total independence, politically, economically, and socially. We will make no agreements with the outside world; what agreements we have foolishly engaged in we will disengage from. To throw our lot in with them is to sacrifice ourselves. We will lead an internal drive for the expansion of industrial and agricultural product, while not forsaking the sacred independence and autonomy of our individual workers, not forsaking their humanity, the humanity of our production. We must take nothing from the West, neither imports nor their ways. If we do so we forsake our identity as workers and become idiotic, drooling consumers. Socially, every aspect of the West must be thoroughly eliminated. Foreign literature, foreign language, must not be taught in our schools; both corrupt the individual, corrupt the nation. Those citizens which seek foreign education must be expelled permanently; they cannot be trusted. The same goes with foreign clothing, foreign art. This clothing, this music, this art, this film, all of the West; they are inherently materialistic, inherently decadent. Our ways must be maintained against this; we will purge this all from the nation, and replace it with a wholesome and authentic expression of our own great and independent culture. Istkaleners - we must stand against the foreign hordes, and defend, uphold, our nation!

---

Thank you, Ms. Isteresskemar. We will continue to Mr. Sancar.

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AS: Thank you to all who are listening. The basis of our nation is the agricultural worker and the miner. The rest merely consume from them. The cities, for example, take from them and return to them very little which they themselves cannot produce. This has weakened our nation greatly. What the Ecological-Socialist Movement wants to do is overthrow this inequality. Everyone becomes a farmer, everyone becomes a miner, performing other, more specialized actions merely part of the time, not for their own profit but for the benefit of the community, a community that will form through necessity and shared vocation. In the new society there shall be no divisions between people. Everyone together will hold everything in common, everyone will be perfectly equal; there will be a uniformity, and that uniformity a blossoming unity. The sobriety and strength of our people is rebuilt; they become able, again, to defend our nation from the foreign invaders, to defend it from internal corruption. Our society thus becomes equal, strong, and united.

---

Thank you, Mr. Sancar. We will continue to Ms. Demirkol.

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YD: Good evening, citizens. Our aim is simple - rational government. We want to democratize the government, to make it more accountable to the people, to ensure that it acts in their interest; so too do we want to technocratize it, ensure that those sitting in government are genuinely qualified to their tasks. For too long have we had ideologues with nothing beyond a primary school education dictating to us what we are allowed to do, to produce, and how. No more. We want, in a nutshell, to remove from governance ideology and replace with it healthy and democratic pragmatism. We intend first to entrust power over all industry to the workers' associations, which shall operate on the collective principle. Then we shall engage in our political reforms. We will ban political campaigning, the tool of demagogues alone, completely. We should not elect people based on how well they lie to us, but rather merely how well they work, how skilled they are. We will seek also to strengthen the Council of Examination to truly ensure the ability of the elected to serve in office; accountability, democracy, are sacrosanct, but both are useless when power is allowed to go into the hands of the corrupt and the manipulators. We want finally to end the controls over social life. It is not for the state to determine what people can or cannot do, unless if they decide to harm other. Let the people do as they wish,; they will be happier. Let us, then, put an end to superstition; let us see science and reason prevail in our Istkalen.

---

Thank you, Ms. Demirkol. We will continue, now, to Mr. Rikkalek.

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VR: Citizens, thank you. Istkalen is a nascent democracy. For the first time in perhaps the whole of its history, power is directly in the hands of the people, of the workers. Our aim is to protect this workers' democracy through social change. The present structure, the present norms, and in certain ways the present culture of Istkalen imply, necessitate, a more authoritarian state. They require the state to dictate to the people what to do, how to behave; they posit that the state is the highest authority on the good of society, and therefore that its will is inevitably good for society. Within the workplace, we see a slavish obedience to a master, which, even if elected, remains a master; within the city, the same obedience, but now to the municipal authorities. There is no question of accountability; it is simply believed that the state can do no wrong, and thus that the person who protests is themselves in the wrong, a traitor to our society. What the People's Association seeks to do is begin a peaceful "revolution" in culture and society in order to modernize the country and allow for the permanent establishment of democracy. We want first to turn the workers' associations from the elected bureaucracies they currently are into genuine communities, bonded by shared vocation. Obedience to the state, then, will become participation in the community, a democratic participation rather than the old slavish devotion. So too do we want to democratize the arts, the universities, housing, every conceivable aspect of life that is presently managed by the state, every aspect of life that demands obedience. We want, very simply, to pull down the role of the state and replace it with the direct rule of the people.

---

Thank you, Mr. Rikkalek. We will now move to the free debate portion of this debate.

---

YD: To Mr. Sancar - is Istkalen even capable of feeding its population under your proposals? That is what, I think, we all really need to know.

AS: It does not matter. Those who die should die, must die; they are sick and a cancer on the nation, on the world. Their deaths will be a mercy killing, and both the world and the nation will be left better off for it. A revolution is, and will be, always violent, and this is no exception. We seek to create a new society based on labor, and those who cannot labor, and who cannot survive on their own labor, do not have a place in it. As I said, we are not a society of the bourgeois and the proletarian, but of the urbanite and the non-urbanite; the former must either integrate into the latter or simply be removed from society.

II: This is all very well, but quite honestly I am not one for genocide. Do you feel, Mr. Sancar, that you have any moral...doubts about your plans?

AS: No. Those who die cannot even have been considered human. Humanity is labor; that is to say, it is created through labor. The urbanites do not work. Therefore, they are not human. They may become human, may be restored; but if they do not, they must be squashed as one would squash a cockroach or an ant.

II: But you yourself are an urbanite.

AS: Yes. Once the revolution is complete, I will kill myself, for I no longer have a use for myself.

II: I really don't think we should have to listen to this, but I will say one more thing. Mr. Sancar, please seek help, you obviously need it. Continuing on, yes, there is a difference between the cities and the countryside, or really Kirelesile and everywhere else, and this difference should be resolved, but not through these means. We should instead seek, through development, to make the countryside more attractive for the residents of Kirelesile - by constructing housing, and particularly by decentralizing industry, in line with traditional systems.

AS: I am not anti-industrial, if that is what you are implying. I too believe that industry should be managed by the communes I propose - that it should be decentralized, not abolished! Madam, please stop trying to pass these falsehoods on the people of Istkalen!

YD: Regardless, Mr. Sancar, without the 'urbanites,' how is any of this to be managed? How do you intend to maintain industry if you have killed all the experts and the manual workers? We do not imply that you want to abolish industry, we imply that you would leave it completely unusable.

AS: Workers, manual workers, are not urbanites, in my vision - they do work, and have the same sobriety and strength of those of the countryside, and thus they are honorary members of the citizens of the countryside. Even without them, the farmers can make do.

VR: Regardless, I would like to ask Ms. Istersskemar a simple question. How do you intend to maintain industry according to your desired system? A certainl level of cooperation is necessary, but you yourself have admitted, in the past, that you want an economy of independent producers who cooperate economically only in the context of the market . How does any of this work? Developed indutry requires cooperation between more than two people.

II: The answer lies in automation. Currently, it is not possible for any of these things to be maintained without the employment of manual laborers, an undesirable practice but a necessity. Once we push forwards automation - and much of the technology is already there - whole factories can be managed just by two. I am not one to abandon the principles of the nation to adopt those of the West, as you are; I will always remain firm to our own ways.

VR: The whole of society is based around cooperation. People are not atoms floating around; for anything to function they need to be bonded together. The economic vision of the People's Association reflects this. We seek to maintain the system of independent producers, but complement this with a system of cooperation. For the good of the community, together they will organize labor that is necessarily cooperative in nature. This is not a reflection of tradition, that is true, but it is a reflection of what developed with the collapse of the state during the occupation - it is a relfection of a more natural, democratic state.

YD: I would like to criticize the proposals of the People's Association from the other direction. How is this efficient, or at least more efficient that a more centralized or planned economy?

VR: Efficiency is not the most significant concern everywhere. Totalitarian government can be efficient, but it is not ideal. In the same way, totalitarian and dictatorial government in the economy is efficient, but far from ideal. Both trample on individuals.

II: The cat is calling the kettle black. You are the only dictator on this stage.

VR: Strong measures are needed in an emergency. But the emergency is now over.

YD: In an economic emergency, then, would this govern the economy? Would the state command the economy if it deemed it to be collapsing?

VR: The state would intervene, yes.

YD: So then individual rights matter only sometimes, not always?

VR: When the exercise of individual rights threatens the stability of the whole of society, they do not matter. Society has its rights as well, which must be respected.

II: In my opinion, the individual is sacrosanct. Society is constructed from individuals, it is not something above; society can only be free if all individuals are free. In no circumstance should rights be curtailed, even if it is harming the economy and the state.

VR: So you would prefer disorder and feudalism to order and democracy?

II: Disorder, yes. Feudalism, no. But feudalism would not arise if the people had rights; they would defend them, would they not?

YD: A person might give up their rights if promised stability. We must respect certain bounds of personal freedom; but we must also act always in the interest of the whole, in the interest of stability and the general welfare, in order to preserve a democratic and republican system. Extremism in either direction will get us nowhere.

II: When the 'interest of the whole' conflicts with these bounds you mention? What happens then?

YD: There should be no conflict. But the interests of the whole override the interest of one, and will always do so. The state, in such unlikely circumstances, should act in the favor of all society rather than giving in to one person, who might very well bring everything down. We must think not of rights but, again, of the preservation of the democratic and republican system.

AS; Does opening the country up to foreign powers do that? In reality, I feel, you want, and so does Rikkalek, to preserve only the power of a certain class.

II: I concur here.

YD: Trade and connections with the outside world are necessary - to maintain the legitimacy of the state, and to maintain its economy. To remain a hermit state is to become susceptible to a genuine invasion and takeover, whether political or economic.

VR: We must also rememeber that the occupation has thrust us into the wolrd, whether we like it or not. We must act to defend our position, lest we be eaten up. Anti-imperialism, non-alignment; these have helped us gain relevance and thus security. So too have economic agreements helped improve our economy and thus life for the average person.

II: Indeed, invasion is now a threat; but this is but another invasion. Preparation must be done by ourselves. At the same time, international connections will merely limit our ability to deal with this. The only way to remove the threat which faces it, the necessary and inevitable way, is a drive to the south and the expansion of the people of Istkalen. This is possible only by ourselves, outside of the international community. Even then, how does defense require the selling of the control of our resources to other bodies?

VR: Cooperation demosntrates our legitimacy, and what you speak of is not control, per se; it is beneficial to all parties involved, and will significantly better the lives of many Istkaleners.

YD: Exactly.

AS: Action is far above material. People do not care if they are starving or full; they care only if they have control or do not have control. A starving person with autonomy over their own life is happy; a full person without is not. So too does this apply here.

YD: But we are not sacrificing control over ourselves. The state entered into the agreement with the agreement of the workers, and it may exit at any time.

II: That is what they always see. It is not necessarily true.

VR: This is conspiracy theorizing.

II: Which is of course what they said about you going down to Kirelesile and doing all sorts of things, but that turned out to be true in the end.

VR: My personal life as no bearing on this.

(TO BE CONTINUED)

[Istkalen]

Istkalen Information Service: Party of Labor, Center, Social Democrats complain about "nuts" polling at less than 1% being invited to debate as conspiracy theories abound

Current voter intention in Istkalen is as follows:

• People's Association (center-left to left-wing): 54,2%
• Party of Labor (left-wing to far-left): 18,1%
• The Center (center): 10,1%
• Social Democrats (center-right to right-wing): 10,0%
• Progress (syncretic): 6,1%
• independents; 1,0%
• Democratic Movement (right-wing): 0,3%
• Ecological-Socialist Movement (far-left): 0%

Yet, to the recent debate, it was the People's Association, the Progress Party, the Democratic Movement, and the Ecological-Socialist Movement invited. Representatives of the latter two parties and alliances aired bizarre views, calling for mass killings and for total isolationism. One candidate said that he would kill himself upon coming to office; another claimed that the solution to Istkalen's problems was to invade Reitzmag, conduct a genocide there, and then settle it.

"It was a total travesty, but not very surprising," tweeted a Twitter user. "Voting for Rikkalek to get rid of these idiots."

"Seriously," tweeted another, "how does anyone take half these people seriously?"

Some were confused to why Sancar and Isteresskemar, the candidates in question, were even there.

"They've done a good job as ministers," said a woman shopping in Kirelesile. "But as with so many of the rest of them, their politics are beyond insane. Everyone knows this; no one I know supports them for this reason. But they still appear there. Why? The whole of my ward is for the Party of Labor, and they are much more sensible. Tell me, why were they not there in place of the one going on about killing 'urbanites?'"

The three parties polling ahead of the Progress Party themselves complained about the debate.

"We must seriously question the integrity of democracy in Istkalen," stated a spokesperson for The Center, "when the state has conspired against us to deny us media coverage completely. This farce of a debate is only further evidence of this. The people of Istkalen were forced to watch the insane detail at length their twisted plans for our country, in order to place the Head of State in a higher position."

"These people are nuts," said Milrakas Ikoszer, the chairman of the Social Democratic Party. "Even nuttier than Ms. Meinl-Reisinger, the nuttiest ruler in the history of our country. Why these people are allowed a national audience I do not know. They ought instead to be locked up in an asylum for lunatics!"

"The state demonstrates its fear towards our movement," stated Dr. Grete Reiner, the new General Secretary of the Party of Labor of Istkalen. "in refusing to let our voice be heard. We have not been mentioned in the media once; we have been denied opportunities again and again to show to the public or ideas for establishing a government of labor and justice in our country."

At the beginning of the campaign period, it was widely believed that Isteresskemar and Sancar would be much more popular, with Demirkol and Rikkalek retaining the positions they hold now. They were, however, rapidly discredited by their campaigning. At his first rally, Sancar talked about how the "blood of urbanites," including himself, would sustain "the fields of Istkalen." Isteresskemar, on the other hand, spoke virtually the same language as that of the Northern Radio, claiming that there was a Vardic cabal controlling the state and that Reitzmics were "everywhere" trying to corrupt the culture of Istkalen.

Their support correspondingly dropped significantly, especially as they began to double down, and flowed to significantly more competent parties offering visions closer to what people thought they were offering - the Party of Labor, a party following "Elspeth Arkalis Thought" which emphasizes union control of industry alonside Leninist political organization; and the Social Democratic Party, which offered to voters the economic vision of Isteresskemar without the extreme isolationism and racism she espouse. The Center, on the other hand, was simply a dark horse. Styling itself as "civic nationalist," the party advocates for an economy of family businesses, cooperatives, and sole proprietorships, but has the same modernist outlook as all of the parties except for the Social Democrats and Ecological-Socialist Movement.

At the time of the debate, the Istkalen Information Service was still operating on the assumptions it had held at the beginning of the election period, and did not take into account current polling. The state had no role in the decision.

However, conspiracy theories have arisen regarding the debate and the general media coverage of the election, especially in regard to its choice to disregard virtually all of the major parties except for the People's Association and the Progress Party. Many have argued that the parties being covered, with the exception of the "regime-favored" Progress Party and People's Association, are manipulated by the state in order to behave in irrational and nonsensical ways, to discredit their respective ideologies while also possibly giving an excuse for the state to later crack down on the left and the right outside of the parties.

In particular, they point to the relative moderation of Sancar and Isteresskemar before the elections, and constrast them with their behavior during the campaign period, which has been extraordinarily erratic and extreme, claiming that the only explanation is that Rikkalek has forced them to act in such a way.

The belief of many of these conspiracy theorists is that the end game is either the re-establishment of a one-party state under the People's Association or the restoration of the monarchy, with Rikkalek as emperor. These theories have been adopted to an extent by the political parties in question, who mostly argue that the mistake of the national media of not giving them any coverage at all is a concerted attempt by Rikkalek to win a supermajority in the election; in essence, to retain power indefinitely.

Rikkalek, Demirkol, the People's Association, and the Progress Party have not responded to the allegations.

[Istkalen]

Emergency Message System

The following, bizarre message is shown on all television channels and radio frequencies in Istkalen, on the night of 22 February 2022. Copies of its transcript are plastered everywhere. It appears to have been accidentally broadcast, a message prerecorded from the war era, possibly for a military coup scheduled for 18 April 2021 thwarted by Kerel.

---

A woman dressed in a brown cardigan - the same from the debate, but seemingly slightly younger - sits again in front of a flickering screen, on which a silhouette of the country is shown. Hands clasped, she speaks, first in Kitets. She will repeat the message in all five major languages of Istkalen.

Good morning, citizens. For the past five days, you have been beset by a regime which desires to be tyrannical, warlike, in our nation of peace and gentleness. But we have not abandoned you; we have been aware. The orders for killing we have resisted; the war they have decreed we have resisted.

This date, the 18th of April 2021, will be a historical date. The mandate of the former government has been withdrawn; the Republican Defense Forces, in coordination with the Congress of Producers, have constituted an interim government, the National Directory, in which the peasants, workers, students, and soldiers of the nation will participate.

The priority of the government shall be to sue for peace. We have declared a unilateral armistice, and will be entering into negotiations with the governments of the Kingdom of Reitzmag and the Archrepublic of Vayinaod within the day for the ending of the war.

So too shall it be to reconstitute the state. The restoration of the constitution of 1975, undertaken illegally, has itself been annulled. True social democratic government shall be restored. Reaction shall be ended and democratic and egalitarian rule will be created through the unions.

New elections shall be held tentatively on the 1st of May 2021. The Social Democratic Party is to remain the leading force in society and politics, but will be opened to the people, the elitists and reactionaries removed from their places. The country will be freed, but we will not undo the accomplishments of the revolution; we shall not turn back the wheel of progress.

The restrictions on culture and the freedom of the press will end; they are intolerable and have led only to bloodshed. The revolutionary stance against the Abrahamic religions, and indeed against any deistic religion, will however be maintained. Reason and science are the basis of the revolution, and what opposes them will lead only again to the rise of those who tried to seize our nation and plunge it into darkness.

A democratic revolution, a second revolution to complete the aims of the original social democrats, has begun, birthed from the blood of the martyrs who died at the hands of the the reactionaries.

Long live the workers, long live the democratic and social republic, long live our Istkalen!

---

[Istkalen]

Istkalen Information Service: Court rules in favor of Reszelport Jezebel-Swift

Jezebel-Swift in her first public appearance since her arrest

After a month long trial, the trial of Reszelport Jezebel-Swift, otherwise known as Pope Tabitha, has come to a conclusion. Jezebel-Swift was initially arrested for inciting violence after a homily in which, to the sound of electric guitars, she called for the killing of her opponents and those she considered to be "sinners." She was kept in secret and solitary detention for two weeks until her trial finally began, under less than public circumstances, on the 31st of January.

Journalists and the public were not allowed into the trial, but Jezebel-Swift was allowed legal representation, and the trial is generally seen as fair, particularly as it ruled in favor of Jezebel-Swift instead of the state.

Upon examination of the evidence, in particular Jezebel-Swift's wide audience, armed enough and duty-bound to obey her words, but also her nominal status as Pope of the Arian Church, the court concluded that Jezebel-Swift, per her own claims and the history of the Arian Church, had effectively renounced her Istkalenic citizenship for Vatican citizenship, as, by the belief and history of the Church itself, it is the legitimate Catholic church and its Pope is the Bishop of Rome.

However, per Jezebel-Swift's own admission, they found that she remained clearly guilty of her crimes, and was completely without remorse. She was thus found guilty; but her lack of citizenship required deportation.

Jezebel-Swift is thus to be deported to the Vatican City "as soon as possible." Thousands celebrated outside the court chambers the decisions, largely because she was to go and thus that Istkalen would be free of her.

"The [woman] is gone!" screamed many.

Yet her arrest has given her widespread support. She is now widely seen among the Arian community as not a heretic but a martyr whose persecution reveals the truth of her beliefs. She is not merely regarded as the Pope but also as a prophet in her own right by millions.

Jezebel-Swift was temporarily freed before her deportation, although she remained under surveillance. She gave a relatively controlled speech, although she continued most of her most radical opinions, including her rejection of virtually all Arian principles for a self-created theology involving Pelagianism and modalism. Most was, however, dedicated to affirming her position as the one true Pope of the Catholic Church, the one true Bishop of Rome, as well as denouncing Pope Peter II, the current pope, as a "heretic," which many have termed "the pot calling the kettle black."

Jezebel-Swift then sent out a message to her followers, promising them Vatican citizenship if they "followed her in a grand crusade." Over 2000 are believed to have answered the summons, and gathered before the papal palace in the Arian territories, where she spoke to them again of the necessity of "restoring true Christianity" to the Catholic Church. In her "Popemobile," she then led them in a massive procession to the only airport in those territories, privately owned by Jezebel-Swift herself, which includes her private fleet of 50 planes, earned through profits from the uranium mines and banks the Arian Church owned prior to the occupation, in addition to the sale of agricultural products and textiles made through what was almost slave labor. Her so-called 200-strong "Papal Guard" (not, notably, the Swiss Guard, which the Arians and now Jezebel-Swift claim to have been an invention of heretics), also joined.

Carrying hastily made banners, they screamed various slogans calling for the "restoration" of the Catholic Church and the "true Bishop of Rome," as well as for the "wrath of God" to be brought down upon Pope Peter II.

"God, smash the delusion of Carlos Vallejo!" screamed Mikeli Neripas, an important Arian figure, from the forefront of the procession. "Smash it with your iron rod!"

"Strike, strike.... until you have victory, God!" shouted Erkas Tilisek, the head of the Patriotic Front. "In the name of Jesus!"

Onlookers claimed that many, if not all, of those in the procession were carrying automatic firearms, and that they had seen a large procession of trucks behind them carrying a large amount of ammunition, as well as large packages of an unknown material, which has been speculated to be explosives. It is a well known fact that the Pope, in her nominal role as the leader of the autonomous Arian territories, has sole control over armories for the religious police and militia of the area, which, while now much weaker, continue to exist, which include all these materials.

It is also known that the Arian Church has been preparing for a "reconquest" of the Vatican for hundreds of years; it is believed by some that these weapons may have been specifically inteded for the purpose of this reconquest

Hundreds if not thousands were seen emerging from their homes and cheering on the erstwhile crusaders as they marched on their way to Jezebel-Swift's private airport, almost hysterically. Some even walked behind them, some joining and seemingly given weapons, according to neutral onlookers.

Jezebel-Swift again addressed the procession, joined by the leadership of the Patriotic Front, when they reached the airport, telling them that they had to be "brave for God" and that their "holy and ordained mission" would be dangerous, and that many would "become martyrs before God." She then appeared to gibberish for ten minutes, before again exhorting the crowd before her to "follow her," claiming that she was "God's sole representative on Earth...his power now flows through me..." to widespread and hysterical cheering.

She then "conferred Vatican citizenship" on all of those present, before having an aide next to her request permission from the National Directorate for "self-deportation" - in essence, the right for her merely to carry out her deportation by herself, which under certain legal interpretations may be possible. The call was broadcast with the use of some speakers that were found inside the airport, and was repeatedly interrupted with mass outpourings of further hysterical cheering and screaming.

The National Directorate has not yet responded to the request of Jezebel-Swift. Some have called for military action to be taken; but the Republican Defence Forces have insisted that they do not have the authorization to act as of now. In the meantime, however, further convoys of trucks have been seen arriving at the airport, carrying large packages which many believe to be further weapons, ammunition, or explosives, with the excitement of the cfrowd apparently being kept up by regular exhortations from Jezebel-Swift, Tilisek, Neripas, and other figures within the Arian community.

Some went directly to Rikkalek's office to ask for intervention, but he did not appear to be present. It was rumored that he was to be found in a cafe, but no one appears to have investigated there, perhaps out of fear.

[Istkalen]

State Announcements - Kirelesile

4th March elections delayed due to martial law

Rikkalek sworn in as the Chairman of the National Directorate in light of election cancellation - "the title of Head of State is interim and exists only because of the election period; with the election period cancelled, it must fall into disuse in accordance with constitutional principles," he says

All political parties merge to form the Republican Association of National Defence "against this mortal danger"

Curfew between 22:00 and 7:00. 30 min grace period in place currently

Arian churches ordered closed for duration of martial law due to "concern over violent rhetoric against sovereign states"

Ministry of Religious Affairs orders propaganda campaign against certain religions "against grave threat to national security"

Schools and universities to be closed until 7th March 2022

Pro-Jezebel-Swift protestors ordered arrested; to be tried by military tribunals due to declaration of martial law

Administration of State, Public, Internal Security allegedly arrests major figures of the opposition

National Directorate confirms that Jezebel-Swift's planes and followers have left airspace of Istkalen and are presently over Belarum, but that Istkalen will assist potential Reitzmic operations in the Vatican in the case of takeover

[Istkalen]

State Announcements - Istkalen At Large

The Arian Church is declared a terrorist organization

Property of Arian church seized by state

Second wave of destruction of Arian religious buildings ordered

Arian monasteries and convents forcibly shut down

Arian clergy ordered to defrock or face immediate arrest

Pro-Jezebel-Swift demonstrators allegedly within striking distance of government buildings

Arian demonstrators in Kirelesile tear-gassed

Tanks seen entering the capital

Arian Autonomous Territories placed under direct military administration for "indefinite period of time;" new military governing council for area declares "secularization campaign"

Rikkalek confirms that right of habeas corpus is temporarily suspended, but states that "everything is under control"

Republican Association of National Defence orders campaign against "terrorist and anti-democratic" elements in society

Kaisa Malk, other quasi-communist figures allegedly arrested by the Administration of State, Public, and Internal Security

Sancar, Demirkol, Isteresskemar vanish from the public view

[Istkalen]

The National Times: Election results

(OOC: The declaration of martial law and the founding of the National Association of Republican Defence, as they occurred in direct response to the Tabitha attacks, are non-canon. Both will occur in the coming days to some extent. It was previously planned to do such a thing before the elections, but this was difficult)

Election results are remarkably different from the last published polling, largely due to significant changes in the electoral law that severely weakened certain parties, as well as to the banning of the People's Association by Head of State Vistek Rikkalek after accusations of corruption and vote-rigging from within the party, although it is also believed that the polls themselves may have been partially manipulated by members of the People's Association within the now-defunct Istkalen Information Service.

The composition of the National Assembly is as follows:

PARTY OF LABOR: 41 seats
SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY: 51 seats
LIBERAL PARTY: 33 seats
AGRARIAN UNION: 39 seats
PATRIOTIC FRONT (MODERATE): 16 seats

The composition of the National Directorate is as follows:

PARTY OF LABOR: 5 seats
SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY: 5 seats
LIBERAL PARTY: 3 seats
AGRARIAN UNION: 4 seats
PATRIOTIC FRONT (MODERATE): 1 seat
NON-PARTISAN: 1 seat

Vistek Rikkalek was elected the Chairman of the National Directorate, and continues, de facto, as head of state and of government; he is the only non-partisan member of the National Directorate.

The election was characterized by concern over how future society and politics in Istkalen would work.

Kalju Ilves, who led the Social Democratic Party after the removal of Milrakas Ikoszer from the party leadership, is considered to be responsible for its great success. Himself a victim of persecution by the "war-government," he recovered the party's reputation while offering a return to past stability, politically and culturally, combined with a relatively progressive cultural platform, while also entering something of an alliance with the Agrarian Union.

The Agrarian Union itself, while performing relatively well considering that it had not been a registered party until but a few weeks before the election due to its dissolution in mid-December, may have underperformed. While offering a strong platform for Istkaleners concerned about perceieved foreign encroachment in the country's affairs, whether cultural, poltiical, or economic, it only recently recovered from a period of unstable leadership; in September, the party had expected Ilmaras Kalessed to return to her post as head of the party, her later resignation to pursue the role of Internal Affairs Commissioner sending it into convulsions. While new leader Ursula Korhonen is considered to be more "authentic," in terms of having more genuine roots among (Kitetois) farmers, as well as perhaps somewhat better of a speaker, she has as of yet been unable been able to recover the party's former popularity.

While the Party of Labor performed strongly among industrial, labor, and professional groupings, its support for economic and political centralization appears to have lost it a significant number of votes. The party is also devoid of the strong leadership that it had under Elspeth Arkalis, General Secretary of the party from 1984 to her death in early 2021; the person who most expected to be Arkalis's successor, Iras Tilkanas, is now European Councillor, and the party does not really have many other well-known figures.

The Liberal Party profited from the collapse of the Progress Party and The Center, which were unable to function because of the new electoral law, but was unable to gain a significant voter base outside of financial and professional circles. It is devoid of any strong leadership, or for that matter any one leader, and is unlikely to expand beyond its current voters.

The Patriotic Front (Moderate), led by Susanne Cronenberg, split from the old Patriotic Front, received most of its votes from conservative members of the German and Turkish communities in Istkalen, but also capitalized off of a hardline nationalist program which called for rapid militarization to "protect the nation against its enemies which surround it."

With nationalists having a narrow majority in the chamber (Social Democrats + Agrarian Union + Patriotic Front), the country is expected to begin renegotiating certain treaties, especially one involving free trade in electronics with the Kingdom of Spain; however, while they have expressed "discomfort" with the recently ratified Diem Accords with the Empire of Inimicus, they have stated that they are "a necessary sacrifice," and that the accords will be upheld in their entirety. Negotiations in Kirelesile to develop an aid and financial framework for states outside the "center of power" in the Union are expected to begin again as well.

The newly elected Chairman first gave an address to the nation discussing the policies that would be undertaken by the new National Directorate - mostly continued democratization and debureaucratification combined with a committment to national culture and existing modes of industrial organization, speaking of this in the context of a "democratic and social republic of labor," and stated that the government would eventually elaborate on a "common program" for the reconstruction of the country. He signaled, however, a partial retreat from politics, in which he would merely seek to act as a figure to unite and mediate between the various political groups in the National Assembly and National Directorate, while at the same time attempting to act as a moderating force in order to prevent the same swerves in policy that characterized the period of the occupation.

The newly created Committee of Foreign Affairs sought to reassure the outside world over the results of the elections, particularly the plurality of the Social Democratic Party, by stating that the two parties "were unrelated in policy" and that "the new Social Democratic Party, whose chairman is Kalju Ilves - who was imprisoned by the 'war-government' - is a social democratic party on the Western model."

The elections are a demonstration of a continued turn away from Heltois dominance. Most of the parliamentary parties, with the exception of the Party of Labor, have as their heads members of other 'nationalities' in the country - the Kitetois, the Irdetois, the Germans, and the Turks; at the same time, for the first time, the Heltois no longer form a majority of either the executive or the legislative power, with changes expected in the coming days for the judiciary, council of examination, and Censorate.

The National Assembly and National Directory will meet for the first time on the 10th, where it is expected thatmeasures will be proposed democratizing parties, expanding language education, and instituting instant recall for all elected positions in Istkalen.

[Istkalen]

Nation: Bizarre statements by Creusenberg result in defections, election of Virejane (Democratic Movement) as Director of Religious Affairs

-|
Susanne Cruesenberg

Susanne Creusenberg, leader of the Patriotic Front (Moderate), espoused conspiracy theories during the first session of the second National Assembly under the 2015 constitution, later calling for "moderate and diplomatic violence" against various groups that she dislikes, including leftists and homosexuals, which she accused of being "Vardic and Reitzmic plants alien to the moral and conservative basis of our nation."

"We are a strong nation," she said, "a nation which lives according to the laws set by tradition. We have not been corrupted by the ways of others; we have always stayed true to our own morality. During the occupation, subversive ideas were planted, ideas of rebellion against what has served us so well. Vardic and Reitzmic plants are everywhere, spreading their immoral activities as to corrupt us and bring our downfall."

"We must purge out nation of decadence," she continued. "We must purge it of those who believe in corrupting change, of those who engage in corrupting change. Of the leftists, of the feminists, of the homosexuals, of all of these subversive elements, plants of the serpents and wolves of Reitzmag and Vayinaod."

"However, I am not a believer in wanton violence and criminality," she said. "We must do all by the book, in a measured way. I call for moderate and diplomatic violence in this purge. The spirit of compromise, the spirit of tolerance; they must reign even here. Therefore we maintain in our nation a state of law and order, a stable but controlled state."

Ms. Cruesenberg's statements were universally unpopular. Many within the Patriotic Front (Moderate) claimed that she was "too secular" and had not gone far enough, most notably Mollet Afierme-Kendek, one of the founders of the party itself.

"Ms. Cruesenberg has forgotten God," he said in a statement delivered today. "She forgets that we all live by the laws of God. I do not endorse the cruelty of the Patriotic Front, but all the same I recognize that their core principles are true and must be upheld. There must be a purge, as Ms. Cruesenberg has suggested, a diplomatic purge; but it must be a religious purge, a purge of God, motivated by the Holy Spirit, to remove from this nation all that is not in favor of God. The principles of the party must be upheld. We are for God, we are for moral standards, all the same rejecting excess for moderation and compromise."

More secular members of the party, however, particularly representatives of less ideologized Turkish and German religious associations and assemblies, rejected Ms. Cruesenberg. Four representatives for religious associations in the National Assembly announced their intention to resign from the party, opting later to join the Democratic Movement of Isteresskemar, similarly right-wing and socially conservative but at the same time not as violent and far from being as religious.

"The Patriotic Front (Moderate)," they wrote in a joint statement, "is neither patriotic, a front, or moderate. It is a cesspit of insane religious leaders, of insane ideals,a cesspit which, like all others, ought to have been condemned to the 19th century. Ms. Cruesenberg, Mr. Afierme-Kendek, and their associates within the Patriotic Front, a group not merely of the insane but of genuine terrorists; they are all zealots who should be barred from politics in any nation that has emerged from the hunter-gatherer state. We stand for modernity and sanity, not this foul religiosity espoused by the Patriotic Front (Moderate)."

"We see Ms. Isteressmekar's Democratic Movement as the party that is genuinely willing to defend the nation and its traditions in a modern age. They are genuinely tolerant and diplomatic, they are genuinely compromising; and they have demonstrated themselves to possess genuine sanity and to be free of the zealotry that characterizes the Patriotic Front (Moderate)," they continued, justifying their decision to defect to that party.

Later that day, the four new deputies of the Democratic Movement announced cooperation with the Liberal Party within the delegation of the Religion Association in order to elect the former Minister of Religious Affairs, Kuseli Virejane, to the office of the Director of Religious Affairs, in order to "protect the freedom of religion in Istkalen in accordance with moderate and secular ideals." Ms. Virejane, a member of the Democratic Movement was thus elected 6-4 by the delegation, denying the Patriotic Front (Moderate) representation within the National Directorate.

This election has assuaged widespread fears of a radical turn towards pro-religion policy with the rule of the Patriotic Front (Moderate) which, while nominally secular, is considered an Arian interest party. Ms. Virejane herself has confirmed that she will continue the secular policy she pursued as Minsiter of Religious Affairs, further dampening these concerns.

[Istkalen]

Republic: The Social Democrats and Agrarian Union gain a majority

On Monday, Dr. Grete Reiner, the General Secretary of the Party of Labor, threatened to expel members of the party who did not conform to her own interpretation and proposed implementation of Marxist ideology in Istkalen, which included arguments for the necessity of mass nationalizations and the establishment of a socialist state on the "model of such states as the former UNSR and the former Czechoslovakia."

The three leaders of the Liberal Party, on the same day, voted unanimously to adopt a laissez-faire platform which argued for the immediate opening of Istkalen to the international market, the reduction of taxes to zero, and the removal of virtually all regulations on business.

Such positions, deeply unpopular in an Istkalen where the preservation of the independence of farmers, shopkeepers, and drove dozens of their members away from their parties and towards the Social Democratic Party and Agrarian Union, sister "social democratic" parties on the center-left which both find their roots in labor-union movements, of the 30s and 70s respectively.

The defections are as follows:

• all 10 representatives of merchants and shopkeepers (previously members of the Liberal Party) defected to the Agrarian Union
• all 10 representatives of the sciences (previously members of the Communist Party) defected to the Social Democratic Party
• all 10 representatives of medicine (previously members of the Communist Party) defected to the Social Democratic Party
• all 10 representatives of the liberal professions (previously members of the Liberal Party) defected to the Agrarian Union
• 4 representatives of artists and writers (previously members of the Communist Party) defected to the Social Democratic Party
• 4 representatives of workers in the home (previously members of the Communist Party) defected to the Agrarian Union

This increases the representation of the Social Democratic Party to 75 members in the National Assembly and of the Agrarian Union to 63. It further gave them control of a further 4 directors in the National Directorate, for a total of 13, and gives them 71% of seats in the National Assembly, roughly equivalent to the amount of votes they had received in the actual general election. The Party of Labor now holds only 13 seats in the National Assembly, and the Liberals 13.

These mass defections signal a movement towards a greater conservatism in Istkalenic politics. The two "social-democratic" parties are in reality the parties most in favor of the present status quo; that is, the present distribution of land and property, as well as present norms of industrial organization. Their only radical position is of democratization, which is regardless supported by virtually everyone except the religious extremists and various bureaucrats.

They also signify a detatchment from the party. Most of the defections occurred on the line of occupation, implying that party identity is now affiiliated with occupation; at the same time, the readiness of representatives to defect is in itself a sign that there is no longer strong attachment to a party. This is likely a result of the recently passed electoral law which established open primaries, significantly reducing party-discipline and moving more candidates towards the "center" of Istkalenic politics - that is, the Social Democrats and Agrarians.

Defections are likely to continue as moderate representatives flee these increasingly extreme parties.

[Istkalen]

The National Times: Social Democrats and Agrarians commit to proportional representation

The Social Democrats and Agrarians are now openly in favor of a form of proportional representation on a consociational model. While in support of the retention of the workers' associations alongside, as organs to defend the interests of various occupations against the state, as well as to serve as executive bodies in place of bureaucracies, they insist that the current system suppresses the voices of the Kitetois and the Irdetois; the Kitetois, for example, make up 41% of the population but have in the current parliament only 22% of seats due to the method of election. However, it is widely believed that the move has to do with the fact that the parties together won roughly 75% of the vote, or, counting votes for defecting deputies and other members of committees within the workers' associations, over 90% of the vote, but held 50% at first and now only 71% of all seats; proportional representation in a parliament would thus significantly gain them power and influence in the parliament.

Their proposal is to delegate power from the National Assembly and lower bodies power to new institutions - people's committees and at the national level another "National Assembly," which will have 500 seats; 205 elected by the Kitetois, 165 by the Irdetois; 50 by the Germans; 50 by the Turks; 20 by the Heltois; and 10 by "others;" that is, everyone else, according to open-list proportional representation, with the system of open primaries being maintained. There will be a 10% barrier, in order to prevent "nuisance parties" from entering the new National Assembly.

Their proposal is opposed by the Party of Labor, which supports proportional representation without "ethnic quotas," as it terms this system; the Liberals, on the other hand, are equally divided. The Democratic Movement is opposed, as they are supportive of the current system; the Patriotic Front (Moderate) will abstain, as they are opposed to all forms of democracy. The newly formed syndicalist faction of the Social Democrats, formed of eight defectors from the Party of Labor, however, has somewhat uncharacteristically declared support, arguing that only economic governance should be in the hands of the workers' associations. In spite of this opposition, the proposal is exceedingly likely to pass, as the two parties together hold a supermajority in the National Assembly.

The proposal is a significant deviation from the past, where the true social democratic movement, not the nationalist movement of the 2000s, in Istkalen was strongly influenced by the belief that political power should be transferred to trade unions in order to protect the interests of farmers and workers, in all likelihood because of how it has "turned out." The current system has shown little difference in practice from a parliamentary system; the interests of those that trade unionism would protect are actually being "suffocated" by the inflated representation of several other groups, to the extent that it is now believed that a parliamentary system would actually represent them better, given that they make up over 70% of the population.

To be clear, there is no support for abolishing the system of workers' associations as a whole - they are still viewed, as independent organizations, as conserving the interests that they are meant to conserve. Outside of the National Assembly, they have continued to play genuinely useful roles in regulating property and business interactions in order to preserve the traditional state of the Istkalenic economy. It is only their representative who continuously overrule each other and who continuously undermine the interests of each other in the National Assembly, and thus, in the eyes of the public, those representatives who must be replaced.

The system, however, would further solidify the nascent dominance of the Social Democratic-Agrarian alliance. Mass defections have given them near total dominance in most local governments and workers' associations; introducing proportional representation and non-occupationally based forms of representation on the local level, as well as excluding the vast majority of other parties by means of a high barrier to entry into parliament, would virtually give them a total monopoly on all political power. Combined with their further attempts to establish social hegemony through media, the establishment of mass organizations for youth and women, and their creation of public spaces and holding of performances, largely through the pre-existing institutions of both parties, they seem likely to be able to rapidly establish a state of their own in Istkalen.

[Istkalen]

Nation: Communists, liberals, et al placed under investigation for "acts tantamount to treason" by the Censorate

Following the passage of a controversial motion to require trade in cobalt to be conducted in the ketsel, sponsored by communist and liberal members of the National Directorate, in addition to the sole representative of the Democratic Movement on the DIrectorate, the Censorate of Istkalen immediately voted to:

• render null the motion
• suspend the positions of the sponsoring members
• begin an investigation into these members and the parties to which they belong

Such a motion had been a major election goal of the Party of Labor, although not the liberals; they insisted that it would "bring economic independence" to Istkalen, as well as "free miners from the shackle of capital," slowing their decline under the leadership of Dr. Grete Reiner, a hardline Marxist-Leninist whose views have widely been seen as "out of touch with the prevailing conditions in Istkalen," as Councillor Iras Tilkanas, previously a major member of the communist movement in Istkalen, put it.

It was, however, until now, believed that they would not go through it. Due to the system of open primaries, most elected candidates were relatively moderate, belonging to the syndicalist or reformist wings of the party; upon their mass defection, led by Eliise Raadik of the syndicalists and Makketis Ikalsser of the reformists, to the Social Democrats and Agrarians, however, the party was only left with its most hardline members, leaving it free to pursue the most extreme of its policies.

The liberals, again, were not expected to have championed such an act. They had campaigned in favor of rapid liberalization and free trade, not such clearly nationalist policies. Their support is thus believed to have stemmed from an extreme populism, borne out of the rapid decline of the party. Seeking, perhaps, to reconvince voters and members who had "jumped off the ship" after the official adoption of libertarian principles, they sought to invoke the rhetoric of radical nationalism, as many before them, from the Grand National Movement of the 2000s to the disgraced Empress Kales of the early 1900s did, to cover up the incompatability of their ideology with the state of modern Istkalen.

The decision of the Democratic Movement was expected. Always a nationalist movement, they had previously championed extraordinary policies, including an invasion of Reitzmag and Vayinaod in order to "protect the nation from its sworn enemies;" they could not be expected to support reason in any circumstances if their imagined "interests of the nation," really the interests of a nation existing only in their shattered minds.

The motion, however, passed unanimously, in spite of the opposition of the appointed "secretaries" who manage the "secretariats" of the Directorate, as well as Chairman Rikkalek himself, who does not have a vote on the DIrectorate. This was due, apparently to a bizarre form of corruption regarding favors of a nature which cannot be disclosed due to obscenity laws regulating print. The Censorate is considering punishments for those other members, but they are unlikely to be as severe as those for those who initiated the act.

The associations credited with introduction of the act have distanced them from them, claiming that they were "the complete product of the imagination of deranged individuals who masqueraded as genuine representatives, who fooled even we in their twisted act." However, they too will be subject of an investigation by the Censorate.

The greater parties, again, are also being investigated. It is almost certain that their leadership played a key role in drafting the motion in question, and thus is directly involved in the illegal act.

If found guilty by the Censorate, the individuals involved will be sentenced to at least 5 years of prison, as prescribed by the law, and be prohibited from public office from that point onwards. Community service is also likely to be prescribed as a punishment. The parties will be permanently dissolved and their assets seized by the state.

[Istkalen]

NATIONAL BROADCASTING SERVICE: DECLARATION OF THE HELÉTEK, VISTEK RIKKALEK

Dear comrades!

At 08:00 today, members of the Liberal Party and Party of Labor, joined with members of the Meinl-Reisinger clique and led by the former Prime Minister Kaisa Malk, attempted to seize control of the state from the elected authorities. Supported by large swathes of the Kirelesile police, they began an assault on the state institutions. Assassins were sent out to murder the highest officials of state and civil society, in an effort to supplant both with a new, colonialist order of their own devising.

The state and our democracy have survived their attack. Ms. Malk and her co-conspirators are now in prison, awaiting trial for their crimes against the people. The elected authorities have met again, in defiance of the designs of this clique.

We survive; government continues as normal. The storm has been weathered.

But the conspirators continue to propose a threat. Within our midst are provocateurs and agents allied to the Malkist anti-democrats, waiting.

Against them, we must defend the Republic. The state and society have been re-organized to defend the Republic. The Democratic Movement, the Social Democratic Party, and the Agrarian Union, including the Independent Workers' Faction of Eliise Raadik, have declared their merger into the Republican Alliance for National Defence, in order to prevent the fall of our democracy to the Malkists. Artists and journalists have aligned themselves with the cause of the Republic; certain controls will be exercised to ensure its defence against the lies of the Malkist provocateurs.

Regimentation, founded upon the concept of solidarity, of the community, has been introduced into the economy in order to prevent manipulation by powerful figures within the ranks of the merchants aligned with this conspiracy and defend the cause of the Republic against them. We will put an end to the prevailing egoism and profiteering that caused the creation of the Malkist conspiracy; we will create an economy predicated on our common republican and solidaristic ideal. The traditions of production will be maintained. The artisan and the market-gardener, the smallholder; their traditions, important to our national character, will be maintained and exalted. They have maintained humanity, quality, and pride in production for centuries; and they will maintain these for centuries more.

The defence of the public has been reorganized. The police cannot be trusted with this task, so corruptible they are. An order has been placed for their dismantling, as was done on the 18th of April when it was clear to the public that they had again failed; their power and tasks will be given to the public, with the resurrection of the old popular militias which defended democracy and the integrity of the nation when both were in crisis.

The national government has been reorganized. The National Directorate remains as it was; but additional powers have been vested in my figure, so that decisive action may be taken for the preservation of the Republic and our national unity. They have voted unanimously to name me as Helétek of the Republic, in accordance with national traditions.

This, the title of Melitek, of Tiraki, after deep consideration and thought, I have accepted.

We thus stand together, united, to defend our republic and our nation against internal rot, and to fulfill our common republican and socialist ideal.

Long live the Republic, long live our Istkalen, long live our independence!

[Istkalen]

Republic: The success of the Democratic Revolution

The National Directorate has, under the leadership of the Helétek, announced that the Democratic Revolution, a nonviolent transformation of social relations in Istkalen which began in early February with the abrogation of the old constitution, has succeded in its initial aims.

The revolution began in order to transition away from past paternalist structures to greater democracy, so as to modernize the country and break radically with old traditions that have kept it in the past. The final, as of yet unaccomplished goal, is to liberate the people of Istkalen from an antiquated societal structure while at the same time strengthening its economy and thus its position abroad, bringing it finally "into the fold" of the developed nations.

When it was initiated in February, the intention was to begin the accomplishment of this lofty goal were the democratization and collectivization of private and workplace life. In the past, Istkaleners were alone in both, with extraordinarily little support and effectively at the mercy of the corrupt bureaucrats, who used their power to manipulate the market and to give to themselves significant positions as merchants and bankers through which they could further manipulate and scam the genuine workers of Istkalen. Such efforts had nominally begun in early December

Democratization and collectivization - collectivization not being necessarily legal but rather the construction of a greater solidarity between independent individuals in order to allow them all to remain prosperous - is now complete. Together as a collective, the workers manage their own basic welfare and their labor through the same integrated organization of common solidarity - the workers' association, the new basis of life in this republican, democratic, and socialist Istkalen.

Within the new collectives, there is no hierarchy, nor control. Each person remains independent, but in solidarity they have duties to the rest of the community - not merely the collecive, for the collective is but an organ through which this duty is directed, but the associations that they compose. Through these duties, through the collectives and associations, the whole of the organization of labor and of industry is accomplished. Clearly, the collectivization and socialism that has been established is one of equality and solidarity, but not one of centralization and bureaucracy as has existed so commonly throughout history; a non-aligned socialism unique to Istkalen.

The creation of the collectives, and thus the transformation of the associations, is perhaps the greatest change the Democratic Revolution has brought. It has transformed almost every aspect of life in Istkalen already, for the better; so too has it seized power from the old authorities and given it directly to the laboring masses.

Its accomplishment thus led to the accomplishment of the second initial goal of the Democratic Revolution - the abolition of the bureaucracy. Under the new system, the bureaucracy has little reason to exist; the people and their elected representatives exercise and execute all power themselves; production and social life is directed by them and by no others. There is thus simply no reason for the bureaucracy to exist; without justification and with its powers taken up directly by the people, it thus collapsed spontaneously, removing from Istkalen a terrible and hegemonic power and paving the way for a thousand years of a free republic.

WIth democratization and the end of bureaucracy, industry and society will be freed. No more will profits and labor be wasted by the evil; they will now be managed competently and democratically for the benefit of all, therefore allowing for great developments in industry and infrastructure, rather than merely for the construction of ever more useless enterprises serving only to enrich the bureaucrats. Society, too, is freed of the old institutions, supported by the old state, which managed it and oppressed it; it is now managed by those who live in it completely, based on the values of the present and striving towards the future, allowing it to pursue ever more rather than remaining in a stagnant state and wishing to regress.

Currently, thus, Istkalen stands in an immediately post-revolutionary state. Social and economic relations have been changed in favor of solidarity and cooperation above corruption, hierarchy, and ruthlessness; so too have they been radically democratized, controlled entirely by decisions of associations and collectives of workers. The old pre-revolutionary institutions have fallen away, and have been replaced completely by those created by the new order. Led by the National Directorate and the Helétek, in defense of the national and popular interest, it will be consolidated in perpetuity, the last remnants of the old society destroyed, and our Istkalen will be free forever.

[Istkalen]

Nation: Collectivization for "republican defense" - but what are the true motivations?

The National Directorate announced plans for a greater collectivization, establishing several "model" social and economic collectives, which operate as units of the association they belong to, but also on the model of collective work and life, rather than the previous ultra-individualism that characterized Istkalen's mode of social and economic relations until recently. These collectives will be gradually expanded; the government intends to complete 'basic' collectivization by the end of the year. Each will be integrated into the greater structure of their corresponding workers' association; that is, they will have few avenues for independent action, but will function as units, albeit democratic units, of their association.

Economic planning will also be introduced. Each workers' association will send delegates to a planning committee, which will work alongside an advisory council of experts appointed jointly by the Secretariats of Finance, Development, and Public Works. Economic plans, on the more "orthodox" socialist model, will be drafted based on the demands of workers through the collectives, and then will be "sent down" again for approval by said workers. However, the market will continue to play a role; plans are solely for production and development rather than for distribution, which will be left to a well-regulated market. The committee, however, will only be created upon the completion of collectivization. According to the National Directorate, this is because "the present state of production is...wholly incompatible with any proposals for rationalization...only after change is made in the direction of national unity and solidarity will such a transformation become fully possible." This planning will not entail any other significant changes in terms of the system of production; it has been stated that "the national character and spirit of production, of the peasant and craftsman, will be maintained as fully as possible."

The advisory council, however, has already been appointed, and has clearly defined its own aims. It will seek to influence a hypothetical future economic plan in the direction of the development of electronics industry, by "prioritizing" domestic trade of minerals such as cobalt and a wide variety of rare earth metals, while at the same time introducing "either subsidies or tariffs" on electronic goods, to be pursued in combination with general policies in favor of general light industrial modernization and the "greening" of industry.

However, there will be significant liberalization of the collectives in a social sense, with state monitoring of them effectively ending, their role in controlling behavior much more limited than were their predecessors. They will play a role solely in the maintenance of living spaces and the provision of basic services and welfare.

The justification for this is "republican defense." According to the National Directorate, the current economic system is irrational and encourages "egoism," which, according to it, "inspires an irrational distribution of goods that damages the sufficiency and stability of the nation." It further claimed that "the current market system is manipulated by malicious actors outside of Istkalen," and thus that the partial introduction of a planned economy "is necessary in order to maintain the sovereignty of the Republic." They also, however, stated that it played a role in "ensuring the creation of a national identity" by "further democratizing and collectivizing life rather than leaving it to the ravages of the individual motivated by selfishness in a system encouraging selfishness."

The reality may be somewhat different.

The government fears a reversion of social values to the ultraconservative pre-occupation norm; Rikkalek himself has openly stated that "we have made hundreds of years of progress in but a few months," and that "what steps we have made must be held; we must continue on ever further in order to maintain the freedom and equality of all." Social collectivization is likely an effort to abolish the regular and hierarchial state controls on social life for a more democratic system, but all the same one that is fully integrated into a nation-wide "collective," discouraging the formation of minor movements that might lead to a restoration of the old order.

More importantly, however, the country's economy has stagnated in comparison to other economies. While growth remains relatively constant, Istkalen has not benefited from the recent regional economic "boom," and has fallen significantly behind in terms both of income and GDP. The leadership of the country, in all likelihood, blames this on the current system of production, which they see as chaotic and disorganized, encouraging the instability that has plagued Istkalen since the occupation. They view, then, the only solution as "rationalization" - collectivization which allows for more efficient cooperation and collective work, and economic planning, which allows for, in their view, a more orderly approach towards national development. This stagnation threatens the position of the government, with the opposition increasingly able to unite around it as a key issue; the government likely feels that if the problem is not solved, it will fall, something which it wants to avoid at all costs.

[Istkalen]

Republic: National Assembly election results

Totals

• Party Mainline- Agrarian socialists, renamed on 2 April "New Agrarians" - 9.661.184 votes, 234 seats (42.64% of votes, 46.8% of seats)
• Faction of Social Democracy - social democrats, "communitarians," and "reform-syndicalists," renamed on 2 April "Social Democrats", renamed on 8.778.548 votes, 213 seats (38.74% of votes, 42.6% of seats)
• Independent Workers' Faction - libertarian socialists, Marxist-Leninists, 2.483.751 votes, 41 seats (10.96% of votes, 8.2% of seats)
• Faction of National Democracy - nationalists, protectionists, irredentists, renamed on 2 April "National Democrats," 1.736.157 votes, 12 seats (7.66% of votes, 2.4% of seats)

TOTAL: 22.659.640 valid votes, 2.942.312 invalid/spoilt votes, 500 seats

Kitetois Seats

• Faction of Social Democracy - 4.534.515 votes, 112 seats
• Party Mainline - 3.778.760 votes, 93 seats
• Faction of National Democracy - 755.751 votes, did not make threshold
• Independent Workers' Faction - 377.874 votes, did not make threshold

Irdetois Seats

• Party Mainline - 4.181.983 votes, 104 seats
• Faction of Social Democracy - 2.433.153 votes, 61 seats
• Independent Workers' Faction - 456.216 votes, did not make threshold
• Faction of National Democracy - 380.180 votes, did not make threshold

German Seats

• Party Mainline - 1.198.143 votes, 27 seats
• Independent Workers' Faction - 691.237 votes, 15 seats
• Faction of Social Democracy - 368.660 votes, 8 seats
• Faction of National Democracy - 46.082 votes, did not make threshold

Turkish Seats

• Faction of Social Democracy - 1.382.475 votes, 32 seats
• Party Mainline - 460.825 votes, 10 seats
• Faction of National Democracy - 368.663 votes, 8 seats
• Independent Workers' Faction - 92.165 votes, did not make threshold

Heltois Seats

• Independent Workers' Faction - 645.154 votes, 16 seats
• Faction of National Democracy - 184.329 votes, 4 seats
• Faction of Social Democracy - 55.298 votes, did not make threshold
• Party Mainline - 36.865 votes, did not make threshold

Others' Seats

• Independent Workers' Faction - 221.195 votes, 10 seats
• Party Mainline - 4.608 votes, did not make threshold
• Faction of Social Democracy - 3.456 votes, did not make threshold
• Faction of National Democracy - 1.152 votes, did not make threshold

[Istkalen]

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[Istkalen]

Nation: Economic reforms passed

The National Assembly recently approved all of the extraordinary measures passed by the Directory (formerly translated as the National Directorate) of the Republic of Istkalen during the period in which it was dissolved, before voting to end its own session, empowering the Directory with legislative powers until its next session, which is one year from now, or when it is deemed necessary either by the Directory or by a majority of members of the National Assembly.

These focused mostly on the rationalization of the economy, which was labeled as a collectivization. The measures did not actually create any significant change in the organization of work, apart from integrating the production of consumer goods into the system of "labor-solidarity," increasing this duty from 30 hours per week (2 hours on Monday-Friday, 10 hours on Saturday to Sunday) to 35 hours per week (7 hours on Monday-Friday, no prescribed work on Saturday-Sunday), while capping the maximum workweek at 38 hours, therefore permitting workers only 3 hours a week to engage in independent, "formal" economic activity (activity pursued within collectives or using collective resources). Previously, the maximum workweek was 84 hours.

Financial pay was also introduced for labor-solidarity, where previously it was reimbursed with access to services and products, although there remain assurances of the continued free provision of the services established by the Kerel government.

More importantly, the workers' associations were reorganized somewhat. Internal divisions within production collectives were established; production collectives were also organized, on a local basis, into more industry-specific "production syndicates," which were then organized into the workers' associations. Several additional workers' associations for industry were also established for the purpose of specialization. The purpose of all of this is simply to better organize production to facilitate economic coordination, decentralization, and planning, as well as to avoid what have been described as "the excesses of the previous system."

Social reforms were surprisingly minimal in nature, and were largely conservative in direction, solidifying the role of the labor-partnership in the system of work, but also removing older restrictions on it dating from the monarchial era, most notably the restriction on opposite-sex partnership, which existed solely because at the time it was passed, almost two centuries ago, the vast majority of people believed that such partnerships would inevitably become personal and inappropriate in nature, as well as because of the presence of a high degree of sex segregation in the workplace and between occupations, which no longer exists.

Approval was also given for the democratization of ordinary life, most importantly for the removal of government "representatives" from housing complexes, as well as for the partial deregulation of the organization of the associations and collectives in which it is organized, which were previously under a high level of state control, accomplished through the merger of these institutions with those of working life.

These reforms have already occurred, and therefore their passage was merely a formality. Yet many of the members of the Directory, including "liberal" members who, while whose ideology should have stopped them from supporting such measures, made statements praising the decision of the National Assembly.

Andres Kask, for example, the leader of the liberal Moderate Tendency of the Social Democrats, proclaimed: "The end of the previous system, defined by corvee and wage slavery, has finally come. Under a socialism of our style, working conditions, democracy, and production are greatly increased for the common prosperity of all. The last of the influence of the comprador regime has been swept away, and the people are truly liberated under a truly democratic system of life and of government."

[Istkalen]

Republic: Crisis over socialization

The project of socialization has been met with intense resistance from the population, and has not been enforced to a significant degree. The collectives and "production syndicates" that the Second Act on Socialization wills into existence have not yet been created; in effect the economy continues to function according to the system created by the first law on socialization from February, which the government had hitherto sought to implement since late November. The sole implemented provisions were the creation of additional workers' associations and the establishment of the Central Planning Board.

With over a month having gone by without any discernable progress, the Directory ordered representatives of the workers' associations, tasked with the implementation of the act, to appear before them for questioning as to why several of the most integral provisions of the Second Act on Socialization had not yet gone into actual effect. No representatives ever arrived to speak; the Directory then attempted to convince a number of legal authorities in Kirelesile to order their arrest, all of which refused, before turning to the Helétek, who would refuse before making an address to the public.

"Comrades," he said, "the cliques of old are trying again to seize power, to stop their elimination by the progressive forces of our nation, to stop our inexorable progress towards a true and full democracy and socialism of our style. Our common goal remains unchanged - to establish in Istkalen a government of workers' associations, against the bureaucracy and the old politicians, against the political establishment. They tremble in their boots at our determination, at our every success, and at every turn they try to subvert our movement for their own causes."

"The ongoing socialization was a national and democratic movement of the workers that was threatened by these reactionary forces. I do not want to admit this, I wish I did not have to say this, I wish I and the revolutionary forces in our government were not so weak - but we failed to protect our Democratic Revolution. We feared that they would destroy what we had accomplished, and therefore we compromised."

"But we see, now, that they have no power anymore. They tried with Ms. Malk's 'uprising,' and exhausted their forces. We have nothing to fear, no excuse, in the face of your determination, your unity, behind the Democratic Revolution. There will be no compromise from now on..."

The workers' associations used Rikkalek's speech as an opportunity to call for a constituent assembly, which they argue is overdue.

"The Helétek has made his position clear. Power must be transferred to the institutions established by the people," said Makketis Ikalsser, a dissident member of the Independent Workers' Faction and director of the Cultural Association who has since founded the new faction the "New Syndicalists." "There can be no waiting," he continued. "A constituent assembly must be held immediately so that democracy can quickly be established in our Istkalen."

They further underlined their opposition to the Second Act on Socialization. Ursula Korhonen, the director of the Agricultural Association, said that "there is no support for the law among the farmers of our country...it does not protect them, it only takes away, giving power to those we sought to remove. There is no issue with the socialization of the land, nor with the labor-duties; the issue is with the concept of the collectivization itself. We want to protect the sacred independence of the farmer, and we see this as taking away from that."

Similar sentiments were echoed by most other directors. However, all of the directors, as well as Rikkalek himself, have made it clear that they are not calling for an overthrow of the government; merely for legal reforms.

"The ongoing revolution is a social revolution, not political," said Kalju Ilves, the director of the Association of Engineers. "It can be accomplished through peaceful reform alone. What we call for is merely for a speeding up of the reform progress; the 'compromise' of the Second Act on Socialization clearly shows that we clearly can't afford to keep the remaining elements of aristocracy in our government. We can't be forced to adopt these deeply unpopular motions, to support them in public, anymore. Democratic change must happen immediately."

The speech was opposed by several on the left and the right.

"This is an act against the proletariat!" shouted Grete Reiner, the leader of the Independent Workers' Faction, earlier today. "This is a crime! Even this tiny step is rejected by the government of compradors! Look at it, comrades! Look at the futility of reform! The leader that the stupid uphold is a reactionary idiot who must be hanged!"

Ilest Kerel, who leads the Unity faction of the National Democrats, criticized the speech on very different lines.

"We need to have a government and economy managed by the competent," he said. "In the West, idiots can run the economy into the ground so long as they are convincing; if we were to reject this reform it would be the same here. The point of socialization is to allow the economy to come under the rational and scientific management of the best in a way that remains open to the input of the people. Rikkalek isn't unintelligent, he knows better, he knows what is needed to rule the country, I will concede that, but calls are completely populist in nature. They may sound good, but they are not the best path forwards for the country."

The National Assembly will likely convene again, beginning next week, to discuss the Act and other reforms.

[Istkalen]

Nation: Controversy over land measures

The retreat from socialization, led by Vistek Rikkalek and his new government, has been ongoing for a month. Alongside measures to phase out coal production and decrease fertilizer usage, the government has sought to return to the pre-war economy. A process of "desocialization" has begun, with land "returning" to private management, although not private ownership, and the craft and light industrial collectives being dismantled. The welfare state has been re-expanded, with most essentials now being provided through a network of public canteens, libraries, and central "stores" from which goods may be borrowed, without charge; there has been a corresponding drop in pay. However, these meaures have been complemented with a series of environmental measures, most controversially the creation of "land value taxes" levied on land users, which have the official purpose of aiding land restoration and reforestation efforts. There has also been, unusually, a direct nationalization of heavy industry, as well as non-urban land.

"Istkalen needs a constant and sustainable supply of agricultural and industrial goods," said Minister of Public Distribution Yasemin Demirkol, upon the announcement of the nationalizations. "Desocialization and nationalization of major agricultural and heavy-industrial enterprises is absolutely necessary to ensure this; the old, collective and democratic system caused serious inefficiencies resulting in economic disruption."

"We want a sustainable, liveable Istkalen, for us and for our children," said Minister of Environmental Protection Andres Kask on 1 July in defense of the tax. "We want to preserve the beauty of our country, its natural wealth. The new tax ensures that we have the funding necessary to ensure the continued richness and quality of the soil, to protect it from exhaustion and degradation."

The measures enjoy virtually no support among farmers; recent polling showed that 98% were opposed to nationalization and 96% to the tax.

"It's our land," said a man who wished to otherwise remain anonymous. "They can't just take it away and expect us to pay for it. It's an injustice, that's what it is!"

Such sentiments have been reflected by many a farmer.

In response, the socialist New Agrarians and conservative Christian Democrats (formerly the Patriotic Front - Moderate), launched a joint campaign demanding the end of the taxes and mass public consultations through which land would be returned from the state to either the farmers' associations - the preference of the Agrarian Union - or individuals - the preference of the Christian Democrats.

"The government has clearly identified, above all, the farmer as its enemy. It has assaulted his rights in a spectacular manner, took from him his livelihood and, insultingly, mockingly, forced him to pay for it all. This state of affairs is absolutely unacceptable. The farmer must have the right to his land, and the profit it brings him," said leader of the New Agrarians Ursula Korhonen at a rally. "We demand an immediate end to the land tax, and the return of land to the Farmers' Association and to those smallholders who were victimized by this crminal action."

Korhonen went on to call on farmers to rebel and to, in her own words, "turn the Government House into ash." She is currently leading a large convoy of several thousand on a march to Kirelesile.

"We view the land as almost sacred," said co-leader of the Christian Democrats Suzanne Cronenberg. "As a gift from God, for us to care for and steward. The state merely views it as something to wring as much value from as is possible, and even then perhaps also as a means of control - it is no coincidence, we believe, that the nationalized land is held almost entirely by we Germans of the Christian faith. Return the land to the farmers, we say! It is they who know, who have known, how to use it, how to sustain it, for so many hundreds of years; they who should and must be trusted with our common inheritance, above the ignorant and controlling state."

Cronenberg is now allegedly putting pressure on the so-called Pope Tabitha, whom she has close connections with, to threaten the government of Istkalen it if does not concede.

The Prime Minister is expected to make a statement later today.

The protests are at least partially spurred by ethnic concerns. In the 1960s, control over German-held land was transferred from religious elites based in the countryside to secular authorities in the cities, eventually establishing quasi-colonial relations between the two. Since then, particularly after the industrialization of the short communist era, ethnic Germans have increasingly become an under-class, providing cheap agricultural and industrial labor and goods and denied the same rights as ordinary citizens. The era of social democracy brought significant respite; but with the re-entry of conservatives into government there has been a return to past relations, and therefore the beginning of renewed conflict. Members of the right-wing Progressives in government want again to subjugate, to ensure a supply of cheap goods for export; the German interest Christian Democrats and the farmers' interest New Agrarians again want to fight for what they see as the civil rights of their constituents against a seemingly racist state.