Parliament of The State of Elthize

work in progress

The Parliament of The State of Elthize is the legislative branch of Elthize. It consists of two branches: The Senate and the National Assembly.

Unlike most bicameral legislatures, where the lower house has more legislative power than the upper house, The Senate of Elthize holds considerable power over the National Assembly. A bill approved by the National Assembly must also be approved by the Senate, while the Senate does not need approval from the National Assembly to pass bills. Lastly, the Senate has the power to override the President's veto of any legislation. An override must be approved by more than two-thirds of the Senate to be successful.

The National Assembly was established following the country's independence, while the Senate was established in 1988 by a referendum initiated by Former President Benny Kalzer, with the purpose of "weakening populism, strengthening Elthic democracy and preventing radical changes that may be unpopular with the Elthic people".

As a result, getting into the Senate is far more difficult than getting into the National Assembly: you must be at least 25 years old to be a senator, whereas you could become a member of the assembly at the age of 18. To be a senator, you must be a university graduate with prior political experience, while neither is required to be a member of the assembly. The Senate has a hundred seats and the National Assembly has two hundred and fifty seats.

During parliamentary elections, voters vote for the party they support. The number of votes received in the election directly translates to the percentage of seats won by a party in parliament. Political parties are allowed to pick anybody for the seats as long as they meet the criteria, and different political parties use different ways of assigning seats.

The allocation of independent seats is managed by the Independent Parliament Commission (IPC). The IPC organises caucuses to allow people to choose their own candidates. Because of the parallels in how it operates, it is sometimes regarded as a political party in its own right. However, it is illegal for the commission to support any political ideologies or engage in favouritism when choosing candidates.

Current parliament of Elthize (Grimwald III)

The current parliament of Elthize was elected between April 1 and April 8, 2022, and started its tenure on June 1, 2022.

Current Senate of Elthize (Grimwald III)

Current National Assembly of Elthize (Grimwald III)

Elthize now meets requirements to join the EMUzone, says Minister of Finance

by Frances Irving - September 9, 2022

El Castillo de San Carlos in Finisterre, Spain, where the Treaty of Finisterre was signed in October 2020. (image credit)

Elthics received wonderful news this morning when Finance Minister Tobias Walters announced that Elthize has fulfilled all of the requirements to become a signatory to the Treaty of Finisterre, meaning that the country can now join the EMUzone. He further stated: "We are now confident that our nation will enter the EMUzone well before President Greenwich Grimwald's deadline of January 2024."

The EMU, an acronym for European Monetary Unit, is a currency that was established with the Treaty of Finisterre in October 2020. The signatories are Spain, Inquista, Vayinaod, Fremet, Montenbourg, the United Dominions of Icholasen and Leagio, which was previously an observer state that joined the treaty in April this year. The agreement focuses on the economic cooperation between European states and was a breakthrough moment in economic integration within the European Union.

The use of the EMU within Elthize has been a discussion topic since January 2021, when President Greenwich Grimwald said that Elthize would use a "special circulation status" with the EMU, accepting the currency alongside the florin. Grimwald claimed that this move would improve tourism in Elthize, which is a prominent sector in our economy. The move was approved by the parliament, despite some opposition regarding the move's reality.

Since then, the EMU has been considered a de facto legal tender in Elthize. While the EMU is not the currency of Elthize by law, many shops and stores accept the currency alongside the florin. It is observed that many Elthics are ready for an eventual transition to the EMU. The process is also approved by many: According to the Polling Institute of Elthize (PIE), a survey conducted on the EMU in April 2022 found that 56% of those interviewed agreed that the implementation of EMU would be beneficial to their lives. This number is expected to be higher today, as Elthize gets one step closer to adopting a common monetary unit.

It was expected that President Greenwich Grimwald would announce an exact date for the transition from the florin to the EMU in the coming days, though this is uncertain now, due to Grimwald's current recovery from a very recent assassination attempt. He still has not made a statement regarding that incident.

Elthize ([ɛlfiːz], EL-fees, Elfiz: Eltiki [ɛltʰik̟ʰi]), officially The State of Elthize (Elfiz: Plata Eltiki) is a country located in Northern Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Yosai to the north and Leagio to the east and south. With a population of around 4,2 million, Elthize is one of the least populated countries in the European Union. Elthize's largest city is St. Lucas and the capital city is Forecoaster, located near the country's centre. Around three-quarters of the population lives south of Forecoaster, and 90% of the population lives less than fifty kilometres away from the coast. The common language in Elthize is English, though it isn't the country's official language.

Modern-day Elthize was founded in 1828 by British trade companies who settled on the shores of southern Elthize, where the Kingdom of Elfiz resided. The Montgomery Territory is often considered to be the precursor to the modern-day country. By the 1860s, Montgomery had grown into a great trading hub, outperforming the kingdom itself. This angered the kingdom, resulting in a war in 1870. The war was decisively won by Montgomery four years later, and as a result, the Kingdom of Elfiz had fallen, with its lands annexed.

The annexation made way for the formation of the Commonwealth of Elthize. The commonwealth often displaced indigenous people away from the coast, and slavery was prevalent. After The Leagioan Independence War in 1896, most colonial politicians and the British elite in Leagio escaped to Elthize. In 1909, Elthize was annexed by the British government and granted dominion status. By the late 1920s, with the support of an independent Leagio, the Elthic independence movement grew in support. In May 1937, the country became independent from the United Kingdom, forming the First Republic, though this independence was interrupted as the fascist Yosainese regime annexed Elthize in 1954. In 1968, Elthize became independent once again, forming the Second Republic.

Elthize is a liberal democratic country that enjoys high levels of personal and economic freedom, low tax rates, and a market economy, with the largest industries being resource extraction, service industry and tourism. It also has the highest economic inequality rate in the European Union, above-average crime rates and high levels of environmental pollution. It became a member of the European Union in April 2022.

2022 Elections: A fine day for Grimwald and his friends. For others? Not so much.

by Janice Kyou - April 14, 2022

Image: Greenwich Grimwald speaking to the public in his election campaign, February 24th, Hunnicutt. (original source)

The election season commenced in Elthize, with millions going to the polls to vote for candidates and parties. Held between April 1st to April 8th, the elections saw nonsignificant, but not unnotable changes for President Greenwich Grimwald, incumbent since July 2014, and the ruling coalition. One would probably think there would be more grand changes across the board, as this election season was easily the most heated and controversial in a very long time, with intense debates about the country's ascension to the European Union, its internal affairs, and its adoption of the EMU, short for European Monetary Unit, a common currency for various nations across the European Union.

The incumbent president Greenwich Grimwald, his party The Third Option and the other two parties of the ruling coalition, New Democracy and The Nationals, the latter of which changed their name from Liberal Democrats in September 2019, fully supported the Elthic ascension to the European Union. President Grimwald claimed that the country "has nothing to lose and everything to gain with joining the EU". He also created the temporary position of Ministry of Membership to the European Union, which is expected to be abolished by the end of June at the latest.

The Labour Party and The Greens remained neutral, instead proposing a nationwide referendum to decide on EU membership, while For The People, Future Together / Socialist Alliance and the communist party Crimson opposed membership. The isolationist far-right party For The People stated that the European Union would destroy the Elthic economy and "put Elthic society into unstoppable decay", while FT-SA and Crimson opposed the EU as a principle for their anti-neoliberal stance.

Regardless, Elthize’s membership in the European Union was confirmed on April 14th. Following the European Accountable Council Act, the first-ever councillor elections were done on April 18th, with Liam Zachary, candidate of The Third Option and New Democracy and the third Minister of Membership to the European Union, winning the election with 35,9% of the vote. Nolan Brunson of the Labour Party and The Greens came second with 30,1% of the vote. Independent candidates Tara Dianne and Alexander Clarke came third and fourth, getting 10,3% and 9,4% of the vote respectively. National candidate Devon Albert came fifth with 8,5% of the vote, while Leon den Hollander, the joint candidate of FT-SA and Crimson came sixth with 3,3% of the vote.

Taxation was another heated topic this election season. The Labour Party, The Greens, FT-SA and Crimson rallied for a progressive tax rate, something which Grimwald heavily opposed. However, the coalition didn't completely back Grimwald this time, with The Nationals supporting the idea and New Democracy opposing it. This is possibly the reason why inside the coalition there was a shuffle in seat count between the two parties: The Nationals won ten seats at the National Assembly and four seats in the Senate, while New Democracy lost ten seats at the National Assembly. While New Democracy didn't lose any seats in the Senate, The Third Option lost three seats there, possibly also connected to this issue. The People also opposed progressive tax rates and asked to join the ruling coalition, something Grimwald didn't accept.

The adoption of the EMU was a large issue, too. On January 1, 2021, President Grimwald announced that he would make EMU legal tender alongside the florin, obtaining a “shared circulation status” by the Treaty of Finisterre. Grimwald stated that this move was made to improve relations and trade with Leagio, however, its legality has been questioned by the opposition. Recent polls show that around a quarter of Elthize opposes the adoption of EMU, about a third, supports its adoption, while the rest either did not know or refused to answer. Regardless, many businesses in Elthize accept the EMU today.

Overall, in legislature elections, the ruling coalition successfully kept their majority, winning a seat in both Senate and the National Assembly.

The Third Option got 29,2% of the vote in the National Assembly elections and 29,9% of the vote in the Senate elections, getting 73 seats in the Assembly and 30 seats in the Senate respectively.

New Democracy got 15,8% and 15,6% of the votes in the legislature elections, which translated to 40 seats in the Assembly and 16 in the Senate. The Nationals, the biggest winners of this election, got 5,9% and 6,1% of the votes, getting 15 assembly seats and 6 senate seats.

The Labour Party lead the opposition front by gaining 25,7% and 20,1% of the votes, getting 63 assembly seats, and losing one, and 21 senate seats. The Greens followed them, getting 9,1% and 7% of the votes, which translated to 23 assembly seats, gaining three, and 7 senate seats.

FT-SA got 4,4% and 3,4% of the votes, they got 11 assemblies and 3 senate seats, losing a senate seat on the way. For the first time in history, Crimson joined the Senate race, stopping their two-decades-long boycott of the institution. They got 1,4% of the vote and one senate seat. In addition, they got 2% of the vote in assembly elections, gaining five seats, two less than in the last election.

The presidency remained in Greenwich Grimwald’s hands, though it was a closer race than he would usually be comfortable with. He got 43,3% of the vote. The main opposition candidate, Matthew François, supported by Labour, The Greens and FT-SA, got 40,3% of the vote. Bernard Lee of For The People got a surprising 7,6% of the vote. Independent candidate Latifah Marques followed with 5,5% of the vote, and the Crimson candidate Alfred Phillips got only 1,3% of the vote.

In general, these elections were an utter disappointment for the opposition, expecting to boot Grimwald out this year, whose popularity had been steadily declining for a few years. Instead, the status quo remained. It is unclear what kind of path the opposition will take next, as it doesn't seem to be united as the ruling coalition.

President Grimwald promises that Elthize will enter the EMUzone before 2024

by Janice Kyou - July 29, 2022

President Greenwich Grimwald and The Spanish Minister Of Social Affairs Barack Obama visiting the El Prado Museum in Madrid, November 2019. (image credit)

In his address to the nation last Tuesday, President Greenwich Grimwald announced that Elthize will switch to EMU no later than January 2024. The EMU, short for European Monetary Unit, is the common currency of six countries: Spain, Inquista, Vayinaod, Fremet, Montenbourg and Leagio. It was introduced in October 2020 after the Treaty of Finisterre, whose talks started three months earlier in July that year. In addition to all countries listed, the exiled free government of Icholasen also signed the treaty. However, the illegitimate communist government currently occupying the country doesn't recognize the said treaty, so no one in Icholasen uses the currency. Regardless, the treaty focuses on economic cooperation between the European nations and was a landmark moment in economical integration within the European Union.

One of the most asked questions leading up to the general election this year was whether or not Elthize would ditch the florin and use EMU as its currency going forward. In January 2021, Grimwald stated that Elthize would use a "special circulation status" with the EMU, accepting the currency alongside the florin. He explained that this move would improve relations with neighbouring Leagio, which is a member of the EMUzone. Grimwald also claimed that the move would improve tourism, a large sector of the Elthic economy. The move was approved by both houses of the parliament, the National Assembly and the Senate, and was approved by Grimwald himself in February of that year. While some MPs in the opposition questioned the action's legality, not much came of it, and while it is not technically the official currency of Elthize, many stores in Elthize accept the EMU today.

And it doesn't seem like President Grimwald is going to back down from embracing the EMU any time soon. In fact, in his latest address to the nation on July 26th, he made a promise: "I will make sure that Elthize meets the requirements and becomes a signatory of the Treaty of Finisterre before January 2024."

He also said: "We have been rejected from joining the treaty because we didn't meet the standards. I disagree. I believe that Elthize is a perfect country. However, my job is not to bicker and whine about it, it is to ensure that Elthic people have more convenient lives. It is also to keep my promises, as I have done in the past eight years as your president. So once again, I promise to put Elthize to EMUzone no later than January 31st, 2024. Mark that date."

This statement comes after the summit with Spain last month, in which Grimwald participated, alongside Minister of Foreign Affairs Oscar Crofton. Crofton stated that the EMU was one of the main discussion topics with the Spanish delegation. He also assured that Spanish President Jesús Aguilar and the rest of the Spanish government looked forward to Elthize joining the EMUzone in the future: "So far, we do not see any blocks in the way of Elthize completely switching to the EMU."

The country being a signatory to the Treaty of Finisterre is supported heavily across the political spectrum. The polls right before the 2022 election showed that only one-third of the country saw Elthize switching from the florin to EMU as a positive change. Today, that number has grown substantially, with 52% of the polled Elthics saying that Elthize switching to the EMU would be beneficial to their lives. 39% of the polled said they didn't mind a currency change, and only 7% of the polled said that the change would be negative for them.

Oscar Crofton says expanding of parliament "inevitable"

Minister of Foreign Affairs reaffirmed his support of expanding both houses for the first time since 2000
August 9, 2022

On his way to a regular cabinet meeting this afternoon, Minister of Foreign Affairs Oscar Crofton spoke with journalists. During the conversation, one of the cameramen mentioned his support for expanding the parliament, and he took advantage of the opportunity to reiterate his support: "It's inevitable. I mean, increasing the size of the parliament is a natural progression of Elthic democracy. As the country grows, so does its legislature. This is a bipartisan idea, I've never seen any opposition to it."

The proposal, which is part of a series of political reforms that will be put to a referendum no later than 2025, would increase the number of seats in the National Assembly from 250 to 300. The number of senate seats, currently 100, would remain unchanged. The amount of the increase was debated in parliament for months until today when President Greenwich Grimwald approved the proposals. If the referendum is successful, this will be the first time that both houses will expand since Former President Gloria Dietrich approved an expansion in 2000, which doubled the size of both houses.

"These reforms' fate will be decided by the Elthic people. They will have a voice in changes like these, as they always have," Grimwald spoke about the upcoming referendum. As stated in the Elthize Constitution and affirmed by the Constitutional Court four times (in 1951, 1971, 1983, and 2006), any changes to the Elthic political system require a referendum.

Other political reforms that Elthics will vote for in this referendum include restoring the position of Prime Minister, which Former President Archie Franklin abolished in 2007, giving the legislature absolute supremacy over all government institutions (also known as parliamentary sovereignty), combining the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court, and limiting the terms of the judges who serve on these courts.

These reforms were first submitted to the National Assembly by New Democracy MA Ronald Lorenzen in November last year. He stated that he had been writing the motion since April 2019, and over time had tweaked the bill thanks to help from other New Democracy MAs.

"I believe that all of these changes are beneficial for the Elthic people," Lorenzen told NET. "We have many cracks and flaws in the system, and while this referendum will not fix all of them, it will be a remedy for a large portion of them. President Grimwald's approval of the motion is appreciated greatly and I am glad he sees my vision of improving Elthize."

Most of these reforms have been viewed positively by the Elthic public and are expected to pass with ease. According to the PIE, more than half of the eligible Elthic voters intend to vote yes on all of the reforms, and more than 70% intend to vote yes on a majority of the reforms. If approved, the reforms will go into effect after the next election, which will happen no later than April 2026.

Elthize's EV debut disappoints Elthic fans, gets eighth place

Wolf Alice's "The Last Man on Earth" gets fifty-nine points at the Trondheim contest
August 17, 2022

Elthize took part in the EuroVoice Song Contest for the first time, an event in the European Union in which countries send a musical entry to represent themselves since it first commenced in 2010. The debut entry, The Last Man on Earth by Wolf Alice, described as a rock ballad about "the arrogance of humans", was announced on May 9th. While the entry had a positive reception in Elthize, it didn't get the result many expected. In the contest, the band performed 9th, preceding Istkalen and succeeding the United Duchies.

The country struggled to stay in the top ten throughout the voting process. Some attribute this to the fact that the song was too serious for the event.

"I mean, we were robbed, but also it's like... We showed up with a three-thousand florin suit on a party where everyone has their pyjamas on, know what I mean?" says Jake, a high schooler from Port Nelson who came to a bar to enjoy the show with his friends. "You kind of have to turn your brain off, like, you need to send songs that don't need brain function. Am I making sense? I'm kind of drunk, sorry," he continued.

"It was way too slow," claimed Enitan, another person at the bar. "I felt like sleeping, honestly. No offence to Wolf Alice but we need to send dance bops, not sad anthems."

Elthize did not get any points from three countries: Nofoaga, Brickston and Czech Slavia, though it did get twelve points from Fremet, the host country, at the last minute. Betty White, the Fremetian spokesperson and one of two hosts of the contest, along with Friedrich Liechtenstein, trended on Elthic Twitter and was showered with praises, with many wishing her a long and happy life.

The Elthic entry also got seven points from Ineland, Spain and the United Kingdom, six points from Reitzmag, five points from Istkalen and Inquista, three points from Yosai and one point from Icholasen.

With "Le reste" by Clara Luciani, Ineland won for the first time, earning 96 points, including twelve from Elthize. Second place went to Istkalen's "Lent" from Autoheart, which got six points from Elthize. Icholasen took third place with "Coffee" by Supersister. To their 76-point total, Elthize contributed seven points. One point behind, Yosai finished fourth and Nofoaga rounded out the top five. Fremet, the host country, ended ninth, tied with Brickston, while Reitzmag finished last, receiving points from only four countries.

Parliament members release joint statement on Gresham v. Elthize

by Frances Irving - August 22, 2022

The Elthic Parliament in Forecoaster. The upper house, the Senate, lives on the left, while the lower house, the National Assembly, lives on the right. (image credit)

The Parliament of Elthize has published a joint statement in response to the controversial Supreme Court decision in Gresham v. Elthize. The Supreme Court concluded that any limitation or censure imposed on The Unitees is unlawful and detrimental to political freedom in the country. Since the 1980s, The Unitees, a political organization that advocates for the unification of Leagio and Elthize, have been barred from having representation in Elthic politics and have endured shame in Elthic society as a result of their unpopular views in Elthize.

The decision was highly controversial, with most Elthics reacting negatively, including President Greenwich Grimwald, who claimed he was "furious and disgusted". In an address to the nation this morning, he called on the parliament to dismiss the ruling entirely.

And the parliament has responded accordingly: The Senate and The National Assembly of Elthize have released a joint statement criticising the court's ruling. The statement has been signed by all parliament members except one, Senator Kristal Albring of New Democracy, who was undergoing critical surgery at the time of the statement's approval in the upper house. According to her children, she also expressed her support.

The statement, written by Senator Mitch Hamilton of The Third Option, reads that the decision made by the Supreme Court is "illogical and dangerous". It further states: "The sovereignty and existence of The State of Elthize cannot be called into dispute under any circumstance. Furthermore, it is unacceptable for people who do so to have a say in our parliament. The Supreme Court should be aware that no Elthic can accept this.”

Meanwhile, protests have emerged in response to the ruling. A ten-thousand-person event called "March for the Republic" began yesterday in Forecoaster. The event is still going on and is fairly calm. Twenty-thousand people attended a similar rally in St. Lucas. It is estimated that 100,000 individuals attended these rallies around the country, accounting for approximately 2.5% of the population. The majority of these meetings are peaceful, with some attended by Elthic police. This has gathered some criticism, as some found it hypocritical of the police, who were noted to intervene harshly in protests against Grimwald’s decision on voting in ECOJ elections alone.

Justice Dayo Mwangi, former judge of the Constitutional Court of Elthize and current judge of the European Court of Justice, stated that she was disappointed in the decision. She noted: “This ruling is also far different from the status quo. In the case of Charlotte v. Elthize, the Supreme Court ruled in 1999 that Dietrich's rules prohibiting unitees were not unlawful. It was the Constitutional Court that demanded the repeal. […] However, I am afraid that the Gresham v. Elthize case will be utilized to undermine the Elthic judiciary. This ruling has severely harmed the public's faith in the court, and our country's leaders are fanning the flames to get a few more votes. Please keep the hysteria at bay, else the country will descend into a political crisis.”

The Constitutional Court to hear the dispute between Parliament and the Supreme Court

• The Supreme Court of Elthize has sued the Parliament of Elthize over dismissing the court's decision on Gresham v. Elthize
• The case will finally be decided on the Constitutional Court of Elthize
• The conclusion of the case will determine whether the judiciary has supremacy over the legislature

Freddie Bonnay - August 24, 2022

The last couple of days has been chaotic in Elthic politics. Most of it is caused by Supreme Court's decision on Gresham v. Elthize, a case opened by Finnegan Gresham against the state. In the statement, The Supreme Court decided that Gresham was unfairly discriminated against over his political opinions and must be compensated by the state. It also determined that the censures and the parliament ban against the unitees were unlawful and unjust. Before the verdict, legislation approved by former president Archie Franklin in July 2005 forbade any support for the unitees in the parliament. Shortly after the decision, President Greenwich Grimwald expressed his negative reactions in a speech, and did something peculiar: He asked the Elthic parliament to dismiss the ruling entirely. The issue is that while the parliament has listened to Grimwald, releasing a joint statement, it is uncertain whether the legislature has this power.

Who weighs more?

Under Elthic law, no branch of government has supremacy over the other. In practice, however, the executive branch, made of the president and his cabinet, holds the most power. So which branch of the government comes after the executive? The truth is that I, the author of this article, have no idea, and this has been one of the most divisive issues in Elthic politics. It has been debated for decades and most experts who weighed in on this issue have long waited for the inevitable: A conflict between the parliament and the courts that cannot be resolved with slick-talk diplomacy or, worse, treacherous bribery.

The Supreme Court's clash with the Parliament is nothing new. In fact, before the early 1970s, these clashes were all but common. But none of these conflicts was as severe as the one we're experiencing today, in Gresham v. Elthize. Elthize has never had a president directly request for a high court judgement to be ignored. But now that it has, we're in for a tussle. So, who can solve this?

Constitutional Court to save the day once more!

Here is something that separates The Supreme Court of Elthize from other high courts in the European Union: It doesn't have permission to refer to the Constitution of Elthize in its verdicts, and cannot declare anything "unconstitutional." It may refer to any other law, including the criminal code, the civil code, and other legislation passed by parliament, but it is strictly prohibited from evaluating by the constitution.

And this is where The Constitutional Court of Elthize enters the conversation: A court formed in 1972 specifically to inspect whether bills, motions and legislations passed by the parliament conflicted with the constitution. While the court is not considered to be higher than the Supreme Court legally, many consider the Constitutional Court to be the strongest in Elthize, as it is the court that has the political power to shift things significantly.

There are many cases in the past where the Constitutional Court played a significant role in Elthic politics, but for this article, here’s a relevant story: In May 1999, Former President Gloria Dietrich passed a law that made any support for unification of Elthize and Leagio illegal. In September of that same year, Eleanor Charlotte, a political activist, challenged the law in the Supreme Court, and the case was titled Charlotte v. Elthize. And the court ruled in favour of the state, citing concerns of national security and threats to sovereignty. Four years later, however, in November 2003, the Constitutional Court struck down the law, citing that it went against the freedom of speech and freedom of ideas provided by the constitution. It was no use, however, as similar bans would be re-instated less than two years later by Former President Archie Franklin, with loopholes written specifically to avoid another nullification. And it worked: In April 2008, the law was challenged once more in the Constitutional Court, which stated that the law was following the constitution.

A decision to be made

The verdicts of the Constitutional Court are often considered permanent, as they rarely change. And this decision is important because it will finally determine who holds power over another. Does the parliament have the power to ignore the judiciary completely, or does it have to go by the court's decision?

But does it matter? Because in a couple of months, Elthize will see itself in a referendum in which Elthics will vote if they want various political reforms. One of the propositions includes the following question: "Do you support giving the Elthic legislature absolute supremacy over all institutions in Elthize, including the executive and judiciary branches of the government?"

If voters say yes, it will override the court's decision. In Elthize, referendums cannot be nullified in any way except through another referendum, which is something explicitly defined in the constitution. This is bad if they rule in favour of the Supreme Court. It will make the courts less powerful, and essentially eradicate their political power. ECOJ Justice Dayo Mwangi, who was in our Constitutional Court for decades, thinks the same: "However, I am afraid that the Gresham v. Elthize case will be utilized to undermine the Elthic judiciary. This ruling has severely harmed the public's faith in the court, and our country's leaders are fanning the flames to get a few more votes."

It is a slippery slope, and Elthics need to be careful. Because deciding that the parliament is stronger than all judiciary will have its consequences. We cannot take our politicians for granted. It takes one populist to make Elthize fail in many ways- and if there's no court to stop them, who will?

Full Nation Name (with link to current flag image): The State of Elthize
Artist: Hiatus Kaiyote (feat. Arthur Verocai)
Song (with link to YouTube): Get Sun
Vote result announcer/s (with image link): Wolf Alice

NET seeks increased funding for the next EuroVoice contest

The state-owned broadcaster says more funding for EuroVoice will boost the country's image. (image credit)

NET requests extra funds from the Elthic government to help it compete in the EuroVoice Song Contest.

Vic Tenson, the president of the National Elthic Television (NET) has announced that the broadcaster is seeking additional funds from the Elthic government to help cover the participation costs of the EuroVoice Song Contest.

Tenson stated that Elthize's participation in EuroVoice will help boost the country's image in the European Union.

"EuroVoice is a great soft power tool, it's not something we should ignore," says Tenson, who is also the head of the Elthic delegation for EuroVoice.

Since its founding in 1979, the NET has seen significant budget cuts, particularly during former president Archie Franklin's rule. Since the late 2000s, NET mostly focuses on broadcasting news, the Elthic Parliament and other aspects of the government.

NET handled Elthize's debut in the contest's last edition, held in Trondheim, Fremet. It was the channel's first attempt at entertainment in fifteen years. The entry, Wolf Alice's "The Last Man on Earth", received a modest yet disappointing eighth place.

"I think we did the best we could, especially with the limited budget we had," says Eleanor Maitland, who worked on staging and costumes of Wolf Alice's performance. "But when you're counting the pennies to not go over budget, there's not much you can do."

The lack of funds affected the viewing quality of the show. The NET broadcast was repeatedly interrupted by advertisements. In addition, the internet broadcast of the event was blocked at NET's request. These actions garnered significant criticism on social media.

Regardless of the issues, NET promises that it will send an entry to the next edition, set to be held in Zeevorde, Ineland after the country won the contest with Clara Luciani's "Le reste".

"We will be there, and we will do our best to represent our country," claims Tenson, who also announced that Elthize's entry will be announced next Monday, on November 28th.

DIPLOMATIC MISSIONS OFFICE OF THE STATE OF ELTHIZE

Ministry of Foreign Affairs for The State of Elthize

Welcome to the Diplomatic Missions Office! This is where other countries can establish consulates and embassies in The State of Elthize, as well as request and plan summits and propose various agreements with Elthize, including free trade, free travel and more!

The Diplomatic Missions Office will guide you through each process! We are looking forward to working with you.

Want to brush up on your knowledge of Elthize? Feel free to take a look at our factbook!

On establishing embassies and consulates

This is where a country (or territory) can apply for establishing embassies and consulates in the State of Elthize! To initiate a process, simply fill down the form below. The address will be chosen by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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Please fill out the "contact information" part with places that we can reach out to build diplomatic missions with you!

Please note that your requests may not be processed entirely due to the national and provincial laws of Elthize. We are sorry for the inconvenience.

List of embassies and consulates in The State of Elthize

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On requesting and planning summits

Because of the busy schedule of the Elthic government at this time, summit requests are closed for the time being. We apologize for the inconvenience.

This is where a country (or territory) can apply to request and plan future summits with Elthize! To initiate this process, fill out the form below:

Spoiler

To inform us about summits with more than two members, please call us at +90 55752 00 5456, e-mail us at [email protected] or visit us directly: 11 Carrewich Avenue, Marchand District, Forecoaster, Elthize.

Please understand that a summit may not be possible due to various reasons, including, but not limited to, busy and conflicting schedules, national holidays, and other extraordinary events.

(OOC: Unless it is specifically important for the development of Elthize roleplay-wise, I am done with classic summits. They take too long and are not entertaining at all. This doesn't mean your summit request won't be accepted, it's just that it probably won't receive a thread of its own like this, but rather be covered in a small news article like this. Once again, please contact me on Discord so that we can rule out the specifics.)

If you would like to request specific treaties, please refer to the other part of our office where we handle those. Thank you!

List of summits with The State of Elthize as a participant

Spoiler

Next European elections to have a "none of the above" option

The directive was approved by President Grimwald and will be in effect for the upcoming European Union elections
November 17, 2022

Yesterday, two motions have passed through the Senate regarding the European elections in Elthize, both of which were approved by President Greenwich Grimwald this morning. Speaker of the Senate May Hobbes called the bills a "safety mechanism", while Grimwald said that the legislation was "a step in the right direction"

The first change will add a "none of the above" option for races that have more than one person competing in it. With this, the voters will have the option to vote for no candidates, if they do not wish any of them to be part of the European Commission. If the choice wins the vote, then the country will simply dismiss the voting process for that race specifically.

The second change, concerning unopposed races, will add a vote of approval for the sole candidate. The ballot will ask the voters whether they would like to see Elthize vote for the unopposed candidate. If the candidate receives higher than 50% of the approval, Elthize will vote for the candidate. If not, it will dismiss the voting process entirely.

The support for the changes can be seen across the political spectrum, with some, like Leader of The Greens, Matthew François, stating that the changes should also apply to national elections in Elthize, though it is unknown if the ruling coalition has a plan for that now.

Some journalists have argued that the changes are a reaction to candidates in the next European Commission election, where both candidates for the Premier Commissioner are highly controversial. Patrick Baitfemme of Blue Croatia, a country well-known for its misogyny deeply rooted in its culture, is well-known for his radically patriarchal statements, made in The Locker Room podcast, while Annelise Bauer of Istkalen is well-known for her attacks on politicians, mostly European Councillors, using chemical weapons and clay knives. NET has found a warning that was issued after she escaped prison in December 2021.

The warning reads: "Ms Bauer is a known violent criminal, and was responsible for two attacks on the Council, on both occasions attempting to stab a number of Councillors, succeeding once. She was also responsible for an attempted chemical attack on the Council chambers, involving a concentrated white powder which directly resulted in the hospitalization of two Councillors and their eventual resignation, as well as an extended physical assault on Councillor Mizrachi-Roscoe of the United Duchies, who she repeatedly bit, stabbed, and threw the named white powder on, resulting in his hospitalization for over a month."

Ministry of Health orders markets to take canned Czech products off their shelves

The order comes after a botulism outbreak in the country
November 15, 2022

Health Minister Noelle van Hassel has demanded a stop to all sales of canned products made in Czech Slavia following a botulism outbreak there.

According to the state-run Czech News Agency, fifteen people fell ill in the small Moravian town of Moravský Krumlov after showing symptoms of botulism, such as weak muscles, nausea and difficulty breathing. They have been transported to a hospital in the city of Brno and all have reported eating canned potatoes or products containing canned potatoes.

"Effective immediately, we demand all markets take canned produce made in Czech Slavia off the shelves to prevent a health crisis in Elthize," van Hassel expressed. "These products carry the risk of being contaminated with toxins made from the bacterium of Clostridium botulinum. The disease that these toxins cause, botulism, can be fatal."

Following the 1994 cholera outbreak that happened in Elthize, the Ministry of Health has been given powers to issue orders to various industries, ensuring the safety of Elthic people. Not following these orders is punishable, with the sentence depending on the size of the offence, ranging from three to twenty-one years in prison. Corporations may be fined millions of florins, as was the case in March 2018 when thirty-two companies were fined 118 billion Ꞙ in total after knowingly selling food contaminated with E.coli five years prior, causing a small-scale outbreak.

Greenwich Grimwald "not keen" on neutrality motion, close sources report

by Frances Irving - November 10, 2022

President Greenwich Grimwald alongside Senator Merrill Kooben, January 2020.
(image credit)

Yesterday morning, Councillor Liam Zachary landed on Forecoaster to meet with President Greenwich Grimwald to discuss a possible neutrality motion for Elthize, which, if passed through the European Council, would make Elthize a recognized neutral state by the European Union. Being a neutral state has its benefits: Most notably it gives a state legal protection from a declaration of war and further trust in peacekeeping missions. While Zachary seemed confident that he would be able to convince Grimwald to support his motion, things didn't go as well as he hoped.

According to sources close to the Presidential Palace, the President was "not too keen" on the idea of neutrality, and found it "useless and redundant".

"Do we need this? Do we really need this?" Grimwald allegedly asked Zachary, who was apparently distressed.

Grimwald also disagreed with the fact that the neutrality motion would bring in more business opportunities, in fact, he thought the opposite, reportedly stating that neutrality would cause distrust in relations between Elthize and other countries. "You need to avoid picking a side," he apparently declared.

This signals a U-turn from Grimwald himself as well, as he asked various countries, including Yosai and Spain, whether they would support an Elthic neutrality motion. In fact, Grimwald had very similar ideas to Zachary's just a couple of months ago. In a summit with the Yosainese government in late May, Grimwald stated that Elthize would remain neutral, joining neither Telum nor ECON, to not harm the Elthic economy. Grimwald also made comments on foreign policy, stating that he "didn't want to see anyone side-eyeing his country".

So far, it is unknown what motivated Grimwald to change direction on foreign policy, though neutrality seems to be off the table... But is it? Not according to Kelly Meghan, a notable journalist at the Elthic Affairs newspaper.

"Zachary's idea is not good for Grimwald and his ideals," states Meghan. "I mean, let's make this clear first: Grimwald does support neutrality. I don't expect him to move toward either ECON or Telum. However, I also don't expect him to move toward being a recognized neutral state."

"Grimwald and Zachary have conflicting ideas on Elthic neutrality. Grimwald would not want Elthize to be a recognized neutral state by the European Union due to all the responsibilities that come with it. The most important part is that being recognized as neutral by the EU would significantly limit potential military cooperation in the future. That is a huge concern for any leader, not just Grimwald. It can massively limit what can you do in the name of national security. I think what happened is that Grimwald finally read the fine print on neutrality, that's why he's opposed to it right now."

When asked about her own opinions on neutrality, Meghan called it "unnecessary". "I don't think we have a special case that requires us to be officially neutral. Surprisingly enough, I agree with Grimwald, we can just exist. We can not pick a side as long as times are not extraordinary. That's enough for most people. Even if we became recognized as neutral, it wouldn't last."

Zachary is expected to go back to Europolis tomorrow morning.

Candidate name: Dayo Faith Mwangi
Incumbent: Yes
Biography: Dayo Mwangi worked as an on-and-off defence attorney in the 1970s, and briefly served as a judge in a St. Lucas federal court in 1980. She received a doctorate in law in 1986 and started serving as a judge in the Constitutional Court of Elthize two years later, which is the second-highest court in the country. She resigned from this position in 2015 as a protest after the Supreme Court approved some of the harsh sentences given during the 2012-14 corruption scandals, which she called "absurd and politically motivated". In 2016, she was elected as the president of the Forecoaster Bar Association. She left this office in 2021, in accordance with the term limits of the institution. In July 2022, she run to be a judge at the European Court of Justice, which she won. She is now seeking her second term.

(photo credit)

The State of Elthize votes FOR the repeal.

Liam Zachary, Councillor for The State of Elthize

Once again, just because something is not written in a bill does not mean the bill endorses the opposite of said thing. There are some things you can't regulate and laws you can't enforce unless you use draconian measures. If we are concerned that the removal of the free healthcare proposal would remove all healthcare access, I will propose the following amendment:

Amendment XIV

XII. All prisoners shall be guaranteed free access to healthcare facilities including psychiatrists. Prisoners are entitled to equal access to healthcare facilities under the law of the member state in which they are incarcerated.

I also realize the concerns regarding the gender. While the wording is unspecific enough to be compatible with all jurisdictions, I assume that it is too vague for inter-jurisdictional situations. In order to make my amendments foolproof, I withdraw the fourth amendment and propose the following amendment:

Amendment XV

SECTION II. - MINIMUM RULES GUIDELINES FOR TREATEMENT TREATMENT OF PRISONERS

Remove the first and second articles in Section II and replace them with the following:

I. Based on their status in their country's age of majority, their conviction status and the severity of convicted crimes, prisons are expected to keep prisoners on separate premises.
II. Prisoners are entitled to be kept in separate premises compatible with their gender under the law of the member state in which they are incarcerated. Furthermore, all prisons are expected to protect prisoners of all genders from sex-based and gender-based discrimination.

I also do not understand the concerns around the establishment of PRISCOM, nor do I understand the reason why Councillor Mizrachi-Roscoe would establish an alternative to it. PRISCOM is not supposed to hinder nor put a shadow on the progress and reports of national investigation agencies- it is supposed to be an agency independent of national biases that will report on the conditions of prisoners and publicize it.

I have placed PRISCOM under the European Developmental Agency because I felt like it was the agency most compatible with the committee. However, upon re-evaluating, I have decided that these two institutions are not suitable, and thus, I withdraw my ninth amendment and propose the following:

Amendment XVI

SECTION IV - CREATION OF THE EUROPEAN UNION PRISON STANDARDS COMMITTEE

I. This legislation shall create the European Union Prison Standards Committee (acronym PRISCOM or EU-PRISCOM)
II. PRISCOM shall be responsible for constructing and publishing a report on prison standards across the European Union once every 18 months.
III. PRISCOM shall consist of a president and seven members from various EU member states, all directly appointed by the Premier Commissioner of the European Union.
IV. PRISCOM reports may not be used to initiate European Court of Justice cases.
V. PRISCOM reports may not be used as evidence in European Court of Justice cases.

Liam Zachary, Councillor for The State of Elthize

Now that we have fixed the misunderstanding in the fifth amendment, which indeed was one of the reasons why I added "unless there are exceptional reasons" at the end, something Councillor Čikarová conveniently left out just to have a cheap laugh but failed as she seemingly thought it was my Duchian colleague that wrote it, I mean, I don't recall her referring to me, I would love to respond.

It is fascinating how Čikarová claims I said she implied something she didn't, and then, under the same breath, acts as if me tidying this trainwreck of a bill by removing unnecessary articles equates to me somehow supporting the exact opposite of what those articles suggest.

Like, no, I do indeed consider prolonged solitary confinement to be a form of mental torture of the prisoners, not sure where that comes from, and no, I am also not someone that doesn't support free healthcare for all, as I have repeatedly voted for expanding public healthcare during my time as an Elthic assemblymember whenever possible. The amendment removes that part because it is too vague and may conflict with other member states' healthcare systems.

Again, I was a member of the National Assembly of Elthize from 2012 to 2018, not sure if you have the same experience, and, as far as I know, you do not make a bill more effective by making it overly specific, things like this should be left to the member states of the European Union so that they have more freedom of choice under their specific circumstances. Same reason why the sixth amendment exists, or the seventh one.

We dictate every single decision that member states make like this and the EU gets further and further fragmented. All in the name of "basic human decency"- a phrase that people like Čikarová love to use to get back at people who opposed them, like me, as if we don't know it, intentionally keeping it vague under agreeable statements such as "fighting against slavery", which my second amendment already covers, and "torture of inmates", which is something that Councillor Mizrachi-Roscoe discusses, not me. He disputes the 15-day limit, which I agree with. I removed the "last resort" part because I want correction officers to decide when to use it, depending on the severity of the action that requires it. I guess I have to withdraw my comments on my amendments not being moveable and edit my amendment to restrict solitary confinement even further.

I wonder which one of us makes it easier for correction officers, you with your utopian proposals that will have the states further indebted, or me with my pragmatic proposals that are easy and universal to enforce. Also, if your concern was preventing torture and slavery in prisons, you and Councillor Tilkanas wouldn't oppose the creation of a committee which would publish reports on the status of the prisoners of the European Union.

Lastly, it is the member state's choice whether to establish prisons on genders beyond male or female. The inmate's citizenship doesn't matter, the only thing that does is the law of the member state. Likewise, it is the responsibility of the member state to keep these inmates safe, which they certainly will not in a binary prison system. There is no need for a third, fourth or fifth category of prisons specifically for every identified gender ever- the openness of the article allows member states to just have an "other" category where these inmates may be safely transferred.

Liam Zachary, Councillor for the State of Elthize