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welcome to worldtree, lovia's own yggdrasil!
Yggdrasil

Worldtree is Lovia's first national social network. We have an active network of bloggers, chatters and tweeters. Everything is possible at Worldtree! There are internet (yggdrasil) and real-life news tweets, a The Noble City Times newspaper feed, blogs, web and blog statistics (massively interesting!), and constantly changing cartoons. Become a part of the worldtree community and get in touch with Lovia!

news blogs

yggdrasil[]

5 JUNE

The blogosphere is quiet. Lovians are taking an early holiday on the beach.
Worldtree keeps adding new cartoons! Already thirty available.

1 JUNE

www.ltv.lov is doing some re-organizing, after the website fell in the popularity surveys.

30 MAY

Percival E kicks off political debate on "the power of the Left" in his latest blog.
Many more cartoons available at Worldtree.
Worldtree becomes most visited Lovian website. Lovia-Now hops to the third place.

29 MAY

Worldtree's betaversion is launched by Percyweb!
Blogging option is already available. All users may upload their blogs without limitations. News feeds, including a Noble City Times feed, have also been introduced. New are the cartoons section and the internet statistics section. Worldtree also introduced small in-site advertisement banners to sponsor our activities.

outer space[]

Mid-terms 2010 progress

Van Ghent (WLP, green line) rose to the top by the second week. Galahad (LD, yellow) and Johnson (CPL.nm, red) always stayed close to her.

1 JUNE

The 2010 Mid-Terms are over. Individual winners are Martha Van Ghent and Percival E. Galahad. Leftist and progressive candidates did exceptionally well. LD however remains the biggest party, followed by WLP and CPL.nm. Congress is expected to re-arrange the Medvedev Administration soon.
Some Lovian socialists want to establish a public broadcaster.

29 MAY

PM Medvedev analyzes voting and Congressial changes after the Mid-term Elections, 2010. Leftists gain power; WLP and LD supposedly win elections.
Germany's Lena won the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest in Europe with "Satellite".

Happy65 Happy65 20 June 2015
2

A Tour of Pool

Situated on Discovery Isle, Pool is famed for its history as a key trade port. It lies between two streams, the Saven to the north and the Fey to the south. In recent years, the population has grown heavily and it has become a village. Home to the Pudlian Party, the economy is one of the richest in Lovia and is based around five local corporations. These five corporations tend to employ locals, a system also used in Shepby. Lovia's most read newspaper, the Lovian Times is owned by Poolmedia, arguably the largest of these five corporations.


We were welcomed at Poolmedia by Christopher Samson, the Lovian Times' famed reporter. He showed us around the headquarters, where planning for polling was underway. Little occured, however I can hint that…

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Horton11 Horton11 11 May 2015
13

Meet the Royals


Welcome to Meet the Royals, the blog about all wikination royalty. This is a chance to peer into the elegant world (and wardrobe) of our wikinations' blue-bloods.

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Horton11 Horton11 27 January 2015
3

The Half Brunanter Blog

Note: this is an entirely in-character blog, one of those foreigner-in-Europe sort of things. For now it's just a trial run to see if it can work, and of course if there's readership. Don't want to do it on a real blog site if in case someone reads and thinks it's real.

ABOUT ANDREW PAGE

Andrew Page was born, grew up in Little Plains (a Lovian town in the lovely state of Clymene), studied there, became a writer in the state and soon decided his first trip outside of Clymene would be to Europe. Fate intervened and now I am in Brunant since 2013, writing for the free newspaper Today in the big city, Koningstad. For some time I've had a locally-sourced girlfriend, Silvia (and of course her overly involved Brunanter mother).

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The Master's Voice The Master's Voice 10 September 2013
4

Lovians, what do you think of your new King so far?


I've been King for three weeks now, little less then a month. Time flies when you're having fun, doesn't it? It's pretty much everything I ever hoped it to be, and I'm having a blast. Now I do want to be a King for all Lovians, and an accessible one at that. So after these past few weeks, some speeches and edits, I wonder. What do you guys think of my tenure so far?

Any advice, anything you'd like to see different, or changed? A subject you're particularly passionate about that you believe deserves some royal attention? By all means, do tell.

I live to serve, so serve I shall do. But I'm not alone in this nation. So, let me hear it! 

God bless Lovia, and all her sons and daughters!

Yours truly,

King Sebastian I of Lovia (talk) 20:51, September…


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Pikapi Pikapi 7 August 2013
3

Civil Liberties Versus Social Justice

  • 1 Introduction (if your impatient, skip ahead or this will kill you)
  • 2 Civil liberties or social justice
    • 2.1 Overview
    • 2.2 Associated political doctrine
    • 2.3 Scale of individualism to socialism
  • 3 Conclusion


We are all very opinionated people here on Wikination, so I'm sure that as soon as you read this episode's title you instantly braced yourself for a surefire political debate. You're already going on the defensive, setting up the fortifications, rallying your armies, establishing base-camps strategically to gain some territorial foothold, raising your rifles and versing a witty reply to whatever that controversial bastard Pikapi is inevitably going to say, right?!?

I'm raising the white flag. Don't start firing just yet.

I'm going to need you to approach …


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Crystalbeastdeck09 Crystalbeastdeck09 8 February 2013
0

Labour Lazydays

I've always loved the Westminster system and a major party of that parliamentary process is Question Time. As Labour Minister (a spin off from Dave's idea) I'll be doing "Labour Lazydays" on a Friday-Saturday or Sunday, for one to four hours ill be in the chat trying to gain feedback and hold an unofficial question time from MOTCs and other ministers on Labour and working men's issues. I'll post when i'll hold these and all questions and responses :D Credit to Commerce Sundays for the idea"

  • First edition Friday - February 8th, 2013 2:45 - 4:00
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Happy65 Happy65 8 February 2013
2

Commerce Weekends

Good afternoon everybody, I am Dave Leskromento, the current Ministry of Commerce on my new beneficial idea of Commerce Weekends. Every Friday or Saturday all the press and normal citizens of Lovia can come onto the chat room to ask questions and discuss the industry and trade in Lovia. Any questions and answers may be published. If you are intrested in entering, please just leave a comment.

Just to get used to the programme, I will be on chat from 9:00 AM GMT until 20:00 PM GMT on Saturday so people from all time zones can question me. Also, questions can be asked in late Friday night if I am asked some.

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Happy65 Happy65 6 December 2012
0

The Lovian Contest


Welcome to The Lovian Contest, a contest that anybody can enter. The Lovian Contest is a fun and friendly contest with art contests and quizzes. The competition is set as a knockout contest, where the person with the lowest score leaves every week. Have fun and enter!


If you would like to enter the contest, please leave a comment that clearly states you want to enter. "This looks good" does not clearly state that you would like to enter however if you wrote "I would like to enter the contest", this clearly states you would like to enter.

Deadline: 23/12/12


Most of all, have fun! Remember to enter quickly since the deadline is soon. Happy65 Talk CNP 18:41, December 6, 2012 (UTC)

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Crystalbeastdeck09 Crystalbeastdeck09 1 November 2012
8

Another New York Update

From what i'm hearing Pikapi is from New York City, I am from Yonkers though (search it up on wikipedia, I edit pages for yonkers there) Yonkers is the northern adjacent city to NYC in the Northern adjacent county of Westchester. Here in Yonkers (as a high school student) have had monday - thursday off of school (friday pending) and many many issues. Now NYC is a much larger city population and size wise but yonkers is also very damaged. Personally my father's company (near a river) was flooded and had to clean up over there for two straight days as work was halted, my sister a college student couldn't go to university either. We've had a few deaths in the city (yonkers being the fourth largest city by population in New York state) and in …

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Pikapi Pikapi 1 November 2012
1

How It's Going on the East Coast

For those of you who like to keep informed on current events (not just those political) in the United States, you may have heard of a certain "Hurricane Sandy". A native New Yorker myself, I can tell you that it was, indeed, a force to be reckoned with. Yachts sailed sluggishly up the major roads, taking the places of cars that had, in their place, been swallowed up by the ocean. There were some unfortunate deaths, and the grief caused by this massive storm hit close to home when I learned that my best friend's basement and some of his most prized material possessions were destroyed. Yes, this is Matt that I am talking about. Thankfully, him, his family and his pets escaped the damage caused by this storm unscathed. God bless them all, and…

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worldleaves - get leaving! CLICK HERE
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Please add your leave underneath this line and above the previous leaves. Please identify yourself using your avatar (this way: {{Worldtree/Yourusername}}). Add date after each leave.
ImagesCA9WENWIZAX Crystalbeastdeck09 "Going to campaign in Clymene later today for devolution, We need real change." 12:35, June 17, 2013 (UTC)
Christopher Costello Pikapi "My life's new mission: to unite North and South under the national anthem, "Gangnam Style"." 00:34, October 27, 2012 (UTC)
Funky mao Regaliorum "I can't recall any exaggerated severeness in our marital law. Just a set of regular rules." 07:17, July 29, 2011 (UTC)
Christopher Costello Pikapi "Well there is this one girl... oh never mind, I really would prefer not to go into it." 15:34, July 28, 2011 (UTC)
LDP logo Dayshade "How so?" 22:45, July 27, 2011 (UTC)
Christopher Costello Pikapi "Lovia's marital laws are really inconveniencing me..." 15:53, July 27, 2011 (UTC)
Royal Standard DimiTalen "Sort of pissed off by the over-production of new articles by new editors. I know I should be supportive of new editors, but I just can't. Quality is going down the drain. Wikination needs help from good editors with skills." 17:05, October 28, 2010 (UTC)
ImagesCA9WENWIZAX Crystalbeastdeck09 "Thanks to all who voted! I will do the really do the best! Again Thanks!" 15:26, October 24, 2010 (UTC)
ImagesCA9WENWIZAX Crystalbeastdeck09 "Running for govenor right now. It's really tense!" 15:33, September 12, 2010 (UTC)
Royal Standard DimiTalen "Downloading iTunes 10!
@Semyon: Yes there is. You just add five waves (~~~~~) and don't forget to put the date in small font." 08:27, September 3, 2010 (UTC)
ImagesCA9WENWIZAX Crystalbeastdeck09 "@johnson - Good!
Also going to see RedBulls Game tonight! They're a soccer team!" 16:29, August 8, 2010 (UTC)
TCSS Jon Johnson "@marcus - I'll make an alcohol-free version" 18:15, August 8, 2010 (UTC)
ImagesCA9WENWIZAX Crystalbeastdeck09 "@Johnson - I cant!" 16:12, August 8, 2010 (UTC)
TCSS Jon Johnson "Hi every one! Try Pabst Red Ribbon Beer!" 17:51, August 8, 2010 (UTC)
Khan Tengri Semyon Edikovich "Thought I'd better try this thing out :-) btw, is there a quick way of adding the time?" 15:35, August 8, 2010 (UTC)
ImagesCA9WENWIZAX Crystalbeastdeck09 "Walden is now up to five members! That's awesome! In other good news Luca Union is playing Man U on Tuesday and FC Villanova is in first in group A! Yes! 15:26, August 8, 2010 (UTC)
Royal Standard DimiTalen "Listening to "Paint It Black" by the Rolling Stones. Song featured in Kubrick's magnificent war movie Full Metal Jacket." 08:19, August 8, 2010 (UTC)
Flag of Lovia Small American Eagle "Passed my first Supreme Court Trial as Judge." 08:00, June 30, 2010 (UTC)
Royal Standard DimiTalen "Getting pissed off." 12:17, June 18, 2010 (UTC)
Yggdrasil Percival E "Secretary of Finance, all well, but are there economists here who can help me?" 15:42, June 12, 2010 (UTC)
Royal Standard DimiTalen "Good to hear that! I'm onto my fourth on Monday: Dutch linguistics (language system). I really hope to pass my exams this semester. I'd have plenty of time to read the books I always wanted to read, this summer." 07:38, June 6, 2010 (UTC)
Funky mao Regaliorum "The first examination (general history) went well. I think this might be one of the best so far." 07:25, June 6, 2010 (UTC)
Walden picture Andy Intothewild "Listening to Johnny Cash - anybody into the guy's music? Rocks really good you know." 08:31, June 5, 2010 (UTC)
TCSS Jon Johnson "First total noncence tweet, Yeah, let's kick some ass" 00:12, June 2, 2010 (UTC)
Royal Standard DimiTalen "First ROYAL tweet. Pays better. I hope. Oh. S.h.i.t. Since the reforms earlier this year, I'm not being paid anymore at all..." 12:15, June 1, 2010 (UTC)
Funky mao Regaliorum "Nana, I got the first official non-moderator tweet. I've beaten you all to it!" 12:07, June 1, 2010 (UTC)
Yggdrasil Percival E "Worldtweets are included in Worldtree, thanks to DimiTalen! 11:46, June 1, 2010 (UTC)
TCSS Jon Johnson "Yo Bigdogs, It's your favorite politician speaking, have a good night you all!" 00:19, June 1, 2010 (UTC)
web statistics cartoon
LTV

LTV.lov is planning to do some re-organizing and already moved up in the stats

most visited sites[]

5 JUNE

  1. ~ www.worldtree.lov
  2. ~ www.lovia-now.lov
  3. www.ltv.lov
  4. www.thecomrade.lov
  5. ~ www.ccpl.lov

most popular blog posts[]

1 JUNE

most active user[]

1 JUNE

  1. Regaliorum
  2. DimiTalen
Worldtree Cartoon 24

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the noble city times news feed

Lovian-Brunanter one of two captured soldiers

15 July, Noble City - A recent apparent kidnapping of two Brunanter soldiers in Phaluhm Phoueck is believed to have a Lovian connection. An ill-fated patrol operation which saw two soldiers go missing and then declared captured by Islamic Front made waves in Brunant yesterday. Various online and social media pages later began dispensing information which seems to confirm one of the soldiers as Diana Coy, who has dual-Lovian citizenship and has a mother in Portland, Kings.
None of the soldiers' identities have been announced by the Brunanter Royal Guard, though Coy's mother did announce in social media posts that she was indeed called and informed.


Deadliest month in Phaluhm Phoueck war

Brunanter soldiers Op Ghost

Still footage of Brunanter soldiers being engaged

12 June, Koningstad - Two Brunanter soldiers have recently been injured by an Improvised Explosive Device outside of Camp Unitas in Phaluhm Phoueck's Kota Kambular province during an assault by some 40 armed insurgents, purportedly linked to ISIS. Halfway through June 2017, it has proven to be the deadliest with the largest operations unfolding (known as GHOST) and ever emboldened insurgents leading to mounting losses for coalition troops.
On 1 June a Traspesian soldier died, though as a result of a friendly fire incident. On 3 June two Libertan seamen were heavily injured when a bomb exploded on their patrol vessel. On 10 June a Traspesian helicopter was brought down by Islamic Front insurgents using rockets, leading to the deaths of two naval personnel, including Seaman Sandra Maria Roca, at 20 years old the youngest of the fifteen casualties in the war so far.
The two Brunanters injured in the fighting today bring the month's total to seven casualties, as much as in all of 2016 and nearly half the total casualties in the war. A protest against the war were held in Koningstad, Brunant, though still at a minority as it is believed that the new operations in the south have been showing success in its more direct approach to confronting the enemy.

Libertan soldier 4th coalition death in Phaluhm

26 August, DSH - Lucas Vervoort, a 28 year old Libertan seargeant has been killed in a firefight involving armed extremists in Phaluhm Phoueck. Just nine days short of his 29th birthday, Vervoort was engaged in Rettato state and was shot dead, becoming Libertas' first death in over 20 years. Sergeant Vervoort is the fourth coalition death since the first in March this year.
No word has been announced on which armed group engaged Vervoort's unit, but the Multinational Force Phaluhm Phoueck announced his body was being sent back to be laid to rest in his hometown of Molenbeek.


Coalition troops ambushed in Phaluhm Phoueck

Straslander marines

Straslander troops engaged in battle.

July 29th, DSH - Straslander troops have been engaged by Islamic Front militants in the first major encounter of the multinational effort against armed terrorism in Phaluhm Phoueck. Some 20 Straslander marines were patroling the area around the town of Maryenta when they were ambushed by an unknown number of militants. Reports suggest that there have been at least 10 IF casualties, with none reported on the Straslander side.
The attack follows a an IED explosion just two days earlier, which killed a Pintonan medic and wounded a Brunanter soldier, in a surge in violence. Prime Minister Royna Nehgyen urged restraint, but it is unlikely to occur, instead recently ramping up. Since the start of coalition involvement in late 2015, there have been six coalition casualties, mostly Traspesian.

Leftist surge triggers SLP and CNP disintegration

June 14th, NOBLE CITY - One way or another, the previously moribund CPL.nm has been dominating Lovian political news in recent weeks. It seems 22 days of leftist government were enough to breathe new life into Lovia's far left, now absorbed in the process of choosing a leader to carry the red baton into the state elections. Yet those 22 days have resulted in cracks emerging among parties long considered part of the Lovian political establishment.
First to go was the CNP, fragmented along regional lines when party leader and linchpin Lukas Hoffmann announced his retirement from politics. Senior figures in the CNP one by one announced the formation of new parties that will take on the mantle of Lovia's biggest secular conservative party. In theory CNP still survives, but as a shadow of its former self. Now the SLP, too, has disintegrated.
This is not surprising. The emergence of Lovian Future, a new centre-left party, has put considerable pressure on the party. Additionally, the events since the election have required the SLP to perform some remarkable political gymnastics. Known as Lovia's most centrist party, the party endorsed first Whithdonck-Malsky, then Hoffmann, then Whithdonck-Malsky again, as candidates for the job of prime minister - neither of whom could be described as close to the centre. Even more surprisingly, once Whithdonck-Malsky emerged as the frontrunner, the party proved willing to go along with the new prime minister's most radical proposals. No wonder, then, that disillusion grew on the right-wing of the party, as their leader remained loyal to the prime minister even as the Green Party and United Left, parties in theory much further to the left, rebelled against her. Harold Freeman, a key figure on the right of the party and former leader of Liberal Union, told TNCT 'I was quite surprised when Krosby asked us to endorse AMWM [i.e. Whithdonck-Malsky]; I wanted to co-operate with right-wing parties, especially CNP, but Krosby didn't seem interested in that. I began to seriously consider leaving the party.'
Once the government fell, the knives came out. Senior party figures accused Krosby of abandoning liberalism, and rebuked him for being too far from the mainstream of the party; in a letter to Krosby signed by several other MOTCs, Freeman wrote that he was 'surprised by how left-wing you have become.' Krosby admitted this, but defended himself, saying that the party had been drifting leftward for a long time. In the extraordinary party conference that followed, Krosby shocked his colleagues with the announcement that he intended to join the Communist Party. Many others announced their plans to leave for other parties as well. With the party in disarray, and many MOTCs seeing their futures in other movements, the party voted to dissolve itself after less than three years in existence.
These events mean more than two more seats in congress for the communists. Krosby, like Hoffmann, is one of the mainstays of Lovian politics, and his move across the political spectrum over the years is a coup for the neo-marxist party. A short taste of power coupled with a few big successes could be a springboard for the party; alternatively, they could intoxicate it. The party has already been accused of alienating the electorate and other politicians, and they may, in the end, wish their resurgence had been a little more boring.

Opinion: Patrick Auerbach on the future of the Lovian left

I am a face from another era of Lovian politics. As the socialist Governor of Sylvania between 2000 and 2002, I experienced the chaotic death throes of the Royal Legislative Council. For me, there was no option but to participate in politics; I had been elected by the Sylvanians to represent them as Governor, and representation was what they needed if the libertarian forces that ruled Lovia weren't to tear our delicate social fabric apart. Unlike now, we had a strong and united left, which even though it was a minority provided vocal and vigorous opposition to the machinations of Frances and his allies.
I joined the King's Party in 2003, and remained a loyal supporter until our vision finally won out and Judy was elected prime minister. After the King's death and the political implosion that followed, I joined the Progressive Centre Party. I knew the country was in capable hands under Yuri's premiership, a young man whose talents I had always championed, as well as the new King. My trust for Yuri overcame the misgivings I had over the founding of the CPL.nm and I joined the new party. I was reassured that the party continued to work with allies, and even opponents, across the political spectrum.
Fast forward five years, and much has changed. The CPL.nm died an honourable death back in 2012, but now extremist necromancers intend to revive its corpse for their own nefarious ends. The party has fallen under the influence of Anna-Maria Whithdonck-Malsky, a dangerous politician who delights in antagonising conservative MOTCs. Her allies in the party intend to condemn the party to what will be essentially eternal opposition. To counter this, the moderate majority must stand up and be counted.
I am a social democrat, from a proud tradition of social democratic parties; it is to that tradition we must return. We should be out in the community, knocking on doors, as I have been doing for fifteen years. We should also return to government. Working with liberals and conservatives is not a taboo, it is simple politics. I firmly believe in moderation, in cooperation, in being in politics in order to change things and not merely to debate the finer points of Marx. I want the party to form at least an election pact, and preferably a full merger, with United Left. It is for these reasons that I am standing to be leader of CPL.nm.

Violent protests erupt; Congress locked in battle.

May 4th, NOBLE CITY - Protesters gathered outside congress in a show of displeasure at Congress' failure to elect a government. Led by MOTC Anna Maria Whithdonck-Malsky, almost a hundred people from across Lovia chanted 'death to the elitists' and 'end the chaos.' Several members struggled to enter the building for discussions, a few receiving bruises at the hands of the protesters. MOTC Milivoy Przwalsky refused to enter Congress, saying 'every one of them should be shuten. They've all got their nosen in the trough. You can hear the voice of the people anywhere but in that building. They try to silence us everywhere but the gates of Congress will not prevail against us.' Przwalsky climbed onto the roof of Congress, claiming he would burn it to the ground, but was taken away by security and will spend the night in jail.
Whithdonck-Malsky, responding to criticism, stated that chants referred only to 'political death' and condemned any violence, but stated 'when extremist groups like CCPL and OSB issue death threats, attack my house and fight against democracy, it is not surprising these sentiments are replicated across the political spectrum.'
According to one CCPL MOTC who spoke to TNCT, but did not want to be named, 'these people are not only violating our democracy, but the Word of God. If they can't respect the authority of a congress they just elected, as we are told to do by the Bible, then we will never be able to have a stable government in this country, no matter how hard CCPL works.'

CCPL backbencher initiates vote of no confidence.

June 15th, NOBLE CITY - Little-known CCPLer Sylvester Tso today defied his party and the government, tabling a motion of no confidence in the Ilava II Government led by CCPL leader and Prime Minister Oos Wes Ilava. Tso, a Clymeni MOTC, also handed in his party membership this morning. The proposal comes at a surprising time for the government, which had been looking relatively stable after it weathered the most recent of a succession of 'Donia crises' over a month ago. Nonetheless, in an exclusive interview for TNCT, Tso was clear on why the government had to go. 'In the face of recent polls, which show 60% of the population demanding elections, it would be morally wrong to maintain an undemocratic grip on power,' he explained. 'The large amount of power held by new parties such as the SCP and RLP is illegitimate unless they are given a clear mandate by the people in elections.'
Pressed further, Tso told us that 'I also find the government's handling of the Donia 'coup' extremely unsatisfactory. Extremists like Donia who pose a real threat to Lovian democracy require a tough response. I'm outraged that all the Brigade are currently walking free after their military challenge to the constitution. The fact that Oos has been negotiating with Donia and even promising him support in exchange for a position in the nobility is even more astonishing; it's behaviour that we don't expect from a Prime Minister, and that's why I personally have been forced to leave the CCPL.'
Congress is currently voting on the proposal.

Brunant elections begin

April 12th, KONINGSTAD - The Brunanter general elections opened today, with candidates fielded from five different parties. TNCT met up with politicians from three of these on the eve of the election to ask them a few questions. Among those interviewed were President Gert Henneman of the Social Democratic Party, Prime Minister Peter Wostor of the Green Party, and James Stanton of the Christian Democratic Union. All three are running for positions.
  • TNCT: Good evening, and thanks to you all for making time for this interview. Let’s get straight into our first question: what is it that you think about you or your policies will persuade Brunant's citizens to vote for you?
  • Wostor: I think my policies are only persuasive, because they are true fact. We will bring in new enviromental-friendly laws, no more high taxes, no more debt. We will try our best to pull out of the EU, which actually messes up our economy.
  • Stanton: The CDU wants a traditional, eurosceptic, centrist, Christian and well-developed Brunant. It’s most important to preserve Brunant’s best features – the royal family, a healthy economy, nice history, old places and of course, lovely people! Leaving the EU is a big priority, though we can join the EEA. But the citizens don't need to vote for me. The most important thing is that they vote for their own rights.
  • Henneman: The SDP wants to actively support the average Brunanter through a variety of social and public assistance programs, as well as a stimulus package to revive our economy. I think,at the moment, that there are still benefits of EU membership, but perhaps not the eurozone.
  • Wostor: That is why I got rid of the Euro, along with my key partner Eric Pieterson. I really hope this country can rise, we don't want to end up like Cyprus.
  • Henneman: Through good public spending, we should be able to do so.
  • TNCT: What are your aims in foreign policy, with particular regard to Europe and other wikinations, specifically Lovia?
  • Stanton: Together with other wikinations, Brunant has a good economy, education, history, and together I believe they can become one community. I also believe all associate members of the IWO should receive full membership.
  • Henneman: We would like to continue keeping close links with European nations as they would be beneficial to our growth. At the same time we need to continue working closely with the wikinations, including Lovia, since trade is at a record low and is becoming detrimental to our economies.
  • Wostor: My aims in foreign policy, as the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, are to have a good trade system with Europe, have good trade with other wikinations and keep on working on intergovernmental acts together. We also hope to establish friendly relations with all other democracies. My position on the North Korean uprising is neutral, however.
  • Stanton: I think it’s possible Brunant could open joint embassies with the IWO in countries around the world. Brunant needs to work together very strongly with other wikinations. Good relations with the rest of the world are important, but we don’t need to single out certain regions such as Europe. Every country is equal.
  • TNCT: To the best of your knowledge, what will be the outcome of these elections? Also, what coalitions are most likely to form?
  • Henneman: I see the left winning the elections, seeing as they seem to have a greater amount of support.
  • Wostor: The GP-SDP coalition is currently the most powerful, in my opinion, particularly if it expands to include the CDU. With my colleague Mr. Kamiri’s support, it could turn out very well.
  • Stanton: I’d support such a coalition. A CDU-GP cooperation is very plausible.
  • Henneman: I could imagine a CDU-FLP coalition, and possibly even an SDP alliance with the Socialists, particularly for certain policies.
Voting ends on the 21st of April, and the new government will come into power on the 1st of May.

CNP leader criticises 'culturally segregated neighborhoods'

April 2nd, SOFASI - Lukas Hoffmann today issued a statement criticising the establishment of ethnically segregated communities in Lovia, stating that 'it does not promote the idea of a Lovia united together nor does it engender an attitude of tolerance.' His unexpected criticism of multiculturalism in Lovia received mixed views from the public, particularly from areas such as Novosevensk and Oceana. Donald Fromfield, a teacher in Oceana, was sharply critical, telling TNCT: 'I found some aspects of Mr. Hoffmann's statement rather alarming, particularly the call for a 'uni-culture.' Oceana has a unique and endangered culture, which has already been targeted repeatedly by Noble City bureaucrats, and for this reason the only party I trust with my vote is the OSB.' Others were more welcoming, such as John Wilson, CNP Seven State Councillor. According to Wilson, 'I fully agree with Lukas on the need to encourage dialogue between the various groups in Lovia, especially since the terrible events in the Civil War, and this is something that has been a particular focus in Seven. Nonetheless, I wonder if some will take it as an attack on Lovian minorities, which knowing Lukas I am absolutely sure was not his intention.'
The speech comes at a timely point in the national debate over states' rights. Hoffmann is known as a stauch confederate, but the added dimension to his views that has been revealed today will surely heat up debate in the weeks to come.

Founding of Social Christian Party in politics marks 'revolution' in Lovian politics, say Congress insiders

April 2nd, NOBLE CITY - Blink, and you'd have missed it. The founding of the Social Christian Party by the Maple brothers, newly elected to Congress as independents, seemed trivial back in January, but events since then have conspired to turn a political minnow into a giant. On February 21st politicians from both the centre-right CNP, led by Alexei Krasnov, and the centre-left Labour, led by Justin Abrahams, announced that they would join the Maples' startup, sending shockwaves right down Democracy Avenue. Not only had a 'political revolution' occurred, in the words of MOTC Sylvester Tso, but over 40 MOTCs now adhered to views connected or inspired in some way by Christianity.
While a number of other politicians suggested coöperation, little so far has come of it. Semyon Breyev suggested 'it might be worth considering some sort of Christian coalition,' including CCPL, CNP and SCP as well as some smaller affiliates. Prime Minister Ilava went so far as to suggest that 'personally, I do not yet see a reason why SCP can't merge into CCPL.' The most radical vision, however, came from the CDP, which stated it would be open to the formation of a full merger between all the remaining Christian parties. CCPL quickly rejected that plan, though, stating 'we won't let that happen for practical reasons.' According to Ilava, the views of parties such as CCPL, RTP, and CNP cannot be reconciled, as has been shown by the numerous splits that have already taken place.
The lack of clarity surrounding the SCP's views is a major reasons why these plans have not yet come to fruition. Breyev stated 'we won't know for sure until SCP publish a list of policies,' and Abrahams summed up the problem succinctly thus: 'we are not anti-abortion or anti-gay marriage. We're not just necessarily for though.' So far the party has not acted decisively either inside or outside congress, and it may be that the party leadership will struggle to resolve tensions between the right-wing and the left-wing faction.
The formation of the SCP, despite its own problems, has left other parties reeling, however. In particular, Labour, which was the largest party throughout the 2012 Congress, had already lost twelve seats in the 2013 elections, dragging it down to third place. Now it has only six seats, sharing the dubious honour of being the seventh largest faction in Congress with the CDP. Nevertheless, leader Villanova has been very active in Congress recently and for now, the left in Lovia is still not dead. Whether or not the Christian faction can capitalise on this windfall is still uncertain.

Federal elections close

January 23rd, NOBLE CITY - Federal elections closed yesterday, and your correspondent was pleased to see that the results broadly matched TNCT's predictions.
  • 'CNP will finish either second or third, with at least 15 seats in Congress.' CNP finished second, with 16 seats.
  • 'Positive Lovia will be one of the only centre-right parties not to make gains in this election... PL will probably win less than ten seats in Congress.' PL dropped to seven seats, about half of the 2012 total.
  • SLP will get about 15 seats. SLP, in fact, won 12 seats.
  • [Labour] is likely to incur significant losses in these elections... Labour will win about 15 seats.' Labour won 14 seats, a loss of about 10, as TNCT predicted.
Nevertheless, we also made two glaring omissions. Firstly, we suggested that CCPL would do extremely well in these elections, and could in fact win as many as 25 seats, whereas in fact they managed only 18, although they did take Labour's status as largest political party. Considering CCPL's and Ilava's popularity, this is puzzling, until you notice the rise of another Christian democratic party - to be precise, the Christian Democratic Party. Similar in some respects to CCPL, CDP is economically much further right economically speaking, and lacks the CCPL's focus on Oceana regionalism. While CCPL did make gains in the elections, therefore, it simultaneously leaked away support from evangelical Protestant American-Lovians, mostly residing in Sylvania, Kings and Seven. This particular demographic, aligning well with US Republicans, was never happy with CCPL's social democratic views, pro-Oceana policies, and Catholic dominance, and CDP easily convinced them to switch party.
Secondly, we didn't anticipate the astonishing rise of the Green Party - the new kid on the political block is proving that he cannot be trifled with. The Greens first made their appearance when they quietly fielded two candidates in the state elections, and won the post of Clymene Deputy. Now they are the fifth-largest party in the country, and will be courted by both the left and the centre in the weeks to come.
Both Ilava and Krosby have indicated they will be running for the role of prime minister, and several other politicians have begun to jockey for roles within the new government. As with every election, the results tell only half the story - the other half will be determined by the discussions and debates which will follow in the weeks to come. Like our readers, we await the next stage with eagerness.

TNCT's guide to the federal elections

TNCT polls for 2012

A Times sponsored collation of various polls from different sources.

December 8th, NOBLE CITY - Two days before nominations open, TNCT today released polling figures for the 2012 elections. In general, they show a swing from the left to the right, with CCPL and CNP poised to gain votes from Labour, which has steadily declined in the polls since January. State elections also showed a similar trend, although they are unlikely to reliably predict the results of the federal elections.
CCPL has retained a comfortable lead since overtaking Labour in May, although its projected share of the vote has dropped slightly. Although it has a small and stable core of religious voters who guarantee it a decent share of the votes, much of its recent growth is due to other voters who have been impressed by Ilava's capable handling of government. According to the Financial Times, 55% of Lovians want Ilava to remain as PM, twice as many as those that would actually vote CCPL. Nevertheless, the CCPL's controversial social views are likely to poison the Ilava potion, especially as voters tend to consider their votes more seriously for an election than a poll. Therefore, despite polling a maximum of 30% in September, TNCT experts project that winning over 25 seats will be just cause for celebration in the CCPL offices. CCPL will also have the support in Congress of its numerous satellite parties, giving it another five to ten seats.
CNP, even more than CCPL, has benefitted from the rightward shift in Lovian politics. Lukas Hoffmann's party has rocketed from 8% in the last election to over 20% just a month ago. CNP does not suffer from some of the CCPL's image problems, but possibly its biggest advantage is its ability to appeal across the political spectrum. Officially affiliated with the Libertarian Coalition, the CNP will get support ranging from libertarians to those just too moderate for CCPL. Hoffmann also cultivates links with other groups, including those on the left; in response to attacks from Labour he fought fire with fire, telling Sylvanians in the state elections '[Labour] openly declares it focuses on the middle class while here in the CNP we focus on helping the working class.'On the other hand, some view him as a political lightweight compared to others such as Ilava and Krosby - he is a relatively fresh face on the political scene. Still, TNCT predicts CNP will finish either second or third, with at least 15 seats in Congress.
Positive Lovia will be one of the only centre-right parties not to make gains in this election. Costello, its leader, is now its only active politician, since Torres has defected to the SLP, An has been imprisoned, and McComb remains a passive supporter. It also suffers from a lack of potential partners politically, which will hurt it significantly in three weeks time. For these reasons, PL will probably win less than ten seats in Congress.
The SLP, a merger of the LDP and LAP, looks as if it has swung to the left in recent months. In reality, the change has been one of emphasis rather than in policy. Krosby remains a respected and trusted politician, probably the nation's second choice for PM. His main problem will be that the SLP has begun to distance itself from its official Libertarian partners, while failing to build new links with other parties such as Labour, which it is now probably closest to politically. We reckon SLP will get about 15 seats, which is similar to last year considering the merger.
Labour is the nation's only surviving socialist party since the demise of the CPL.nm. Together with PL, it is likely to incur significant losses in these elections, even dipping to fifth place in the November polls. In reality, its position isn't that weak, but the party has lost the advantage it gained in 2011 from having Villanova as PM. Villanova has dropped right out of the headlines since his surprise loss in the Sylvanian state election to Hoffmann, and it remains to be seen whether Justin Abrahams can take up his mantle and rally the party. TNCT's opinion is that he does not possess the necessary oomf, and predicts Labour will win about 15 seats, a potentially disasterous loss of ten seats.
Overall: TNCT predicts Ilava will return to the PM spot, and in general, that the status quo will remain. Most probably, this will involve a renewal of the grand coalition that governed Lovia this term. In the event parties decide to return to a more adversarial form of politics, it's likely any governing coalition will involve CCPL, as the other parties are too small and divided to rule without it. CCPL's presence in such a coalition would practically equate to a Ilava premiership.
Note: while TNCT always aims for maximum accuracy in its articles. However, with predictions about the future there is always a large margin of error, and therefore we cannot be responsible for any counterfactual information contained herein.

Lovia's Worst Dressed Politician Wins Seven

Semyon Breyev 2

We endorse this man, as long as he removes all his clothes. And puts some others on instead, obviously.

November 29th, KINLEY - Here at TNCT, we were really struggling to find something interesting to say about the Seven state election. As the sole candidate himself sarcastically pointed out, 'Seven'll be fascinating,' and the state indeed delivered no surprises, giving incumbent Breyev a second term with a 100% share of the vote. The election, unsurprisingly, had a low turnout, but the independent has good levels of support across the political spectrum, and approval ratings in the state are relatively good.
That's all there is to say. So, to fill up this column, we decided to write an article on just how appalling Semyon Breyev's dress sense is.
You might have thought Ilava was bad, with that strange beige jacket he never seems to take off. Joshua Katz, too, badly needs a new outfit, but then again, I suppose, it suits his political views well. And you might complain about the vibrant colours of Hoffmann's tie or Krosby's adventurous combination of blue shirt, blue jacket and blue tie. None of them, however, match up (quite literally) to that master of poor dress, Semyon Breyev.
The jacket is his real trademark. The strange, greenish-brown shade marks him out from the congressmen who bother to take longer than five minutes over their toilet. It comes in different styles, too, from long overcoat to a short jacket, but all are dyed with the same revolting coppery colour. The fact that he has been spotted wearing a cheap black waistcoat underneath it just underlines the fact that here's a man who's either colourblind or too keen on supporting local Novosevenskian products.
Nevertheless, Seveners seem to like him enough to vote for him, at least if they can tear themselves away from their tsonkey board for long enough. Northern bumpkins.
Editor's note: in accordance with Yuri Medvedev's deontological code, we must reluctantly admit that this article is not (entirely) serious. If you're offended, don't send a hitman.


Swing to CCPL fails to prevent SLP victory in Kings

November 20th, NEWHAVEN - Kings, arguably the least politically engaged state, returned the incumbent William Krosby to his position as Governor of the state. This was unsurprising. Historically progressive, Kings was always likely to favour center-left Krosby. What came as a surprise to pundits, however, was just how close his victory was. A resident of Newhaven out walking his dog, who TNCT spoke to the day after the result came through, admitted, 'I was expecting him to win a landslide. I can't say I'm a big Krosby fan myself, I'd much rather have Medvedev back again, but I'd vote for him any day over CCPL.'
'I'd vote for him any day over CCPL' seemed to be the attitude Krosby relied on to win Kings. Admitting himself a lack of concrete achievements during the previous term, he concentrated on his policies for the future, promising to boost the economy with the construction of a new neighborhood for Newhaven. But it seemed many Kingsers were unimpressed. With Lovia as a whole moving rightward, and CCPL leftward, at least economically, Jhon Lewis emerged suddenly as a plausible alternative candidate, and his prior membership of Labour gave him socialist credentials which ironically were better than Krosby's.
In the event, Lewis forced a result so close that the decision was taken to recount the votes. But Krosby remained the victor, winning by a tiny margin. It may be CCPL will never again get such a good chance of winning Lovia's most progressive state.

Biggest battle of these elections ends in Villanova defeat

November 9th, NOBLE CITY - Lukas Hoffmann of the CNP produced the biggest upset of the 2012 state elections with his defeat of Labour incumbent Marcus Villanova, the only election to see a previous governor lose his job. The reason for this result in one of the most progressive states has not yet been established, but several analysts suggest it could have to do with the rise of secular conservatism in Lovia. Jeremy Behr, chairman of Circutor, a think-tank, told TNCT, 'Between 2008 and 2011 the right of the political spectrum was dominated by Christian democratic movements such as the LOWIA or CCPL, not counting a few other fringe groups such as the fascists or Oceana regionalists. None of those appeal to your average Sylvanian, so everyone assumed Sylvania was very anti-conservative. Not at all - Hoffmann's success shows that center-right classical liberals still can find votes here.'
Hoffmann certainly pulled off victory by a decent margin, taking 46% of the vote to Villanova's 38%. But the race was close throughout, with polling showing the candidates to be neck-and-neck for most of the elections. Villanova succeeded in securing endorsements from both the King and the Prime Minister, which gave him the lead for a short time, but Hoffmann fought back, with a hard campaign in NC, which paid off when he won a majority in the Noble City urban area. Success in the rural areas gave him the push he needed to gain a plurality overall. He was disappointed in TV, however, which despite heavy campaign investment produced a solid red vote.
Green Party leader Nicholas Sheraldin, and a newcomer to the political scene, won only 15% of the vote, and the single district of East Sylvania. Despite putting forward some radical policies on education and the environment, most voters opted for a candidate with more experience. But several socialists protested angrily after results were published, criticising Sheraldin for splitting the leftist vote.

Oceana delivers no surprises.

October 26th, HURBANOVA - This week TNCT begins a series of analyses of the 2012 state elections. Today we begin with Oceana, the most conservative state and the homeland of prime minister Oos Wes Ilava, who was reelected as governor of Oceana last week. That surprised virtually nobody. The margin of victory, however, was unusually high, even for a CCPLer in Oceana, with the incumbent winning over 59% of the vote. Of the other two main parties, the PNO won 23%, two points less than last year, while OSB won 18%, increasing its share by two points. The NPO, which won 17% in the last election, and since merged into Labour, did not stand, instead endorsing the CCPL leader Oos Wes Ilava. Alžbeta Lenka, NPO chairman, stated, 'Our view are very similar to those of the CCPL, particularly on social issues, and as we can't put forward a candidate to compete with Ilava, we are happy to endorse him in these elections.'
Those on the left were initially encouraged by the NPO's decision not to stand. Socialist campaigner Isaac Smith, who voted for the PNO, explained 'We hoped that by presenting a unified leftist front, with only a single candidate from the PNO, we would have a chance of seriously challenging Ilava, who has, let's be honest, been a failure as prime minister. As much as we respect his work in Oceana, we hoped we could deal him a fatal blow by defeating him in these elections. Sadly, it didn't work out.'
Comparing the 2012 with the 2011 results, it seems superficially that in fact all the NPO voters transferred to CCPL. According to Jacob Fromfields, a conservative analyst, however, 'That's simply not the case. CCPL and NPO are at opposite ends of the political spectrum, at least by in their political identification. What we're seeing here is a revitalisation of political conservatism in Oceana. It was always a conservative state, but in a tired, disillusioned way, because of the difficult history and relations with the rest of Lovia - now, the whole country is moving to the right, and Oceanans are proud to be at the head of the movement, and to see one of their people as PM. Members of every party have switched to CCPL, not just the NPO. It says something that the left barely got half the vote that it did last year - conservatives across the country should be celebrating Ilava's victory!'
The only main party that supports independence, the OSB, achieved a similar share of the vote to last year, but failed to win a single district. William-Ský Ilava, leader of the party, told TNCT, 'While we're disappointed not to win in any of the districts, we are overjoyed to have maintained our support level. Last year Oceana nationalism was at a high, just before the Civil War, so now things have quietened down, we expected to lose big. Instead, we actually increased our vote by two percent. It's a shame that separatism isn't higher on the agenda for most Oceanans, but I think we can mark this election down as a success for the OSB.'
Ilava remains the real victor, though, with one of the largest majorities ever achieved in a state election, particularly one with three candidates. At least here in Oceana, it seems his work in 12 Democracy Avenue meets with approval.


Krosby Gov. of Kings

October 22nd, NEWHAVEN - The recount for the Kings state election is complete. Incumbent William Krosby, whose former party, the LDP, recently merged with two other social liberal parties to form the new "Social Liberal Party", was found to have defeated challenger Jhon Lewis of the CCPL by a narrow margin of less than a hundred votes. Krosby (Gov.): 38%; Lewis (Dep.): 37%; Mayer (Labour): 25%. State politics has grown lukewarm in Kings since the retirement of the man who defined the state to the rest of the nation - former Governor and Prime Minister Yuri Medvedev.

Preliminary state election results in

State elections 2012

Results by district

October 14th, NOBLE CITY - TNCT has just received a report containing preliminary results from the 2012 state elections.
  • Clymene - Justin Abrahams (Gov.) 58%, George Underhill (Dep.) 42%
  • Kings - result too close to call, recount underway.
  • Oceana - Oos Wes Ilava (Gov.) 59%, Bart Koenen (Dep.) 23%, William-Ský Ilava (no position) 18%
  • Seven - Semyon Breyev (Gov.) Ran unopposed.
  • Sylvania - Lukas Hoffmann (Gov.) 46%, Marcus Villanova (Dep.) 38%, Nicholas Sheraldin (no position) 15%
Congratulations to all Governors, and condolences to those who didn't quite make it. TNCT wishes all Governors and their Deputies well, and hopes for productive partnerships despite the recent heated debates.

Exclusive interview with RTP leader Patrick West

October 12th, HURBANOVA - TNCT this week presents a unique scoop - an interview with the leader of the small and little known Christian party, the Reformed Traditional Party (RTP). Often lampooned as 'hard-core CCPL', our journalists sent the leader Patrick West a request for an interview with little hope of a response. To our astonishment, however, we received a letter of agreement, and yesterday TNCT met up with Patrick over a beer in That Varen.
  • TNCT: Mr. West, good morning and thanks for taking this time to come and talk to us. I have to confess, I was surprised when I saw you had agreed to this interview.
  • PW: Yes, in general, we're opposed to the media, but we decided to make an exclusive exception this time as TNCT is our country's leading newspaper.
  • TNCT: We'd like to start with some discussion of religion and its relation to the RTP. One of the most interesting policies is the splitting of the Church of Oceana from the Catholic Church. What are the RTP's reasons for this?
  • PW: Well, the main reason - among financial reasons - is the fact that the Roman Catholic Church embraces modernism. RTP believes that a split would result into lower prices for masses and baptism.
  • TNCT: Do you think you can really get support for such a controversial idea among Lovian Catholics?
  • PW: First of all, support among Oceana Catholics is what we need, as we only desire to break off the Oceana part of the Roman Catholic Church. As you say, we do not have support among Lovian Catholics but a growing group of Oceana Catholics desire this split and support our aims.
  • TNCT: It seems most RTP members are Catholics.
  • PW: Yes, our official denomination is Roman Catholic, and all members have to subscribe to our views. Therefore, they have to be Catholic or at least they have to agree to the proposed split and the creation of a Oceana Catholic Church.
  • TNCT: Another of your most controversial policies is that God should be made head of state, which is slightly vague. How would this be carried out, in practice?
  • PW: In our opinion, God can be part of our government and his verdict can't be refuted. God is with us.
  • TNCT: Let me rephrase that. How would God, legally, fulfil that role? Would it be ceremonial, or would a priest fulfil the role on behalf of God, so to speak?
  • PW: Neither. As I said - God is with us. A law wouldn't change that.
  • TNCT: You coöperate with other conservative Christians in congress. What's the RTP view on coöperation with other parties to pass laws?
  • PW: With regard to parties which are far from our views, we will only vote pro for laws which are going for the Christian course. If we find ourselves unable to coöperate with parties such as LDP, so be it. As for the CCPL, they could be considered a lighter version of the RTP; while our viewpoints are very different, therefore, we support Ilava in the State Elections. We do like the efforts of CCPL concerning the marriage act and the abortion act, but it is not enough. Christian conservatism doesn't mean anything in Lovia.
  • TNCT: You're unwilling to compromise on your principles, then. In a political environment which is so hostile to your views, how does the RTP propose even to survive, let alone flourish?
  • PW: It's true that all other parties lie at the other side of the political spectrum, so although we can count on occasional support from CCPL, our biggest goal has to be to get more seats in Congress. We are fully aware it is difficult to get things passed in Congress. Nevertheless, the future looks promising. Last elections the RTP vote went up about 0.2%, so maybe there is a second seat for us soon.
  • TNCT: Yes, even the major parties have struggled to pass laws. Do RTP have anything at all to show for their time in Congress?
  • PW: Our major achievements have been helping to pass the labor act and keeping off a military in Lovia. In fact, simply winning a seat is a great achievement for us, so our voice can be heard in all of Lovia. Speaking for myself, my main achievement as chairman has been to make the party ready for the Federal Elections and winning a seat.
  • TNCT: That brings me to another interesting point. RTP is probably the oldest surviving Lovian political organisation, but it took part in elections for the first time in 2012. What caused you to take this momentous decision?
  • PW: We felt that Lovia was heading the wrong direction and none of the parties that were there represented our ideas. Also, we couldn't break through to Congress until the recent enlargement to 100 seats, because we only have a small, though stable, voting core.
  • TNCT: What makes up this voting core, then?
  • PW: Christians, mainly. <laughs> RTP voters are to be found across the nation, but most notably Amish Kinley, Oceana, and East Sylvania. Roughly 75% of our voters are male and most voters are between the age of 25 and the age of 50.
  • TNCT: It probably won't surprise most of our readers that few of your voters are women. In fact, your party is viewed as being anti-women.
  • PW: On the contrary, modern society oppresses women. It's practically impossible, for instance, for women not to work without starving their families. RTP will protect and liberate women across Lovia, and our plans for the future include subsidies for women who want to be a housewife instead of working, as well as illegalization of prostitution.
  • TNCT: One final question. Overall, is your view on the future of Lovian Christianity and Christian conservatism in Lovia positive or negative?
  • PW: With the coming of a new series of immigrants from Europe, America, and Mäöres and the revitalization of Christian morals and beliefs in Oceana, we can see Lovian Christianity is a booming business. Lovia was known as one of the most atheïst countries in the world, but now, the Christian and Christian-based parties have 27 seats in Congress. I have to say that not all voters on Christian parties are in fact Christian, just as not all Christians vote for a Christian party, but a general trend can be concluded. Though I cannot tell whether Christianity is peaking right now or whether it's just the beginning, I can tell that religious tolerance among all groups of Lovia is growing and people look for concessions to please both demographic groups. It's true, Amish Kinley is perhaps the only place which is truly conservative and RTP is the only true Christian conservative party, but it isn't that strange. There are temptations everywhere and living the Christian way of life is difficult in modern-day society. Nevertheless, we will always stand for our principles: Christianity, family, and above all we stand for God.
  • TNCT: Mr. West, thanks again for talking to us.

State elections draw to a close

October 11th, NOBLE CITY - State elections have reached their final stages. In at least three states the verdict is clear - Ilava, Abrahams and Breyev will all retain their governorships. Breyev, however, and well as the deputy candidates for the other two states, face a problem in that they have not achieved the minimum number of votes required by the constitution to be elected. In Clymene and Oceana this is due to the overwhelming support for the two incumbents and the lack of experience of the challengers. Breyev, on the other hand, is suffering from a lack of political engagement in the population. As the only candidate for Seven, the election has been rather dull, with few citizens bothering to vote, despite his fairly high approval ratings. The fact that as an independent Breyev has little funding for campaigning has compounded the problem.
The incumbents of Sylvania and Kings, in the meantime, have their own problems. The two most traditionally progressive states this year have strong conservative challengers in the the form of CCPLer Lewis and CNP leader Hoffmann. Currently Lewis and Krosby of the LDP in Kings are neck and neck, while Hoffmann, originally in the lead, has now fallen behind Labour leader Villanova. Nevertheless, he is not out of the running yet, as his endorsement from the New Green Party gives him a probable one and possibly two additional votes.
In the final days of these elections, candidates are in a frenzy of activity, as they attempt to gain enough votes to clear either their opponents or the minimum voting requirement. Voting closes on the 14th of October.

Mäöreser government has fallen

September 19th, SAENTEIM - The most successful Mäöreser government since the Civil War has fallen today. Although it looked like the Bart Koene I Government was going to be the first government in ten years time to reach the end of its term, it fell after seven months and 23 days. The Government consisted of four parties: the centrist Kèrksbóndj (KB), the conservative PVIR, the farmers' party Landjsbórspartieë (LBP), and the minor Christian right-wing party KKR.
From the very start, the smallest party in the Government, KKR, was most dominant in legislative discussion, leading to much anger with the least conservative party, KB. Recently, KB has moved more towards progressivism, supporting gay marriage and conditional euthanasia and abortion. Under influence of the smaller parties KKR and LBP, gay marriage was illegalized again (after being accepted since 2008), euthanasia remained illegal, and abortion regulations were made more strict. This lead to furious reactions from KB voters, who expected a more liberal stand as KB was the largest party and the fact that a KB-PVIR-LBP coalition already reached a majority in the Landjszaal. KKR was invited for the coalition because LBP feared a too liberal course. As PVIR and LBP submitted a single list during the elections, it was impossible for KB to rule with only PVIR and a more progressive party.
Tensions rose during the last two months of the Government. PVIR-LBP officially fell apart into PVIR and LBP after PVIR endorsed a green energy plan and higher taxes on farmers for polluting the environment. Another major problem within the cabinet was scientific subsidies. KKR opposed these subsidies by threatening to leave the cabinet, which would trigger a chain reaction; namely, LBP would leave as well, leading to a minority government. To make matters worse, the failing of the IWO Games bid led to another breaking point. KB and KKR wanted to leave the IWO Games, while PVIR and LBP wanted to keep participating. Last, but not least, KB and PVIR agreed to lower the number of seats in the Landjszaal from 75 to 51, against the coalition agreement. It was the final blow to the Bart Koene I Government.
After several heated discussions, KB and PVIR decided to keep a middle-way: join the IWO Games under the condition that they are held in October. They are now talking about forming a single party for the next elections. It is not yet known when the next elections are going to be held. LBP is going to run with a separate list. It is unknown what will happen to several laws that were approved but not yet enacted.

State elections kick off amid furious debates over state autonomy

September 19th, NOBLE CITY - Once again, politicians return to the campaign trail, this time in quest of votes in the 2012 state elections. Candidacies opened on Sunday and already nine candidates have put their names forward for the five gubernatorial posts. All incumbents are standing for reëlection, including Krosby, who despite his original intention to stand down is running to prevent CCPLer Jhon Lewis from taking control of the notably progressive state of Kings. As of today, no challengers have arisen in either Clymene, Oceana and Seven, although there has been speculation that Charles Jones could stand in Clymene.
In Sylvania, however, no less than four candidates will battle. These include socialist incumbent Villanova; main challenger Hoffmann, the well-known CNP leader; political novice Nicholas Sheraldin, who remains an unknown factor and is standing on an environmentalist platform; and perennial candidate Nathaniel Scribner, who has a mixed conservative and liberal platform and describes himself as a Perryist. Of these, Villanova will have the best chance of success, particularly considering the division of the opposition. Nevertheless, Hoffmann has adroitly been making some behind-the-scenes deals, including securing Sheraldin's endorsement in the event of a tie-break with Villanova, and nothing is certain in what promises to be a thrilling contest.
Unsurprisingly, the debate over state autonomy has risen again. In an indication of the recent swing in political opinion, there is at least one candidate in every state who will be described on the ballot paper as 'regionalist'; it seems that confederalism is fashionable once again. An constitutional amendment has even been proposed by Villanova which would create state legislative councils and devolve more power regionally. Nevertheless, it has been opposed by a number of congressmen, including Seven regionalist Breyev who stated 'this proposal takes away state autonomy.' He cited increased bureaucracy and told Congress 'the role [of the states] contines to be almost identical... my preference [is] for an informal model which is adopted by governors on a state-by-state basis.' Krosby, by contrast an opponent of devolution, was also critical, stating 'I still believe that the duties of our country are being fulfilled successfully by Congress... I agree [with Breyev] that this does not add true autonomy. Instead, it adds bureaucracy.'
Currently, the law is being redrafted in the First Chamber, and Villanova has made several changes in response to criticism, announcing 'I will push for more autonomy.' He has the support of some big names, including Justin Abrahams and Lukas Hoffmann. Whether or not the law will pass before elections close in October, however, remains to be seen.

Calls for independence in NK

September 7th, NOVOSEVENSK - In a grim reminder of last year's civil war, a group of Novosevenskians has called for independence from Lovia. Denis Grigorev, the self-proclaimed Governor of Novosevensk, stated: 'Cultural differences have shown to be too great, and for the benefit of all of us, I hereby call for the division of our native land from the Kingdom of Lovia.' A government has been formed and is currently meeting the Mendeleyev School, which also functions as a village hall.
Exactly what the next move of this group will be are unclear, but Seven Governor Semyon Breyev has ordered the numbers of police on the streets to double. Grigorev and his cabinet have been called for questioning, and may later be arrested on a charge of violating Article 1A.1. of the Constitution. TNCT polls show that two-thirds of Novosevenskians and 90% of Lovians disapprove of the group's actions.

Widespread anger as John Reese dies

May 27th, NOBLE CITY - John Reese, victim of the recent bombing of of the Brunanter embassy, has died in hospital. The postal officer, who was carrying out his duties at the time of the explosion on the 24th of May at Clermont House, was immediately rushed to hospital, but his injuries proved severe and doctors were helpless as his condition worsened. The nationalist group Barzuna Libre has claimed responsibility for the killing.
Reese is the first Lovian to die at the hands of BL, and his death has caused widespread anger throughout Lovia. Several politicians have condemned the actions of the group. So far however, it seems the their actions have not caused Lovian-Brunanter relations to deteriorate, as BL no doubt intended, but rather solidarity between the two nations.
Despite this, there are several facts that should worry observers. Firstly, this is by no means the first BL attask; indeed, the number has increased over the years, causing an situation of ever-increasing instability in Brunant. BL have claimed, furthermore, that they 'will not cease' their attempts to assassinate Ambassador Hagen. None of the culprits have yet been brought to justice. Secondly, there are rumours that BL has support from similar nationalist groups in Lovia, in particular, from Oceanans. Although all mainstream groups have condemned the attacks, police are not fully confident of the total disappearance of more extreme groups which might sympathise with the Barzunan cause and their violent actions. Both these things mean that it is crucial that the BL threat is removed, negotiations with Barzunan nationalists begun, and those who carried out the bombings made to face punishment for their crimes. Otherwise, Brunant-Lovian relations, before so friendly, may begin to sour.

GM research provokes conservative backlash

May 18th, NOBLE CITY - As Christopher Costello's bioengineering consultation ended this morning, angry protests erupted in Noble City. A heterogenous coalition of Christians, environmentalists and farmers descended on the capital this morning to express their opposition to Costello Enterprises' plans to begin research with genetically modified plants. Costello has not yet commented on this unforeseen reaction.
Costello's plans were laid before the public on the 9th of May and received an immediate negative response from Ilava of the CCPL, who stated 'under Christian values... we can't ever support this.' Other politicians such as Krosby and Hoffmann, however, expressed support for the proposal. It seems that Ilava is planning to use the controversy to rally the Christian-conservative troops and to show that coöperation with progressive politicians is not causing the party to dilute its moral ideology.
Although CCPL are clearly supportive of the non-violent protests, it's unclear exactly to what extent the party is running the demonstrations. There are rumours that the Prime Minister was spotted in the crowd, and apparently the CCPL has been providing free transport for protesters from Oceana, the CCPL heartland, to Noble City. However, private citizens are playing the largest role in organization.

Oos Wes Ilava not re-elected as Governor of Mäöres.

JANUARY 28th, SAENTEIM - A landslide occurred in the political fields of Mäöres. Oos Wes Ilava's Interracial Justice Party combined with National Farmers Party gained 21 seats, four less than the Union of Christians, making Bart Koene the new Governor of Mäöres. The two largest parties received almost 50% of all the votes. The Raod ven Verstenje (Rational Council) approved the election results today and decided to give the remaining seats to the two biggest parties, which gave them a 60% majority.
The drastic change in the election results is remarkable; Oos Wes Ilava managed to rule the sinking ship called Mäöres for three years and got elected as Governor four times. He lead a total of six governments, of which none survived its term. Mäöres has gone bankrupt and is literally falling apart; the colony of Aedslandj declared its independence on 1 January this year. The country is dangling on the edge of yet another civil war, which is not a very surprising state; the last civil war took place in 2005 and Mäöres is known to be rebelling once every decade.
According to Heidelherd Mans, senior member of the National Farmers Party, the main reason for the party's loss can be found in the "slow dying of the country's oldest party." The NFP went from 70% of the votes in the mid-southern agricultural region to hardly 15% over the course of five years. The Interracial Justice Party lost approximately 60% of its electorate in the central and western parts of the country. The only reason for the combined list to keep standing is the voting of the Moferter Elp region. This region was hit by an earthquake measuring 5.0 on the Richter Scale two years ago. The swift acting of the IJP and rebuilding programs created and executed by this party led to a broad support in the region.
Even though times are changing in Mäöres, not a lot is going to change in the government for now. The coalition is still formed by the same two parties; only the Governor's face and name have changed. It is a bad timing for the Union of Christians to become the leading party. Its biggest task will be preventing a civil war and a possible disintegration of the nation. Chances are low that the new government will make it through the year; of all governments of the last ten years, only a quarter lasted for a year.

Unique election results will prompt formation of a 'Grand Coalition', politicians say.

JANUARY 28th, NOBLE CITY - Results from the elections are finally in, and although the NCO record has not yet been completed, it seems that the three major factions, uniquely in Lovian electoral history, have obtained almost equal representation in Congress. Analysis showed that of the hundred seats available, 36 will be occupied by leftists, 25 by liberals and 32 by conservatives, as well as 8 by the 'unaffiliated' Hoffmann. Any hope that a single faction will be able to rule alone has therefore been shattered.
So far, no surprise. The last congress, too, was ruled by a coalition of communists, social democrats and modern liberals, and such a combination is by no means impossible again. The real surprise, however, has been the attempt to form a 'grand coalition' right across the political spectrum, from the CCPL to the CPL. Such a suggestion has been mooted partly due to a desire to include all politicians in the decision-making process, but also partially due to a personal respect for Ilava, one of the longest-serving and most experienced Lovian politicians, by men such as Justin Abrahams and William Krosby. Recent polling showed that Ilava was the preferred choice of 54% of Lovians, compared to 31% who supported Krosby (leader of the liberals) and 15% who supported Villanova. The popularity of the fourth candidate, Costello, has plummeted to under 1% - which is even more incredible considering the strong position with which he began the elections.
Ilava has revealed a provisional list of secretaries in the new government, which will be led by either him or Krosby. They certainly face a number of thorny issues. The notorious social views of the CCPL will be one of the most outstanding, and Krosby has already insisted on the exclusion of the Reformed Traditional Party, one of the CCPL's closest allies. The formation of a national defense force remains a strongly debated issue, particularly in the wake of the Civil War last year, and the war criminals have yet to be tried. It seems likely the coalition will focus on the points of agreement, particularly the social-democratic economic policies most parties support, but whether a congress under such strain and with so little holding it together can survive will be revealed in the months to come.

Rightist victory Congressional Elections Mäöres does not influence coalition

FEBRUARY 1, SAENTEIM - The last votes have been counted in Mäöres today. The Raod ven Verstenje (Rational Council) approved the election outcome and gave the remaining seats to the member parties of the former coalition. The biggest winner of the election is the populist Féliep de Wintjer. His party, Lies 14, knew to get 9 out of 75 seats. The biggest loser are the liberals. The Mäöreser Congress will get some new faces, because of a major shift that was caused by the reduction from 155 seats to 75.
The new Congress will be very rightist, compared to the former congresses. In 2010 there were 32,9% rightist, 22,5% centrist and 49% leftist. Now, these percentages are 38,6%, 29,4% and 32% respectively. The only leftist party not losing seats is Green Mäöres. According to specialists, the major shift from left to right has been caused because of the little influence of the major Labour party and the desintegration of the traditional rank-and-file in the eastern provinces. This desintegration is to blame to the bad and slow acting of local policy makers after a series of earthquakes earlier this year, which cost nearly 500 human lives and totally destroyed two cities and several villages. These cities still have not been rebuilt.
Another reason for the shift is the appearance of the extreme-rightist populist Féliep de Wintjer, who proposes to put all foreign people across the frontier and to bring the aboriginal Mäöreser population to Aedslandj, one of the two Mäöreser colonies. His chances on any influence are very small however. The old coalition, consisting of the Interracial Justice Party, the National Farmers Party, Green Mäöres and the Union of Christians, still holds a 50% majority and will therefore remain in power.
The results of the elections of Small Scotland, the other colony, have also been published today. For the first time since democracy arrived on the islands the pro-independence party Scottis Naitional Pairtie is not in the coalition. Instead, a new coalition which aims to transform the colony into a municipality, like has been done too with another colony called Fuujlandj, will be in power. This coalition consists of A New Solution, the Interracial Justice Party and the Conservatives.

Provided by The Noble City Times. All rights reserved.


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