Davostag

[Augustus]

 

Opposition Leader John Greger Dead

17 January 5634 | Kivonia, Davostag (Backdated)

 

 

John Greger, former journalist, activist and opposition leader.

 

The protests by the opposition, led by the Union for Democratic Reform and their current leader Lena Greger, continues without any sign of ending. If one is to believe the estimated number of protesters, it has reached about 785,000, most are in and around the capital of Kivonia, while thousands are spread out to other major cities as the civilian and military police forces have an increasingly harder time to keep them in check. About 16 have died since the protests began, 7,000 injured and 9,700 arrested. As we now reach about 60 days of protests, looting and much more, we can confirm the news that opposition leader and founder of the Union for Democratic Reform, John Greger, at age 63, has died in police custody, awaiting trial for corruption and attempted bribery. The police authorities have yet to release the cause of death, as the government seems to be tightening the flow of information in and out from the various agencies and departments upon the news of his death.
 
John Greger was a longtime investigative journalist, employed here at Riksbladet since 5608, and one of the country's most respected media figures. Apart from his political endeavours, he is most well known for leading our investigation of what is now known as Fiskenätsskandalen ("the Fishing net scandal"), which had been at the time one of the largest corruption scandals in Davostag's recent history, and which would subsequently bring down the-then rikspresident Markus Sverkersson. He was later known for the Gregerskandalen ("the Greger scandal"), which involved Axel Rodin's government and their usage of the-then newly passed Specified Prerogative Act, which Greger alleged to have revealed that the government had used two major cities for experimental policies in regards to ethnic demographic manipulation. As a result of this controversial and still debated publication, which was accused of complete fabrication to attempt to bring down Dahler's presidency as well, he was fired from Riksbladet and lost his journalist license. As a political figure, Greger led his Union for Democratic Reform with little success, gaining only 3.2% of the vote in the 5628 election; and now just recently accused of having attempted to garner the support of big business for his political aspirations and just charged with breaking the Electoral Actions Law. A controversial figure in recent times, yet well respected for his earlier work of true examples of objective journalism, John Greger will surely be remembered for times to come.
 
The leadership of the Union for Democratic Reform stated that they were horrified to learn of Greger's death and point towards the refusal to state the cause as direct evidence that rikspresident Dahler had a hand in it. The party leader and wife of Greger, Lena Greger, has not been available, said to have secluded herself in one of the protest occupied buildings outside of Kivonia. However, the protesters did not wait on her to direct them and began violently engage with the military police all over the country, screaming things like "Death to Dahler" and "Avenge Greger". A spokeswoman for the military police stated that the situation is becoming increasingly serious. No comments are being made by the government, the State Council or the rikspresident's office. But it would seem as if the protests are evolving into something entirely different, the only thing that can maintain its course is right now Lena Greger.
 
News report written by Peter Åkerman.

[Augustus]

 

Lena Greger Calls for the Downfall of Rikspresident Dahler

19 January 5634 | Kivonia, Davostag (Backdated)

 

Two days ago, opposition leader John Greger died in police custody, cause unknown. During those two days, violence between protesters and police forces have escalated to greater hights than ever before. It was only until Lena Greger, who had been in seclusion upon hearing the death of her husband, had emerged to speak to the protests. At the municipality of Eransund, directly next to Kivonia, where she had gathered the leaderships of the opposition, the Union for Democratic Reform and their allied minor parties of the National Liberal Party, the Centre Party, the Radical Party, the Change Party and a few representatives from D-MLG (Metzist-Leonidist Branch in Davostag), as well as a crowd of a few thousand. What was thought to be a speech about moderation and maintaining calm, Greger riled up the crowds with a single message and goal, the downfall of rikspresident Gustav Dahler and the end of his supporting institutions once and for all. What analysts agree was said is essentially a call for revolution, to avenge John Greger and create a new Davostager state.
 
News report written by Lisa Johansdotter.

[Augustus]

 

Hundreds Dead as Protesters and Military Police Fires upon Each Other

20 January 5634 | Kivonia, Davostag (Backdated)

 
As a result of yesterday's speech by Lena Greger, calling for the downfall and overthrow of rikspresident Gustav Dahler, violent protesters stormed three police precincts outside and inside Kivonia, acquiring military-grade weaponry. This subsequently led to the protesters firing a shot killing a military police officer as a violent clash between riot police and unarmed protesters. In retaliation, the commanding military police colonel ordered an immediate firing upon the crowd killing 34 protesters. Armed protesters positioned themselves in occupied buildings and fired back, killing an unconfirmed amount on the government side. Rikspresident Dahler immediately took to television, addressing the nation and calling for the immediate surrender of the rebels or "face elimination".
 
The deadly violence continues as the military police forces ere able to push out many of the protesters from key parts of Kivonia, while remnants control other areas. Most protesters have fled hoping to avoid the punitive actions of the government, while the armed protesters have begun a slow retreat northeast of Kivonia. There are reports that some protesters have taken the call to armed action by the Kivonia-based protesters and laid siege to their own local civilian and military police precincts to acquire weapons of their own. In one instance, the communist D-MLG group, which has been a longtime armed party, aided their local protesters by laying siege and taking over a military police precinct in Nyberg.
 
The government have ordered an immediate curfew across the protest-infected cities and regions as well as issuing directives to the private sector to lay low, hold tight and temporarily close all private ports flowing goods in and out of the country, for example Kundrati. The reason is believed to control the situation and not allow for the primary culprits of the recent events a chance to escape. Airports have also been put on a security alert as have border stations with Hutori. One comment we were able to get out from the premier's office was that the situation is "a hell of a mess". The premier have not been seen for the couple of weeks, as reported earlier, he has been forced to take a backseat as the rikspresident have directly involved himself in managing the protests.
 
How this will end is very much up to debate, but as reports talk about hundreds dead, both police but mostly protesters, many are carefully monitoring the chaos to see where things are leading. As it looks now, the protesters have been routed from most of the capital and fleeing, while the armed ones are hoping for a miracle to give them a chance out of this. We will have to see if such a miracle would ever show up.
 
News report written by Peter Åkerman.

[Augustus]

 

Rikspresident Dahler Proclaims Victory as Lena Greger Passes from Injuries

26 January 5634 | Kivonia, Davostag (Backdated)

 
It would be in the small town of Tyrhem that military police forces would find the bodies of Lena Greger and Eva Møller, the leader and secretary of the Union for Democratic Reform respectively. The military police went to the town to investigate a call made by some inhabitants concerning suspicious looking individuals. There the military police found the leaders of the Radical Party and the Centre Party, Gustav Björnman and Anna Karlsdotter respectively, and quickly apprahended the two and their entourage. The wanted suspect Jonas Jäger and prominent UDR member, was also present there and has been put into protective custody in Kivonia. The bodies of the two UDR leaders were quickly analyzed and determined that they had sustained wounds from the fighting in Kivonia between government forces and protesters.
 
With the announcing of Greger's death, rikspresident Dahler took the moment of opportunity to declare victory over the "rebel elements" and swiftly demanded that all protesters lay down their arms and immediately hand themselves over to the nearest military police authority, stating that should they comply without issue, their sentence would be greatly reduced. The fate of the Union for Democratic Reform remains in doubt, as the rikspresident's office have made it clear that they seek an immediate ban and disbandment of the party and a to launch an investigation into its members complicity in the crimes committed during these past two and half months. At the moment, their existence is placed in the hands of the courts who will determine it in the coming months, but has issued a halt on all party activities of the UDR, Centre Party and Radical Party as well as a monitering of the National Liberal Party and the Change Party.
 
At the same time, some wonders whether the ports are to open up again to allow the flow of goods to and from Kundrati, with no official response from the government just yet. However, some sources claim that the government is keen on keeping things locked down to continue making sure that the important rebel protest leaders does not escape. Thus, its fate is to be seen as well in the coming months as the state begins cleaning up this mess.
 
News report written by Peter Åkerman.

[Augustus]

 

Verdict of the Conspirators of the Protests Announced

12 May 5634 | Kivonia, Davostag

 

Palace of the Surpeme Court of the Davostag Republic.

 
Four months have gone by since the end of the devastating protests between November last year to January this year, as hundreds were killed due to the aggressive clashes between military police and protesters led by the Union for Democratic Reform and their allied parties. Today, the verdict from the Supreme Court regarding the continuing existence of the UDR, the National Liberal Party, the Radical Party, the Centre Party and the Change Party. The court declared that the Union for Democratic Reform, founded by the late couple John and Lena Greger, has been found to be in gross violation of Davostager law and are to be banned from continued existence immediately. The National Liberal Party and the Change Party has been found guilty of "organized partaking in incitement to rebellion", but due to their minor participation is to pay a fine of 5.6 million and 3.4 million riksdaler* respectively and their leaderships is to face prosecution for incitement to rebellion by the district courts in the two provinces they are based in. The Radical Party has been forced to be dissolved, without an outright ban however, thus allowing party members to form a new party in three years according to the verdict; the party leader, Gustav Björnman is sentenced to 50 years in labour camp without parole, others in the party leadership have been sentenced to between 10 and 30 years in prison with the possibility of parole. The verdict for the Centre Party is a five year pause of party activities, 1.1 million riksdaler* in fines, and due to the cooperative position of the party leader, Anna Karlsdotter, she has been sentenced to 5 years in labour camp with possibility for parole in 2 years and a ban on political activity for 5 years once she gets out.
 
According to various sources from within government departments and the Armed Forces, this settlement of the Supreme Court could have been scratched entirely if the premier with several members of the State Council had not convinced the vindictive rikspresident Gustav Dahler to go for it. They claim that he had intended to give the military police what they wanted, a completely secret trial in a military tribunal held by the Military Police Court Main Office, with desires for the death penalty for most of the culprits involved. One might wonder if there is a brewing tension within the government and state institutions that is beginning to oppose the rikspresident, seeing the brutal massacre of the protesters as a sign of the increasingly ailing physical but also mental health of Dahler. No one dares however publicly oppose him, seeing as that would be a death sentence to one's career. We will just have to wait and see what the future has in store.

News report written by Peter Åkerman.
 
* (OOC: I use Swedish Crowns, SEK, to measure Davostager riksdaler. The conversion of the numbers in the text into US dollars at the time of writing are as following:
5.6 million SEK = 521 633,83 US dollars
3.4 million SEK = 316 706,25 US dollars
1.1 million SEK = 102 463,79 US dollars

[Augustus]

 

Rikspresident Dahler falls ill, the Riksdag calls for the Senate to Convene

16 July 5634 | Kivonia, Davostag

 

Reinhardt Palace in Kivonia, the residence of the Rikspresident of the Davostag Republic.

 
Weeks of rumors about the health of the rikspresident, Gustav Dahler, have circulated everywhere in Davostag as no public appearance by him has been made in a month. The presidential office has remained suspiciously quiet as well. It was until yesterday, that the State Council announced that the rikspresident has been struck with a severe illness, not yet disclosed, and that immediate preparations need to be made with haste. It is then today that the Riksdag officially called upon the Davostag Senate to convene in order to begin the process of the election of Dahler's successor. In the usual cases, the rikspresident basically chooses his own heir with a ceremonial confirmation by the Senate, but from what we can deduce with the State Council's statement regarding Dahler's health, it would seem that his health has deteriorated to the point of being unable to select his successor. The Senatorial Committee, which manages all affairs regarding the Senate while it is not in session, confirmed an hour after the call by the Riksdag that they are in the process of preparing its convention. As custom dictates, the electoral process takes place between the 10th and 20th day of the election month; the first week is spent formalizing the process of the presidential candidates, with formal election taking place on the last day. The president-elect would then assume the office of rikspresident on the 1st day of the month after the election month, as written in the constitution.
 
The main question remains however on everyone's minds. Who will succeed Gustav Dahler and his 17-year reign? At the moment, it is complete radio silence from the government, specifically on this issue. They are probably hoping to avoid escalating and making a public mess out of the political intrigues and schemes that the state is probably embroiled in at the moment. But we have taken the liberty to look at some candidates that has the necessary package to become the next rikspresident of Davostag. For starters, one must almost always name this one every time a new rikspresident is to be elected: the Chief of the Military High Command, due to his seniority in the Armed Forces, and the current incumbent is General Ulf Bergenstolpe. The power and influence the military has in the country and in society as a whole should not be underestimated, thus to be chief of the High Command requires a great deal of political influence, military success and evidence of your worth. But, of all 17 rikspresidents, only three have been chiefs of the High Command, which is not always a guarantee for higher office. Though, if it is not General Bergenstolpe, then who ever might seek the presidency is gonna need his support for the 75 military-appointees of the 175 senators.
 
Another candidate could be Generalöverste Victoria Strandhem, current chief of the Military Police General Staff, which might be an odd candidate due to the recent events regarding the rebel protests and which could leave a bad taste in a lot of people's mouths, especially the opposition. But the reason we mention her is due to the fact that despite all the horrors, she has become quite an emerging figure for nationalist politics, with the powerful Viktoriana League having sponsored her in various forms as a good example of Kivonian and Davostager virtues. Strandhem would probably not have problem securing the 75 military-senators, but might face issues with the 45 Riksdag-senators and the 55 Corporative-senators, should some of them prefer another candidate, with the latter group having been most affected by the protests could cause real problems for her. But should Strandhem manage to win, she would become the first woman to hold the office of rikspresident since Julia Neusohn (5442–5446, 5448–5467)
 
The last candidate that might be an interesting choice, with a lot of support in the affiliated organizations of the National Electoral Union (NVU), especially the Great Davostag Youth Party, is none other than premier Karl Manner. A popular figure, who has been able to keep his hands pretty much clean during the entire ordeal of the protests. He has a very successful military background, proving to be the best among his peers from a very young age in the military-branch education system, having risen to the rank of colonel in the army. While there is technically no constitutional prohibition on the premier also becoming rikspresident, unwritten custom has encouraged that premier's not be elected directly out of office into the presidency.
 
Whoever the new rikspresident may be, it will certainly be a new era for Davostag. But let us hope that it will not come to that and instead pray for the health of rikspresident Dahler.
 
News report written by Peter Åkerman.

[Augustus]

 

Rikspresident Gustav Dahler has Passed Away

16 August 5634 | Kivonia, Davostag

 

Rikspresident Gustav Dahler, portrait by Frida af Nordling.

 
Struck with illness a month ago and getting severely worse the following weeks, we can now confirm that the Rikspresident of the Davostag Republic, Gustav Dahler, has passed away at the age of 62. The State Council, which now manages the affairs of the office of the rikspresident, have decided to not reveal the what kind of disease he was struck by as agreed with Dahler's family and the Security Council of Davostag. The state funeral of the rikspresident is to be held on the 26 August, but will not be an international spectacle by the agreement of the State Council, the Security Council and the Riksdag, due to the recent controversial events. Instead Kivonia will be completely curfewed on the 26th, with a solitary march of his coffin by the National Guard, followed by the Dahler family, and high ranking military officers, state figures and politicians. They will then be attending within the Temple of Glory to hold a eulogical ceremony. His coffin will at the end of the day be transferred to Renartsborg, Dahler's home city, where the State Council has ordered the construction of a smaller memorial mausoleum where his remains will be placed.

Gustav Robert Olof Dahler was born on 16 February 5572 in Renartsborg to Olof Dahler and Klara Hermannsdotter. As many of the more famous figures in Davostager history, he joined the Military Training Front for Future Cadets at the age of 12 and would go on to attend the Civil Cadet School from the age of 14, attending Military High School at the age of 16 and graduating at the age of 19. From there he began his formal adult military service, completing it in 5594 at the age of 22 as a specialized pre-officer with the rank of lieutenant. With his military youth background, he prepared entry into the Kivonia Military Science Institute immediately upon the completion of his service. There he would study military strategy, philosophy and history, and graduated in 5597 as a fully commissioned officer at the age of 25. A year later he completed a statecraft master at the Vermillion University. Due to his active status within the army, special privileges and elitist favoritism he would climb to the rank of major in only a couple of years. He continued his work in the army after his studies and usually managed relations with government departments, especially the Ministry of Defence. During his time there he was noticed by the incumbent rikspresident Markus Sverkersson, who saw the potential in Dahler for a future career and perhaps successor. At the height of corruption in Kivonia during this time, Dahler was given command of the 4. Pansardivision "Delvental" and later, as the incumbent premier Stefan Bjure were sacked, Sverkersson appointed Dahler as new premier. Proving himself very diligently as premier and simultaneously as commander of the pansardivision, he would be delegated command of 2. Armékåren, as Sverkersson saw these units more as prestigious gifts rather than anything else. Dahler would eventually be promoted to lieutenant general. Sverkersson had decided for Dahler as his successor and made arrangements for him to take over, beginning with Dahler's resignation as premier and appointment as chairman of the Central Military Commission 5615. Sverkersson would resign in 5617 and the Davostag Senate would elect Dahler as Davostag's 17th rikspresident.
 
His tenure as rikspresident was relatively calm for the first and most of his second term, but later caused some tensions regionally providing aid to the then-sanctioned Kundrati Legion. Compared to many of his predecessors, Dahler would show to be a very relaxed head of state, only making decisions when absolutely necessary and delegating authority and responsibility to others in the government, especially his premiers, whom he had three of: Per Folkesson, Axel Rodin and Karl Manner. There were also two major protests which occured during his time, one in April 5632, mostly directed against premier Rodin, and one between 5633 and 5634 against himself, which ended in a bloody mess.
 
Now, as people mourn, another question arises. Who will be Dahler's successor? As reported earlier, his illness prevented him from naming a preferred candidate, resulting in the Davostag Senate having convened six days ago. They chose former chairman of the Central Military Commission, Arnold Grenman, to serve as president of this Senate. And today is the day they have announced the candidates for the office of rikspresident. Namely, Brigadgeneral Stefan Forsbierg and incumbent premier Karl Manner. The latter of the two is a very unusual decision, being the first premier to have been nominated, as the common rule is that no incumbent minister or government official be elected into the office of rikspresident. At the current time it is unclear who actually might have the necessary votes to be elected in four days.
 
News report written by Peter Åkerman.

[Augustus]

 

Karl Manner Elected Rikspresident

20 August 5634 | Kivonia, Davostag

 

Rikspresident-elect and incumbent premier Karl Manner after the Senate vote.

 
Since the four days that have passed since the death of rikspresident Gustav Dahler, the Davostag Senate have, between brigadgeneral Stefan Forsbierg and premier Karl Manner, elected the incumbent premier as the new rikspresident of the Davostag Republic. This is the first presidential senate election where such a close count has ever been seen. Among the 175 senators, Manner managed to acquire 91, while Forsbierg got 84. Of the votes, 64 of the military-senators voted for Forsbierg, while only 11 voted for Manner; all 55 of the corporative-senators voted for Manner; and 25 of the Riksdag-senators voted for Manner, with Forsbierg getting 20. With that, army colonel and incumbent premier Karl Albin Gustav Manner has been proclaimed rikspresident-elect and will assume office on the 1 September in about 12 days.
 
In his "victory" statement, Karl Manner said that his goal is to solidify stability in the nation, continue towards progressive policies, military build-up, welfare expansion and eventually open up trade in due time. But he also said that while it is his greatest honor to have been given this responsibility, that he does not intend on celebrating it, out of respect for the recent passing of rikspresident Dahler. Brigadgeneral Forsbierg commented that he congratulates the rikspresident-elect and fully respects the decision made by the Senate, pledging his allegiance to Manner as the coming commander-in-chief and intends on serving him in his role as a general in the army.
 
News report written by Lisa Johansdotter.

[Augustus]

 

Government Lifts Halt on the Ports and Begins Foreign Policy Changes

14 September 5634 | Kivonia, Davostag (backdated)

 

One of the major ports on the island and province of Bindeborg, city of Nyberg.

 
One of the first acts of the newly inaugurated rikspresident Karl Manner was to reshuffle his cabinet, holding on to the position as premier himself, while providing some new faces among his ministers and sacking many of those seen as having a part in the bloodstained protests earlier this year. He also decided to have the Central Military Commission resume their responsibilities and increase their oversight of the Armed Forces, especially the Military Police, a popular move seen as a way to make amends for said protests. However, he has made it clear that he does not intend on giving out pardons to anyone involved in the events, something that has disappointed many passive supporters of the protests.

Manner also ordered his new Minister of Commerce Alicia Olander to reopen to the Davostager trade ports, to allow the flow of goods in and out of Davostag again, a lot of which is heading to Kundrati. Minister Olander stated that everything is in place for the coming Kalistani relief aid to be provided to the Kundrati mainland, noting that her ministry sees this as one of their top priorities to ensure that no problems arises. While on the question if the military deployments in the region are to remain, the rikspresident stated that they are for the unforeseeable future, claiming that complete security in the waters are not yet there as some nations still engage in the sanctions and the checking of goods.
 
Reports from the private Davostager companies dealing with the regional trade show a great deal of happiness in the change of direction; and as the Ministry of Commerce had stated in a memo to the companies through the Davostag Corporative Organization, that the government is now pursuing and encouraging the private sector parties involved to take their freedom in the free trade to make the necessary commerce decisions themselves. Thus one might conclude that the government is now actively looking forward to a more open trade system, hoping to take a more hands off approach. Consequently, a few reports suggest that some private companies, with a possibility of more to follow, have taken the government's words to the literal sense and redirected their trade, which has usually gone to the Kundrati mainland, to the island of Etxea instead. Said companies have yet to answer for a comment, nor has the Ministry of Commerce on this specific question. It could be the case that these companies have used the government's statement a few years ago of only recognizing the existence of one Kundrati as interpreting it in their own way, especially now as the ministry gave them the responsibility of making commerce decisions on their own.
 
News report written by Lisa Johansdotter.

[Augustus]

 

Six Years of Military Production and Expansion Sees Incredible Success

4 May 5635 | Kivonia, Davostag

 

Several Stridsvagn 122 at an exercise outside of Eliseborg.

 
The Rodin government had laid out a comprehensive plan for militarization and a powerful expansion of the Armed Forces branches in 5629. There they expressed that for the coming six years we would see an increase in military capacity of about 800,000 active personnel. We are now six years since then and while neither the Ministry of Defence or Military High Command have yet to publicly announce a report on the current progress, we have been able to acquire internal reports after discussing it with the Central Military Commission. In said reports, it is confirmed that tens upon tens of thousands of Davostager men and women have pursued military careers, and that the Army, Navy, Air Force, Military Police and Spezeg forces have reached a number of about 740,000 active personnel. When we asked if there is enough equipment and other materials, the official in the CMC stated that the amount of small arms equipment, constantly in production, in reserve is enough to provide for several national armies.
 
In one of the reports we could see the amount of vehicles and other military crafts produced over the year. For example, for the ground forces, of the battle tanks produced, there are: 25 new Stridsvagn 144 of various models; 43 new Stridsvagn 122; and 14 new Stridsfordon 9240LTM. With other weaponry, there are: 72 new Blida Artillery System; 33 new FH 88 Howitzer; 180 new Kingfisher RBS 16KA; 52 new Stridsfordon 9240AMS; 115 new TAMAS; 22 new Stridsfordon 9240SR-AA; 25 new Stridsfordon 9240SAM; 20 new Stridsfordon 9240c; 44 new Patgb 480; 75 new PBV-304; 84 new BVS20; and 120 new FOLVO MPT. For the air forces, there are: 60 new Gyrfalcons of various models; 35 new Sven JAS 40; 20 new Sven 33; 55 new AFSK Gungner of various models; 43 new TAAB 350; 45 new AUST 10; and 35 new Markovic 85. For the navy, there are: 22 new Kivonia-class corvettes; 18 new Långstad-class corvettes; 20 new Nyberg-class corvettes; 24 new Vermillion-class corvettes; 90 new BB-97; 4 new Sevescia-class submarines; 2 new Nyson-class submarines; 11 new Grimati-class vessel; and 15 new Warren-class amphibious assault ships. Of the radar equipment, there are: 25 new KAHR; 22 new Girafour; and 110 new Eireye.
 
The CMC official commented on the production, saying that Callusarv Special District is up and running as never before and should be seen as the primary cause for the abundance of material produced. There might be some truth in that, seeing as unemployment has decreased significantly these past years and industrial employment in the military sector is by far the largest. One might look at this as a sense of military revivalism, though according to the CMC official we have a long way to go. But if we look at a few things that has been said by the most outspoken pro-military officials in the government, the Davostager Armed Forces are to play a much more significant role in regional security affairs than ever before and thus all new divisions, regiments, equipments, vehicles and warships that are in the works will only help the nation be much more safer.
 
News report written by Lisa Johansdotter.