Valruzia

[Aethan]

Valruzia in brief: Reform on the HoS passed; Valruzia offers help to Kalistan in search of emperors

Valruzia restores the figure of the "President of the Republic" with a new system of election as government sends condolences to the Kalistani people

January 5686

KPW leader Roksana Parzych moments before her confirmation as new Chancellor of Valruzia

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After a literal last-minute agreement that appointed KPW leader Roksana Parzych as new Chancellor of Valruzia following the abstention of Sovereign Valruzia and Our Homeland in the investiture vote at 23:56 of the 31st July and made her the first Chancellor to lead a minority cabinet in modern Valruzian history, expectations were high as to how long is this government going to survive, having to find parliamentary support across the whole political spectrum for a complete legislature.

But now, the first test has passed as the entire Sejm (601 votes in favor, 0 votes against) has approved yet another reform to Valruzia's Head of State. As it was hinted before the past elections by then-Chancellor Klaudia Nowik, the entirety of the Sejm has agreed to put an end to the deemed "failed experiment" of the pentacephalic Presidency of the regional Marshalls – that almost since its conception has been entirely composed by KPW leaders – and has now made an amendment to the Valruzian Constitution in this regard for the third time in 50 years. 

The reform is almost identical to the proposal of Sovereign Valruzia, with a brand-new bottom-up election system in which: citizens will now nominate candidates through their local assemblies and then go through district, municipal, and county votes, until five finalists emerge – one per Voivodeship. From among them, the President of Valruzia will then be chosen in an open election to serve a single, non-renewable term of up to fifteen years – reduced from the 20-years term initially proposed by Sovereign Valruzia. The role of this new figure – which will be rebranded again as "President of the Valruzian Republic", or "President of Valruzia" – will basically retain the same functions, such as sanctioning laws passed by the Sejm, representing Valruzia internationally and sign treaties after parliamentary ratification, propose a candidate for Chancellor after general elections, appoint government ministers and ambassadors on proposal of the Chancellor, confer state honors and military ranks or act as Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces in ceremonial capacity. Still, the President will hold no autonomous executive authority, and all of their acts – except internal appointments and the calling of referendums – will require once again countersigning by the Chancellor or relevant ministers.

"I think this change is for the best" said Chancellor Roksana Parzych after the vote was passed. "We have seen a non-functional Presidency that in effect, left the regional Marshalls with less time to really devote themselves to their consituents, and that is something they have told me in various meetings. With this reform, power goes back to the people and the people only will be the ones truly responsible for who they appoint as highest authority of our great nation."

Initial preparations for the elections have already started, as the first new Presidential election is set to be carried out along with the next general elections in 5690.

Government expresses "condolences and solidarity" to Kalistan and offers help in search of the Royal family

Following the news from Kalistan that the plane in which the Anantonese Imperial family was traveling back from Kundrati to home soil was lost due to heavy weather in the Mad Dog Ocean, the government of Valruzia has said that it has contacted the Kalistani authorities to "offer help" in the search of the missing royal family, offering three military search and rescue planes equipped with advanced radars. The plane, which along with Emperor Fredrick IV Ananto and Empress Jennifer I Ananto and two of their children included Kalistani Foreign Minister Henry Greene – widely kown in Valruzia as the contact between Valruzia and Kalistan following the fallout last legislature among the two nations – among others, went down in a winter storm over the Mad Dog Ocean sometime around 7:15 Kaliburg time.

"We are deeply sorry to hear that the Kalistani Royal family is missing and probably deceased. We send our condolences and solidarity to the Kalistani people, and we have offered the Kalistani authorities to help in any mean we can with the search, rescue or, in the worst case scenario, retrieval of the bodies."

However, it is reported that Kalistan has already called off the search as a result of the bad weather conditions at least until summer, when both nations could resume the search.