Kalistan

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Empress in Waiting Formally Attends first Session of National Assembly
Princess Regent, released from Light Duty, says Kalistan needs "renewal"
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
March 1, 5687


Three Generation of Ananto Women arrive at National Assembly

The National Assembly welcomed Her Imperial Majesty, Empress in Waiting Carolina-Katherine Michelle Ananto-Connor to the Chamber today in a purely ceremonial event for the reconvening of the Assembly. Her appearance in the Chamber was long awaited as Deputies have been lobbying the Chancellor for more than a year for the chance to meet the young Monarch. As Her Imperial Majesty is still only 13 and has not reached her legal Majority, she was invited to take a seat near the Chancellor of the Empire, rather than in the Legislative Seat where she will sit in the future, for the duration of the Session, where she was able to observe the proceedings and speak with the Chancellor during the meeting. She was accompanied to the Chamber by Her Highness, Princess Regent Nicolette Ananto-Collins, who was scheduled to speak on behalf of the Empress in Waiting, and Her Highness, Princess of the Empire Mary Ananto, who took a seat in the Peers Gallery. Upon their appearance, the Deputies rose to their feet, and solemnly bowed, and then when all three Anantos had taken their respective places, they gave a respectful and enthusiastic ovation, welcoming the Princesses back to the Chamber in their new roles, and welcoming the Empress in Waiting, most especially to the National Assembly.

When the Chancellor called the session to order, she offered the rostrum to the Empress in Waiting to rise and address her Assembly. As practiced, Her Imperial Majesty, the Empress in Waiting wordlessly waved her hand across her chest, signaling to the Chancellor that the Princess Regent would take the floor in her stead. This small ceremony was her first official act as Empress and it went off absolutely as scripted. The Princess Regent rose, approached the Rostrum and lowered her head toward Her Imperial Majesty out of respect for the office, and then proceeded to deliver her first address to the National Assembly as Princess Regent of Ananto and Kalistan to an absolutely silent House of Deputies.

"My Lady, Her Imperial Majesty, Empress in Waiting Carolina-Katherine Michelle Ananto-Collins, Most Excellent and Honorable Chancellor of the Empire, My Lady Ericka Donahue, Countess of Vrassa, Gathered Deputies and Peers, I thank you for welcoming me to speak on behalf of our Sovereign and Empress. I want to thank you all first, for the trust you have placed in me, and in Her Imperial Majesty's Government. It means so much to me that you wish to carry on my Late brother's legacy in this way. I will not let by Brother and my Sister-in-Law's memory down, I will not let Her Imperial Majesty down, and I will not let you all down. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart."

Over this year I have had the opportunity to do a lot of thinking. I have had the chance to meet with many of you and find out what your priorities are. And I have come to one conclusion. When my adopted daughter, Her Imperial Majesty, takes up her rightful spot as the Empress of our Nation, I want to leave her with several projects that are well on their way to completion, so she may oversee them until the end.

Domestically, our system is getting older. We have had to divert a lot of our resources that usually goes toward maintaining our infrastructure into maintaining basic existence in Kalistan during the Recession. Now by all estimation, we are five years behind on deferred maintenance. This is certainly something we need to tackle, and dedicated a lot of time and money into catching up. The problem with deferred maintenance is that if I say 5 years, it will take 10 or 15 years to complete, just because we not only have to catch up on the deferred maintenance, but also do our current maintenance. So this is a long term project ahead of us. Part of it will be a thorough investigation of the roads, bridges and rail lines, as well as our dams, power supply grids, and power generation facilities. This project will begin this summer in Kalistan and will wind up in Ananto by the end.

I would also like to see us begin to invite foreign investment to begin expanding our heavy industry in this nation. One of the issues we had during the recession was a failure of our supply chains. Increased heavy manufacturing will help us re-onshore our supply chains, to ensure that we are not reliant on other nations for essential components necessary for those things Kalistanis use every single day. This initiative will lead to thousands of new jobs over the next couple decades, and will help us further tighten the labor market to ensure worker power across the nation. We will do this through both public and private investment in both the public and private sector.

Internationally, I would like to see the Empire of Ananto and Kalistan continue to reach out to other nations to improve our ties with the world. As my brother and sister in law held, bilateral relations are most suitable to Kalistan, and this will be the course I continue to pursue. We would like Kalistani businesses to have a chance to compete abroad, and we would like excess capital in Kalistan to flow outward so profits and dividends can return here and enrich our people. We'd like to return to export led growth as a strategy for maintenance of our ZPG doctrine, and be a net exporter once more. More than anything, we would like to forge new ties with our neighbors in Lodamun, and work with the Viceroy in Gaduridos to ensure that they always have what they need from Kalistan, whether it be assistance, or staying completely out of the way.

We are also planning to continue a project that was just inaugurated last year which is the expansion of the First Regular Navy in the Northern Anantonese Ocean. The first elements of the permanent personnel commitment to the Luncasi Naval Logistics and Supply Center in Luncasi Kizenia are in place, the dry dock facility and deep port expansion has been begun and we are already starting to clear the water way for the new Luncasi Commercial Port. On land, as a joint project between Kalistan and Kizenia, civil engineers are making great progress on expanding the rail network through Luncasi to service both the logistics center and the eventual future Luncasi Commercial Port. Like our own infrastructure projects these will continue apace for the next few years.

We hope to keep expanding our diplomatic capabilities outside of our region. It feels that certain nations are attempting to encircle our Empire with the aim of isolating us and strangling us. To this end, not only do we seek to ensure that Kalistan has connections with other nations around the world, but that we are building reliable alliances aimed at checking that growing power and retaining the current balance of power in our region, which is, at this moment, in Kalistan's favor. Our nation may need to take extraordinary measures. We might have to look for unorthodox solutions to our security needs that some would prefer we ignore.

But I will not shy away from legitimate offers to help Kalistan retain its prominent place in our region, nor will I tolerate this Empire and her interests being sidelined by some upstart with a golden tongue. Kalistan has a long defend its interests, because we can't count on anyone else to do it for us. And we will continue to do so, by any means necessary. We would encourage others to seek friendly relations with this Empire, rather than doing everything within their power to constantly irritate our relationship. It's very easy for others to work with Kalistan. We make it very easy, and the only thing we ever ask is that you respect our interests and make room for them in the calculations of your own. Not hard to do at all. It surprises me every day that more nations do not seek to take advantage of our hand of friendship and cooperation. I seek to remedy that. I reiterate the call of the former Foreign Minister, Mr. Henry Greene, and invite the world to Kaliburg to talk with us.

This nation will continue to work, on all fronts, to improve the quality of life for all our Citizens. I owe it to Her Imperial Majesty to do just that. I have no greater duty than to leave her a greater country when I leave office that I got when I was put into this office. And I do affirm as Your Princess Regent, that this will be my solemn and solitary duty until such time that My Lady is able to assume her majority and her full Birthright. And I will not deviate from that task. Together, with your help, and the help of the People of this nation, we can accomplish these great things, and we will, so help us God. Thank you."

The inspiring speech drew an ovation from the Deputies, and established confidence in the Princess Regent, who many Deputies had privately whispered might not be up to the task, given her happy-go-lucky lifestyle, lack of formal training, and recent battles with mental illness and depression. Many Deputies cheered wildly, and chanted "Caroline Caroline" in the benches, and the Princess Regent smiled, some would say for the first time in a very long time, and waved at the packed house. After a moment, she walked to the Empress, bowed formally and opened her hand, and the Empress in Waiting stood, took her hand and the two began to walk to the Lobby. All Deputies went silent, reverently bowed their heads until the time that the two had left the floor and then erupted in ovation once more.

A sense of national pride and optimism radiating from the National Assembly is now palpable across the nation. The Princess Regent begins her first full day of work tomorrow.

@TheRepublic