Kalistan

[Doc]

Chancellor Sacked by Empress ahead of Retirement
1st Fleet and North Army Alert stepped up should Kalistan need to defend Luncasi
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
July 1, 5699


Empress addresses National Assembly to name new Chancellor

Lady Ericka Donahue has been allowed to retire to her home in Eshar two years early. There are few details around the Chancellor's removal but it is guessed that the Chancellor's responses to the Press two weeks ago was the last straw for the Empress. The sudden removal of the Chancellor forced Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Carolina II Ananto to announce her new Head of Government.

"We begin by thanking Lady Ericka Donahue for her long years of service," said Her Imperial Majesty before the National Assembly. "She leaves office without blemish on her career or her character. But we mutually agreed that she should be given the opportunity to begin her retirement with full pension early, to give the Institutional Party the opportunity to reset. To replace her, we have named our vassal Count Reginald Hanson, Count of Jah in Vrassa Lord Hanson is a member of the moderate caucus within the Institutional Party and the leader for the last four years of the Government Affairs committee. Lord Hanson possesses excellent Government organizational skills and fits our vision for the Empire going forward. Lord Hanson will begin serving as Chancellor of the Empire this week."

Very little is known about the Count of the northern County other than the few details that were provided to the Press by Her Imperial Majesty's personal Secretary. The Office of the Empress says that Count Hanson is 34 years old, possesses a Masters Degree of Public Administration received from the University of Vrassa, and is a well known and competent bureaucrat. It is also suspected that he was on a short list left by the outgoing Chancellor for the Empress to choose from, suggesting that he has at least received her endorsement. If this is true, it will put to bed any rumors that Lady Donahue was forced out due to disagreements over the Egelion policy. Neither Count Hanson nor the now Countess Donahue have addressed the method or criteria Her Imperial Majesty used to select the new Chancellor.

Chancellor of the Empire, Lord Reginald Hansen, Count of Jah takes office

The Empress did not address the Egelian situation in her speech before the National Assembly, and the new Chancellor, in his first meeting with the press pulled his punches. "Her Imperial Majesty thanks the Egelian Emperor for kindly returning our diplomats. We have similarly assisted Egelian personnel and all nationals who wish to leave Kalistan to return home safely. Kalistan bears no ill will toward Egelion: It is the aggressive imperialism of her Sovereign that the Empress objects to. However, Her Imperial Majesty has closed the door on any additional sanctions, because there is nothing to sanction. Egelion has assiduously avoided almost all intercourse with Kalistan: They did welcome the Empress for a short period of time after her coronation, but have made no attempt to work with Kalistan on regional security, economics, or diplomacy outside of a short conversation on the topic where both sides reaffirmed their desire to remain at peace with one another.

But the Emperor's reference to Her Imperial Majesty as nothing more than puerile and paranoid speaks volumes about the Egelian's attitude, and makes all his claims about trying to work with Kalistan as equals into falsehoods, and Her Imperial Majesty would prefer to not associate herself with dissemblers and warmongers like this. In their condescending attitude toward Her Imperial Majesty, which was present from the first day of her formal reign, they have demonstrated their long held attitude of misplaced and unearned superiority, and the Emperor's comments simply put a punctuation mark on the relationship. Kalistan had long tried to be a friend to Egelion and would have been if Egelion had only found a way to talk to us as their equal. But they never once did. Egelion now only has thralls and targets when they could have had a friend. If His Majesty wishes to reopen the door to Kalistan, he knows how to get to Kaliburg."

While the Chancellor did not wish to address the Egelian monarch any further, he did note that Kalistan did not get resources from Egelion on any level, nor did we invest anything in that nation. "But they didn't invest anything here either, because they could not control it. So its a wash." As for the threat of military action in New Endralon, the Chancellor said "We do not have personnel in New Endralon." He was asked if he thought Egelion meant Luncasi, and he said "No, they said New Endralon. Luncasi is a free city in Kizenia. And we have not heard anything about Luncasi from the Government of NEKK, which is, according to Egelion itself, an independent nation in personal union with Egelion. So I don't know what they are talking about."

In case, however, he said Her Imperial Majesty has moved elements of the Second Fleet into the Straits to act in reserve, and has ordered the First Imperial Fleet to begin doing active patrols between Kizenia and Ananto. "Her Imperial Majesty has also put Regular Army Group North on alert and has activated the Militia. We are prepared to reinforce the 2 Battalions of Marines who are permanent personnel in Luncasi if need be in a few hours notice."

@TheRepublic