Kalistan

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Lady Melanie Alvarez-McLinn named Chancellor
Nationalists force acceptance of strong Conservative nominee
Sulari, Duchy of Ananto
April 4, 5711


Lady Melanie Alvarez-McLinn, Countess of Lucid, is formally named to Chancellorship

It is no secret that Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Carolina II Ananto's hostility to the Conservative wing of her own Party has led to successive foreign policy defeats for Kalistan. From our nation's utter humiliation in the dissolution of the Anantonese Empire to Her Imperial Majesty's Kowtowing to the Egelian security line in Altea, to now even our lackluster performance at the Olympics, under Her Imperial Majesty, and more specifically, under the leadership of the late Chancellor of the Empire Count Reg Hanson, Kalistan's star is clearly in decline.

Instead of advancing, the borders of our Empire are on the retreat. Kalistan is losing all relevance on the International Stage: We can't even get a nation as ridiculous as Trigunia to treat with us on serious terms, or achieve any meaningful results- Instead, talks between out two nations seemed to vaporize due to boredom and general apathy among the Trigunians. Our prospects for improved foreign relations abroad are falling one by one under the spell of the Svengalis in Amudim, while we can count our true friends on less than one hand.

Well, that is about to change. It would appear that the Nationalist Majority in the National Assembly has forced Her Imperial Majesty's hand back to sanity. Lady Melanie Alvarez-McLinn, 31, a direct descendent of Empress Nicolette The Great and the original Anantos, has been given the Green Light by Her Imperial Majesty to be elected as the next Chancellor of the Empire for the Empire of Ananto and Kalistan. Lady Alvarez is distantly related to the Grand Duke of Kalistan, and has lived in Lucid before being elected to the National Assembly in 5701.

Lady Alvarez is not only a close ally to the sacked former chancellor Lady Erica Donahue of Eshar, but is a very strong critic of the Moderate policies of Her Imperial Majesty's Government. "What we are seeing here is a national disgrace," she said in 5706, while debating the end of the Empire. "It's a shame that borders on mendacity and incompetence, and I for one can't believe that Her Imperial Majesty, the so-called 'Red Empress' is tolerating, no, is complicit in the stripping of our National Patrimony from Kalistan. The Chancellor has done nothing whatsoever to secure Gaduridos and ensure it is correctly governed, and what is worse, no steps have been taken on our bill to formally annex Athosia and return it to our Nation. Have these people forgotten what we are supposed to be doing here? I for one will never cast a vote for the dissolution of the Empire. I'll rot in prison first." Lady Alvarez was subsequently cashiered along with the rest of the National Assembly for not falling in line with the shameful retrenchment, only to be re-elected overwhelmingly by her constituents who know she will fight for them.

Lady Alvarez' ascendancy to the Chancellorship looks like a serious retreat for the Moderates around Her Imperial Majesty, who have been using her for more than a decade to promote a more internationalist, more accommodating view of Kalistan's place in this world. "Why is Her Imperial Majesty promoting Valruzian language in our schools, rather than promoting Vrassan, Suldanoran, and Egelian?" said Lady Alvarez as she was running for office in 5701. "We know who we are. We don't need to be anything else. Are they promoting Vrassan in their schools? I don't think so." During another speech she went after Dovani. "We hear all the time about Dovani Century. No, the 5700s are the Seleyan Century. Kalistanis will reclaim our centrality in world affairs, by any means necessary."

Lady Alvarez is openly and combatively hostile toward liberalism, republicanism, constitutionalism, democracy, communism and fascism. "Pluralism in politics is a road to division, grievance, and revolution," she said, speaking to a group of Nationalists in 5710. "And these nations who flirt with popular government, who commit the fraud of making the people feel like they have the ability to govern are criminal actors who are leading their people into ruin. Only absolutism can prevent this sort of inordinate longing on the part of the mass of people who are neither interested, nor capable of actual, real democratic government. Handing a commoner a pluralist ballot is like handing a toddler a loaded pistol. There's an equal chance that he will not know how to use it at all as that he will accidentally kill someone with it. Democracy is as irresponsible and dangerous as communism and fascism, and for many of the same reasons. And it should be put down like all infectious diseases before it has the chance to spread to our nation." She used the speech to call for the end of factions within the Institutional Party, which is no doubt her first order of business when she takes office later this month.

Nationalists across the nation, who still represent the majority of all voters in Kalistan cheered the news of Lady Alvarez' appointment. "I don't really have so much against the moderates," said Brad Johnson of Sulari, who supports Lady Alvarez. "Their tenure was meh. I am sure it pleased a lot of foreign governments, who have been cheering for Kalistan's demise for a century now. But Lady Alvarez is going to put a stop to that. It's time to take back what is ours. I am for her." Others called her outspoken criticism of Her Imperial Majesty, who remains a popular figure in Kalistan, a little over the top but then dismissed it as political theater. "Melanie Alvarez is a patriot," said Melissa Hanley of Nevaras. "I wish she was my Countess, to be honest. Yeah, she may publicly attack the policies of the Moderate government, but we are one of the freest nations in Terra, and we have the right to express our opinions. She is just saying what millions of us think, and if she has to put a little bit of sauce on her words to make sure they are heard, so be it. Its what politicians have to do these days."

Lady Alvarez has not issued a legislative agenda for her coming tenure, but in the past she has called for Vrassan and Egelian only in schools, breaking relations with communist nations, increasing efforts to reclaim direct control over Athosia, repudiating the bills severing Gaduridos from Kalistan, nationalizing foreign owned property in Kalistan and cracking down on foreign investors who have bank accounts or stock portfolios in the KalSiE, breaking all treaty relations and business deals with countries who join or participate in MATO, and formally calling for revision of the Altea Accords to make them bilateral treaties rather than multi-lateral treaties, due to the membership of the multilateral treaty--She specifically would target Trigunia/Nadiya, who she says we do not currently have formal diplomatic relations with, nor have we formally recognized them, so we should not be signing treaties where they are parties to the agreement. She has also said that the Government should move to make the Luncasi Supply Port a permanent posting rather than returning it in just under a decade.

Whether any of this will happen will be a matter of discussion between Her Imperial Majesty and the new incoming Chancellor. Lady Alvarez, for her part said, "I am a devout Brethrenist and was raised to consider lying to be a very serious crime against humanity. So I do affirm that as Her Imperial Majesty's Chancellor of the Empire, I will do all I can to move her agenda. But I will also endeavor to move her to a more nationalist position, and advise her in a way that puts Kalsitani national interests ahead of all other nation's interests in our consideration. Because in reality, as a sovereign and independent nation, our interests are not only the most important interests, but really they are the only ones that do and should matter to us. Period, Full Stop."

She also added, "Her Imperial Majesty does not like me, personally. She thought getting rid of Donahue solved her problems, but in this, very uncharacteristically, she was incorrect. Lady Donahue was driven by her duty to her Empress, and she put up with a number of very personal humiliations for reasons unknown by the Anantos. I am perhaps more driven by ideology, and perhaps a bit less reasonable. I will follow the law, but it should be known that under the actual law, I have a lot of independent power to craft what that law looks like when it comes out of the National Assembly. And I hope Her Imperial Majesty is at least willing to talk with me and discuss matters with me, and come to terms with me on grounds we can both accept. I may be a sitting member of the National Assembly, but if she dissolves the National Assembly, I don't go away. So we will need to work together one way or another. I hope Her Imperial Majesty is willing to consider me as a part of her team, rather than as her enemy."

Traditionally, Chancellors are named to the Order of Gray Smoke as Knights or Ladies Protector. There is still no word on whether that tradition will be upheld for Lady Alvarez. "If it doesn't happen," said Lady Alvarez, "it doesn't happen. My feelings won't be hurt. But membership in that Order is the only method, besides being in her immediate family, where I would be allowed to speak directly with her outside of formal audience. So if she doesn't let me join the Order, we're just gonna do things the hard way. I will obey the protocol, because it is required of me, but those meetings are going to be long."

House Ananto gave no comment on the appointment, except to say that they congratulate Lady Alvarez-McLinn on her appointment, and "hope she takes her responsibilities as seriously as her Predecessors have." Formal inauguration will take place later this month, and the first audience between Her Imperial Majesty and the New Chancellor is expected for early May. Given the mutual animosity between the incredibly popular monarch and the Countess with a large and devoted following in Nationalist circles, it is unclear what the near Future Holds for the Empire. The KalSiE responded with a highly volitile trading week, with the index dipping as low as 92% on the day before recovering and closing the week at 101.3% week over week on optimism of increasing domestic production and supply.

@TheNational