Valruzia

[Aethan]

Chancellor–President Kos secures parliamentary support for minority government after threatening to call early elections

KPW and FLK refuse to join the government but will provide external support to the new administration

April 5730

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Four months after the elections, Valruzia has a new government. Chancellor–President Kos, reelected in the January elections, has managed to secure the necessary votes in the Sejm to pass her government proposal, thanks to the votes of the Communist Party of Valruzia and the People's Front of Kampania.

Unlike in previous elections, where Kos had it very easy thanks to the absolute majority won by Sovereign Valruzia, these elections resulted in a fragmented parliament where any possibility of forming a government depended on either Sovereign Valruzia collaborating with the right or forming an alliance with all left-wing forces.

Although some sources began to float the idea of a collaboration between Sovereign Valruzia and Forward Valruzia "for the good of the nation" the idea was quickly dismissed by the Chancellor-President’s inner circle, who is considered part of the most progressive wing of Sovereign Valruzia and the main cause of the schism within Valruzianism that led to the emergence of Worthy Homeland, the runner-up in this past January’s elections.

Negotiations with the parties to her left also appear to have been far from smooth, and have come close to derailing completely on several occasions, according to sources close to the matter. However, those familiar with the negotiations say that while the KPW and FLK negotiators expected to encounter someone similar to Krystian Barela – who, two decades ago, declined to seek reelection as Chancellor of Valruzia in exchange for Sovereign Valruzia remaining in power following his infamous scandal – on this occasion they encountered a “woman with a velvet voice and an iron fist” who quickly laid out four key arguments:

1. That she had been directly elected by the people to lead the government, unlike pre-reform Chancellors.
2. That she has the authority to call elections and that she "would not hesitate to do so" if forming a "progressist government" became impossible – and, predictably, causing a further loss of votes for the KPW and the FLK as the parties responsible for the early election call.
3. That citizens had unequivocally determined that they wanted the left to lead the nation.

Although the KPW and the FLK claim to have received messages "bordering on threats", they acknowledge that their parties are not in a strong negotiating position – even though the FLK holds the regional government of Kampania, it has barely 9% of the vote nationally – and they agree that an early election call would make them being seen as the main culprits, especially given that the incumbent leader is openly progressive and has not flirted with the right at any point during her previous term.

Thus, reluctantly, the KPW and the FLK have agreed to provide external support for the Chancellor-President's minority government, but without holding any ministerial posts, and to press for, now that Sovereign Valruzia lacks a majority in parliament, "the demands of progressive citizens to be met and for the President not to heed the siren songs of the right".

The new cabinet, which was finally approved by a vote of 348 in favor and 253 against, shows little change from the outgoing government: the same small number of ministries remains, and there are few changes in their leadership. Only the Minister of Internal Affairs, Lech Bońkowski, is replaced by the former Marshal of Chynberg Jacek Podolski (the only candidate from Sovereign Valruzia to have attained that position); the role of government spokesperson passes from Minister of Science and Technology Maja Dziuk to Minister of Labor, Housing, and Social Rights Marcin Miętus; and the ministers of Environment and Tourism, Zygmunt Ważny, and of Transport, Bonifacy Kociński, swap positions. "The President wants to project an image of continuity and strength in the government, so she has asked all the ministers who have expressed their desire to remain in the government to do so," sources in the President's Office say.