Kalistan

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Grand Duke Craig Alvarez Requests permission to form Ducal Council
"Dukes of Kalistan seek more localized authority"
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
February 15, 5671


Her Imperial Majesty, Mary I Ananto meets with Grand Duke Craig Alvarez-Suldanor at Cliff House

His Highness the Grand Duke of Kalistan, Craig Alvarez-Suldanor has met with Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Mary I Ananto in Kaliburg this week. His mission was to acquire consideration of a petition from the four Dukes of the Grand Duchy of Kalistan requesting the permission to create a Kalistani Ducal Council to better coordinate the activities of the Duchies and four free Cities in Kalistan Proper. "I made the request on behalf of the Peers in Kalistan because we have agreed that coordination between the Kalistani Duchies would be beneficial to all of our success. This marginal decentralization will permit us to focus on working together on Kalistani issues without having to individually appeal to the Empress on every issue."

The Empress for her part has officially accepted the petition, but has opted to not formally take action on the matter. "We have just about one year and a quarter left until our tenure in this office is completed and we hand the crown to our replacement. It is correct that the matter remains for him to decide, as he will need to establish his own working relationship with the Kalistani Peers." The Empress did signal her agreement with the pleas of the Kalistani Dukes. "We do find ourselves in agreement with many of the claims made in the petition. The notion that Kalistan has certain peculiar issues that they can handle themselves without the need for input from the Crown is certainly a reasonable claim. And indeed, cooperation with the Free Cities will definitely bring a little more public input into Kalistani affairs. We are more cautious, however, about the introduction of a new layer of government between the National Government and the people of Kalistan. So, there are pros and cons that the next monarch will need to consider."

The Grand Duke said he was satisfied with the meeting: "I feel like the Empress heard our suit fairly and treated the request respectfully. She was very receptive to the idea and gave me some hope that the Crown Prince will be willing to talk with us after he is crowned. She also gave me some very constructive feedbacks concerning where we will come upon sticking points with whoever sits on the throne, so we can go back and rework some of the proposals to make it easier the Crown Prince to consider. I appreciate her willingness to meet with me on behalf of the Dukes and Lord Mayors of Kalistan."

The Chancellor of the Empire was also present for the meeting, though it was marked as an informal audience. She noted her interest in the topic from a legislative perspective. "With a Ducal council in Kaliburg, we would obviously need some conversations about separation of authorities, and how it would work. Would the Ducal Council have the power to bind the national Government to its decisions, for example. Given that Duchies are allowed to collect direct taxes for their own local support, how will ducal funds be combined? These are nuts and bolts questions that will come up if this advances, regardless of the name of Monarch. So, I am happy to have been a part of this initial conversation."

The discussion about the Kalistani Ducal Council will continue into the next reign, while the Kalistani Dukes have some more to discuss over the next year or two.

@TheRepublic