Nsanlosa

[Zanz]

http://forum.particracy.net/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=7249

[Rogue]

Haradesa: General Busara, member of the Chief's of Staff of the Armed Forces, has announced that president Darweshi has been arrested and put under house arrest following a swift but bloodless coup in the capital. Busara, who leads a council of three high ranking military officials in the coup, furthermore installed martial law throughout the country and has mobilized around 10.000 soldiers in an effort to enforce said martial law. Government buildings in the capital of Haradesa have been ceased and the cabinet has been replaced by military appointed officials. After decades of peace under the United Provinces, the country now faces uncertain times. Eight years of economic despair following the collapse of 5565 have left the country bruised and its people in poverty. It is believed that at least 3 out of 5 Nsanians live below the poverty line, with government corruption also at an all time high. 

While the military, often being politically active in the past, kept its composure and loyalty towards the elected government pressure mounted against them to act as consecutive governments failed to turn the tide. General Busara stated that it is the Junta its intend to return to civilian rule as soon as possible. Those familiar with Busara are sceptical, as he has been one of the most politically active figures in the military and might use his newfound position to maintain power for himself. 

Instead of protests, at least 600.000 people took to the streets throughout the country to celebrate the coup, hoping it could bring relief and change to the problem plagued country. The president is to remain under house arrest until further notice, with local and provincial officials currently kept in their place by the Junta in order to keep daily government running. Much remains unclear as we continue to report on this story.

[Rogue]

Haradesa: General Busara has, during one of his few press conferences, presented a plan to the international press for a transition back to civilian rule. For the past 8 years the general, together with his Council of State, has ruled the country under a military junta often described as brutal. Economic woes have persisted but, thanks in large part to the intense repression enacted by the junta, stability has somewhat returned. For the last three years the regime had become isolated, with the international community turning its back on a government seen as cruel and violating the human rights of its citizens. 

Feeling the international pressure mounting and the regime its economic woes getting worse, General Busara and his three man Council of State have revealed a plan to return to civilian rule within the next two years, with three phases to go through in order to complete the transition. First, the military will demobilize and end martial law in the country, handing back policing duties to the civilian police forces and reastablishing civilian law. Once completed, the second phase will see a national referendum to be held on a new proposed constitution for the country, with the military writing a constitution together with civil leaders. The third phase, once a constitution is enacted, will see the demobilization of military forces and the Ministry of Defense back in control of day to day military affairs. 

Observers are sceptical of the military its intentions, with one reporter noting that rumours have long been circulating that General Busara seeks to enter politics himself once civilian rule is restored. It is widely expected at this point that whatever constitution is adopted, the military will continue to wield immense influence over government. The insurgencies in Kagba and the southern farmlands have also sparked a debate on whether a transition could be succesfull at all, as both the monarchist rebels in the south and the communist rebels in the north have so far rejected any talks with the military or its civilian appointees, threatening stability in the region.

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Nsanlosa - As the first phase of the military its plan to return to civil rule commences, monarchist rebels in the south of the country have launched at least 14 attacks at military forces last week. While monarchist militia's have long fought for control of the south, recent developments such as the end to martial law have allowed them to jump in the vaccuum and try to capture more territory. Most monarchists are united under the banner of the "Front for a New King" or Mbele kwa Mfalme Mpya (MkMM). This alliance was formed just a year ago in an attempt to create a united front for the restoration of the monarchy. 

In the attacks last week at least 120 soldiers of the Armed Forces have been killed, with around 400 insurgents dead. So far only minimal territorial gains have been reported. The most significant gain has been the village of Mabanvya (pop: 2400) in the coastal region of Mukina. The military has not yet officially commented, although several high ranking officers have commented to local media outlets that they are mounting a counter offensive to "punish" the insurgents for their attempt at "disrupting the constitutional proces". 

The Council of State has issued a declaration not directly mentioning the attacks, citing that the military will retain an actively mobilized force of around 20.000 in order to "contain and drive back insurgent elements". While this goes against the pledge for full demobilization, ordinary Nsanians seem to support the move, preffering stability and stable transition over a return to civil war and anarchy as was the case decades ago. 


The current territory in de-facto control of insurgents. With red showing the kagban communist party and blue showing territory controlled by the militia's under the MkMM

[Rogue]

With a referendum scheduled within the next 6 months, the Junta has announced that a draft constitution has been finalized in which Nsanlosa will be transformed into a semi-presidential decentralized republic. Instead of the past federal system, the country will be primarily unitary as to "preserve the national identity of Nsanians." Recognizing the immense linguistic and cultural differences in the country however, the local bodies of governance will gain significant autonomy on local affairs. The 10 provinces will retain their current territorial boundaries and names. District governments are to be removed entirely, with municipalities now acting as the lowest government. Provinces will have a democratically elected provincial council but a Council of Ministers appointed governor that oversees their executive branch. The municipalities will have a directly elected mayor and municipal council. 
On the national level, the office of President shall be retained, although with reduced powers. Instead a new office for the head of government is created, officially titled the "Minister-president of the Council of Ministers". While the president retains the right to appoint security and judicial officials, sign decrees, sign or veto laws and be in charge of defense and foreign policy the "Prime Minister" will be in charge of directing and leading the cabinet, as well as taking charge on "general affairs". The Prime Minister may not be dismissed by parliament upon his or her appointment, but may be dismissed by the president. The President is allowed to appoint a Prime Minister, with the new "Chamber of People's Deputies" in charge of approving or rejecting the president's pick in a majority vote. The President may also, in this new unitary system, dissolve the lower chamber of parliament. Observers note that while checks and balances seem to be in place, the new proposed system would basically grant the president extraordinary powers if his party also has a leading role in parliament, likely by design of the military junta. 
Parliament will be bicameral, with the Chamber of People's Deputies to be elected in a national proportional vote with a 10% treshhold. The new "Senate of the Union" will be a appointed chamber, with 1/3rd of senators appointed by the President at the beginning of his or her term and 2/3rds appointed by the provincial legislatures. While the senate will not be allowed to draft legislation, a majority in it will be required in order to pass legislation. Senators may also summon ministers for questioning, but may not call confidence votes on them or the government. 

The Junta has also revealed a "new" State Flag, with a white, red and green field representing the nobility, the blood spilled for the country and the prosperity of the people. The new flag is to represent the struggle that got the Nsanian people here. General Busara subsequently announced in a personal social media post that he has officially filed papers with the recently created Supreme Electoral Commission for the creation of his own party, the "General People's Congress". Confirming fears that he will seek to hold political power in the country despite an end to the Junta. He has resigned from the military in order to serve as leader of the party, but oppossition figures are already calling for a boycot of the referendum unless "Busara respects the democratic process that was promised."

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The "Referendum on the Nsanian Union" has passed with 78% of the population in favor. Turnout was reportedly hovering around 80%. The referendum would decide whether the newly drafted constitution would be formally adopted, dissolving other government agencies and transforming the United Provinces into the Nsanian Union. At least 70% had to vote in favor in order for the constitution to be adopted. While the Council of State issued a statement congratulating the Nsanian people with their "democratic victory" the international community is worried by the conduct of the referendum. At least a few hundred reports of ballot stuffing, military harassment and bribery have been reported across the country, fueling the idea that actual support of the constitution is far lower then the current 78% that voted in favor. 

There have also been reports that the 80% turnout has been manufactured by the Junta, with actual turnout much lower at 49%. Despite these reports, the Junta is formally validating the results, with the Supreme Electoral Commission announcing that presidential and parliamentary elections are to be held next month. So far, current member of the Council of State General Busara has announced his candidacy for president, running under his new "General People's Congress". Conservative parties have banded together to form the National Union and run former monarchist leader Mosi Ramadhani for president. The monarchist rebels in the south, pending negotiations with a newly elected government, have announced a self-imposed ceasefire and have indicated their hopes of "proper guarentees" by a new government. The SEC has so far allowed Ramadhani to be on the presidential ballot, with his National Union also allowed to run for parliament. While this has created a illusion of competitition, most spectators agree that it is likely that Busara and his GPC will win power, meaning a continuation of military influence in the nation its politics.

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General Busara has been elected President of the Union, with 69% of voters voting for Busara in the first round of the election, removing the need for a second round. He won over National Union candidate Mosi Ramadhani who won 21% of the vote. Third came independent candidate Zawadi with just 10%. Busara is now president-elect, to be inaugurated next week in Haradesa Central Square. His General People's Congress party won 92 of the 150 seats in the Chamber of People's Deputies, granting the president a comfortable majority and allowing him to appoint a Prime Minister of his own choosing. This result ensures that the president is granted considerable power, as he is expected to appoint a loyalist to the position of Minister-president. Interestingly the General People's Congress and Busara himself ran a short campaign specifically advocating for socialist proposals, with some party candidates throwing in the term of "Busarism", which has become known as a ideology named after General Busara his ideology of socialism, left-wing populism, militarism and pan-dovani thought. His party now consists of primarily left-wing politicians, with a mix of socialists, social democrats, populists and liberals now forming the GPC its coalition.

It is widely expected that President Busara will first seek to stabilize the national economy and negotiate with rebel groups, with the monarchist rebels in the south already willing to enter negotiations and the "Kagban People's Democratic Party" indicating its satisfaction with the socialist proposals of the GPC and president-elect, thus opening another door for potential negotiations and a final peace in Nsanlosa. The conservative National Union came second in the chamber election, winning 38 seats. The remaining 20 seats were won by a northern coalition of local political parties, largely with a far-left orientation. According to their leader Umoja Kobe the coalition is currently discussing of creating a formal national political party, seeking to strengthen the "north its voice in parliament". Whether he is able to unite the over 30 local parties now in the coalition remains to be seen. 

Despite the relative optimism this election once again seemed to be everything but fair, with the now standard reports of military harassment and electoral fraud being rampant. Officials have denied the allegations, with local news outlets reporting on such stories shut down by police and security services. We will continue to report independent news from Nsanlosa, no matter the regime in place.

[Rogue]

President Busara has announced the "Three Point Initiative" first revealed during his election campaign. The Three Points, as some have started to call it, revolve around the political philosofy of the President, with the idea being associated with "Busarism", the president's own ideology. Under the three points, there are three key objectives to focus on in order to rebuild Nsanlosa and maintain its prowess. Together with socialism, pan-dovani thought and left-wing populism the "Three Points" are considered an integral part of rebuilding the nation according to Busara and his followers. 

Point 1: Economic Revitalization
Under this point, the economy has to be revitalized and rebuild under the principles of state-capitalism, with immense investments from the state coupled with private enterprise and heavy regulation aiming to bring back the national economy. While not entirely socialist, the first point does incorporate much from socialist thought, and is seen as vital to the succes of the new country

Point 2: The New State
Under this point, the Busara government seeks to consolidate the new state institutions and develop the bureaucracy. The state must be efficient and robust, and its institutions should be given the resources to establish themselves and to be maintained. It is widely believed that President Busara mainly seeks to break down old state institutions and build new ones in order to ensure their loyalty towards the GPC and Busarism. While the governments of the past decades have largely been innefective at governing, the new state should be highly efficient.

Point 3: Protect the People
Under this point, the state security apparatus should be diverse, loyal and effective. Mainly, The Bureau should be reinstated and granted far reaching powers to protect from both internal and external threats. The police is also to receive reform, with the Ministry of the Interior to gain full power to direct its activities. Lastly, the military is to be build up and maintained, as the protector of the new state, with militarism playing a integral role in Busarism. The military is not to just be used for protecting the state, but for aiding Pan-Dovani movements or be involved in direct action to unite the Dovanian continent. Some worry that this thought within Busarism would put it at odds with states around Nsanlosa, but Busara and his closest aides have rejected any notion of forcefull expansion so far. 

As part of the rollout for the Three Points, Busara has signed a executive decree renaming and reforming the armed forces, with the overall armed forces to be renamed into the Nsanian People's Defense Force, with the branches under it to keep the same name. The decree also fires at least 18 high ranking generals and hundreds of officers, with the National Cornettes tasked with removing them from office. While some oppossition to the move has been reported, President Busara used his time as Junta leader to consolidate his authority, making any other military official to weak to oppose him now. While the decree is so far reaching that the Chamber of People's Deputies needs to vote on its enactment, it is a mere formality, with all GPC lawmakers announcing they will vote for the measure. 

The President indicated that he seeks to borrow at least 200 billion LFR in an effort to rebuild the country, with peace talks underway between the government and every insurgent group in the country, such funds will be needed if conflict finally does end in the plagued country. While such a investment will put Nsanlosa into serious debt, the Busara administration sees it as necessary to rebuild vital infrastructure and eventually encourage private investment into the country, paired with state investment.

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The monarchist rebels in the south and the Kagban People's Democratic Party in the north have signed the Treaty of Debi, putting away their arms and joining the political process. Under the treaty, both insurgent groups are to demobilize their forces and hand back control over their respective territories to the Nsanian government. In return, they are allowed to participate in local and national elections and adjustments to the constitution are made. These adjustments include a lowering of the electoral treshold from 10% to 5%, a renaming of the lower chamber to "Chamber of Deputies" to appease the monarchists and strengthened powers for provincial councils in taxation and cultural matters. With the treaty signed, Nsanlosa finds itself at peace internally for the first time in decades. 

President Busara signed the treaty on the governments behalf, announcing a "new era of peace and prosperity for the Nsanian people." Meanwhile his "Three Points" initiative is gaining traction, with billions of state funds pouring into reconstruction. The capital of Haradesa, largely unscathed after decades of conflict, is supporting efforts for reconstruction elsewhere in the country, granting the national government its own loans. President Busara already expressed his desire to focus on coastal reconstruction and connectivity first, seeking to rebuild the Haradesa-Mariazi railway in an effort to allow regional and international commerce to kick-off. The focus on the government is to both restart agricultural production in the center of the country as well as rebuilding the industrial base in the Greater Haradesa area and help the north, namely Kagba, in reconstructing vital mining industries. With this peace comes great responsibility and opportunity, with the Busara Administration now able to focus on economic, institutional and foreign policy.

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Haradesa - Last weeks elections were contentious. For the first time in decades, a candidate other then the GPC candidate was set to win, despite a intense establishment campaign to smear him. Young entrepeneur Bwana Mkubwa ran on the Haki na Ustawi ticket (Luthorian: Justice and Welfare), a center-right party that decried corruption and nepotism in Nsanian government. For the last few decades the General People's Congress has ruled Nsanlosa as a near one party state. While elections were allowed, the GPC used its position in power to tilt results their way. This has led to what came to be known as the "Nsanian Curse", as this is the third governmental system under which corruption, nepotism and innefficiency reigns supreme. The Nsanian people pay the price, as cities have run out of money and intense population growth has led to a shortage of almost everything, with a government unable to get a grip on affairs. 

Mkubwa came in with a promise of change, with his message of taking "a battering ram to government" en combatting corruption and the many political dynasties that have developed in these years. Despite a smear campaign by the incumbent Kereenyaga government, harassment by security services and even a raid on their party HQ last month, Mkubwa won the first round of the presidential election with 39% of the vote, defeating Kereenyaga by 4 points. Seeing the writing on the wall, the state apparatus got to work, with the Electoral Committee nullifying the results and announcing that new elections would only be scheduled in 3 years time. to organise "a fair process." In the meantime, Kereenyaga would retain his position as Prime Minister. 

These developments have led to major protests in Haradesa, with nearly 500.000 people now in the streets in support of Mkubwa. For the first time in nearly 11 years, the government has failed to prevent these protests, being forced to restrain themselves due to the large scale of the events. Prime Minister Kereenyaga has called for calmth, but has so far refused to step down, citing that "anti-government forces" are seeking to "destablize" the state. But as tension rises, many start to wonder whether the GPC its grip on power is waining, and whether Mkubwa can persist and bring change to a battered country eager for their problems to be solved.