Valruzia

[Aethan]

SW's refusal to support a GO government pushes Valruzia to new elections

None of the attempts at reconciliation by the Chancellor-President have had any effect on the party led by Aleksandra Kos

June 5735

Chancellor–President Grech (left) with her personal advisor (right) before one meeting with SW representatives

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Any remaining hope that Chancellor-President Klemens Grech had of forming a government for Valruzia has been dashed this afternoon, when the leader of Sovereign Valruzia and former Chancellor-President Aleksandra Kos told the media that her party will not allow—"neither actively nor passively, neither by action nor by omission"—a government that includes Worthy Homeland. She also stated that Sovereign Valruzia does not consider Mr. Grech a "legitimate representative" and that, in the wake of his anti-yeudi scandal, he should "simply resign and apologize".

According to sources familiar with the talks, Mr. Grech reportedly offered Sovereign Valruzia several options to allow for a Worthy Homeland government—"the party that received the most votes in the last election", in his own words—including a coalition government with the ministries of justice, finance and defence, among others; or a minority government closely monitored and supported externalists by the progressive Valruzianists. However, none of the options seems to have convinced Kos, who refuses to work with his former party colleagues. "They made a choice when they blowed away our party. They decided to part ways because they disagreed with everything Mrs. Kos represents. And now they want her support? Of course she is not going to bend" says a close source of the former President.

The last nail in the coffin to end the negotiations were the emerged video of President Grech where ten years ago, took part in a far-right conference. Even though since then from his team they have tried to put some distance and discard the video as a result of a "young and rebellious spirit" when the now president was still "figuring out his ideals", Sovereign Valruzia is not convinced "at all" by the explanations, and demand the immediate resignation of the President.

From Worthy Homeland they now claim that Sovereign Valruzia cannot stand "having lost the first place" for the first time since 5690, 40 years ago, and accuse the sovereignists of thinking that the nation "belongs to them", by preventing others from reaching power. However, the president’s team assumes that all is already lost and is reportedly preparing a decree to dissolve the Sejm and call new elections, to be published at 11:59 p.m.—one minute before the deadline set by the Valruzia Constitution for the authority to call elections to pass from the Chancellor-President to the Marshal of the Sejm.

[Aethan]

BREAKING: The right will take control of the Valruzian government for the first time in the country's modern democratic history

A century after the transition to democracy, the right finally clears the threshold as Sovereign Valruzia pays the price for refusing to share power and KPW's gains arrive too late

December 5735

Chancellor–President Klemens Grech in Worthy Homeland's headquarters after election results were announced

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With all the votes almost counted, it's official: parties on the right of the Valruzian political spectrum have obtained, for the very first time in the country's post-dictatorship history, an absolute majority in the Sejm, and will be able to form a government on their own. 

For a century, the right has struggled to gain traction in the nation, only securing once the role of Head of State under Szymona Razem in 5641 and whose presidency only lasted for two years before Chancellor Szymon Nowik successfully removed her from the position following her scandal regarding a plan of forced relocation of Valruzian yeudis to Amudim; and President Urszula Pawlik from 5687 to 5712, who acted more as a guarantor of peace of stability for the whole country rather than a right-wing activist.

However, none of them was head of government. Both were head of State of Valruzia, at a time where the position was more a symbolic figure than a high-profile political position. The party that endorsed both of them, Forward Valruzia, has always been far from reaching power, with even its best results below the 30% threshold. There has been many articles about why the right struggled to reach power in the nation, and about when or if it would ever reach the government of Valruzia as the leading force – Forward Valruzia has been part of a few coalition governments before, but only as the minor partner, and always causing frictions and ending poorly -. Well, we might have an answer now: December 5735, the date the right-wing parties of Valruzia accounted for an absolute majority. 

With turnout down by more than 5pp, both Sovereign Valruzia and Forward Valruzia have suffered heavy losses (around 3 million voters each), whilst even with lower participation Worthy Homeland has increased its total number of votes by more than half a million, which experts attribute to the so called "concentration vote", gathering former voters from Valruzian Alliance and Forward Valruzia towards the "winning option". The other remaining actor, the Communist Party of Valruzia, has made a big jump from 10% to 19%, but the reality hides something else: whilst it has grown in most of the Valruzian voivodeships, the core of this result is the decision of the People's Party of Kampania not to contest the elections and instead call on its supporters – "for one and only one time" – to vote for the KPW in order to stop "the rising fascism" and not to split the progressive vote. Sadly for them, it has not had a meaningful impact as the right has achieved their very much desired majority.

Chancellor–President Grech, himself affected by another antiyeudi discourse scandal, has welcomed the results, after being forced to call for early elections due to Sovereign Valruzia's refusal to support a GO–headed government.

"People have spoken loud and clear. They have punished the egoistic and shameful attitude of Sovereign Valruzia after refusing to support the rightful winner of the last elections, and now they see themselves out of government and without any possibility of influencing it. We offered them a deal, they refused it. Now they reap what they sow" said the President before a multitude congregated around the Worthy Homeland's headquarters in the capital of Nowogard, another prize won by them as the seat allocated to the city has also been given to the conservative valruzianists. 

"We have won 236 seats!!" shouted party leader and cofounder Eliasz Kaczorowski, set to become "a powerful minister" according to internal sources. The same sources claim that conversations between Forward Valruzia and Worthy Homeland were started even before the election results came in as polls clearly favored the two of them, and a deal is almost closed, with the conservatives getting the leadership of the Sejm and a few ministries in exchange for their support.

"Tonight, a brand new day starts for Valruzia" said Chancellor–President Grech "We have put an end to the rule of the communists and progressists in this country, and we will rule under the true principles of nationalism and conservatism! Do not let them fool, trick and distract you from the important things by slandering us, because they are now afraid. Afraid of the change we will bring to the nation".

For Forward Valruzia, the result is a bittersweet outcome full of irony. The party has got its worst result in its whole history, merely above the 10% threshold, but will however, have certainly the biggest influence it has ever had in the Valruzian government. Party leader Janusz Sroka, set to become another minister in the upcoming government, said that while the results are "bad", the party was still suffering from its previous scandal, and that the important thing now was first to rebuild the nation and second to rebuild the party.

In the Sovereign Valruzia headquarters, on the other hand, the mood was clearly somber. Whilst acknowledging that the results were "bad" and that Valruzia would enter "a bad era" after tonight, Aleksandra Kos refused to step down, saying she would fight now "even more" for each and every single citizen that trusted them with their votes. "Tonight is not the end of anything, but rather the start of something else. We ask Valruzian citizens, and especially progressives of this country, not to lose faith in our nation and in us, because we will be back, stronger than ever, and we will protect each and every single one of you from this government that is more moved by hatred than by willingness to make a better country for all".

You can see the full results here: 

Turnout: 74.20% (–5.64%)
Worthy Homeland: 37.43% (+3.19%), 236 seats (+19)
Sovereign Valruzia: 28.60% (–1.52%), 179 seats (–12)
Communist Party of Valruzia: 18.99% (+8.89%), 119 seats (+56)
Forward Valruzia: 10.74% (–1.59%), 67 seats (–11)

[Aethan]

KPW and FLK sign peace deal: agreement to divide up elections and maximize results; new KPW leader congratulates Mónica García.

FLK will not contest national elections and KPW gives up contesting in Kampania, its former stronghold

August 5736

Kajetan Sypek (left) and Judyta Tomasko (right) signing the agreement between the KPW and the FLK

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It is the signing of an agreement that is sure to completely please no one, but which is expected to bring more advantages than disadvantages in the short and medium term. The leader of the People's Front of Kampania and current Marshall of the region, Judyta Tomasko, and the newly elected Secretary General of the Communist Party of Valruzia, Kajetan Sypek, replacing Kaja Orlikowska, have put an end to years of disagreement with the signing of this agreement.

The People's Front of Kampania emerged exactly 40 years ago in response to growing regional discontent following the electoral reform that introduced a single nationwide constituency, effectively eliminating regional seat allocation in the Sejm, a reform that was widely criticized in Kampania at the time for weakening regional representation in national politics. At the same time Kampania, one of Valruzia's most industrialized regions, experienced increasing debates over fiscal redistribution, labor conditions, and decision-making centralization, which contributed to a perception of political marginalization. The FLK then was officially founded in August 5696 by former professional wrestler Szczepan Kozak aka "The Golden Boy", five-time wrestling world champion and one of Valruzia's most recognizable sports figures.

Since then, the FLK has contested every national election, winning above 50% of the vote in Kampania and thus gaining representation in the Sejm thanks to population distribution, with Kampania accounting for around 15% of Valruzia's total population and the FLK winning around more than 8 million votes every time, in addition to retaining the regional government since its foundation.

The downside effect? The KPW lost exactly around 8 million voters. The KPW went from achieving the best results in its history under the leadership of Iwan Nowik—leading the government with absolute majorities—to falling below 20% within 20 years and below 10% within 40 years. Currently—with the exception of the most recent elections, which the FLK chose not to contest to avoid splitting the vote—the KPW has struggled to reach 10 million votes nationwide, a figure the FLK achieves almost solely by fielding lists in Kampania. Gone are the days when the party secured nearly 50 million votes. KPW's new leader, Kajetan Sypek – first man to lead the party since Iwan Nowik's leadership ended in 5684 – says that this agreement is the result of "months of work and extensive debates" regarding the future of the labor movement and communism in Valruzia, and that it was reached by putting "the interests of the workers first". Sypek—an Air Force fighter pilot and international judoka representing Valruzia—thus becomes the latest in a growing list of elite athletes choosing politics as the natural next step in their careers, following prominent figures such as Iwan Nowik, Roksana Parzych, and Szczepan Kozak.

For some critics, this move defeats the primary reason for the FLK's founding, which was precisely to "bring the voice of Kampania" to the national Sejm following the abolition of regional constituencies. "What incentive do we have to support the FLK if it refuses to compete at the national level—which was the main reason for ensuring we, the citizens of Kampania, wouldn't be treated as second-class citizens? They are forcing us to support one side or the other, depriving us of an alternative. That is not healthy, and in fact, it could even backfire on them" says Tomasz Grykto, a pensioner from Kampania.

However, the FLK points out that the agreement is "more beneficial for both parties". "Until now, the vote was split over minor details. Now, the People's Front of Kampania will be able to work more effectively and implement major improvements without getting bogged down in petty disputes with parties that share 80% of its electoral platform; in return, the KPW will be able to maximize its results nationwide and become a more influential player vis-à-vis other governments, ensuring that the country's workers find their voice through them".

Discontent within the ranks of the FLK is far greater and palpable, threatening to topple the leadership of Judyta Tomasko. Critics have warned her that if legislation passed at the national level leads to a deterioration in conditions for Valruzian workers—and the KPW is perceived as having "not done enough"—she will have to answer to party bodies and likely face expulsion. This discontent within the party was already simmering following the decision not to participate in the snap elections triggered by Chancellor-President Klemens Grech’s inability to form a government; ultimately, while the aim had been to "maximize and consolidate the progressive vote", the KPW failed to capture the entirety of the FLK vote.

Four years still lie ahead to build an alternative and see how well this agreement works, but the leadership of both parties believes that, over time, the rank and file will come to see its benefits and set aside their initial reservations.

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Meanwhile, Sypek congratulated Mónica García following her election as the new leader of the Communist Party of Gaduridos, stating that the party is "in good hands" and calling for closer collaboration between the two Seleyan parties.

[Aethan]

The strange anti-LGBT crusade of a president who always travels with his "best friend"

December 5737

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Klemens Grech has been Chancellor-President of Valruzia for just over two years, and in that time he has managed two things simultaneously: to become the most socially conservative head of government this republic has seen since the fall of the Morawski regime, and to become the subject of the most persistent rumour in Nowogard's political circles since, well, the last Chancellor-President. But we will get to Rodrigo in a moment.

Since taking office in January 5735, the Grech government has moved with notable speed on what his inner circle describes as "restoring the natural civic order" – a phrase that, translated from the language of conservative Valruzianism into plain Valruzian, means undoing as much of Aleksandra Kos' social legacy as parliamentary arithmetic allows.

The non-binary gender recognition law, approved by the Kos government in 5725 after years of campaigning, is the primary target. The government has tabled a bill to repeal it entirely, arguing that the state "cannot be asked to legislate what it cannot define" – a formulation that Grech himself has used publicly on more than one occasion, and that his critics have noted is a rather elegant way of saying that the state simply prefers not to even try. The bill is currently making its way through the Sejm with the support of Forward Valruzia, whose leader Janusz Sroka has described it as "a matter of common sense, not simple ideology" – which is what people say when they do not want to accept that it is, in fact, their ideology.

The government has also announced a review of same-sex adoption regulations "as a matter of child welfare research", a framing that has convinced approximately nobody. KPW's Kaja Orlikowska described the review as "a solution in search of a problem, authored by people who have already decided what the solution is". Aleksandra Kos, now leading SW from opposition, has been characteristically direct: "There are children in this country with two mothers and two fathers who are loved, safe and flourishing. The government is not reviewing their welfare, but rather placing a target on them. There has been a longstanding consensus on this issue, and nobody has asked for this. So why is the government now so obsessed over it?". Grech has also signed an executive directive restricting public funding for LGBT awareness programmes in schools, describing them as "ideologically loaded content that does not belong in public education". The directive has been challenged in the Supreme Court of Valruzia by a coalition of civil society organizations, and a ruling is expected later this year. Next year's Valruzian annual Pride march has already announced massive protests ahead of the event in the country's largest cities, meanwhile the office of the Chancellor–President frames his actions as part of his coalition agreement with Forward Valruzia. "What did they expect from a conservative government?" asks a close government source. And we agree, All of these actions would be unremarkable, in the sense that conservative governments tend to do conservative things, were it not for one small detail that the residents of Nowogard's government quarter have been discussing rather more loudly than the Grech communications team would prefer.

His name? Rodrigo Altamirano. He is 36, originally from Gaduridos, trained as an architect, relocated to Valruzia in 5730. By all accounts charming, well-dressed, and the Chancellor-President's inseparable companion. He and Klemens Grech have been, by all public accounts, best friends since meeting at a conference in Nowogard in 5731. They have travelled together to Gaduridos, to Kalistan, to Luthori, to a private retreat in the Chynbergian mountains that the presidential office declined to describe in any detail. When Grech won the Valusian nomination in 5734 against then–Chancellor Aleksandra Kos, Altamirano was in the front row, and when he delivered his victory speech in December 5735 after his presidential election's win, Altamirano was standing just three people to his right.

And what happened when Grech moved into the official presidential residence in Nowogard in January 5735? Well, Mr. Altamirano moved in with him. The presidential office has explained this on several occasions. Mr. Altamirano is the Chancellor-President's personal guest, and he is helping oversee renovations to the east wing of the residence, he is in Valruzia on an extended professional visit... the explanations have been, shall we say, varied.

"I have known Klemens since before any of this" Altamirano told the one journalist who managed to get a question to him at a diplomatic reception in October. "We are very close friends, and I support him". He then walked away at a speed that suggested the conversation was over. 

The presidential office did not respond to our request for comment for this article. They rarely do, so we spent an afternoon in the Stare Miasto district of Nowogard asking people what they make of the situation, and the responses did not range much.

"This country" said one woman in her sixties "is simply constitutionally incapable of having a longlasting straight head of government, seems like". And she's kind of right. From the top-four longest-serving Valruzian heads of government – Szymon Nowik, Iwan Nowik, Krystian Barela and Aleksandra Kos – only Iwan Nowik was straight. The three others were pretty public with their sexuality, and we all remember the Barela-Gajda scandal.

"Look, I don't care who the man sleeps with" said one market vendor, 42. "I care that he's taking rights away from my daughter's friends. That's what matters. Voting has consequences, and for a country as supposedly progressive on LGBT issues as ours, such a movement is a step backwards, and truly a shame that I hope people remember when they go to vote next time"

"The friend thing is a bit too funny" said a university student who declined to give her name. "He literally lives there. In the palace. With him. And we're supposed to pretend that's a normal friendship arrangement. "It's just a very close friend" is what I tell my parents when they ask me about my girlfriend, and I'm only 19."

"I think it's very sad, honestly" said a retired teacher from Ruzia. "Not because of who he is. Because of what he's doing to people who are just like him. That's the part I find genuinely difficult to understand. What made him like that? Certainly not our society."

One man, early thirties, laughed when we raised the topic. "Can you imagine? Four LGBT heads of government – the user here counts as valid the unconfirmed rumors around former Chancellor–President Gawel Sandów – and then the fifth one is the one who tries to undo everything they built. And he brought his boyfriend to live in the palace!" He shook his head. "Valruzia, man. Only in Valruzia"

Rodrigo Altamirano's architecture firm has recently opened a Nowogard office, we note, and the renovations to the east wing of the presidential residence have been commissioned to them. As far as we know now, all three of Valruzia's Chancellor–Presidents have been or are – whether closeted or not – members of the LGBT community. Should it be made a constitutional requirement at this point?

[Aethan]

Valruzia's top three football teams announce agreed-upon changes to the transfer policy for next season

Top teams advocate for prioritizing "local talent" and restricting the signing of foreign players

April 5738

Joint press conference by the presidents of the country's three largest football teams: Korona Nowogard, Związkowy Sportowy Szary Kamien and Legia Brzansk

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With barely one month left until the end of the 5737–5738 season, Valruzia's top laureated teams have announced a previously agreed-upon joint change in the teams' transfer and buying policing starting next season.

In a joint press conference with the other two teams' presidents, Z.S. Szary Kamien's Andrzej Wiśniewski has said that, "after long and fruitful talks", the three teams have agreed to give priority to "local talent" within Valruzia and stop signing an unlimited number of foreign players, capping non-Valruzian nationals at no more than one-third of each club's registered first-team squad — with academy-trained foreigners (three seasons minimum in a domestic youth system) exempted from the quota and counted as local for these purposes.

"This is not about closing our borders to talent from all around Terra" Wiśniewski clarified, getting ahead of prospective early criticism that the policy could amount to "sports protectionism". "A third of the squad can still be signed from anywhere in the world. But we have to look into, protect and foster our young local talent, to ensure our own viability"

Korona Nowogard's president, Piotr Kowalczyk, echoed the sentiment, placing the agreement under a matter of long-term sporting sovereignty rather than simply an issue of short-term results. "Our academies have never been stronger. What we lack is the assurance that the players coming out of them will have a path to the first team, rather than being priced out by imported talent with no connection to this country". Bielawski noted that Korona Nowogard's own youth setup, widely regarded as the best-funded in the Nowogard capital region, had produced only four senior debutants across the last three seasons — a figure he called "an embarrassment for a club of our size".

Legia Brzańsk's Katarzyna Dajbrowska, the most reserved of the three at the podium and the only woman president of a team competing in Valruzia's top division, used a more cautious tone during her intervention. While confirming his club's support for the agreement, she was quick to rule out any retroactive application for those who started to fear it. "Every player currently under contract at any of our three clubs stays exactly where they are. This quota applies to squads from the 5738–5739 season onward, full stop. We are not naive, either. Brzańsk has benefited from foreign signings in the past, some of whom became fan favourites. This is about the future shape of our squads, and we are certainly not repudiating our past"

The Valruzian Players' Union (ZZPP) has not yet issued a formal statement, though a spokesperson told this newspaper that "any quota on foreign player registrations raises questions that go beyond football and into labour law" suggesting the union's legal team is already reviewing the agreement's compatibility with existing Valruzian employment statutes.

For now, the WZPN, Valruzia's Football Association, has confirmed it will review the proposal ahead of the 5738–5739 season's opening transfer window, with a formal ruling expected before the end of April. Until then, all eyes remain on whether the rest of the top division, including mid-table sides with far shallower academy pipelines, will fall in line or resist the pressure.

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Current stands of Season 5737–5738 Ekstraliga:
1. Z.S. Szary Kamien (59pts)
2. Korona Nowogard (57pts)
3. Pogoń Gryfit (51pts)
4. Legia Brzansk (47pts)
5. Górnik Chynberg (44pts)
6. Stal Wysogród (42pts)
7. Morski Kamien (40pts)
8. Unia Nowogard (38pts)
9. Bałtyk Ruzin (36pts)
10. Hutnik Rudnik (35pts)
11. Rolnik Krzewnica (32pts)
12. Świt Międzyrzecze (30pts)
13. Wisła Szaniec (28pts)
14. Kotwica Kormoranowo (25pts)
15. Palatia Zalesie (21pts)
16. Polna Zbożna (17pts)