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| Parliamentarian Elections; Parliament reopens in Russia | |
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| Topic Started: Sep 9 2014, 09:31 PM (236 Views) | |
| NRE | Sep 9 2014, 09:31 PM Post #1 |
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Posted Image PARLIAMENTARIAN ELECTIONS SET Moscow:For the first time in several years the Russian parliament is set to open. Though a different institution than the one closed by Emperor Ivan near the end of the Cologne War, the new parliament is set to restore for the Russian people a parliament similar to the more influential parliament that existed in Russia before the Dominion Wars. A bicameral legislature, the Imperial Duma shall have two chambers: The upper house known as the Imperial State Council and the lower house, the People's Duma. Of the two chambers, it is the People's Duma that shall be elected by the people through representative elections. "The importance of the election of the People's Duma cannot be understated" Nikolai Polzunov, a professor of political science at Moscow University stated in a commentary piece on the upcoming election. "The average Russia must to brought to understand the true ramifications of their vote in this election. After all, according to the Ukase on the Improvement of Imperial Order, the People's Duma will have the fundamental power of the purse. Rampant and un-checked spending will now be a thing of the past and the party which holds the majority in the People's Duma will have the influence to dictate and set the budget for the coming year. Russians must think carefully on the direction for which they wish to see the Empire travel. Don't misunderstand me, the Emperor remains a strong force in Russia and her political future but now, we to have an influence on where we are headed. We must ensure that those we elect to office share the same vision that we do." The fact that the People's Duma will have a great deal of influence over the course of the Russian Empire's future had not escaped the political parties seeking a majority control over the new body. Perhaps equally important is the fact that the party which holds the majority will have the power to nominate to the Imperial State Council, candidates for the Council of Ministers and the Premiership. Though it is the Emperor who officially appoints the Prime Minister and Council Ministers, it is the People's Duma who suggest candidates and the Imperial State Council who officially sponsor candidates for the Emperor's choosing. In preliminary polls put on by various media outlets, including the Royal Russia Broadcasting Corporation and ZNN, predict a tight race between was is being called the BIG 3 political parties: The White Guard, Russian Social Democratic Labor Party (RSDR), and the Trudoviks. Each party has created a very different view on how they wish to see the Russian Empire in the future. The monarchist White Guard has touted a view of the Empire which focuses on increased military spending, tax-breaks for businesses in order to further fuel the economy, and lower taxes in general. The RSDR however, argues against this policy and instead calls for a decrease on military spending, higher taxes for the most wealthy in Russia, and a moderate in crease in overall taxes in order to fund public works such as the development of more schools, hospitals, and other community facilities. The Trudoviks however, have made every attempt to stay out of the political battle between the other two parties and have instead focused more on their own message. The major theme it seems of the Trudoviks is individual liberty and the right to choose. They believe that the regional governments should be given more political powers and the overall power of the Empire should be more decentralized, into more grassroots politics. However, despite the growing appeal of the BIG 3, there are other political parties also supporting candidates in several important races. There is the more democratically-minded Democratic-Republicans Patriots who are calling for more direction elections, United Imperial Front whose messages have been highly nationalistic in nature, the Progressive Worker's Union with their aim on worker's rights, Orthodox Christian Alliance who is supporting a more Christian Democracy in Russia, and the Russian Environmentalist Party an their green policies. With elections growing near it will certain come down to the voter to decide on the course of the Russian Empire. For a more detailed run-down of the parties, check the Moscow Times's special edition to be printed a day before the elections. |
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| NRE | Sep 17 2014, 07:08 PM Post #2 |
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Posted Image PARLIAMENTARIAN ELECTIONS GUIDE Elections to the People's Duma begin at 7AM tomorrow and as promised, we here at the Moscow Times wish to allow each and everyone one of you, the voters, to feel as informed as possible before casting your vote. Thus, in this special edition of our daily paper we've compiled a comprehensive and unbiased run-down on the political parties and where they stand on some of the key issues facing the Empire. Belaya Gvardiya: Considered conservative royalists in most political circles, the White Guard Party is perhaps one of the oldest parties in the Russian Empire. They were a strong political force in the old Russian parliament before the Dominion Wars and for many, represent the establishment of parliamentarianism in Russia. The party continues to stand for traditional values in the Russian Empire which include a love of God, Emperor, and country. They stand for the traditional family and household in Russia, opposing such issues as Gay Marriage, Abortions, and publicly funded contraception programs among others. When it comes to education they support more faith-based schools and seek legislative policies which would push the national education system to more schools of this nature. Economically, the party has long stood of fiscal conservatism, being strong supporter of Russia's flat rate tax and seeking to lower the current rate down from 16%. Advocates of private enterprise, the White Guard had also been supporters of ending many government assistance programs in favor of allowing private enterprises to take on the challenge, allowing for government intervention to keep costs low. The party has also long been a supporter of the military and advocates from increased spending in the wake of the attack on Arrakan and other current situations around the world that pose threats to Russian security. Rossiyskaya sotsial-demokraticheskaya rabochaya partiya: Second only to the White Guard, the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party is another party which has existed for sometime in the Russian Empire. Though their popularity has shifted from time to time within parliament, Trudoviks (laborists) as they are sometimes called, pride themselves as being a voice for the lower class has kept them as a true opposition to conservative dominance. The party has always always advertised itself as a party of the people and has remained a constant supporter of issues and initiatives which seek to help the Russian people. Advocates of a clear separation of church and state, the party favors civil unions for all Russians instead of traditional marriage. Trudoviks also supports not only publicly funded contraception programs but also comprehensive sexual education programs in schools. When it comes to education, the party supports a more public, non-religious programs much like what is currently in place in Russia. Economically speaking, Trudoviks are more fiscally progressive and have long campaigned for a progressive tax system that would seek to lower the gap between the wealthy and poor. Preferring a more mixed economy, Trudoviks seek to nationalized more industries in order to lower costs and provide better quality of life for the average Russian. The strongest supporters of social welfare programs, the party seeks to expand the current programs in order to provide even better, and cheaper, care for the elderly and disabled. In terms of defense spending, Trudoviks have traditionally been a party that stands of keeping the status quo in terms of spending but have long advocated for better treatment of veterans. Konstitutsionno-demokraticheskaya partiya: The Constitutional Democratic Party or Kadet Party (as their members are sometimes referred to as) is the last of the big three parties in Russian politics. The party is among the oldest in operation in the Russian Empire and has remained a strong opposition party to both the Trudoviks and White Guard. Kadets are perhaps the best "middle ground" of the political parties of the Russian Empire. Seeing themselves as centrists, they have been a party to not only be supportive of the wealthy but also the middle and lower classes. Perhaps the strongest issues for which the party is known for is the rally for freedom of speech, religion, and assembly. Historically, the party was a big campaigner for women's suffrage in the Empire and has been one of the only parties to really push the issues of equality between natural Russians and the other groups such as Germans and Jews. They believe in the institution of marriage but also advocate that such an institution should be open to all regardless of sexual orientation. They believe that education should be split between a secular public system and private religious institutions. Economically speaking, Kadets favor a mixed economical system with the government only taking shares in a few key industries. They believe the flat-tax system is fine but believe that the taxes could be raised a bit to hep fund more social welfare programs. In terms of defense, the party has been a strong supporter of the military but believes that the Empire should also seek military allies in order to off-set the costs for defense. Though historically the party has been known to call for the abolition of the monarchy, most today are moderates on the issues and favor the more limited monarchy. Elections in the Russian Empire are scheduled to last until 7pm tomorrow evening, after which polls numbers are expected to be published within the hour. The Emperor himself is scheduled to announce the official results and send his personal congratulations to the party that obtains a majority. OOC: I have/had more parties but I haven't had time to formulate what I want their policies to be. For now I'll just work with these three and hopefully I'll have time to expand the list come the next election. Edited by NRE, Sep 17 2014, 07:08 PM.
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| NRE | Sep 25 2014, 02:17 PM Post #3 |
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Posted Image PARLIAMENTARIAN DEADLOCK FORCES COALITIONS Moscow: Voters in Russia proved divided on the future of the Empire as polls numbers after closing showed a deadlock between the White Guard and Trudoviks, with the Kadets in a distant third. With the future of Russian parliamentarians hanging in the balance, final hour negotiations between the parties and smaller third parties commenced in an effort to form a coalition majority. "It is unfortunate that the future of the Russian parliament will come down to party negotiations" Nikolai Polzunov, a professor of political science at Moscow University wrote on his blog shortly after news broke of the election results. "I believe many here in the Empire and around thew world were hopeful that it would be the Russian people who decided their future and not party executives. That being said, I must that that I a overwhelmed and very proud to call myself a Russian when I see the record numbers that came out for the historic vote." Indeed, the number of Russians that came out for the historic vote rival many established democracies around the world. It is being reported that over 90% of voter-eligible Russians came out to caste their vote and of that number, 45% were considered youth voters (21-35 years of age). "Russians should be proud of themselves for this kind of turn out and while their vote might not necessarily directly effect the course of history this time around, they must never let this be discouraging. Russia is coming out of a coma when it comes to its parliamentarian history, the Dominion Wars and subsequent threats to our security forced us to give up much for the sake of security. Well now we are being given back what is rightfully ours. I think whoever does win this election has a lot to show for themselves. They will become the standard for the next election and depending on how they handle themselves will determine who will clearly win the next election I believe." Professor Pulzunov did not comment on his blog or through our subsequent call for comments on which part he believed would claim a coalition. Before news broke, the parties were sitting on 171 seats for the Whites, 171 seats for the Trudoviks, and 108 seats for the Kadets. With 226 seats being the magic number for the parliamentary majority, many were left wondering where the numbers would come from. Many, including Professor Pulzunov speculated that the seats would come from many of the smaller fourth party choices. However, yesterday afternoon in a surprising move, leaders from the Trudoviks and Kadets announced that the two parties had struck a deal to form a coalition. This was a stunning defeat to the White Guard who believed they were close to a deal with several fourth party officials to form their own coalition. However, with 279 seats, the Trudovik-Kadet alliance proved too powerful and White Guard officially gave their concession. "The White Guard would like to officially congratulate the Trudovik-Kadet alliance for securing a majority in the People's Duma. They campaigned hard and rightfully won their party seats and the majority for which they now claim. While we were certainly hopeful for a victory on our part, we see now that there is still more work to be done in our party. Nevertheless, the White Guard would like to reassure the people of Russia and most specifically, our loyal supporters, that the party will not rest of the issues for which we so adamantly believe in. For the conservatives of Russia know that we still stand for you and that your concerns are ours. We will continue to be a voice for the issues you believe in and will continue to crusade for those beliefs and values." Moments after the release of their concession, leaders of the Trudoviks and Kadets released a joint statement on their victory. "We of the Trudoviks and Kadets would like to thank our thousands of supporters who came out on election day and placed their vote. Our victory is your victory and would not have been possible had you not acted. Though we may not agree on every issue, both our parties recognize that we have strong beliefs in liberty and other democratic values. We are fully confident that our two parties can work together as the majority for the benefit of the Russian people. We honorably accept the concession of the White Guard and look forward to working with them on issues we believe benefit all Russia. For God, Tsar, and country we promise to tirelessly work for the greater good of the Russian Empire. Thank you." Parliament is set to open next week where it is expect that Emperor Ivan will officially congratulate the Trudoviks and Kadets on their victory. Neither party in the new coalition have commented on who will form the basis of the new cabinet nor, more importantly, from which party the Prime Minister will be named. Edited by NRE, Oct 5 2014, 03:09 PM.
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| NRE | Oct 7 2014, 10:27 PM Post #4 |
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Posted Image EMPEROR IVAN OPENS FIRST SESSION OF PARLIAMENT SAINT PETERSBURG: In a spectacle which has not been witnessed in almost a generation, delegates gathered onto the Winter Palace where, with the Empress and their young son by his side, Emperor Ivan gave his official declaration opening for their first session, both houses of the Russian parliament. "Honorable Lords, clergy, and elected deputies of the People's Duma. It is with a sound mind and without provocation or duress that I, Emperor Ivan Alexeovich Romanov VIII, By the Grace of God, Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias, do hereby bestow upon the Imperial Duma the rights and privileges of my legislative authority. It is this authority that shall remains with you so long as I live. I give it in the hopes that humility, wisdom, and unity shall reign over both chambers and that, with God's blessing, the Imperial Duma shall be both fair and just." Emperor Ivan's words rang clear through the great hall of the Winter Palace as he gave his opening speech to parliament. Hundreds had gathered within the hall, both noble and common alike, to hear the Emperor's speech. Primary among the attendees were the various Trudoviks and Kadets which make the majority in the People's Duma. Of particular note was Trudovik member Nikolai Dushkin, whom many believe to be the coalition's nomination for Prime Minister. A long-time Trudovik advocate, Dushkin has a long resume including extensive time as a department chair within the Commerce and Labor Ministry. Cross the hall from Dushkin, standing with other nobility, was former Prime Minister, Prince Boris Ribbenzoph V. Prince Boris is expect to be elected General Procurator of the Imperial State Council though many are still uncertain where the 40 clergy, 36 business leaders, and 19 members of the Russian Academy of Sciences will fall in terms of cooperation with the nobility. Perhaps surprising of all was the inclusion of 4 Drax representatives to the Imperial State Council. Though purely observers to the proceedings, officials have stated that the Drax presence is to allow for a more direct forum to discuss issues in East Draxis with the Russian Government. Officials maintain that East Draxis remains a protectorate of the Russian Empire and nothing more. This was an issue not lost on the Emperor's opening speech when he remarked on the future of Draxis. "We cannot forget that it was events in East Draxis that brought the Russian Empire to this great point in our nation's history. The people of Draxis are our brothers, our kin. Their safety, stability, and happiness is our own and I shall see to it that this government remains dedicated to this. The Drax must and shall remain free in order to determine their own way forward. Russia shall simply remain to provide security from outlaying threats and to provide whatever aid is requested by the Drax in order to help their people move forward." The Emperor's speech also touched on both foreign and domestic issues faced by the Russian Empire and where he wishes to see the government move in regards to these issues. "My government's legislative and executive programs must remain focused on improving the Russian Empire. Russia has long be a stable and prosperous economy in Europe yet there are many nations that now stand on the horizon of surpassing us. We must not allow our prosperity to foster stagnation. Instead we must enact policies which will foster growth and improvements, put more average Russians to work and more money in their pockets. We must also improve relations abroad and foster new relations in regions of the world that we know so very little about. We must open talks with nations in Africa, Asia, and the Americas; traditional areas of the world in which the Russian Empire has poor or nonexistent relations. We must improve foreign trade and strengthen our existing relations in order to provide for the security of our people." the Emperor also announced during the speech his desire to see the capital restored to Saint Petersburg. "Saint Petersburg is the traditional home of the Russian Empire and it is my desire to see to it that my government look into and consider the restoration of Saint Petersburg as the imperial capital. Moscow and its Kremlin has come to symbolize all that is old and unchanging in the Empire. Now that we begin to embark on a new chapter of Russia's history let us do so in a city that can symbolize our nation's fresh start." Lasting well over an hour, the Emperor included his speech with a prayer, asking god to enlighten the minds of those appointed or elected to government in order to secure the prosperity of the nation. This was then followed by a brief ceremony which entailed Emperor Ivan officially giving to the Imperial Duma, his Imperial Sceptre, symbolizing the Imperial Legislative Authority now entrust from the Emperor in parliament. Both Chambers of the Imperial Duma are expected to meet back in Moscow within the end of the week to elect Chamber leaders and then begin the process of forming a government. It is expected that Emperor Ivan will not return to Moscow until nominations are made by the Imperial Duma for Prime Minister. Many believe Ivan will receive these candidates at the Grand Kremlin palace when such time comes, many expecting this to come as early as the first of next week. |
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