Narikaton and Darnussia

[Mbites]

5713 elections see post-Berger VVP significantly weakened: Fractures within the Conservative Party?

April 5713



Anyone who was following the inner developments within the dominant right-wing force of the Dual Republic, the VVP, before the election probably was not surprised to see the effects of the quite publicly fought factional conflict between the hosian conservative and the libertarian wing of the party. It’s uniting factor former President Heinrich Berger who did enjoy quite a lot of public approval, especially due to ending his second term on a diplomatic victory, has not put forth his person for another term and as such has steered the VVP toward a competitive party conference without much time to prepare for the coming elections. Lets look at the results.



Bergers successor within the VVP is Piet Eimann, sometimes referred to as Bigger Berger. Most feel as certain sense of resemblance and familiarity looking at them side-by-side, which was not unusual considering that Eimann is – as some say – the mentee of President Berger. Eimann himself hails from the libertarian wing of the party and barely managed to secure enough votes, beating the candidate from the centrist wing narrowly due to fleeting support from the hosian-conservatives. Nontheless at the national level polls, the even less popular GRP candidate Tamara Freiherr has managed to lose an almost certain victory against Eimann due to anti-MATO rhetorics. With 51% of the votes, Eimann is the new designated president beating Freiherr at 46% and the no-name LRP candidate Machiel Warmink. For the right-wing establishment of the Dual Republic the results were a lot closer that they would have been comfortable with.



The results of the conservative internal struggle are more transparent when shifting view toward the Senate race, the VVP has lost 4% compared to 5708. A result worsened – from a conservative perspective – by an overperforming GRP (29%) due to a strong and experienced Senator cadre of the social-democrats. Apparently the junior coalition partner LRP has profited from VVP infighting, appearing to gain most from perceived good governance but VVP campaigning blunders. On the far-right end of the spectrum, the NU managed to stabilize itself by attracting voters from the now both dissolved thallerist parties. Even more surprising, the non-thallerist monarchist party MTP follows the NU closely with 9% of the vote, appearing to gain some momentum.

Analysts struggle to explain the individual platforms of the larger parties as the GRP has dedicated itself to an anti-MATO stance challenging the alleged “corporate corruption” the international organization brings while the LRP who was one of the biggest winners of the night represents the exact opposite; it seems like this shake-up can only be explained by the VVP’s own cannibalization. Eimann and Holger Mauser (LRP) have already committed to continuing the VVP-LRP Senate coalition much to the dismay of the hosian conservatives who would have rather seen concessions to the social-democrats and comfortable majority with the GRP.

[Mbites]

President Eimann shifts view toward Dovani: Dual Republic invites officials from New Englia

May 5713


President Eimann and Director Halunke

Piet Eimann and his foreign policy enforcer Henno Halunke (LRP) have hosted a press-conference about this administrations position on foreign policy. Bigger Berger has not surprised anyone with his plans except for a shift in detail. The principles of the Dual Republican foreign policy for this term are going to stay the same as the second Berger term: More MATO, More Artania and More Weapons – even if the latter is not quite as popular as it was ten years ago. According to media-resources shared during the conference the Directorate for Foreign Affairs is quite busy preparing the legal frameworks and conference for the still ongoing project of establishing a new pan-artanian project, specifically a internal artanian market without trade hindrances. In regards to MATO, Director Halunke has stated that Bannerhafen would soon host joint MATO exercises with all Artanian member-states.

The surprising turn of events was the announcement of a formal invite sent to the foreign ministry of New Englia to discuess potential avenues of cooperation as Eimann said: “The Dual Republic has traditionally been looking to work with any and all Dovanian partners, we’ve been pushing and investing in the development of the continent for the last two centuries, and we’re committed to continue to do so.” Diplomacy versed observes might suspect a ulterior motive considering that the current bidding process for the New Englian Oil field has gained much public traction.

[Mbites]

Red Stad sprawl causes political controversy

September 5713 (backdated)


Industrial Facilities in Red Stad

Political and economic analysts have warned that the continued course of the Eimann administration supporting and encouraging rapid heavy industrial growth, especially in the military-industrial sector, is going to lead to problematic political developments, as current events suggest, the first tensions are beginning to show.

Darnussia, Kozaria, Red Stad: The main industrial center of the Dual Republic and one of the largest manufacturing hubs of the Artanian continent stands strong, tall and accelerated as the continued fulfilment of ever-increasing arms contract demand leads to dangerous levels of growth, the national Conglomerate of Dual Republican Arms Manufacturers talks about “securing the future of Narik & Darnussian wealth” while the social-democratic mayor Ulrich Stettin (GRP) ironically reaps the benefit of his ever growing metropolis. While this seems like a good deal for all political factions involved, the expansion of industrial facilities and infrastructure comes at a cost: space.

The Suburbia of the Red-Stad is threatened by the aggressive purchase-plans of companies such as Janssen & Koch or Teichmann Industrievereinigung and it appears like a socio-structural shift within the regions surrounding the city is going to occur sometime soon. Here is where it gets interesting: the suburbs are dominated by conservative party membership (VVP); they’re fighting tooth and nail against the encroaching urban sprawl and very publicly voice their discontent with the federal governments encouragement of these developments. This fuels an ongoing internal struggle within the VVP which has been struggling to maintain its conservative profile as the Hosian-democratic faction is going on the barricades due to the VVP’s failure to maintain social-conservative values and instead opting for unchecked market liberalism. Discontent and dissatisfaction from the structurally strong party organizations of the rural and suburban VVP might lead to a further escalation of these problems.

Social-Democrats, Hosian-Democrats and even members of the far-right nationalist NU are arguing a point nobody in the last century ever thought to consider: can the fundamental attitudes of the Dual Republican status-quo regarding growth and its corporate sector be a problem?

[Mbites]

President Eimann formally announces hosting Conference of Merenbürg: Invitations sent to Artanian Friends

April 5714 (backdated)


Bannerhafen

After teasing pan-Artanianism during his election campaign and after the last press-conference regarding foreign policy President Piet Eimann (VVP) and Director of Foreign Affairs Halunke (LRP) are getting serious.

A recently released joint statement from both the office of the president as well as the Directorate contained the official announcement of the Dual Republic hosting the “Conference of Merenbürg.” The materials released finally included the plans in regards to a new continental partnership: a joint Artanian Market. Halunke confirmed that in preliminary talks some Artanian nations have already stated their intent on productive participation in the project – or at least at the talks – to establish such an institution. These potential partners include: Dorvik, Dundorf, Luthori, and surprisingly even Kundrati. The conference revealing the treaty is supposed to be hosted in January 5715 as to ensure coordinated information flows and the ability for every potential participant to conduct necessary early domestic political maneuvering to enable an eventual entrance into a treaty.

The Directorate has already described the rough outlines of the treaty without going into much detail. Fundamentally the Artanian Market (also referred to as Artanian Free Trade Zone) is going to include a tariff-free zone with also means an abolishment of taxes based on the entrance of goods, services, capital and potentially labour. Due to a very fragmented geopolitical and diplomatic situation on the Artanian continent there will be certain goods exempted from the single market, the exact exemptions will have to be negotiated during the conference said Director Halunke. What is going to cause a bigger impact is a certain degree of harmonized law as the plans include the implementation of a common Artanian Competition Law (CACL) which is supposed to ensure that large corporations with considerable economic power are not going to abuse their entrenched positions to hinder effective competition and subsequently innovation within the borders of the single market. Another complex problem which will have to be solved during the negotiations are how goods imported from third-party states are going to be treated, Halunke has suggested to exclude all third-party imports from the free-market as it would be too sensitive politically to include them in the current state of world affairs. CACL will be executed by a largely independent “Artanian Trade Commission” headed by one commissioner for a term of six years, they will be designated by a member-state on the principle of rotation.

President Piet Eimann has seemed very confident and excited for the implications of this potential renewed Artanian project. “As everyone knows, the Dual Republic is always happy to create economic opportunity and wealth, especially if its with our Artanian brother nations.”

[Mbites]

Eimann coordinates Research & Development fund: Unmanned aerial objects and Drones

August 5714 (backdated)


Rikkard Drone of HHG design

While political tensions within his party are ongoing, President Eimann leading his conservative-liberal coalition has been trying to shift public attention toward more constructive government initiates such as his newest public-private partnership brainchild: The Dual Republican Aerial Defense System Fund (Short: DRAEDS.F).

Eimann train of thought is to get consumer goods manufacturers to invest via share-deals into a newcomer on the arms-producer stage, the “Herrmann Hoof Group. (HHG)” HHG is primarily getting acknowledge due to its drone development projects. Its supposed to off-set the more stagnant growth in sectors not connected to the military-industrial complex as large-scale consumer good shareholders would now by participating in the positive feedback loop that is the immense growth in military production. The President and the Ministry of Defence are hoping to roll-out one of almost finished designs of HHG soon, as to have fewer abstract things to show off to the public and military enthusiasts.

Political analysts and opposition members are less happy about this scheme as they’re still arguing that this is just a perpetuation of the toxic cycle that is the fueling of the military industrial complex at the cost of not using state resources for more long-term and environmentally friendly economic projects. At least the financial markets have been reacting almost exclusively positive to the near realization of the DRAEDS.F. Even this fact has been contested by economists as they’re voicing doubts about the reason of positive market reactions, they’re instead pointing toward the immanent conference regarding the formation of an internal Artanian market, it seems that President Piet Eimann is getting cut much slack at the moment.

[Mbites]

Senate Drama: Hosian Democrats within VVP side with GRP on tax-reform bill

December 5714 (backdated)


Bannerhafen, Senate in session

While conservative pundits and senior VVP officials – mostly neutral to the ongoing factional conflicts – have hoped for harmony and peace shortly before the Conference of Merenbürg as to start the new year with a political victory for the conservative party, it seems like their hopes have been destroyed.

A very vocal – and sizable – minority within the VVP Senate faction have recently sided with the social-democrats and some nationalist outliers at a bill-vote regarding a populist tax reform bill mostly meant to strengthen the social-democratic profile of the GRP, which has recently seen gains in both Senate and Presidential polling. While the VVP and its junior partner the LRP as well as the monarchist MTP have squashed the bill, it was a close vote with only 10 votes more Nay’s than aye’s; which is for all intents and purposes a very embarrassing political event for a sitting first-term president who theoretically holds a comfortable coalition-majority. Eimann has declined to comment on the activites on the Senate floor, simply responding. “I’m confident that the Members of the Senate are voting considering what is best for the Dual Republic.”

Only a few days later President Eimann apparently failed to maintain his decorum and took to the social-media platform Xittler where he went on a tirade against prominent members of the hosian-democratic faction of his party, going as far as threatening them with sanctions at the next party conference.

[Mbites]

The twenties and first half of the thirties: Sleepy Global Capitalism

December 5736


President Paul Sozialmann during an interview with Hiatus Magazine

After Piet Eimann's continued course of propping up the military industrial complex at the cost of some of the Dual Republic's traditional structures around Red Stad and continued propaganda against left-wing political movements, a more moderate grouping of VVP Senators have split from the party to form the Hosisch Demokratische Union (HDU) which has not boded well for Eimann's VVP in the following elections. After a brief and unstable government coalition between the remaining VVP (its controlling wing sometimes dubbed Matocrats) and the newly established HDU, early elections in the midst of the twenties saw the social-democratic Great Reform Party (GRP) win a plurality in the Senate and the Presidency. The winner of these elections is the now three-term sitting Paul Sozialmann who has used floating majorities in the Senate to push some minor social welfare reforms, expanding coverage for the underdeveloped public health insurance and subsidizing secondary education for children of poor families. He's been dependent on the HDU and the Liberal Republican Party (LRP) to not face impeachment from the right-side of the parliament, according to insiders his comfortable position can be explained by good personal relations with many of the HDU's more "hosian social" minded members. One of those is the HDU's leader Ricarda Schwertbaum, who has been leading the recent left-wing conservative phenomenon since its controversial inception.

Now that Sozialmann's third term (which was already only possible due to legal shenanigans connected to early elections) nears its end in December 5757, many are wondering how the Dual Republic's political landscape will look like one year from now. While the sitting President is not without success the fundamental problems of Narikaton & Darnussia were not adressed mostly due to Sozialmann's missing political capital. The nation is still battling with its military industrial sector which is seeking to overcome the Dual Republics traditional economic pillars such as shipping and the financial markets. According to economists the economy of the Dual Republic is cannibalizing itself mostly due to political maneuvering surrounding MATO and the subsidization of the military industrial complex, in times of few foreign production contracts such as right now, this dependency would be unhealthy for any economy even a strong diverse one like Narikaton and Darnussia's. These developments are flanked by a downturn in global business (aside of Dovani which while active is facing various humanitarian and violent crisis) and the general isolationist attitude of the GRP's President. In any case, neither the GRP nor the VVP have put forth visions or personalities yet, the HDU is currently polling slightly above the two but within the margin of error, many expect the official start of campaigning to shift the balances of power drastically.

[GreekIdiot]

[Mbites]

After attack in Dunburg: Dual Republic offers help to Dundorf

January 5737 (backdated)


President Sozialmann at the press-conference after the Dunburg attack

After the despicable car-bomb attack in Dunburg, President Paul Sozialmann (GRP) has rapidly organized a response press-conference. Immediately after starting his speech with solemn words of greeting, the President continued to offer the Dundorfian nation, government and especially the people his and the Dual Republic's deepest condolences. "A cowardly attack like this is a tragedy wherever it happens, but if it happens in our sister-nation of Dundorf its also a stab in the heart of the Dual Republic."
He continued to share a speech about the committed relationship between the Bundesrepublik and the Dual Republic before going on to offer the assistance of all of Narikaton and Darnussias military and intelligence assets to find the ones responsible.

[Mbites]

Sozialmann faces criticism for "lukewarm" crisis response

March 5737


Theodor Thaller at a right-wing sponsored media event


In the past month after the attack in Dunburg and the subsequent statement of President Paul Sozialmann the Dual Republican general public had varying reactions to the developing terrorist situation all around the world. With mysterious events unfolding in Baltusia and Sozialmann's rejection to mobilizing the security forces market analysts are seeing a trend toward law-and-order topics in election related debates. At the same time a political pressure group consisting of certain VVP elements and the National Union (NU) party have started building up former - controversial - Beluzian politician (LDP/TDP/TWP) Téadóir Ṫaller (Theodor Thaller) to establish his profile in the political landscape. Theodor himself is not formally part of either of the two parties but is considered to lean National Union on social policies but VVP on economic ones which is ironic considering he was part of the Beluzian Worker's Party, but we digress. The former Beluzian Defence Minister has issued strong verbal criticism of Sozialmann's policy response after these attacks saying that "a isolationist socialist hippy cannot lead my ancestral homeland through this crisis."