Rildanor

[Drax]

ZARDUGAL MAY PURCHASE MORBANAQUE CHEESE


L’EXAMINATEUR HERAUT
 
Ministry of Rural Affairs and Agriculture, March 23, 5736: The Minister of Rural Affairs and Agriculture Jean-Claude Beauvoisin announced that interface between the Ministry and the Zardian Office of Foreign Trade has been established in the wake of the new regulations clarifying seeking permission for imports and exports with Zardugal.
 
The Agricultural Narketing Administration (AMA) has established an industrial association representing the Morbanaque cheese producers which will be able to make direct inquiry to the Zardian Foreign Trade Office for authorizing imports of Morbanaque cheese product into Zardugal.  The application will be evaluated in terms of meeting actual demand, and  assessing global strategy, diplomacy and ideology.  Additionally, ethical issues regarding working conditions in La Republique will be considered.
 
The AMA believes the cheese will be well received and demand will be high and is optimistic about the outcome of the evaluation, but has indicated to Morbanaque cheese producers that it will not guess how the Zardian Foreign Trade Office will proceed.  The AMA is ready to provide additional documentation and respond to any questions.
 

Rural Affairs and Agriculture Minster Beauvoisin

[Drax]

UFR UNCERTAIN ABOUT LOCALIZATION
 
L’EXAMINATEUR HERAUT
 
National Assembly,  April 14,  5736:  After a meeting with leaders of the Union Federale Radicale  (UFR) legislative delegation, Premier Paul-Henri Doumerc was asked by L’EXAMINATEUR HERAUT what they discussed, and he replied:
 

Two things really. Obviously we are all concerned UFR is losing popularity. We have concluded that on the whole it is not distaste for UFR but attraction to other parties that is costing us followers.  For now, we are emphasizing getting serious about our ground game of identifying and turning out our base and not trying to rebrand ourselves as something we are not either through advertising or changing our legislative stance. 
 
The other issue is what do we want to localize.  Traffic control obviously; national defense obviously not.  We have held ourselves out as favoring more local control but are finding that as we address specific issues we are developing rifts among the UFR.
 
For instance, on rent control we opted for local control under the theory one size does not fit all and communities are more able to determine the need and tailor actual numbers to that need. But many worry that some communities will have leadership that will not bother because of indifference. The bottom line on this issue is UFR feels rent control may be necessary by somebody to protect access to shelter for our citizens.
 
Another issue that has come up is personal conduct.  On the whole UFR tends to think that should be a local matter, but when prostitution and pornography came up so did health and safety and abuse and exploitation of the weak and vulnerable. 
 
Three positions have support in the UFR. Always give localization a try. Forget that, centralize. And sort it out issue by issue on whether local government is really likely to be able to handle it.  The third view is were we still are but quite frankly we may well adopt a different position.

Premier Doumerc

[Drax]

OFFSHORE OIL INTERESTS REVISITED
 
L’EXAMINATEUR HERAUT
 
Ministry of Scientific Research and Technological Advancement, August 27, 5736: After a staff meeting on energy independence, L’EXAMINATEUR HERAUT asked Louis Lefebvre, Minister of Scientific Research and Technological Advancement, what was the Ministry currently addressing, and he responded:
 

Oil reserves.  As it turns out, about 55 year ago, a Rildanorean oil drilling company, OceAzur, and a Kanjorean oil and gas supplier, South Seleyan Oil and Gas (SSOG), entered a joint venture to explore offshore Rildarean waters to see if an appreciable amount of crude oil could be found and extracted.
 
Rildanor issued them jointly a lease with royalties accruing to our treasury.  The Lourennais oil drilling company Petro Royale and the Majatran oil exploiter Qat Oil Services (QOS) were retained  to look for oil.  Petro Royale at some point thereafter dropped the matter as did OceAzur, but QOS located oil although considerably less than hoped.
 
SSOG and QOS set up several oil rigs and extracted some oil which SSOG refined at its refinery in Torges and placed on the international oil market.
 
We are in touch with QOS which is still operating the rigs but at a stripper well rate under a temporary and revocable assignment of the lease. QOS is quite prepared to have an accounting to determine any royalties due Rildanor and proceeds if any due OceAzur.
 
What it looks like is we may be in a position to augment and secure oil reserves sufficient to cushion any strange quirks in the oil market such as inaccessibility or outrageous price increases.  The lease to OceAzur and SSOG still seems valid and so we will be checking to see if they are still involved or are ready to permanently pull out.
 
Ideally QOS would continue pumping and the Republic could take its royalties in oil reserve.

 
5582: https://forum.prtcy.com/thread-21-post-2...ml#pid2738

[Jordan343]

Minister Mayer become President of the PNP and express doubt over current coalition government

[Marc, 5737]
@LeRildanorien
As new elections rapidly approach, the PNP congress has officially elected its new party president, Guillaume Mayer, the current Minister of Public Health.

Mayer is one of the longest-serving ministers in the current governing coalition, having served in all three of the past government cabinets. He first rose to national prominence in 5730 when he ran for president, receiving just over 20% of the vote. Since then, he has held the positions of Minister of Science and Technology, Minister of Rural Affairs and Agriculture, and now Minister of Public Health.

Shortly after his election as party president, Mayer was quick to express doubts about the current governing coalition, despite having served as one of its senior ministers.

"We have been in power for six years. In the last election, we barely held onto our majority, and recent polling has been disappointing for the coalition as a whole. The people of Rildanor are clearly dissatisfied with the way things are being run, and we need to engage in serious reflection within the PNP about how we can address this situation."

Mayer also voiced concerns over what he described as the coalition's lack of ideological cohesion.

"The current coalition has voted together on legislation less than 25% of the time. It's obvious within the cabinet that we have significant differences that hinder meaningful progress. As a coalition, we have yet to pass a major piece of legislation that truly advances Rildanor, even though each party continues to pass bills independently."

It is worth noting that the PNP has voted with its coalition partners less frequently than any other party in the governing alliance. When asked whether he would support renewing the coalition after the election, Mayer remained noncommittal.
"If we are to remain with the same partners, or even some of them, we will need to negotiate a very different coalition agreement. Otherwise, we risk repeating the same mistakes."

Mayer also announced during the congress that Héloïse Maret, currently a member of the National Assembly, would become the party's new Vice-President.

[Drax]

DOUMERC EXPECTS NEW GOVERNMENT
 
L’EXAMINATEUR HERAUT
 
Tiralle, February 23, 5737:  After a meeting with Union Federale Radicale (UFR) party leaders, L’EXAMINATEUR HERAUT asked Premier Paul-Henri Doumerc if he cared to respond to the remarks of  Public Health Minister Guillaume Mayer, the new President of PNP, one of the parties in the current governing coalition, and he replied:
 

Certainly, I have three things I would like to say in response. First, I sincerely hope Public Health Minister Mayer will continue to ably lead his Ministry in the few months remaining before the election.
 
Second, all indications are big changes are coming from the electorate, and I expect all of us will be trying to see if we have enough seats to matter, and if so with which parties we would be willing to cooperate and to what extent.
 
Third, I should have put up some cooperation requirements to enter the governing coalition. I had what seemed at the time to be very sound reasons for not doing so. On balance, I believe this was a mistake.

Premier Doumerc
 

[TheNick]

Olivier Brassard Stays On as PLS Leader
August 5737

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PLS's General-Secretary Olivier Brassard campaigning in Tiralouse last week.

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TIRALLE - As usual, after the declaration of results of the 5737 election, which saw a clear victory for the left-nationalist party Élan de Rildanor led by Florent Dumas, the spotlight went immediately to the party leaders for their reactions, some jubilant and other disappointed, based on the result of their own party. Olivier Brassard, the long-serving Minister of Economy and Finance and Deputy Prime Minister for the Doumerc government, has also made his own assessment of the election, confirming he intends to remain leader of the party:

The PLS remained the second largest party, retaining its key base in Tiralouse and other urban centers across the nation. We are the first choice among young, middle class people living in the cities of this country. We increased our total raw number of votes and seats, and we're encouraged by this result as we reversed a grim trend that put the existence of our movement at risk. At the same time, we can't feel satisfied for 16% of the votes and PLS will continue, with me at its helm, to work to improve further its results in the upcoming elections.

Mr. Brassard also commented on the upcoming government formation, confirming that PLS is negotiating a new cabinet with  Élan and with Alliance pour Rildanor, in which he will retain the spot of Deputy President of the Government. Rumours suggest that the current Minister of Foreign Affairs, Julie Muselier, could be 'demoted' to Labour Minister as former President Sylvie Aimard-Bélanger is considering a return into politics, possibly as Foreign Minister. For Mrs. Muselier, the rumours indicate that she is very likely to be tapped as PLS's nominee for President when the 5740 election comes.

[Drax]

MADELEINE FOUQUET NEW UFR LEADER
 
L’EXAMINATEUR HERAUT
 
Tiralle, October 27, 5737: L’EXAMINATEUR HERAUT has learned that Union Federale Radicale (UFR) held a leadership meeting at its headquarters in the Capital after which former Premier Paul-Henri Doumerc announced his retirement and former Interior Minister Madeleine Fouquet was selected to be the UFR Party Leader.  Asked where UFR was headed, Fouquet replied:
 

Well, as has been speculated, dissolution was considered so that activists and volunteers could move on to a political organization that could have some actual influence. We decided that before such action was taken we should look at what sort of constructive role we might conceivably  play in the foreseeable future if any.
 
So we are thinking seriously about that. There is another consideration. And this is harder to determine.  Are there other parties who represent and are advocates for the interests of those we formed the UFR to protect. We are not prepared to say yes to that at least at this time.  Certainly not in view of several votes in the National Assembly.
 
You probably also want to know about rebranding.  Yes it was mentioned but that is not where we are headed.

UFR's Fouquet

 

[Jordan343]

Mayer describe first time in opposition as an opportunity for reflexion amid catastrophic election result

[November, 5737]
@LeRildanorien

The PNP suffered the worst electoral result in its history during the August general election. The party secured a meager 4% of the vote, finishing seventh with just 21 seats in the National Assembly. To make matters worse, following the formation of the Dumas government, the PNP found itself outside the governing coalition for the first time in its history.

Party President Guillaume Mayer attributed the disastrous result to the unpopularity of the outgoing government.

"We saw poor results for nearly all the parties that were part of the outgoing government. I think voters wanted to express their desire for change, and that's exactly what they got. At some point, I believe the previous government may have taken its position for granted, and we were heavily punished for it."

Despite the historic defeat, Mayer insisted that moving into opposition could ultimately benefit the party.

"When you're in government, you're always focused on the immediate challenges of governing. Managing the country takes priority over managing the party, and over time, the party inevitably suffers because of it. Now that we're in opposition, we'll have the opportunity to rethink our positions and redefine the role we want to play in Rildanorian politics. We may have been too extreme on some issues. We may have appeared disconnected from the concerns and aspirations of ordinary citizens. We need to moderate some of our rhetoric and rebuild trust with the electorate."

The PNP has acknowledged that the risk of slipping into political irrelevance is real. Party leaders say their primary objective over the coming years will be to rebuild public confidence and reclaim the PNP's place as one of Rildanor's mainstream political parties.

(Guillaume Mayer, President of the PNP)

[tiiwark]

New party launches in Rildanor, aiming to revitalize the country's right-wing
[June, 5738]
Courrier Tirallien


Following decisive left-wing successes in the recent Rildanorian elections, a group businesspeople led by real estate entrepreneur Jean-Michel Nicoleau and his business partner Matthieu Yang. The new party was launched at its founding congress on June 13th, where Nicoleau was elected the party's first Chairman. The party further voted to adopt the name "Union of Free Federalists", emphasizing the party's advocacy for individual rights and decentralization of power.

to put it in co-founder Yang's words:

The state meddles in the individual affairs of citizens too much. The way I view it, it is in the essence of right-wing thought that the next higher institution should only intervene when next lower one cannot reasonably be expected to handle the situation. Consequently, every single one of us should have every single freedom we can reasonably be trusted with. I believe that once this simple thought is adopted as the core principle of the Rildanorian right, we will be able to break the leftist domination of our political system and bring real progress. What people need to associate with right-wing policy first and foremost isn't the old and boring, it must be freedom!

Jean-Michel Nicoleau (right) and Matthieu Yang (left) at the founding congress's press conference

[tiiwark]

UFL lays out plans for constitutional reform: "We will be a loud non-parliamentary opposition" 
[January, 5739] 
Courrier Tirralien


Just half a year after its foundation, the UFL managed to establish itself as a prominent party in Rildanorian politics, in part due to its strong social media presence. The party seems to follow a strategy of gaining attention by publicly calling for controversial changes to the law in a push for liberalisation. 

Recent examples include the proposal to scrap all state regulations on inheritance and the proposal to abolish the duty to register dual citizenships. The message is clear: As much personal freedoms as possible, as little state interference as possible. And no shying away from sharing this message. At a recent rally, party leader Jean-Michel Nicoleau stated the strategy openly: "We will be a loud non-parliamentary opposition! And thereby, we'll enter the parliament with strength and conviction on election day!". Whether this strategy is successful so far remains up for debate. The recently stable polls of around 3% are solid for a young party, but certainly a long shot from the parliamentary strength Nicoleau is envisioning. 

This might be the reason behind the UFL's most recent attention-inducing initiative: An open call for constitutional reform following last years political drama surrounding President Émeric Lahaye's executive order abolishing titles of nobility. Politicians from several political parties criticized this step as deliberate bypassing of the democratically elected parliament in a matter that shouldn't warrant an executive order. This lead to unsuccessful efforts to overrule the executive order, culminating even in a proposed impeachment. In the UFL chairman Nicoleau's opinion the solution is simple: abolish presidential decrees alltogether. Nicoleau announced discussions with other parties on the matter and pledged to include this promise in the UFL's electoral platform for the next election.