Kalistan

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Johnathan Mickelson named Chancellor of the Empire
Orthodox Leader clear choice of the Empress
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
January 10, 5724


Johnathan Mickelson was nominated by Port Davon Longshoremen for National Assembly

Orthodox Institutionalists, led by Kaliburg native and Davon Longshoreman John Mickelson conclusively took the National Assembly in last week's General Elections, with those who identify as Moderates or Orthodoxos claiming 45 of 79 seats in the National Assembly. The Institutional Party was congratulated on another successful election by Her Imperial Majesty via video conference from Athosia, who asked the Majority to name Mr Mickelson to the post of successor for her now disgraced Chancellor of the Empire, Melanie Alvarez-McLinn. The request was a surprise to most members of the Institutional Party, who assumed that she would name a far more outspoken Orthodox member from Sulari, Kevin Whist to the post. The Institutional Party put the question to the Party's Governing body who approved. Mickelson said he would serve on one condition: That the sentence for Alvarez-McLinn be commuted by Her Imperial Majesty.

"I made that request," said the new Chancellor of the Empire, "because I know Lady Alvarez-McLinn. She did not resist her arrest, she admitted her wrongdoing and she was prepared to accept the penalties. Her crimes, at the end of the day were administrative matters rather than moral matters, and the Empire has made an example of her. But I also know her to be a hard worker, a loyal subject, and one who sacrificed a lot to serve Her Imperial Majesty. Commutation allows this Empire to put her corruption behind us." When asked what Her Imperial Majesty answered, Mickelson was candid: "She asked me to make sure the death penalty is not still an option." At the end of the conversation, she felt Mickelson had made a persuasive argument and agreed to allow Lady Alvarez-McLinn to retire to her hometown of Lucid, where she would receive a small pension that would allow her to have an adequate standard of living, and would be granted the landless title of Baronette, in honor of her heritage and relation to Nicolette I Ananto. "At the end, I was able to prevail upon her Brethrenist morality," said Mickelson. The former chancellor served less than a month of her 4 year sentence in National Service, and will still owe restitution.

Taking office in a time of increasing tension in the region, Mickelson explained his governing outlook. "First and foremost, I reiterate that the role of the National Assembly is to enact Her Imperial Majesty's fiat. That's it. My job is to make sure the National Assembly does what the Empress says for them to do. When acting without direct fiat, my job is to support Her Imperial Majesty's strategic goals. I am not interested in stepping outside that relationship. This is the function of this Party and of this Legislature. I have no desire to get out ahead of Her Imperial Majesty, or trap her into some policy she would not have selected for herself. Only when this government is acting according to its correct functions do we succeed. When one part starts believing that they are greater than the whole, you end up getting disorder and gridlock."

Mickelson, 33, was the choice of the Port Davon Longshoremen to run in this year's general election. He is a freshman legislator, with no longstanding allegiances or alliances in the National Assembly. He is one of two Deputies elected from Kaliburg, the other being longtime nationalist and ally of the Empress Heath Wilcox. "Her Imperial Majesty selected an unknown to be Chancellor of the Empire, because her goal is to avoid selection of a person with lots of pre-established networks and connections," said Dr. Diane Brighton of Kaliburg Polytechnic. "Mickelson is young so he has a long potential to serve, and presumably, his first last and only allegiance will be to the person who plucked him from obscurity and made him the most influential legislator in the nation, rather than to the Party, to a group of close associates, or to himself."

Before being named as the candidate for office from Kaliburg, Mickelson was a dock worker. During his time at the Port Davon port authority, he also composed an somewhat widely read book concerning his reflections on civil society, especially why some join while others do not. His work reflected a sort of auto-didactic nature that many believe impressed the Empress. "She is a philosopher, and admires people who are intelligent, especially those who teach themselves things," said Brighton. "Mr. Mickelson dropped out of highschool in 10th grade, but continued his education independently after that, gaining a degree in psychology while in National Service as a welder. As soon as he left National Service, he studied the law by spending his evenings in the Kaliburg Law Library, and he achieved his law degree while working as a longshoreman.

Rising to the office of President of the Davon Longshoremen local 85, he became interested in Orthodox Institutionalism, and was recruited for office by the Local Orthodox club in Kaliburg, who would have nominated him themselves, but Institutional Party rules say they only take nominations from civil society formations that have more than 1000 members, and the Orthodox club only has 85 members. But the Orthodoxos were undeterred, and convinced the Union local to vote for him. Not only did the Longshoremen of Port Davon nominate him, but so did the National Warehouse Workers United, the Boatoperators Union, and the United Davon Merchant Marine Benefit Fund. Mickelson, who is a fairly unassuming Bretherenist, said he was overwhelmed by the support of the Unions.

"They told me that I was one of theirs," he said. "The Unions organized to support a working man. This must have come to the Empress' attention and when I won election, she said that it is time for the Empire to stand with the working men and women of the Empire. It is a true honor to be held up like this, and I intend to represent my brothers and sisters in the trades and the Industrial Unions as well."

The new Chancellor of the Empire is known to support National Industries. "The National Industries are the Workers' best friends," said the Chancellor in his book. "Not only are they closed shop, but they pay better than any comparable job in the Private Sector, offer all benefits backed up by law, and constantly strive for workplace safety and better working conditions. The Nationalized sector offers people job guarantees, wage guarantees, and opportunities for workers in one shop to make improvements not only for them, but for all workers. We have the ideal proworker economy in Terra, and it is Nationalized shops that help make this possible."

Mickelson ran on returning the Institutional Party to its historical orientation, which is more internationally minded. "We need to take the opportunity to work with those who want to work with us," said Mickelson. "Her Imperial Majesty espoused this idea at the beginning of her reign, and then the Nationalists took control and more or less rode roughshod over the nation. The days of threatening sanctions for not adopting Kalistan's world view are over." After being appointed Chancellor, Mickelson said his first foreign priority was to work with the Foreign Minister to reach out to the Custodial Government of Xsampa to see if there is something more that Kalistan can do to support the Government under the NDA, and noted that Her Imperial Majesty does not intend to acknowledge any blockades or embargos of Xsampa, whether against the Current Government or against a Communist coup were to seize power and put people back under the totalist boot.

He also feels it important to reach out to Gaduridos to try to set off a rapprochement. "I know Her Imperial Majesty is still mourning our loss of Gaduridos," he said last year. "We should do what we can to try to start healing. So she can move on with the rest of her reign. Kalistan does not have to sacrifice its national interests to work with others. We know this: We understand, probably uniquely among all nations, given the Brethrenism of our nation, that all have some worth which we should honor, even if we do not approve of all they are or do. A nation like Gaduridos was our friend at one point. It may be a little hard to remember that now, from the other side of the divorce, but I wonder if it ever occurred to [then Chancellor of the Empire,] Lady Alvarez that maybe they are hurting too. We have a lot of reasons to grieve the loss, but so do they. So maybe we can find a way to move forward."

Mickelson lives with his partner, Poppy Janine Martinez, in Zappa City, Port Davon, and they have one small child together. The Chancellor is expected to be inducted into the Ancient Order of the Gray Smoke later this month, so he can hold private conferences with Her Imperial Majesty. His first task however is to name a new Cabinet. Of those currently serving, six Ministers lost their seats and are therefore no longer part of Her Imperial Majesty's government. Of those who survived, the Foreign Minister is probably the most prominent Nationalist, but the office of Her Imperial Majesty's Foreign Minister said he was enthusiastic to meet with the new Chancellor of the Empire and getting to work together. A new Cabinet proposal will be announced by February.

@TheRepublic