Kalistani Major History

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Emperor Returns Home
First International Trip for New Monarch seen as great success
Kaliburg, Ananto
December 31, 5149


Emperor Fredrick I Ananto, at home in Eveari

The Emperor has concluded his first visit to a foreign capital of his reign. To the relief of many Government watchers, the Emperor's participation at the Royal marriage of Emperor Tommasio the III to his new wife Empress Consort Elisa went far better than anyone could imagine.

"We are happy that the Monarch, though he is young, and has little formal diplomatic experience, nonetheless conducted himself with dignity and bearing," said journalist Bryan Weathers. "I was suspicious about the moves to send the Emperor out of the country at such an early point in his reign, but it seems that the man has exceeded expectations." Weathers admitted that he had reservations about even having a hereditary monarch for Kalistan. "I'm an old republican," said Weathers, "But, if we can expect our nation to represented in this way going forward, I can admit that there are some benefits to having a monarch who can remain above politics."

By all accounts, the Emperor, who was accompanied by Istalian Princess Nicoletta during the day of the wedding, was attentive, witty, and well-received. "You have to remember," said another royal watcher Michelle Olson, "Kalistan has not had an emperor in over 1000 years. So this is all new for all of us. Knowing rules of etiquette and protocol so as to not offend the sensibilities of people who are used to others showing deference and obsequiousness toward is a challenge many could not pass perfectly, especially without a lifetime of training. From what I read, the Emperor not only did not make a complete mess of it, he actually put his best foot forward and charmed the guests and the court. That goes a long way in representing Kalistan to the world, and lets everyone know that even 'The Pirate Republic' should stand shoulder to shoulder with Emperors, Kings, and Princes."

The Emperor's official Secretary, Alberto Delgado, conveyed words from the Emperor to the National Assembly: "It is with great honor that we visited Istalia. It is our desire that association between our two realms should be deepened and it is our wish that our recent visit to that distant kingdom shall be put to good use in laying a good foundation for fraternal relations. We are grateful for the opportunity to represent the People and the Nation to the mighty potentate abroad and his kind and beautiful wife. Our command is that our government seek new ties with other nations for the peace and prosperity of our Realm." Members of the National Assembly commented that they were impressed by the Emperor's economy of language.

The popular opinion of the Emperor, following his return from Istalia, has grown from about 35% positive, to just over 50%, as it seems that more people are willing to give him a chance to settle into the job. More than 55% now wish the Emperor well: this is up from 37% more than 6 months ago, when the Emperor was still largely an unknown commodity. "We think that the popularity of the Emperor will continue to go up as more people realize that he is a good natured fellow, who cares very much for the people of Kalistan and will represent us well," said Olson.

in related news, The Emperor has commanded the National Assembly to pay him exactly K1 as as salary for the remainder of his tenure as Emperor. The emperor feels confident that his capitalization of the House Ananto will be large enough to allow him to live a simple life off the interest of his investments. Institutionalist Spokesperson David Fan said "The Party will likely support that plan for a little while, but when His Imperial Might gets married, the political pressure may grow to provide the Emperor with a pension. While the Emperor was emphatic that he could live easily on his investments, the Nation itself may decide that it is not acceptable to house the Sovereign of Ananto and Kalistan in a cottage with minimal staff, and eating simple fare. In short, the Emperor's simplicity testimony may come into conflict with the Nation's self image, and regrettably for the Emperor, he will lose that contest at that time." For now, however, the Government has agreed to the Emperor's demands for cutting his salary.