by Johana Ginci
13 February 2021, 17:45 h

The Izaakian Situation goes into Extra-Time

Thursday afternoon was a shock to the world. The Izaakian government announced the cancellation of the planned referendum on the sovereignity of the regions La Montagne and Brödmark. With that the Peonic and Gianlucian plan to diplomatically come to a conclusion of the so-called "Izaakian situation" has failed.
While the Ryccian Federation has imposed further sanctions and embargoes on the Keylian nation, the World Forum seems quite baffled by that announcement and has not officially reacted to the misconduct of its member yet.

The recent developments of course beg the question, whether the Gianlucian state needs to change its foreign policy and react more aggressively in some instances. Violations of human rights and the self-determination of people should not be viable means for a nation to exert power and if they are furthermore World Forum members, they shall definitely not end up without a punishment for their breaches on international law.
On the other hand a 2nd Great War, some commentators see forming between the BU and Izaakia, needs to be prevented at all costs also. Whether embargoes, which are seen critical by human rights organisations too, are the right way to let Izaakia submit to the will of the international community is an unanswered question too at the moment. Foreign minister Sanddorn and the King and Leader definitely have hard choices to make right now and the next few days will show, what their decisions will be.

Signed
Gianluca IV
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Head Bartender of the Lampshade Bar & Grill


Information about my roleplay
Pacifica GI-Land, Snolland (Hazelbrust), Guardian of the World Forum, IUFA-FWC/WFWC- and Pacivision Supervisor • 
Aurora Markatt (Maura)

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by Mark Geffa
27 June 2021, 09:30 h

Interview with the Queen: "Do your best or go home"

It's early in the morning, but the former Queen of GI-Land, Charlotte I, is already awake. "I might be a queen, but like any other old person, I need to take my meds at time, otherwise I won't be a queen for much longer", she jokes around before she takes the glass full of water from the table in front of her, chugging two or three sips to swallow down the pills she needs. Today is a special day for her: It's the Queen's 87th birthday. We talked with her, what she is most proud of in retrospect and how she views the Youth Olympiad.

G - Geffa from GIN Online | C - Queen Charlotte I

G: Good morning, I hope you slept well, and overall: Happy Birthday, my majesty!
C: Good morning and thank you very much.

G: What are you gonna do today on your 87th birthday?
C: You know, I will not do anything special. In my age you limit yourself for that on your birthdays ending on 0 or 5. Normally I would cook a three course meal, that my guests and me could eat at dinner. Moreso my guests, because as you might know, the chef herself cannot eat much, because she taste tested everything in the kitchen so often already (laughs). Anyway this time my body won't let me do that. Now the good part of being a queen is to have a personal cook in those moments of need, so I shall have a tasty meal either way.

G: That sounds pretty good. Will there be any guests today? You haven't mentioned anyone.
C: Oh, of course some people will come over. My children should come around for a cup of tea and some biscuits, maybe Gianluca can get here too, but I know he's very much trapped in work as he needs to prepare the elections and maybe some state visits.


The living room of Queen Charlotte I in her Aschhof Residency

G: Alright, that's nice to hear. And between all those visits, I would suggest you doing something to relax.
C: And how would I do that, Mr. Geffa?
G: You could watch the Youth Olympiad! It's currently taking place in Zersbach, Besern, and GI-Land has shown to the world in swimming and badminton already, that winning medals is a real possibility.
C: Ah, yes, I actually zapped into some of the heats of the swimming competition. I missed badminton though, how were the results there?
G: GI-Land lost the singles against the refugee team after a very good fight, but therefore won the doubles.
C: Good to know, it was a fight, because I see it this way: If you represent your nation on the international stage, you either do your best or go home. There cannot be a middle ground. I'm proud of our athletes, who also have this mindset ingrained into their heads.

G: You were playing tennis back in the days. Is that, why you achieved such good results in all your tournaments back then?
C: It was one factor. My results were a rollercoaster ride, since I needed to reign a nation and couldn't put all my time into some game, however without that mindset, I would have never been able to win any medal for sure. It is easy to blame your situation for anything, in the end it comes down to always doing your best though.


Queen Charlotte during one of her matches

G: Were those sport victories the thing you are most proud of in retrospect then? Seeing how difficult it was to achieve them?
C: (laughs out loud) No, no, no. (laughs a little more) The biggest challenge was to have kids and raise them for good. Having done a good job there while ruling a country, that was the biggest challenge I mastered. Without much help, I want to stress, because my husband worked at the police and so was unavailable for most of the time and later on I needed to face the hardships of being a single mother. I have not gotten any help there, because - how I was taught the young people would say it like today - I wanted to "stay real". I think, I was successful, looking at the fact that the upbringing ultimately led to such strong head of states like Axel and Gianluca. 

G: I see. Alright, our time is sadly up already. Thanks for having me and I wish you a wonderful day and especially lots of health in the future.
C: Thank you. Take care.

Signed
Gianluca IV
Roleplayer (active in TSP since 2016)
TSPedia-Author
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Pacifica GI-Land, Snolland (Hazelbrust), Guardian of the World Forum, IUFA-FWC/WFWC- and Pacivision Supervisor • 
Aurora Markatt (Maura)

(This post was last modified: 06-27-2021, 04:03 AM by GI-Land.)

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by Lukas Rahgen
11 July 2021, 15:30 h

Obituary: The calm Chancellor

GI-Land is in shock after the sudden death of Chancellor Tom Kirchmann around noon today. Not everyone liked his style of calm governance and quite a few political opponents called him weak and a puppet of the King, still he has earned the respect of many of the time, because his governance style made GI-Land a significant soft power on the global stage over the last few years.
He has left behind two adult sons, a teenage daughter and a loving wife, who were always very supportive of him and his political career.
"I remember still, how everyone told us in 2017 the SLP will lose the election. Hearing that gave us even more motivation to campaign harder, because we knew Tom had a good heart and a progressive vision for this country", his wife Alma said in an interview for Das Auge in 2019.
 

Tom Kirchmann - 8th Chancellor of GI-Land (2017-2021)

He worked steadily on this vision in the last four years. GI-Land ratified the WF-charter, which laid the path for three speakership terms under Gianlucian leadership in the World Forum, the Green-Liberal coalition decided on leaving nuclear power in the future and abandoning nuclear weapons, a right to our own data was added to our basic rights in the constitution and lastly our parliament was made smaller to save tax payer money. All this talk about a weak chancellery is not based on anything, looking at the successes of his legislature.

The Federal Republic was left in a hard place now merely two months before the federal elections, a place this democracy was never in before. The Königspalast will meet in the evening for an emergency session, where they will decide together with King and Leader Gianluca IV on whether they want to elect Marja Sanddorn (Green Party, current Vice-Chancellor and Minister of the Foreign Affairs) to become the first female chancellor of GI-Land or whether a provisional government shall take over until the election in September. The Social Liberal Party, who chose Kirchmann to represent them in the 2021 election once again, has to choose a new representative. Christian Strunk as well as Marco Chulz both already announced, they'd feel ready to take over the party and lead it into a successful future including another legislative period in power.

Abroad, the news of the death of the Gianlucian chancellor has provoked mixed reactions. On the one hand some internet users on the social media platform Telit make fun of the political hardships GI-Land has to face now, on the other government officials - even of countries GI-Land had not the best relationship to recently - expressed their sincere condolences and hope for quick solutions to the upcoming problems.

We will keep you updated.

Signed
Gianluca IV
Roleplayer (active in TSP since 2016)
TSPedia-Author
Head Bartender of the Lampshade Bar & Grill


Information about my roleplay
Pacifica GI-Land, Snolland (Hazelbrust), Guardian of the World Forum, IUFA-FWC/WFWC- and Pacivision Supervisor • 
Aurora Markatt (Maura)

(This post was last modified: 07-11-2021, 10:48 AM by GI-Land.)

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by Johana Ginci
26 October 2021, 17:35 h

The new Government is standing 

The air was prickling due to the excitement of everyone present at the press conference, where the Green and Social Liberal Party wanted to present their coalition treaty and the next cabinet, which will rule the country until 2025. The negotiations were not easy. Marja Sanddorn, designated Chancellor from the Greens, has bemoaned the missing will of her potential partners during the talks to initiate some needed change in GI-Land. "We need a government focusing on climate action, because the climate catastrophe in front of us cannot be sat out or solved by talking. It surprises me over and over, that some persons do not get the urgency of that problem", she said in an interview just a week ago.
 

The new Gianlucian Chancellor: Marja Sanddorn

Now both parties seem to have found a consensus. The main points of the treaty are the following:

1) Putting GI-Land on route to climate neutrality until 2040
2) Developing concepts for an UBI, a new school system and a potential tax reform.
3) Closing GI-Land's three least used airports
4) Continuing nuclear disarmament, but also modernising the Bundesarmee's equipment
5) Facilitating access to digital government services
6) Redistribution of research funds towards mRNA-vaccinations, future mobility technologies (e.g. Hyperloop), production of climate-neutral kerosine
7) Finalisation of the security agreement with Frost, Sedunn, Snolland and Anserisa
8) Start and finalisation of (free) trade talks with Bruuma, Frost and Izaakia
9) Reform of the pension system
10) Introduction of state reforms following the citizen's assembly, which has started 16 October 2021.

The clear winner of those talks were once again the Greens. Insiders suggest, that the King and Leader himself, as one of the heads of the Social Liberal Party, was advocating for such a green result. "He still discusses everything as calm as ever and tries to see all sides, but it's clear, that Gian[luca] seems to have sympathies for ecological standpoints", Dr. Frank Carlos - SLP's Speaker of the Königspalast - has told us, when we asked for the reasons, why the SLP's points did not really seem to play a huge role in the paper presented to the press.

As for positions within the new cabinet, the SLP cannot complain however. 7 out of 15 ministries fall into their hands and of course the vice-chancellery also:
(Blue = No changes)

Leader of GI-Land and King of Atlantis - Gianluca IV (SLP, *1999)
Chancellor - Marja Sanddorn (Greens, *1987)
Vice-Chancellor - Christian Strunk (SLP, *1976)

Minister of Agriculture, Nutrition, Environment and Preservation of Nature - Emre Klehn (Greens, *1992)
Minister for Atlantic Affairs - Dr. Sarah Färga (Greens, *1988)
Minister of Culture, Religion, Sports and Esports - Josefine Meerland (Greens, *1992)
Minister of Defense - Thorben Recke (SLP, *1979)
Minister of Education - Dr. Thomas Rampnitz (SLP, *1963)
Minister of Finance - Lara Bytta (Greens, *1982)
Minister of Foreign Affairs - Christian Strunk (SLP, *1976)
Minister for Health and Research - Dr. Ella Freude (Greens, *1981)
Minister of Infrastructure - Dirk Rabe (Greens, *1979)
Minister of the Interior - Helga Mann (SLP, *1974)
Minister of Justice - Maria Lambertz (SLP (former PPG), *1985)
Minister for Labour, Economy and Consumer Protection - Janina Kugler (Greens, *1989)
Minister for Political Education - Moritz Strabinger (SLP (former PPG), *1997)
Minister for Social Affairs, Families, the Elderly and the Youth - Ursula Ezinado (Greens, *1968)
Minister of Transportation - Reinhard Barting (SLP, *1963)

The new government is on average 40.06 years old (~5.54 years older than the last cabinet) and includes 9 (+2) women (56.25%). Lara Bytta needs to be mentioned separately here, because she is the first trans woman in a Gianlucian cabinet ever. The number of ministers with the highest ahievable degree remained unchanged.

In the first session of the Königspalast, it is expected, that the WF-ambassador of GI-Land, Helene Meise, as well as the Gianlucian ambassadors abroad will be re-elected and thus stay the same until further notice.

Signed
Gianluca IV
Roleplayer (active in TSP since 2016)
TSPedia-Author
Head Bartender of the Lampshade Bar & Grill


Information about my roleplay
Pacifica GI-Land, Snolland (Hazelbrust), Guardian of the World Forum, IUFA-FWC/WFWC- and Pacivision Supervisor • 
Aurora Markatt (Maura)

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by Johana Ginci
01 December 2021, 18:24 h

NAGB - the 2nd Serevan War?

It has been exactly one month since the war against Nicholas and Great Britain has started. On the forefront are the United States of Izaakia and the United Republics of Rhayna, Néa-gy and Alla-gy. Both parties were reasoning, that an intervention was necessary, because the Romordians, a people living in the mountains of East Nicholas and Great Britain, were in danger of being decimated. And if not them, maybe the neighbours could have gotten attacked by the nuclear arsenal, the dictator Nicholas is having his hands on.
While they were preparing their weapons, the World Forum already had the situation on its radar and eventually, through an Esfalsan proposal, agreed to impose harshest sanctions not many other Pacifican countries had ever experienced. There were also debates about the first ever use of WF peacekeeping troops, but with no result and eventually the discussion was brought to an abrupt end by the war declaration of the USI anyway.

The question, the world was asking themselves, was: What do we do now? Do we help Izaakia, who single-handedly undermined the World Forum once again? Wouldn't helping be the right decision? But wouldn't that also indirectly justify and legitimate the USI's course of action? Should one fight against the USI? But wouldn't we be on the wrong side of history then, fighting together with a dictator, who is known to not have the respect for human rights we wish for and who at least planned a genocide of one of his peoples on a fling? Is there a possibility to help the people and fight Izaakia at the same time?

Atlantis and many other capitals around Pacifica were asking and answering these questions for themselves. Eventually Rhayna decided to focus on humanitarian aid, GI-Land decided to help, but also secure obscure trade routes together with Frost, which are "coincidentally" very close to the regions Izaakia has annexed a year ago. Eflad joins the humanitarian effort, as they have stated today. Sedunn focuses on the endgame and wants to walk the thin line between thinking, the USI acted reasonable, but also not giving the USI too much power on Crabry, as they proposed, the WF should take over Izaakian occupied territory after the war. Besern tries to save the face of the WF by having initiated several attempts to diplomatically "put Izaakia in its place", that culminated now into another case at the International Court against the Izaakian government. And then there are new competitors, who were mostly quiet throughout history, but now want to use the geographically short distance to NAGB to profile themselves as the saviours of a country already pushed into turmoil by the other belligerents.

Who has chosen the right path? Who will be the winners of this war?
Neither of that can be answered now. "We only know one thing for sure: The amount of countries involved and their goal to use this event to politically influence the future, makes the NAGB conflict the '2nd Serevan War'", says political scientist Laura Ferge. She continues: "It will most certainly change, how different parts of the world will interact with each other from the end of the war onward. We see, how the fronts between democratic, but more diplomatically powerful countries like GI-Land or Besern on the one hand, and power-hungry nations like currently Izaakia or Mediran - historically we could also add Bruuma, Ryccia or even Huawan - are hardening. Future cooperation becomes obviously difficult under these conditions."

This is, what the Minister of Foreign Affairs and former WF-Speaker Strunk is also aware of:
"We are constantly assessing the situation based on the data provided to us. We know, that our allies expect the right answers from us without strengthening our common systemic rival. One has to understand though, the situation is complex and admittedly our way of doing foreign politics has its limits, especially once a situation has escalated this much and stays as dynamic as here", told Strunk to GIN News in the afternoon. "We therefore hope, that the cooperation treaty between GI-Land, Snolland, Frost, Sedunn, Stoinia, and other crucial partners will be finalised shortly. We aim for a ratification of the treaty in parliament in February 2022.", he explained later on in the interview. A comment on the alleged outrage of the Sedunnic foreign minister over the Gianlucian-Frost trade route patrols in Bailtem was not made.

Signed
Gianluca IV
Roleplayer (active in TSP since 2016)
TSPedia-Author
Head Bartender of the Lampshade Bar & Grill


Information about my roleplay
Pacifica GI-Land, Snolland (Hazelbrust), Guardian of the World Forum, IUFA-FWC/WFWC- and Pacivision Supervisor • 
Aurora Markatt (Maura)

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by Lukas Rahgen
19 December 2021, 13:22 h

Secret Annex between VPRB and GI-Land leaked

On 1 February 2018 the Serevan War has officially ended for GI-Land following a peace treaty between the VPRB and Erinor the day prior. Government officials from both countries were proud of being able to announce a document normalising the relationship between the two countries again. The international community also sighed in relief as one of the biggest conflicts since the Great War did not lead to the loss of as many lives as expected and did not spark the flame of more civil unrest in neighbouring countries. Additionally the plan to demine the Serevan and Snovian Sea was good news for international trade by sea, which depends on that route in order to maintain the global supply chain. Everything was well, in order and stable again.


Gianlucian soldiers in their camp on Sereva

Now, almost four years later, news from a former high-ranking employee of the Ministry of Defence shake up everything again.
According to them, the treaty had a confidential annex, which proposed more substantial cooperation between the VPRB and GI-Land, officially to secure the stability of the region, but according to the whistleblower rather with the goal to stop the formerly spreading influence of countries like e.g. Ryccia in the region and thus indirectly securing the prerogative of a Gianlucian sphere of influence in North-West Cordilia.

"It is true, that there were additional agreements with Papa Unclepear after the Serevan War", minister of defense Recke admits to GIN after being confronted with the annex' text. "However those did not have the goal to set us a sphere of influence or anything like that, its goal was to ensure that conflicts in our direct neighbourhood are resolved through direct diplomacy and not through deployment of third party troops as it happened on Sereva."
Recke refused to comment further, whether the goal of the Gianlucian government to join an organisation based on mutual defense in early 2022 could eventually lead to a Gianlucian breach of contract, should Bruuma decide on aggressive actions against GI-Land in the future.

At the moment, none of the ambassadors or governments of the countries GI-Land wants to reach an alliance with have commented on this new development, but it is to be expected, that questions will arise from this leak and could also lead to a loss of trust between GI-Land and some of its partners.

---

Text of the Peace Treaty between the VPRB and GI-Land of 2018

Agreement on reestablishing Stability in North-West Cordilia after the Serevan War

The Voodoo People’s Republic of Bruuma and its dependencies (Bruuma)
and
the Federal Republic of GI-Land (GI-Land)
hereby agree to the following peace treaty in order to restore the stability of North-West Cordilia and ameliorate their bilateral relationships following the events on the Serevan Isle in the Democratic Republic of Erinor:

I. End of Conflict

Between Bruuma and GI-Land there will be a ceasefire going into effect immediately. Gianlucian troops will fully retreat from the Serevan Isle until 5 February 2018. Both parties express their full agreement with and fully accept the terms of the peace deal signed between Bruuma and the Democratic Republic of Erinor on 31 January 2018.
A formal peace status between Bruuma and GI-Land will turn into effect on 6 February 2018.

II. Prisoners of War and Demining of the Bruuman-Gianlucian border

Prisoners and unburied bodies of one party in current possession or availability of another will be returned to its original party without exceptions from the 6 February 2018 onwards.
Bruuma and GI-Land will put efforts into fully demining their respective Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) in the Snovian Sea/South-Western part of the Serevan Sea in the next 12 months after the treaty has been signed, making safe passage of the sea possible again.
A general amnesty will be established forgiving Bruuman citizens, that fought against GI-Land in the Serevan War. The amnesty does not cover any persecution for any crime not committed in direct relationship with a war purpose. The same applies for Gianlucian citizens, who fought against Bruuma in the Serevan War. Persons, who committed such crimes, will be extradited to and tried and sentenced in their home nation.

Bruuma and GI-Land renounce any reparations from the other party.

III. Future Relations

Bruuma and GI-Land have a mutual interest in maintaining the stability of the region. Thus GI-Land will lift all economic and political sanctions on Bruuma as of 1 March 2018 until further notice and formally offer negotiations aiming to start bilateral diplomatic and economic relations with Bruuma.
Additionally GI-Land hereby formally accepts the Bruuman will to fight for a socialist revolution. However both parties agree on the reciprocal principle of not subverting the other's form of government.
For a sustainable stabilization of the region another future agreement will be negotiated, laying out the framework on how the two parties will cooperate to reach these goals.
The Freedom of movement under the respective national laws, as well as civil air and sea travel between the signatory parties will be established again starting as of 1 March 2018.

Annex A – Addendum for the creation of stability in North-West Cordilia [STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL]

The Serevan War has shown once again, that there are nations in our region, which want to gain more power and thus try to take advantage of destabilized countries. It is not acceptable for Bruuma and GI-Land, that foreign powers try to expand their sphere of influence into our region. As such both parties agree, that it is of utmost importance to work together against anyone threatening the stability of the region.

In moments, where the order of the region is threatened by third parties, both – Bruuma and GI-Land – may call upon a joint committee consisting of
- the heads of state.
- the heads of government,
- the foreign ministers,
- the ministers of economy,
- the ambassador of Bruuma in GI-Land,
- the ambassador of GI-Land in Bruuma
- the highest ranking general of each country and
- the chief diplomats.

The committee shall work on a common guideline for both governments aiding them to remove the threats from the region.

Freudstadt, 1 February 2018

X________________________
King and Leader of GI-Land
Gianluca IV

X________________________
Eternal Leader of the Voodoo People's Republic of Bruuma
Papa Unclepear

Signed
Gianluca IV
Roleplayer (active in TSP since 2016)
TSPedia-Author
Head Bartender of the Lampshade Bar & Grill


Information about my roleplay
Pacifica GI-Land, Snolland (Hazelbrust), Guardian of the World Forum, IUFA-FWC/WFWC- and Pacivision Supervisor • 
Aurora Markatt (Maura)

(This post was last modified: 12-19-2021, 09:12 AM by GI-Land.)

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by Marja Sanddorn
31 December 2021, 18:00 h

New Year's Speech of the Chancellor

Dear citizens,

another 365 days have passed, in which we all were challenged once more. Every day thousands of people make this country work by doing essential jobs, by listening and working for the well-being of others, by drafting and executing legislation, by talking with international economic and political partners. Each of you make up GI-Land and make it the place, that it is. Each of you play a role in how this country functions, why our society functions so well and can beat the greatest challenges, and how we are viewed in this world.
At the end of this year I want to thank everyone of you for their service.

A service I want to gear special attention to, is that of our diplomatic and military personnel. 2021 has been challenging, especially in the latter half of the year. Countries are all too eager to create and maintain hard power in this world. This is not our approach and we showed this to those countries. We follow a foreign policy of acceptance and compassion. We have shown that by talking with former rivals, but also by helping in the humanitarian mission on Crabry. At the same time our foreign policy is defined by following international law, which is also something not everyone is accepting. The task for that personnel is to show those countries, who don't have an interest in keeping international agreements, that they need to do so and else suffer the consequences of it. It is necessary to take these actions to ensure the safety and stability of all of Pacifica. And this is, why I want to thank the people working in the Bundesarmee and in our ministries especially. We will continue our mission.

This brings me to thanking you, the citizens, once again for your participation in democratic processes and how you, as the sovereign of this state, are backing our way for this mission and other future endeavours. This year we had to suffer the loss of a chancellor, we had to endure a provisional government solely led by the Leader, you participated in campaigning and voting on a new Königspalast and at the moment a citizens' assembly will draft constitutional changes that might change how this country works completely. You were brave enough to go through all this, to look into the eyes of an uncertain future and still vote on a new progressive government. Thank you to everyone, who has put their confidence into us. In 2022 we will continue our journey to modernise this country and put it onto the right tracks for more sustainability, wealth and progress in between a framework of strong international partners. Together we have more power than our rivals and we will show to all critics, that the democratic way with social and multilateral elements is the best way to deal with future problems. The first goal will be to finalise our mutual defence agreement with befriended countries like our neighbours in Erinor, Frost, Snolland and even the far-away yet like-minded Sedunn until the end of February 2022. After that, on 29 May 2022 you will vote on a referendum on the proposals of the Citizens' Assembly. The latest in the 2nd half of 2022 we want to finalise trade talks with multiple partners, e.g. Besern, including talks on a modernisation of our armed forces to meet the standards of today. In between we will work on reforms of the World Forum in order to make it virtually impossible to tweak on our nose anymore, and we will pass legislation getting us closer to our own set goals to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and lessen our impact on climate change on Pacifica. This will not be easy, but I'm confident that together with you, our people, as the base and reason for our policies, we will get through any challenge that's going to be posed to us.

Tonight a long year is ending and that is traditionally a time to celebrate, no matter the culture or family background. I for example will sit together with my family and we will make traditional Pfanness and later call all of the family to wish them the best for 2022. I hope, you will be surrounded by people you love, whether they are friends, family or just likeable acquaintances, too and that you will have a blast in those last few hours of the year. I wish you all the best, the energy you need, much health and best of luck, if needed, for your endeavours next year. Have a good night and happy new year.

Signed
Gianluca IV
Roleplayer (active in TSP since 2016)
TSPedia-Author
Head Bartender of the Lampshade Bar & Grill


Information about my roleplay
Pacifica GI-Land, Snolland (Hazelbrust), Guardian of the World Forum, IUFA-FWC/WFWC- and Pacivision Supervisor • 
Aurora Markatt (Maura)

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by Andreas Byt
02 January 2022, 17:35 h

Victory for Royalists in Reizen Referendum

Reizen stays a province of the Empire. This was the result of the referendum conducted last week in the formerly war torn area. Around 48% of the voters have decided, Reizen shall remain in the Frost Empire and not become an independent nation. 52% would have been in favour of a secession, but could not decide on whether to become a socialist republic or a capitalist democracy.
This result has sparked some controversy in Reizen, GI-Land and abroad. While the Reizen leader of the Socialists Kirihito was trying to find amicable words, calling for negotiations on a power sharing deal, the USI countered, it won't accept the referendum's outcome: "We will recognise Reizen as an independent state under Frost occupation and impose economic sanctions on the Frost Empire", the Izaakian foreign ministry was announcing earlier today. An answer from the Frost government hasn't followed yet.

The Gianlucian government under Chancellor Sanddorn and the KPHA have congratulated the Frost administration for the successful referendum, but has also called for further negotiations with the opposition leaders to make sure, that the voices of the 52% Reizeners, that voted against remaining, don't become unheard.
The liberal FPG as well as The Left have criticised the procedure of the referendum itself. "It would have been better, if Frost would have let international electoral observers control the referendum", said FPG leader Nicole Klacena. "Also normally you should have a runoff-vote with results like these between the two most preferred alternatives", Left leader Lara Yt has added in a GIN interview.

Signed
Gianluca IV
Roleplayer (active in TSP since 2016)
TSPedia-Author
Head Bartender of the Lampshade Bar & Grill


Information about my roleplay
Pacifica GI-Land, Snolland (Hazelbrust), Guardian of the World Forum, IUFA-FWC/WFWC- and Pacivision Supervisor • 
Aurora Markatt (Maura)

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by Lukas Rahgen
18 March 2022, 17:30 h

First Referendum Day questions revealed

The Citizens' Assembly tasked to work on structural reforms of the constitution has revealed the questions, which voters can answer during GI-Land's very first Referendum Day due on 29 May 2022. The goal of the Assembly is to modernise the Gianlucian state and, after eleven years, finalise the inclusion of the former Atlantic nation into GI-Land. Apart from two questions, which will be answered through a ranking of the voter's preferred options, all decisions will be made by choosing either "Yes" or "No" as the answer on the ballot. Along with the questions, the Citizens' Assembly has already announced, which of the options they decided to advocate for. Which positions receive the support of which of the parties is yet to be decided in the following ca. 2 months of campaigning.

Question 1 - Shall Atlantis become an independent nation again?

This question was actually not submitted by the Citizen's Assembly (CA), but through a petition led by the far-right Atlantic People's Party. Thus the Citizen's Assembly does not have an official stance in this case. It is expected, that most political parties will not advertise for a renewed independence of Atlantis.

Question 2 - The role of head of state shall be filled by a President, who is elected for five years by the citizens.

The CA advocates to implement that new role, which will lift the King and Leader from his rights and duties as head of state. Even though not mentioned, the head of government's role would also officially be transferred to the Chancellor, who is currently the de facto head of government whereas de jure the King and Leader unites both roles in one position.

Question 3 - In peace times, the minister of defence shall be the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. During war times this role shall fall to the Chancellor.

The CA advises to vote in favour of this constitutional change. At the moment, the King and Leader is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

Question 4 - The federal budget shall be determined solely by the Königspalast based on a proposal by the federal government.

At the moment, the King and Leader is passing the federal budget based on proposals from the parliament and the federal government. With this constitutional change, the budget planning would be mostly the responsibility of the federal government and a potential misuse of the Leader's power in that aspect can be prevented.

Question 5 - The judges of the Constitutional Court shall not get selected by the head of state anymore.

This question has multiple possible answers, that may be ranked. The voters may decide between "Yes, the people shall vote for them", "Yes, the senat shall vote for them" and "No". At the moment the King and Leader has the power to select and reject candidates for the Constitutional Court. While the future head of state shall retain a veto right on the candidates, if they are obviously not fit for the job or not in line with the democratic principles of the state, he or she shall not continue to have the right of shaping the Constitutional Court to their liking. The CA suggests to let the senat vote on the judges as they fear, that letting the people vote on them would lead to too political judges, while the goal of the CA was to separate the powers more.

Question 6 - The name of the Federal Republic of GI-Land (Bundesrepublik GI-Land) shall be changed.

This question also has multiple possible answers, that may be ranked. The voters can choose between the names "Gianatia" (Gianatien), "Gianatla", "Gianatur", "Vororrim" and "Atura", or that they do not wish for a name change. This shall become the last symbolic step for the finalisation of the incorporation of Atlantis. At the same time the CA tries to bring GI-Land's name in line with typical, global country naming conventions again. The general country codes and demonyms of GI-Land shall not change, no matter the outcome of this question, however whether this promise can be kept true has to be decided by the Gianlucian government itself and eventually also the World Forum.

Question 7 - The number of states shall be increased from 3 (Lesser GI-Land, Greater GI-Land, Atlantis) to 12 (All regions plus the capital Atlantis become independent states).

A further federalisation to not only break the historic centralism in the current states of Atlantis and Lesser GI-Land, but also to bring the state and its services closer to its people and grant them more democratic participation was proposed by the CA. The Social Liberal Party of the King and Leader as well as the KPHA, party of the former King of Atlantis, and the Atlantic People's Party already announced this afternoon, that they will not support this motion.

Question 8 - The protection of the climate and the basis of existence shall be part of the constitution.
Question 9 - Nuclear disarmament shall be part of the constitution.
Question 10 - Membership in the World Forum shall be part of the constitution.
Question 11 - Membership in the Concordia Entente shall be part of the constitution.
Question 12 - The unification of (North-West) Cordilia shall be part of the constitution.

The questions 8-12 are very similar to another. They all shall set out political goals for any current and future government, which could only be abolished by a 2/3 majority in the senat and with approval by the head of state. Apart from question 12, the CA advertises to vote in favour of all the proposed constitutional additions.

Question 13 - The ratification of international treaties shall happen through a referendum instead of through a vote in the Königspalast.

Currently the MPs decide on the ratification of international treaties or the acceptance of international rulings, that concerning GI-Land. The CA advises, that this system should be continued, as the ordinary voter is neither part of the treaty negotiations nor does or could he or she have the complete overview over the treaty's contents and why exactly a ratification would make sense or not. Assessing all arguments takes time and understanding and this is exactly what the people's representatives in the parliament are for. Advocates of more direct democracy argue, that the MPs might only decide on the whim too or for whatever voting option is more profitable to them due to excessive lobbyism. At the moment no party has shown support for this motion, instead most decide to stay neutral or to advertise against this constitutional amendment.

Question 14 - Referenda shall only be held after a Citizens' Assembly has taken place and can propose a solution to a petitioned problem. To invoke a Citizens' Assembly. a petition needs to garner the support of at least 250,000 citizens. In case of referenda taking place, there shall be a maximum of one Referendum Day per year.

This question aims at making the CA a permanent organ of the Gianlucian nation. As they would deal with the "big petitions" and prepare referenda for them, the parliament could focus on their daily business more, the CA argues in favour of this motion.

GIN will keep you up to date about how the parties in the Gianlucian parliaments and the voices abroad position themselves to each question. This is a developing story.

Signed
Gianluca IV
Roleplayer (active in TSP since 2016)
TSPedia-Author
Head Bartender of the Lampshade Bar & Grill


Information about my roleplay
Pacifica GI-Land, Snolland (Hazelbrust), Guardian of the World Forum, IUFA-FWC/WFWC- and Pacivision Supervisor • 
Aurora Markatt (Maura)

(This post was last modified: 03-18-2022, 03:44 PM by GI-Land.)

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by Lukas Rahgen
29 May 2022, 19:00 h

Referendum Day 2022
Atlantis remains part of the Gianlucian state - Presidential election next week - WF membership not part of constitution - New name for GI-Land not clear yet

The waiting hours are over. Some races have been tight in this first ever Referendum Day conducted in GI-Land following a series of debates in a Citizens' Assembly, which proposed changes to the constitution. Some of those races are not decided yet, especially those where the citizens could rank their preferred options. Solid results for those are not expected until later in the evening or tomorrow morning.
Another first time is, that the Gianlucian population could directly vote on the constitution. The outcome of the plebiscite suggests major changes to the nation's governmental structure and marks the end of the incorporation of Atlantis, which started in 2011. The Königspalast is set to pass the amendments of the Grundordnung in a special session tomorrow after the official results have been announced.

Results in Detail
Projection: 18:57 h | Voter Turnout: 87.2%

Question 1 - Shall Atlantis become an independent nation again? | Supported by: AVP
Yes: 18.7% | No: 74.2% | Abstain: 7.1%

Question 2 - The role of head of state shall be filled by a President, who is elected for five years by the citizens. | Supported by: CA, KPHA, FPG, Greens, LGI
Yes: 81.9% | No: 12.8% | Abstain: 5.3%

Question 3 - In peace times, the minister of defence shall be the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. During war times this role shall fall to the Chancellor. | Supported by: CA, SLP, Greens
Yes: 50.2% | No: 45.7% | Abstain: 4.1%

Question 4 - The federal budget shall be determined solely by the Königspalast based on a proposal by the federal government. | Supported by: CA, KPHA, FPG, SLP, Greens, LGI
Yes: 61.4% | No: 31.4% | Abstain: 7.2%

Question 5 - The judges of the Constitutional Court shall not get selected by the head of state anymore.
Yes, instead election by the citizens (Supported by: LGI): 12.6%
Yes, instead election by the Senat (Supported by: CA, KPHA, FPG, SLP, Greens): 42.1%
No (Supported by: AVP): 36.8%
Abstain: 8.5%

Question 6 - The name of the Federal Republic of GI-Land (Bundesrepublik GI-Land) shall be changed.
Yes - Gianatia (Supported by: SLP, Greens): 30.0%
Yes - Gianatla (Supported by: KPHA, SLP): 26.9%
Yes - Gianatur (Supported by: KPHA, Greens): 13.7%
Yes - Vororrim: 1.7%
Yes - Atura (Supported by: AVP): 8.8%
No: 15.7%
Abstain: 3.2%

Question 7 - The number of states shall be increased from 3 (Lesser GI-Land, Greater GI-Land, Atlantis) to 12 (All regions plus the capital Atlantis become independent states). | Supported by: CA, KPHA, SLP, LGI
Yes: 21.7% | No: 73.4% | Abstain: 4.9%

Question 8 - The protection of the climate and the basis of existence shall be part of the constitution. | Supported by: CA, KPHA, SLP, Greens, LGI
Yes: 72.4% | No: 25.5% | Abstain: 2.1%

Question 9 - Nuclear disarmament shall be part of the constitution. | Supported by: CA, SLP, Greens, LGI
Yes: 79.7% | No: 17.5% | Abstain: 2.8%

Question 10 - Membership in the World Forum shall be part of the constitution. | Supported by: CA, KPHA, SLP, Greens
Yes: 46.3% | No: 50.1% | Abstain: 3.6%

Question 11 - Membership in the Concordia Entente shall be part of the constitution. | Supported by: CA, KPHA, FPG, SLP
Yes: 29.6% | No: 64.4% | Abstain: 6.0%

Question 12 - The unification of (North-West) Cordilia shall be part of the constitution. | Supported by: FPG
Yes: 13.3% | No: 83.1% | Abstain: 3.6%

Question 13 - The ratification of international treaties shall happen through a referendum instead of through a vote in the Königspalast. | Supported by: AVP, LGI
Yes: 46.9% | No: 48.8% | Abstain: 4.3%

Question 14 - Referenda shall only be held after a Citizens' Assembly has taken place and can propose a solution to a petitioned problem. To invoke a Citizens' Assembly. a petition needs to garner the support of at least 250,000 citizens. In case of referenda taking place, there shall be a maximum of one Referendum Day per year. | Supported by: CA, KPHA, FPG, SLP, Greens
Yes: 48.7% | No: 47.3% | Abstain: 4.0%

Legend: CA - Citizens' Assembly, AVP - Atlantic People's Party (Nationalist-Conservative), KPHA - King's Party of the House of Atlantis (Conservative), FPG - Free Party of GI-Land (Liberal/Libertarian), SLP - Social Liberal Party (Social Liberal), Greens (Ecologism/Left Liberalism), LGI - Left GIs (Democratic Socialist)

"What follows next?" is a question many people are asking. First the Königspalast will pass the referendum's result in an official motion to amend the constitution on Monday. The necessary 2/3 majority was pledged to be guaranteed by the parties, even if this might mean, some MPs have to vote against their actual opinion. Then the ongoing preparations for the potential presidential election, which will now definitely be held, go into their final phase, because the election is set to be conducted next Sunday already. Several politicians have announced their candidacy already or were endorsed to become president by a party. Every Gianlucian eligible to vote on Sunday may put themselves on the ballot still, but they only have time until Wednesday, 4 pm to do so. The current list of candidates looks as follows:

Gianluca IV - currently King and Leader of GI-Land
Archduke Ikaros VIII - former King of Atlantis, endorsed by KPHA
Gudrun Schön - poverty researcher and former ambassador to the VPRB, endorsed by LGI
Mari Ranamomm - insurance broker, endorsed by AVP
Harald Schmidt - former Chancellor of GI-Land (2009-2017)
Michelle Wochel - administrative assistant

As soon as a final result has been announced, GI-Land will most likely change its official name in all languages. The car plates, WF letter codes and ccTLDs are not supposed to change though, no matter what the result of the referendum will be. "The world has gotten used to GI and GIL, we will not take it away from them."
The same applies to the demonym according to the foreign ministry: "The term 'Gianlucian' will also be in use in the future, independent from the outcome of the referendum, as is the word 'Atlantic' nowadays. An additional demonym, e.g. 'Gianatlantic' or 'Vororrimian', might be introduced alongside the old terms."

The effect of the Referendum Day on polls was also surveilled by GIN. According to newest polls the Atlantic People's Party must be worried about their continued existence in voters' minds. Only 2% of the voters would consider voting for them anymore. Losses were also noticeable at other right-wing parties (KPHA, FPG), but those have been minor. The governing coalition out of SLP and Greens can be delighted about their satisfaction ranking. 78% of the polled persons were content, satisfied or very satisfied with the work the government is doing and portrayed that also by showing more potential voting support, if there would be a Königspalast election next week (+2 percentage points for SLP, +3 for Greens in comparison to the last election).
 

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Update on final results, 29 May 2022, 23:39 h

Question 1: Yes 20.2% | No 73.5% | Abstain 6.3%
Question 2: Yes 77.8% | No 14.1% | Abstain 8.1%
Question 3: Yes 47.4% | No 46.3% | Abstain 6.3%
Question 4: Yes 65.8% | No 25.2% | Abstain 9.0%
Question 5: Yes, Senat 51.9% | No 34.1% | Abstain 14.0%
Question 6: Yes, Gianatia 38.1% | Yes, Gianatla 40.2% | Abstain 21.7%
Question 7: Yes 24.2% | No 70.6% | Abstain 5.2%
Question 8: Yes 76.1% | No 22.0% | Abstain 1.9%
Question 9: Yes 77.6% | No 18.1% | Abstain 4.3%
Question 10: Yes 44.8% | No 51.5% | Abstain 3.7%
Question 11: Yes 26.4% | No 66.5% | Abstain 7.1%
Question 12: Yes 11.1% | No 84.1% | Abstain 4.8%
Question 13: Yes 45.7% | No 50.4% | Abstain 3.9%
Question 14: Yes 47.3% | No 47.1% | Abstain 5.6%

Signed
Gianluca IV
Roleplayer (active in TSP since 2016)
TSPedia-Author
Head Bartender of the Lampshade Bar & Grill


Information about my roleplay
Pacifica GI-Land, Snolland (Hazelbrust), Guardian of the World Forum, IUFA-FWC/WFWC- and Pacivision Supervisor • 
Aurora Markatt (Maura)

(This post was last modified: 05-29-2022, 05:45 PM by GI-Land.)

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