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![[Image: 200]](https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/qvwi/images/6/67/KTN_News_logo.svg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/200){kind=logo} Valkyrian news | Cannabis sees 300% rise in sales during pandemic By Nicolas Porter, KTN News Thursday, 9 April 2020 Classified as an essential business by the Valkyrian government, cannabis dispensaries across the country have reported an exponential increase in sales during the state-enforced lockdown. Three years ago, the Valkyrian government had cannabis listed as an illegal drug and arrested people who were in possession of the drug, but discontinued this practice after the drug's recreational legalisation by the Free Marijuana Act 2017 (FMA 17). Since then, the cannabis industry has grown and so have government tax revenues.
Green Medical Group (GMG) is a cannabis company based in Stockholm and the first in its industry to be listed by Pacifinext. In February, GMG reported their sales being worth 1.2 million Pacific credits. In March, these figures increased to 4.8 million Pacific credits, a 300% increase from the previous month. This increase in sales is also being reported by other cannabis companies across Valkyria. The Sydney-based company New Medical Solutions has said their sales numbers have also risen dramatically in the past month and many companies are attributing this to the GID-20 pandemic.
"The national lockdown has upended the lives of millions of Valkyrian workers whose occupations have been classified as non-essential," GMG chief executive Mattias Rikka told the KTN, "the fear of financial uncertainty and the pandemic has definitely played a role in the sales increase." Because of the massive increase in sales, the GMG chief executive has reduced the prices of the company's goods and donated 20% of its income toward securing additional personal protective equipment for hospitals and other medical facilities.
In the past, political views on cannabis were deeply divided, but that does not seem to be the case anymore. According to a KTN poll conducted in November 2019, 78% of Valkyrians support the legalisation of cannabis. In their coalition agreement, the Alliance of Social Democrats support its legality and, while some members of the governing New Conservative Coalition have voiced their personal opposition to the drug, the bloc's leadership have rejected internal efforts to repeal FMA 17, making cannabis a legal fixture of Valkyria for the foreseeable future.
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Valkyrian news | Referendum Day sees sweeping changes to parliament By Kenny Quick, KTN News Sunday, 17 May 2020 Stockholm (KTN) — In the fourth annual Referendum Day, the Valkyrian people have voted to pass revisions to the national constitution and laws that make sweeping changes to the structure and auxiliary functions of Parliament. On Sunday, voters decided on three referendums that affected the national legislature and voted on another plebiscite unrelated to parliamentary reform.
The three polls on parliamentary reform were the first three listed on the ballot. The stated purpose of Referendum 1 was to abolish the Citizens Assembly, the upper house of Parliament that gives the deciding vote on whether National Assembly bills will meet the president's desk for signing. On Sunday, 54% of the Valkyrian people voted to pass Referendum 1, making abolition all but an eventuality on 1 August.
However, Referendum 2 asked voters whether the Citizens Assembly shall return in August in the form of an advisory body that would submit legislative proposals to the National Assembly for consideration. This referendum enables the Citizens Assembly to continue to exist but serve a different function than initially intended when it formed in 2017. With the votes counted, 57% of Valkyrians voted in favour of Referendum 2.
In the third listed referendum, the question was whether to create additional advisory bodies to the National Assembly. The purpose of Referendum 3 was to establish a Youth Parliament representing children who are not old enough to vote, a Union Parliament composed of elected members of trade unions, and a Women's Parliament representing a historically underrepresented group. The referendum passed on Sunday with the support of 63% of the Valkyrian people.
Unrelated to parliamentary reform, Referendum 4 dealt with the national currency of Valkyria, which has played a role in the agenda of the New Conservative Coalition. The Government's intent of the plebiscite was to rename the Pacific credit as the Valkyrian vekt. The move represented a step away from the internationalism of the Harrison chancellery and in the direction of the current Government's nationalist agenda. On Sunday, the referendum passed with 52% of the vote.
In Sunday's vote, the New Conservative Coalition won half of the referendums based on their positions, winning on Referendums 1 and 4, while the Alliance of Social Democrats won on Referendums 2 and 3. Because of the mixed results of Referendum Day, both Chancellor Stella Kaufman and Opposition Leader Avianna Aldridge declared victory in their speeches on Sunday.
In an exit poll of those who voted on Referendum Day, 51% expressed their support for the current Government while 47% opposed. In terms of approval of individual political figures, 54% approved of Kaufman, and 51% approved of Aldridge. Between party leaders in the National Assembly, 59% expressed their approval of Centrist Democratic leader Bradley Murphy, which was the highest, but only 34% approved of Socialist leader Steve Bennett, representing the lowest.
While Sunday was the fourth annual Referendum Day, it was the first to be held during Kaufman's chancellery and seen as the first referendum on her Government's performance since beginning on 12 August 2019.
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Valkyrian news | Parliament passes "deaustralisation" bill By Allie Vega, KTN News Friday, 25 December 2020 Ravneby (KTN) — The Valkyrian parliament passed the Valkyrian Culture Act 2020 on Friday, a bill intended for the "deaustralisation" of the Valkyrian Republic. One of the most prominent reforms made by the bill is renaming various Valkyrian cities back to their preaustralised names. The national capital, long known as Stockholm since the 19th century, will become Ravneby, referencing its abundance of ravens. As for Valkyria's second-most populous city of Sydney, a name that has stood since the 18th century, the city's name will become Gullkysten, a reference to the city's gold-coloured beaches.
The bill also makes another reform in education, reducing Austral's status to a foreign language and making the language's acquisition an elective for Valkyrian students. Before the VCA 20, the Department of Education required students to learn and acquire Valkyrian and Austral before graduation in a secondary or tertiary institution, but now they need only learn Valkyrian. Conservative politician Geira Ragnarsdóttir said that Valkyrian students needed "a patriotic education in their native language" during debate on the bill.
According to Nicole Chancellor, the Leader of The New Right who proposed the bill, the VCA 20 reverts the Valkyrian Republic to its "cultural roots and traditions". However, Labor politician Elisha Weaver opposed the bill, calling it an affront to Valkyrian inclusivity, "This bill is about catering to the interests of the majority ethnic group while disregarding the cultural values of minority groups."
In the third reading, the bill passed with the New Conservative Coalition's support and a few votes from opposition members while civil rights groups protested outside the capitol building. President Kate Murphy, a member of the Labor Party, referred the bill back to parliament for a fourth reading in which the National Assembly reaffirmed the bill's passage, making the VCA 20 a law.
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The following 4 users Like Jay Coop's post:• GI-Land, Imperial Frost Federation, Qwert, Tin the Free Valkyrian news | Socialist leader's daughter killed in war By Gæfa Sverrirsdóttir, KTN News Monday, 12 April 2021 Ravneby (KTN) — Socialist leader Steve Bennett announced Monday that his daughter, Lucilla, was killed in battle during a firefight early Wednesday morning in the Hystaigan city of Dystalia, about 50 kilometres from the capital. His daughter's death makes Bennett the highest-ranking Valkyrian government official to have an immediate family member die in the Kalkara War and the first such case for a member of Parliament.
Lucilla Stefánsdóttir Bennett, born 9 July 2000, was a second lieutenant in the Ground Service, conscripted after spending two years at the University of Stockholm (now Ravneby) studying biochemistry. Before the war, Bennett was the vice president of the university's Young Socialists bureau and worked for Júlía Kjaransdóttir's successful parliamentary campaign in the 2019 election, eventually taking a part-time position in the politician's office.
Before she could complete university and follow her career pursuits, the Kalkara War interrupted Bennett's studies and saw her become a soldier, fighting like many Valkyrians her age, conscripted after the government declared war against Hystaiga. Despite her personal and familial opposition to the war, Bennett accepted her conscription and undertook training before her deployment to Hystaiga. She served in the 9th Infantry Regiment and was on deployment since February 2020.
Lucilla's service mirrored that of her father, Steve, who served in the Great War of 2014 as part of Qvait's naval special operations unit, Neptune Group. During his 2017 parliamentary campaign, Bennett expressed his opposition to the 2014 war, calling himself, his comrades, and those he fought "victims of ideological aggression". Despite his opposition, Bennett's peers and superiors said that the Socialist politician "fought with valour and honour", earning the nickname "Captain Valkyria".
Today, Bennett serves as the second-highest-ranking opposition leader in Parliament and the leading voice among those who oppose the Kalkara War. As a member of Parliament, Bennett opposed the war from the beginning, accusing the government of "rushing into a war without all of the facts". However, Bennett's opposition to the war did little favour for his approval ratings and made him the most unpopular member of Parliament, with 72 per cent of Valkyrians disapproving of him in March 2020.
Despite his unpopularity early in the war, Valkyria's continued presence in Hystaiga and the military's inability to pacify the Hystaigan resistance has resulted in more Valkyrians agreeing with Bennett and opposing the war. In March 2021, 34 per cent of Valkyrians approved of him, up from 12 per cent from the same time last year. Consequently, from March 2020 to the same month in 2021, support for the war reduced from 71 per cent to 58 per cent. As the war wages on, more Valkyrians have begun to agree with Bennett's views and opposition to the war.
In a message written on social media, Bennett wrote that his "daughter has moved on to Valhalla, taken by the valkyries so soon in her life after dying in a war that she never believed in". Bennett also wrote that he will remain vocal in his opposition to the Kalkara War, claiming that his daughter would still be alive had it not been for the war.
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Voters support left-wing reforms on Referendum Day Allie Vega, Chief politics writer Monday, 17 May 2021 The fifth annual Referendum Day concluded on Sunday, allowing Valkyrians to decide on a record number of referendums. With eleven total questions on the ballot, the Valkyrian people agreed to pass seven referendums that ostensibly favours the left-wing. In the ten referendums that the governing New Conservative Coalition took a formal position on, none of the results went the Coalition's way, putting the governing bloc in an uncomfortable position just a year before the next scheduled general election. In a speech at the Utøvende, Chancellor Stella Kaufman admitted defeat on Referendum Day but argued that "no one can win on every issue". However, Socialist leader Steve Bennett is arguing that he can, given that the Socialist Party won on all ten of the referendums that the party took a position on, "We have seen the Valkyrian people reject the toxic authoritarian nationalism that the Coalition injected into our politics." The Socialist leader went as far as to demand the chancellor's resignation and called for a snap election given the government's "humiliating defeat" on Referendum Day. Referendums 1, 8, and 11, which would respectively legalise solidarity action and impose a wealth tax and rent control, all passed, forcing the government to accept these changes to the national regime. The Valkyrian Housing Authority will now have the power to set limits on rent increases but not before imposing a two-year moratorium on such increases. Meanwhile, Referendums 3, 4, and 6 all failed. The New Right put forward these plebiscites with the Coalition's support. These referendums would have imposed a five-year moratorium on immigration, transformed the unitary state into a federation, and constitutionally recognised only two genders. However, they failed to pass by similar margins, with the most supported of those referendums only getting nearly 35% of the vote favouring passage. The citizenry proposed the remaining five referendums, with one being written and proposed by former Chancellor Margaret Harrison. By a slim majority, Referendum 7 passed, legalising voluntary euthanasia, which would allow a physician to end the life of a consenting patient. The former chancellor campaigned for its passage on behalf of Dignity Valkyria, a non-profit organisation that advocates for the "right to die". Referendum 7's passage comes after 2018 Referendum 2, which legalised assisted dying that year. Then-chancellor Harrison campaigned for the passage of Referendum 2, calling it an "issue of personal significance". The former chancellor's mother, Sigrdrífa Björnsdóttir, was diagnosed with glioblastoma in March 2011, an often fatal cancer diagnosis, and unsuccessfully sought to end her life before dying in August that year. Since then, Harrison has been a staunch supporter of legalising voluntary euthanasia. As chancellor, Harrison twice attempted to legalise the practice but did not receive enough support within the governing bloc to enact such reforms. In a referendum that will greatly impact Valkyria's foreign policy, the voters passed Referendum 2, which commits the country to denuclearisation so long as all other nuclear-weapon states agree to disarm simultaneously. The referendum's passage represents the culmination of a years-long effort by anti-nuclear activists to disarm Valkyria's nuclear weapons arsenal, and Referendum 2 paves a path to denuclearisation. With the passage of Referendum 5, Valkyrian police will no longer arrest people if they possess illicit drugs. Furthermore, the referendum imposes an increased sales tax on recreational cannabis to fund drug rehabilitation programmes. Referendum 5 is the latest drug liberalisation plebiscite in Valkyria sponsored by advocates for drug reform. In 2018, voters passed the similarly-numbered referendum, which allowed recreational cannabis to remain legal throughout Valkyria. Later that year, Harrison signed the "coca bill" into law, which legalised coca production. The bill was supported by the same groups that pressed for Sunday's decriminalisation and drew criticism from the international community, leading to more stringent inspections of Valkyrian exports. With Referendum 9 passing, Valkyrians will now be able to enter into non-monogamous relationships and marriages. Called the "modern marriage referendum" by its advocates, Referendum 9 passes constitutional and statutory legislation that legalises and regulates polyamorous relationships, fundamentally revising Valkyria's marriage laws that were designed for monogamy. Most opponents of Referendum 9 argued against the plebiscite on religious and cultural grounds, believing that its passage would lead to "moral degeneration", as New Right leader Nicole Chancellor stated during the campaign. However, some who opposed Referendum 9 did so because it would "dramatically alter" marriage law without a broader discussion, as Liberal leader Jason Sullivan pointed out. Lastly, Referendum 10, which would have introduced religious exemptions from mandatory vaccinations, failed by a great margin. The plebiscite was supported by several non-Valrissi advocacy groups who argued that Valkyria's vaccination laws were inconsistent with their religious beliefs. Most of the mainstream parties, save for the Liberal Party, opposed the referendum. The results
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Government will not pursue coca recriminalisation Geirfinna Kristvinsdóttir, Deputy politics writer Tuesday, 18 May 2021 Ravneby — After the New Conservative Coalition's apparent defeat on Referendum Day and the passage of Referendum 5, the National Assembly shelved a legislative proposal that would have made coca cultivation illegal again. Centrist Democratic leader Bradley Murphy reportedly withdrew his party's support for the bill, effectively eliminating any possibility of it passing. After its legalisation by the Harrison government in 2018, Valkyrian coca cultivation has been a contentious issue in the international community, with other countries imposing stricter controls on Valkyrian exports, much to the chagrin of Valkyrian business leaders. However, the legalisation has proved beneficial to Valkyrian farmers who have added coca to their crops and seen increased profits. A Conservative MP who wishes to remain unnamed told KTN that there was "[not] enough political support" for recriminalisation, describing the 2018 legalisation law as "[letting] the genie out of the bottle". Ívan Rögnvaldsson, a coca farmer in the southwest, celebrated the bill's apparent failure, "[The government] tried to take my living away, but we stopped them with Referendum 5." On Sunday, the Valkyrian people passed Referendum 5, decriminalising drug possession for all illicit drugs throughout Valkyria and impeding the current government's anti-drug initiatives. With the plebiscite passing, there was no political will left in Ravneby to enact legislation that recriminalised coca cultivation, according to Centrist Democratic MP Bríana Sigmundsdóttir. The bill to recriminalise coca cultivation signifies the first failed government proposal in the fallout of the Coalition's defeat on Referendum Day. However, professor Arvid Davidson from the University of Ravneby believes that more legislative proposals from the Coalition will face a similar fate because of the government's performance on Referendum Day, "[The Coalition] was handed a humiliating defeat, and they're going to have to reshuffle their agenda because of it." Follow @KTNNews on Stream
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Largest protest in national history occurs in Ravneby Allie Vega, Chief politics writer Monday, 24 May 2021 Ravneby — The streets of the Valkyrian capital were filled by nearly a million people marching through the city Monday demanding the end of the Kalkara War. Led by Socialist leader Steve Bennett, whose daughter was killed in the war in April, the protest easily became the largest demonstration in Valkyrian history, overtaking the successful 1970 protest that demanded the end of Qvait's 47-year military dictatorship. Fuelled by online activism and personal relationships, a coalition of socialists, anti-war organisations, veterans groups, and ethnic Hystaigans co-organised protests throughout Valkyria but especially in Ravneby, where they drew about 850,000 people to the capital. In solidarity with the protesters, nearly 1.5 million workers across the country engaged in a general strike, dealing a major blow to the Valkyrian economy. Speaking in front of the massive crowd of protesters in the backdrop of the Utøvende housing Chancellor Stella Kaufman, Bennett called for the immediate end of the Kalkara War, fresh elections, and an investigation into the government's conduct surrounding the conflict, going so far as to accuse the government of being led by "liars, thieves, and murderers". In his speech, Bennett named and denounced several Valkyrian soldiers who have been accused of committing war crimes in the Kalkara War, "These soldiers are a disgrace to their uniform and the flag that they wear on their arms." Himself a veteran of the Great War of 2014, the Socialist leader argued that there was "more honour" fought in the 2014 conflict by Qvait than the actions committed by the Defence Forces in Hystaiga. Bennett also took offence to a statement made by Ground Service general Randver Bergsson, who said in late April that the military should receive authorisation to raze entire villages in Hystaiga, calling for him to be stripped of his rank and removed from the military. Comparing the general's statement, Bennett said, "Had any of my subordinates made such remarks about Sporaltryan villages in 2014, I would have removed them immediately." Former Chancellor Margaret Harrison also joined the Socialist leader in Ravneby. After returning to politics earlier in 2021 to campaign for Referendum 7's passage, the influential Labor politician wrote on social media after Referendum Day to say that she would participate in the anti-war protest, prompting several Labor and Populist Left MPs to join as well and generating a wave of support from the centre-left, who had initially been supportive of the war. "There is no peace in a world of lies, and there is no justice without truth," Harrison told the crowd, "We have been deceived by our leaders who told us that we have all the facts, but they have yet to give us all the facts on what happened in the nightclub." The former chancellor alluded to a 2019 chemical attack in a Ravneby (then Stockholm) nightclub that led to the Kalkara War, disputing the government's characterisation of the events. Harrison was still the chancellor when the attack occurred, and the investigation was in its early stages when Kaufman succeeded her but said that there was "little evidence" that Hystaiga was responsible for the attack when she left office. The former chancellor called for an "independent inquiry" into the events preceding the war and the government to "defend and lay forth whatever evidence they had to conclude" that Hystaiga was responsible for the chemical attack. On the ground in the protests, KTN spoke with several demonstrators about why they were participating. Malcolm and Toni Black, a couple that travelled to Ravneby from Winston Island, said that two of their children, a son and a daughter, "were killed in a war they didn't believe in". Gabríela Deníelsdóttir, a nurse from Fjellby, told KTN that her husband's death "wasn't for the country, but for the government's lies". Many other demonstrators shared stories of their loved ones who were killed in the conflict. David Manchester, a veteran of the 1960s resistance against the military dictatorship, told KTN that he was a longtime member of the Conservative Party and supported the Kaufman government until his son Andrew was allegedly killed by friendly fire while attempting to prevent his fellow soldiers from opening fire on Hystaigan civilians. He also questioned the investigation into the case, "The government is trying to cover up the circumstances of my grandson's death." Even though Bennett is a socialist, Manchester said that the former soldier turned politician is right to call the Kaufman government "liars, thieves, and murderers". The retired veteran told KTN that he intends to vote for Bennett out of spite of the current government, "I don't agree with [Bennett's] economics, but he cares more about people than our current chancellor." In anticipation of a mass protest, Home Secretary and New Right leader Nicole Chancellor mobilised the National Police to guard the Utøvende and capitol building and monitor the demonstrators. In a written statement, the home secretary said that "the National Police will protect the nation from unruly protesters". However, the government had little to say during and after the protests. KTN's requests for comment from leading government officials have remained unanswered, and so have similar requests from other news organisations. In the past, some members of the New Conservative Coalition, including Chancellor, called Bennett and other politicians "traitors" and "seditious", but many were quiet and chose not to respond to the demonstration. Marvin Jensson, a Centrist Democrat, was the only MP from the Coalition to respond to KTN's inquiry and told KTN that the demonstrators had a "constitutional right to assemble" but offered little more to say about the protest. According to a KTN poll conducted between 17–20 May, 44 per cent of Valkyrians approved of the government, less than the 51 per cent who opposed them. In the same poll, Valkyrians were equally divided on their support for the Kalkara War. To date, 13,834 Valkyrians have been killed in the Kalkara War, far surpassing the 3,624 who were killed in the Great War of 2014 Follow @KTNNews on Stream
![[Image: KTN%20Nyheter%20logo.svg]](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Jay-NS/NS-files/9d498dbcab310979d9ba60fee33c4bd897a5f6b6/KTN%20Nyheter%20logo.svg) ![[Image: czNmcy1wcml2YXRlL3Jhd3BpeGVsX2ltYWdlcy93...S5qcGc.jpg]](https://images.rawpixel.com/image_1000/czNmcy1wcml2YXRlL3Jhd3BpeGVsX2ltYWdlcy93ZWJzaXRlX2NvbnRlbnQvbHIvdXB3azYxNjg4NDc5LXdpa2ltZWRpYS1pbWFnZS1qb2I1NzItMS5qcGc.jpg) Left-wing Alliance on the cusp of victory Tove Jakobsdóttir, Chief politics writer Thursday, 7 July 2022 Ravneby — The Alliance of Social Democrats has come up one seat short of winning the 2022 Valkyrian general election, needing a single seat to form a majority government. A three-party bloc between the Socialist Party, Labour Party, and Populist Left, the Alliance has mathematically eliminated the New Conservative Coalition's ability to form a government, ending Stella Kaufman's chances of serving as prime minister into the next term.
Winning 311 seats in the Storting, the Alliance needs at least one member of parliament to support the government or two members to abstain from confidence votes. According to the election results, the next Storting will have a left-wing majority comprised of the Alliance, The Greens, and the Communist Party, and the Alliance could look to the Pirate Party, which has won 29 seats in the election, for confidence and supply, leaving the left-wing bloc with several options. However, the right-wing Coalition led by Kaufman has no path to the majority, even if all unaligned parties, except for the Communist Party, having won six seats, decide to provide confidence and supply to the right-wing bloc. For the Coalition to return to government, the Alliance must fail to form a government, giving the Coalition a chance to win another election if the Storting dissolves. Given the Alliance's favourable history with The Greens and their other options, the chances of dissolution are slim. Results
![[Image: 4th%20Valkyrian%20Parliament.svg]](https://github.com/Jay-NS/NS-files/raw/main/roleplay/elections/4th%20Valkyrian%20Parliament.svg) Projected composition of the 4th Valkyrian Parliament (by party) Clockwise from 6 o'clock: Communist Party (dark red), Socialist Party (medium red), Labour Party (light red), Populist Left (pink), Pirate Party (black), The Greens (green), Liberal Party (yellow), Fjernøy Interests (turquoise), Centrist Democratic Party (orange), Conservative Party (medium blue), The New Right (dark blue), The Northern Party (light blue)
Fuelled by a 72-seat surge by the Socialist Party, the Alliance may look to Socialist leader Steve Bennett as the next prime minister, overshadowing Labour leader Avianna Aldridge, whose party lost seven seats in the election. The Alliance's other gains came from the Populist Left, which won 12 more seats than their performance in the 2019 election, taking back seats from The New Right. If Bennett becomes prime minister, he will be the first socialist in Valkyrian history, including the mainland and Fjernøy's history, to become the head of government.
Before a crowd of supporters in Ravneby, Bennett assured them that the Alliance would form the next government, saying that the bloc will negotiate with the Pirate Party and The Greens instead of just one. If both parties joined the Alliance, the bloc would have a 53-seat majority, but if the two parties only agree to abstain in confidence votes, the Alliance would form a minority government. Regardless, the Alliance needs only one party to join the bloc or abstain in confidence votes. Unlike the 2017 election, the Alliance will not need the Liberal Party's support. The earlier Alliance existed on unsteady ground, trying to balance the interests of both liberals and socialists. This time, the Alliance can form a left-wing government unimpeded by the liberals. Neither the Labour Party nor Populist Left seem interested in cutting ties with the Socialist Party since they cannot mathematically form a government without the socialists. The social democrats' interest in maintaining the alliance with the socialists is compounded by apparent umbrage at the Liberal Party's abandonment of the Alliance and their targeting of Labour and Populist Left politicians during the 2019 election. While Margaret Harrison is no longer the leader of the Labour Party, the party still remains loyal to the former prime minister, who had been a repeated target of disdain among liberals who saw her as being too far to the left. ![[Image: c9d3ca44-1a5e-494e-8481-257a9a987269.jpeg]](https://ocdn.eu/images/pulscms/ODk7MDA_/c9d3ca44-1a5e-494e-8481-257a9a987269.jpeg) Socialist leader Steve Bennett at the 2022 Socialist Party Conference However, the larger issue, at least in the eyes of Alliance leadership, is bringing an end to the Kalkara War, which has been waging for nearly three years. For years, Socialist leader Bennett opposed the war. Initially ostracized for his opposition, the prolonged conflict and growing evidence of war crimes turned public opinion in Bennett's favour, especially after the death of his daughter, Lucilla, in April 2021.
"It's vindication," Katrín Sævarsdóttir, a professor in political science at the University of Ravneby told the KTN, "Bennett was called many things, a conspiracist, a laughingstock, a traitor. Now, he's close to becoming the first socialist head of government in the history of our nation." Katrín went on to say that the New Conservative Coalition might never recover from this election, "They built a house of cards, and it all came crashing down." To put the Coalition's loss in context, the bloc won 335 seats in a 617-seat Storting in 2019, but they only won 232 seats in a 624-seat Storting in 2022. Three years after winning the 2019 election, they lost 103 seats, and with a Storting that is now seven seats larger than before due to levelling seats, adding to the Coalition's defeat in the 2022 election. Additionally, the Coalition has seen its ranks splinter as Jake Marshall-aligned members split from The New Right to form the Northern Party, a regionalist party with deep ties to Valrissi fundamentalism, which has been accused of cult-like activities in the northern region of continental Valkyria. Despite the split, the Coalition kept these members within the bloc, but the decision to do so appears to have contributed to their defeat. Since 2015, Valrissi fundamentalism has become a growing religious movement in the northern parts of continental Valkyria, and the movement has been accused of forced conversions and disappearances of non-Valrissi and secular residents in the region. Spurred on by the Populist Left, the most popular left-wing party in the continental north, the Alliance made it an election promise to investigate Valrissi fundamentalist activities. Exit polling conducted by the KTN shows that 62 per cent of Valkyrian voters disapprove of Marshall, 67 per cent believe that Valrissi fundamentalism is a cult, and 64 per cent believe that the movement's activities in the north should be investigated. Adding salt to the Coalition's wounds, the voters also decided on several referendums that swung hard in the left's favour, voting to pass constitutional amendments that codify and strengthen abortion, euthanasia, and labour rights. However, a citizens' referendum also entrenched the very promise that Bennett campaigned on the most. 71 per cent of voters called upon the government to revoke the war directive on Hystaiga in a nonbinding referendum. The prime minister gave a short speech that did not acknowledge a leftist victory but otherwise showed the head of government accepting defeat and promising a quick vote on whether to end the Kalkara War. Centrist Democratic leader Bradley Murphy also conceded defeat and said that his party will vote in favour of ending the conflict, giving the left more votes than they need to fulfil their promise of ending the war. Follow @KTNNews on Stream
![[Image: chris-evans-ca-cw.jpg]](https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/chris-evans-ca-cw.jpg) Bennett forms a broad leftist coalition Tove Jakobsdóttir, Chief politics writer Tuesday, 26 July 2022 Ravneby — A five-party bloc will lead the next government, with Socialist leader Steve Bennett serving at the helm as the third prime minister of the Valkyrian Republic. After nearly three weeks of inter-party negotiations, the Alliance of Social Democrats welcomed the Pirate Party and The Greens to what had already been a three-party bloc between the Socialist Party, Labour Party, and Populist Left in what will be a government controlling 365 of the 623 seats in the Storting, comprising nearly 59 per cent of the unicameral legislature and having a 53-seat majority.
After his appointment as prime minister by Jarlskona Kate Murphy, the Storting formally confirmed Bennett as the third prime minister, ending the three-year premiership of Stella Kaufman and ensuring socialist leadership for the first time in Valkyrian history, which had long been in the hands of monarchs, conservatives, fascists, liberals, and a handful of social democrats in its history. Yet, the socialists will rely on political support from social democrats, ecologists, and civil libertarians to retain control of the government through 2025 at the latest. ![[Image: 4th%20Valkyrian%20Parliament%20(government).svg]](https://github.com/Jay-NS/NS-files/raw/main/roleplay/elections/4th%20Valkyrian%20Parliament%20(government).svg) Clockwise from 6 o'clock: Socialist Party (medium red), Labour Party (light red), Populist Left (pink), Pirate Party (black), The Greens (green) Coalition agreement The five party leaders gave their signatures of approval to a 102-page coalition agreement that shows their agreement to wide-ranging reforms on various political issues from the Kalkara War to intellectual property law. The 2022 agreement starkly differs from the 2017 agreement made between the socialists, social democrats, and liberals, which was vaguer to ameliorate the difference of opinion between the socialists and the liberals, who could not agree on various issues. The new agreement establishes a framework for constitutional and statutory reforms that broadly appeal to the left. Most of all, the five leaders agreed on an immediate withdrawal of Valkyrian troops from Hystaiga, which was the most important issue to those who voted in the general election, according to KTN polling. On 8 July, the Storting voted to revoke the war directive on Hystaiga, initiating the withdrawal before the finalisation of the coalition agreement. While the withdrawal has largely occurred without violence, neither Hystaiga nor Valkyria has announced that a ceasefire is in effect. The new government hopes to have a ceasefire in place to allow for a peaceful withdrawal and negotiate reparations. The new agreement will also see a continuation of the trade policy seen in the previous two governments. After Margaret Harrison became prime minister, most major parties on the left and right largely abandoned the free trade policies pursued by previous governments. Throughout the Harrison government, the government pursued what they called free and fair trade, with emphasis on fair. When Stella Kaufman took over as prime minister, the government did not pursue any trade agreements to satisfy nationalists in their faction. With the new government under Bennett, Valkyria will continue the free and fair trade sought by the Harrison government which also aims to satisfy their contingent of agrarians and industrial workers. Additionally, the new government will investigate Valrissi fundamentalist groups in the continental north of Valkyria, something that the Populist Left has been calling for for years. These groups have been accused of forced religious conversion and the disappearance of people unwilling to join them. The Kaufman government largely refused to investigate these groups due to vehement opposition from The New Right, particularly its faction of northern members led by Jake Marshall. In February, the faction amicably broke away from The New Right to form the Northern Party. The Alliance will also initiate intellectual property reform sought after by the Pirate Party, which made its parliamentary debut in the general election. The agreement will see the government pass legislation that makes copyright subject to periodic renewal every five years and limits patent rights on what the government considers essential items, among other things. While the coalition agreement sets out on reforming intellectual property law in the direction of the Pirate Party, it does not completely acquiesce to their campaign for the outright abolition of copyright. However, the Pirates did earn promises from the other parties on a constitutional amendment that bans corporate donations in elections and limits corporate lobbying on legislation. According to the coalition agreement, the government will enlarge the public fund that the Electoral Commission maintains so all parties and candidates can use those funds instead of relying on private donations. In bringing The Greens back into the Alliance, the new government will pursue a more aggressive climate strategy than what was seen during the Harrison government. As part of the agreement, the government will set a timeline to ban fossil fuel vehicles by 2030. Concerning fossil fuel plants, the government will aim to close them by 2035. As part of their new climate strategy, the government will try to close all petrol stations by 2035 and provide accessible charging stations in all residences, workplaces, schools, and shopping centres. To accomplish their decarbonisation goals, the government will establish a climate fund to help lower-income Valkyrians in the transition to renewable energy but also hopes to establish international partnerships that see Valkyria and other countries pooling their resources and sharing electricity to provide an equitable distribution of power stations. For now, the Valkyrian power grid remains independent, but the new government will try to build a wide area synchronous grid throughout Cordilia. All intranational Valkluft flights between mainland cities and those on Fjernøy will also discontinue, with the next government promoting alternative, low-carbon travel such as high-speed rail. The government will have Transport Valkyria, the state enterprise responsible for public transport, have an entirely electric bus fleet by 2027. The government will also introduce an annual transport tax to offer zero-fare public transport throughout Valkyria. The phase-out of fares would see Transport Valkyria becoming a non-profit enterprise, away from the for-profit scheme it currently operates. Included with all the promises made to the other parties, the Socialists gained a few wins as well, earning their support to nationalise the housing industry. With Valkyria experiencing a rising cost of living, many voters who rent expressed disdain for their living conditions, describing living pay cheque to pay cheque, with their landlords increasing their monthly rent by as much as 60 per cent. The Socialists believe that nationalisation will end homelessness and provide a buttress against the rising cost of living by eliminating the "element of heartless greed", a phrase oft-repeated by Bennett and other Socialists. The Alliance will also nationalise the defence industry. Throughout the Kalkara War, defence corporations came under intense scrutiny from the left, especially from the Socialists, who accused them of profiteering and influencing government policy. In 2017, Harrison campaigned on nationalising the industry, but she had to abandon that promise to secure liberal support for a left-wing government. However, with the Liberals no longer constituting part of the Alliance, the Bennett government will not face any obstacles in nationalising the defence industry. The inter-party agreement also endorsed Valkyrian entry into a supranational union, provided that the organisation adheres to the principles of peace, freedom, and democracy, promotes the ecological restoration of Cordilia and the rest of Pacifica, and exists in the service of the people and not oligarchs. Whereas the Kaufman government disengaged with the World Forum and did not send a representative or attend any WF meetings, the new government will do the opposite and reengage in the affairs of the global organisation. Cabinet formation The coalition agreement outlines the distribution of senior cabinet positions, which will be a 5–4–3–2–1 composition between the five parties. It is the understanding of the KTN that the allocation of cabinet positions was a point of contention between the Socialists and Labour. Heading into the inter-party talks, the Socialist Party wanted to take the labour minister position, leading to a pointed objection from the Labour Party. Eventually, the two parties reached a settlement that saw the Socialists taking the labour minister position in exchange for Labour taking the finance and health minister positions.
Other than the dispute over which party would take the labour minister position, the parties secured all the seats they wanted with the Populist Left taking the agricultural minister, the Pirates taking the communications and trade ministers, and the Greens taking the environmental minister. Additionally, Labour will have an outsized role in Valkyrian foreign affairs, signalling a return of Harrisonisme in the international realm; the Populist Left will spearhead the home ministry, leading any investigation into cultist activity in the continental northern region; and the Socialists will oversee the withdrawal of Valkyrian troops from Hystaiga. The new cabinet brings many new faces but also brought back a few old ones. Amalia Rollins, the former Socialist leader and Bennett's predecessor, will return as the defence minister. Julia Burns, having served as the defence minister under Harrison, will return to the cabinet as the health minister. Burns has a unique relationship with Bennett as they both served in Njord Group, a naval special operations unit, during the 2014 war of the South Pacific. However, the two war veterans say they never crossed paths during their time in the military. Follow @KTNNews on Stream
Hystaiga and Valkyria agree to an armistice, more talks Karin Sverrisdotter Friday, 5 August 2022 Government Island — During an international summit between regional powers in the South Pacific, Hystaiga and Valkyria have agreed to an indefinite ceasefire that will allow the Valkyrians to continue their withdrawal from Hystaiga and bring an end to the Kalkara War. According to the agreement, neither side will engage in hostilities against each other, which they have been doing informally since the Valkyrian revocation of their war directive on Hystaiga. Furthermore, the Valkyrians will have until 1 October 2022 to complete their withdrawal.
In the Storting, Defence Minister Amalia Rollins stated that the withdrawal could be completed up to three weeks ahead of the 1 October deadline. With under two months to complete the withdrawal, Valkyria has been running military flights around the clock to withdraw troops, vehicles, weapons, and other equipment that was brought in throughout the war. The withdrawal will continue in phases, with the westernmost forces being the first to return home through the last forces in the east who are closer to the border. While the two countries have a ceasefire in place and an established deadline for withdrawal, Hystaiga and Valkyria have not reached a peace treaty that will formally end the war. In a press conference on Government Island, Foreign Minister Avianna Aldridge stated that the first round of talks centred on having a formal ceasefire, with the second round of talks occurring shortly thereafter that could establish a framework for a final peace treaty. Blisse Starke, the Hystaigan supreme voice, made her position clear that any peace treaty would need to include reparations, an independent investigation by the World Forum into the war and its origins, and a prohibition on future invasions of Hystaiga by Valkyria. So far, the Valkyrian government has not publicly responded to the Hystaigan leader's demands, but they will likely have to address them in their talks with the Hystaigan delegation at Government Island. Follow @KTNNews on Stream
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