As New South Scotland's political culture roars to life, concerns that politically-active citizens beneath the age of fourteen will be excluded from the electoral process have prompted the announcement of a minor referendum by Governing Commissioner McFarlane KCA to lower the voting age to twelve. According to the Office of Governing Commissioner McFarlane KCA, the original age limits stipulated under the territorial constitution (limiting the voting age to 14) were set rather arbitrarily. This has created a situation of political exclusion within the Crown Dependency, with a minority of citizens precluded from voting in elections or being democratically appointed to the Legislative Assembly despite their intense interest in New South Scotland's political future. Following the proclamation of the 'Gubernatorial Decree for a Constitutional Referendum to Lower the Voting Age', the second decree to leave the Governing Commissioner's office, the referendum to effect these reforms has been set for the 6th of May (six days prior to the legislative elections). Citizens unable to vote during the 6th of May (UTC+10) are encouraged to contact the Commission of Electoral Affairs in order to arrange for early voting. Under the new decree, citizens between the ages of twelve and fourteen will be eligible to run in the upcoming legislative elections on a tentative basis. Should the referendum fail, any lists with citizens in this age category will be automatically modified to reflect the maintenance of the current constitutional framework. Commission of Electoral Affairs, 29/04/20
New South Scotland
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A full eight years after its establishment as a Wessaxon colony, New South Scotland is finally on the verge of establishing genuine, democratic self-rule with legislative elections scheduled for the next fortnight. The announcement comes after the territory's population officially surpassed nine citizens - the threshold set by Governing Commissioner McFarlane KCA for the start of the election period. The election period shall see citizens aged 14 and above vote to fill the Legislative Assembly, which was established under the recently-promulgated constitution with the intention of assuming the vast majority of powers currently delegated to the Governing Commissioner. Members of the Legislative Assembly will be responsible for drafting bills, manning governmental departments and electing the Premier (the New South Scottish equivalent of a Prime Minister). Particular responsibility will lie with the territory's first Assembly, which will play the unique role of setting the course of New South Scotland for the foreseeable future. As of yet, only one law has been decreed by Governing Commissioner McFarlane KCA, leaving a significant legislative void for New South Scotland's future politicians to fill. This is believed to represent a deliberate attempt to afford the Assembly the maximum governmental flexibility possible going forward. Indeed, the first Assembly will need to decide on matters as diverse as cultural affairs, ministerial appointments, criminal law, official imagery use, language policy, community-building, media law, online sporting codes, territorial defence and perhaps even economic policy. It is likely that whatever precedent is set by the first Assembly will remain in place for months and years to come. The elections will be organised via a system of closed-list proportional representation, wherein parties and independent candidates submit lists to the Commission of Electoral Affairs eight days ahead of the election, allowing citizens to vote for entire lists as opposed to individual candidates on election day. This voting method was enshrined in the constitution on the assumption that it represented the best approach for electing multiple candidates from a singular voting district (that is, the entire Crown Dependency). According to the Commission of Electoral Affairs, the number of seats available for election will be announced at 21:59, 03/05/20 (UTC+10). The number shall be determined by dividing the Crown Dependency's population at the time of the announcement by three and then rounding up. Present calculations would see four seats put up for grabs. With many citizens having emigrated to New South Scotland expressly in the hopes of participating in the Crown Dependency's electoral process, a sense of keen anticipation has been descended across the territory in the run up to the historic poll. Official election timeline (courtesy of the Commission of Electoral Affairs):
This time frame leaves citizens willing to participate in the elections five days to organise into political parties and/or submit a list to the Commission of Electoral Affairs. These lists will not be modifiable after the closing date, at which point they will be released to the public. Due to the short distance in time between now and the closing period, it is expected that candidates and parties may want to wait until after they have submitted their lists before deciding upon the specifics of their electoral platform. Given that there are still several days before list submissions are closed, the Commission of Demography has issued a brief statement calling upon those interested in New South Scottish citizenship to "make the move and become a citizen before matters are decided for the next three months". It is believed that now might represent one of the most attractive moments at which to apply for citizenship. Further information shall be released in the coming days as political parties are formed and official election policies are announced. Office of Governing Commissioner, 28/04/2020
New South Scotland As New South Scotland's population continues to grow, full responsibility for the territory's administration remains in the hands of the Governing Commissioner (at least until a Legislative Assembly can be proclaimed). Today's declaration of 'Gubernatorial Decree #01' marks the first law put in place by the Governing Commissioner under the new constitution of 2020. Known more commonly as the Gubernatorial Decree for Governmental and Aesthetic Continuity 2020, the new law seeks to clarify a number of key details following the promulgation of a territorial constitution on Wednesday. The decree requires Governing Commissioner McFarlane to create a central directory of Austenasian laws applicable to New South Scotland, as well as to proclaim a Legislative Assembly once the Crown Dependency's population reaches nine. Beyond that, it also acknowledges the ongoing existence of the New South Scottish Constabulary, which shall continue to nominally function as a de jure political entity pending review by the Legislative Assembly. As far as aesthetics are concerned, the decree formally sets out the official design to be used on both the flag and coat of arms. Finally, following years of Zealandian administration over the Crown Dependency, the decree formally renounces any lingering Zealandian influence within the organs of New South Scottish government. This is understood to represent a quiet condemnation of the bellicose and manipulative methods used by the former Zealandian Government to maintain control over the territory between 2014 and 2016. There is an expectation that Governing Commissioner McFarlane may pass more decrees prior to the proclamation of a Legislative Assembly, although as the Crown Dependency's population continues to grow, it may not be long before an Assembly is put in place. Those interested in applying for New South Scottish citizenship are encouraged to do so via the Commission of Demography's online web page. Office of Governing Commissioner, 24/04/2020
New South Scotland Article originally posted to the Austenasian Times. The Crown Dependency of New South Scotland marked a new era in its history today, following the promulgation of a separate territorial constitution by Emperor Jonathan I. According to the Crown Dependency’s Governing Commissioner, The Rt Hon. Sir Hugh McFarlane KCA, the creation of a sophisticated system of local governance represents a fundamental shift in the Australasian territory towards a more active form of territorial community. New South Scotland’s history dates back to late 2012 when it was first established as a colony of the now-defunct United Kingdom of New Wessex. The territory remained under Wessaxon administration for several months until it was ceded to Austenasia as the Empire’s first Crown Dependency, following the abdication of the Wessaxon Declan I and the ascension of Jonathan I to the imperial throne. Responsibility for the budding territory was placed in the hands of its first Governing Commissioner, the now Charlotte Lindstrom, who also served as monarch of the nearby Kingdom of Zealandia. Over the following four years, political turbulence within Zealandia saw the Kingdom repeatedly interfere in the Crown Dependency’s affairs, with members of the Zealandian militarily having allegedly sought to annex the territory and Governing Commissioner Lindstrom herself deliberately misinforming the Austenasian Government before occupying the land with Zealandian troops. The subsequent international condemnation of Zealandia saw Lindstrom agree to a compromise, wherein New South Scotland would function as a joint Austenasian-Zealandian condominium under Austenasian sovereignty and Zealandian administration. This arrangement only came to an end with the peaceful withdrawal of Zealandian administrators and the appointment of McFarlane to the role of Governing Commissioner in September of 2016. According to Governing Commissioner McFarlane, “New South Scotland has throughout its history made great contributions to activity within the micronational community, but its status as a sparsely populated territory has meant that as a political entity itself, it has ironically remained extremely inactive”. Governing Commissioner McFarlane hopes that with the promulgation of a territorial constitution, the status quo may begin to change. “The beauty of New South Scotland is that there is no expectation for it to emerge as one of the beating hearts of the micronational community. It has survived for years as a territorial entity on the fringes of the Empire with limited internal activity, meaning that unlike a national entity, it won’t disappear if it falls into inactivity.” “My intention as Governing Commissioner is to take this unique territory, with its long history and modest expectations, and to forge a special community within the broader micronational space. Citizens who participate in other micronations do not have to make New South Scotland their number one priority. They can come as they please and contribute what they’d like. People can invest as much or as little as they want into this effort, and together we can enjoy the resulting community.” Under the new constitution, the Crown Dependency will possess its own Legislative Assembly, judicial system and electoral process. According to Governing Commissioner McFarlane, this is designed to allow for maximum political participation, which it is hoped will then spawn other aspects of community, including frequent conversation, organised debates, contests, gaming sessions and cultural projects. “It’s best to think of the constitution like the roots of a tree. From these roots will hopefully sprout an active political system and a community that is engaged on more than just a political level.” Non-residential citizenship of the Crown Dependency – which does not grant Austenasian subjectship – is open to people of any nationality. Those interested in applying may do so via this site. Interested individuals may also explore the territory’s new website and its Discord server. Austenasian Times, 22/04/2020
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