In a crowning moment for New South Scottish democracy, the Crown Dependency has successfully concluded its first elections, with 100% voter turnout. The groundbreaking territorial poll has seen four parties elected to fill the five-seat Assembly, with the Green Monarchist Party and Grand Alliance (PNRDNSS/CLANSS) holding two seats each, leaving the Assembly split. The elections come a full eight years after New South Scotland was first established as a Wessaxon colony in 2012 - a remarkable achievement for what was once a quiet, fringe territory. Under the new Legislative Assembly, the recently-formed Green Monarchist Party holds two seats, with its second member elected under a somewhat narrow second preference run-off. It stares off against Arcadius Tomson (PNRDNSS) and Silvia Paysais (CLANSS) of the 'grand alliance', which entered the elections as a joint ticket alongside the Behemoth Party. Whether Mr. Tomson and Ms. Paysais will look to transition their electoral alliance into a formal governing coalition remains to be seen. The resulting split leaves Citizen's Party MLA, Sophia Albina, in a kingmaker position, essentially having the choice of who enters government following the establishment of a legislative coalition. At present, there has been no indication by any of the party leaders as to possible coalition combinations. Once a government has been decided, the Legislative Assembly will need to turn its attention towards a number of pressing issues highlighted during the electoral campaign, including New South Scotland's international relationships, economic performance, cultural identity and activity-generating events. While the precise nature of the future government remains unclear, its monumental legislative agenda is abundantly clear. More to come. New honourable Members of the Legislative Assembly: Sophia Albina (Citizen's Party), Thomas Marios (Green Monarchist Party), Silvia Paysais (CLANSS - Grand Alliance), Remus Peroni (Green Monarchist Party), and Arcadius Tomson (PNRDNSS - Grand Alliance). Quadrangle Gazette, 13/05/2020
New South Scotland
0 Comments
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 |
Archives |