Europeia's Weekly Update - December 21 2019






Europeia's Weekly Update
December 21 2019

Written by Maowi



General Election
On December 20 the region took to the polls to elect its new Senate. Out of the eight candidates who stood, Drecq, Malashaan, Lloenflys, Rand, Bowzin, and JayDee were successful and will form the coming term's six-seat Senate, a drop in size from the previous term's body of nine members. The voting process got off to an uncertain start when one candidate was discovered to have lost their citizenship and was therefore removed from standing at the last minute, and when Supreme Chancellor Lethen neglected to add an option to reopen the election to the poll. First Minister Calvin Coolidge (Calvin) issued an executive order stating that the recently passed Reopen Elections Amendment Act (2019), which would require the presence of the option on the ballot, would only come into effect after the closing of polls, thus preventing the need for voting to start again. One of the candidates in the election, Mr. Verteger, requested an advisory opinion from the High Court on the legality of the first minister's actions, and so the validity of the election. The request has yet to be accepted or denied.

First Minister Weekly Address
Calvin released his third address as first minister last Tuesday, releasing several notable pieces of news. As well as updates on the regular activities within each ministry, the first minister announced Rachael's unfortunate resignation from her posts as second minister and minister of interior due to her real-life situation. Dax and Rand have already passed through the Senate to replace her in the two positions respectively. Calvin also revealed the Ministry of Culture's Yule Ball, beginning on December 20 on the forum and on Discord to augur the festive season.

Update from the Chief of State
This week also saw the release of an update from the desk of Chief of State HEM, with summaries of progress made so far this term in each of the councils - such as the Council of Foreign Affairs' new structuring and the Europeian Republican Navy's success in North Ustaynga.

Senate Bills Signed
This week was a very busy one for the outgoing Senate, with five bills passed and submitted to the first minister. Only one of these has yet to be signed. Firstly, in light of Justice Rand's ruling on Europeia versus Brí Shakespeare, the first minister signed the Criminal Recruitment Amendment (2019), which updates the parameters for what is considered illegal interference with recruitment. Next, the Triumph Clarity Amendment (2019) became law, fixing a mistake in the Awards and Honours Act (2012) concerning the awarding of Triumphs. The Reopen Elections Amendment Act (2019) introduced the option to reopen elections to all first-round elections, and the Information Act Completion Amendment (2019) fixed an omission in the Information Act (2019). Awaiting the first minister's signature or veto is the Mens Rea Amendment (2019), an amendment to the Criminal Code (2019) shifting the burden of proof of an innocent mind to the defendant in a trial, also written as a result of Rand's ruling.

First Mayor of Arnhelm Elected
Following the passage of its new charter, the City Council of Arnhelm has elected its first ever mayor in Olde Delaware, who took the victory unanimously over the option to reopen elections. Discussion on refining the charter to allow the City Council to get into full swing is already ongoing.

 
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