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The time has come for me to once again ask for your vote in the upcoming election for the Ministry of Domestic Affairs! I have been a member of the SLU for almost a full year now, and have served as Deputy Minister of Domestic Affairs since the commencement of the prior term. During that time I've aided in the visual design of the upcoming 'Union Tribune' project, been present for and helped manage the SLU's WFE during the coup by our former founder Ainland, and took the initiative to organize and see through the Dungeons and Dragons game for our tenth anniversary celebrations, in spite of delays which endangered its completion. I also believe I have done well, outside of my official role, to be a reasonable voice among your own voices in our Discord and on the RMB when points of controversy have been raised.
Unfortunately, I cannot roll out the same platform pledges I have made in the past during this campaign. While I would be committed to the continuance and completion of a newsletter or news posting site should I become your Minister, and would seek additional ways to boost activity here on the forum and on-site via more regular use of polling for the introduction of member state driven activities to the Ministry's portfolio, I want to be honest with you: my desires lie with continuing in my role as Deputy Minister (due in large part to my own personal endeavors off NS intensifying over the coming months).
For that reason, in this election, I would strongly encourage the voting community to mark me as their second pick in this election, and mark North American Republics as their first pick, so we might continue our efforts bettering the Social Liberal Union together.
As always, please message me or comment below if you have any questions! I can elaborate on my plans for the Ministry, my personal commitments off-site, etc. I love talking to and serving y'all to the best of my abilities : )
North American Republics for Minister of Domestic Affairs
Hello there! I am seeking re-election as Minister of Domestic Affairs and I need your help to accomplish that. I hope you'll stick around to find out why you should vote for NAR.
My history with the region goes back 9 years and just over 220 days. In that time I have served in multiple roles in regional government, but I also stood by the sidelines as I welcomed new nations into the government fold when they have come through. I have worked tirelessly to increase engagement in the region throughout my tenure as minister, from rebuilding the backend of our unparalleled voting system and expanding its scope to sponsoring community engagement opportunities like Council of Leaders programmes. Whenever a member state decides they want to take initiative and conduct their own activities, I do not interfere, but seek opportunities to engage more people in them.
The Ministry of Domestic Affairs under me will continue its development of peripheral programs to NationStates while fostering the development of our membership who want to engage with the region. One item that has been a perpetual thorn in my side has been the lack of a regional newspaper. I pledge that we will launch a revamped newspaper called the "Union Tribune" that will allow our membership to submit their own articles automatically, both in-character and out-of-character. All entries will be subject to NationStates and regional acceptable language and images, but I want to empower our members to throw their own ideas out onto the big stage for all to see. Coupling regular articles will be a regional blast to let people know what they're missing by not checking us out.
As always, I pledge to be an open book, I look forward to questions and comments from our membership regarding Domestic Affairs and events, and I welcome constructive criticism as it allows me to develop alongside all of you. When it comes down to the vote, I hope you put me down as your first choice. Even if you are not yet convinced, I am more than willing to address your concerns and seek a resolution that works for you.
I'm happy and proud to announce that I will be running for the position of Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. I pledge to fulfill all promises made by myself in order to better our region of The Social Liberal Union. If I were to earn the votes of the people, I would work in full to help the will be Minister of Foreign Affairs, and to let the concerns of all parties including other regions and our own be heard. Not stopping there, the protection of our Region is very important to me as it is most likely to all of you, especially in the wake of the recent coup bought upon us by the then founder, Ainland; So, I pledge to the best of my ability, care and protect our great region from outer attempts to harm the SLU.
Possibly most importantly, I seek to strengthen our relations with allies and I seek also to create new bonds with regions new and old. As for the Wintercrest Referendum, it seems overwhelmingly supported by members of the government and member-states, that the Social Liberal Union and Wintercrest should start the process of constructing embassies between one another; I support the idea because, Wintercrest I believe they be a great ally and I would love the chance to strengthen bonds with them.
How do you vote for a Deputy? Simple, just put your choice for Minister as your first choice, and deputy as your second on your ballot.
Feel free to raise any questions, comments, or concerns you may have, either via discord DM, comments on this post, or NationStates telegram!
Thank you for taking the time to read this and I would be humbled if you were to consider voting for me, Prplia, your friendly FA secretary.
Foreign Affairs, Domestic Affairs, and Immigration
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that in accordance with the Constitution of the Social Liberal Union, an election for the offices of Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Domestic Affairs, and Minister of Immigration, which are required to occur after a World Assembly Delegate election, will be held for a period of one week within 48 hours after nominations close. Nominations open on Tuesday, 16 February 2021 at 02:30 UTC and close on Tuesday, 23 February 2021 at 02:30 UTC.
I, Anaaxes, in my capacity as Acting Speaker of the Union have appointed myself Election Administrator in accordance with the law, and will faithfully and impartially execute the duties of this role.
ABOUT THE OFFICES:
The powers and duties of the Ministers are primarily detailed in Article 6 of the Constitution, but a summary and outline of each office can be found below:
The term for each office is not fixed and there are no term limits. However, their tenure may be shorted if an early World Assembly Delegate election occurs due to resignation or removal from office. In ministerial elections, the winner is elected Minister and the runner-up is elected Deputy Minister.
QUALIFICATIONS AND NOMINATIONS:
Any Member State may, if eligible, nominate themselves for an office, or, subject to their acceptance, another eligible Member State. Please specify which ministerial office each nomination is being made for.
1) The nominee must be a current Member State in accordance with the Constitution; and 2) The nominee may only run for one ministerial office at one time, unless in a contest wherein nominations were extended due to an insufficient number of candidates.
QUALIFIED NOMINEES AND CANDIDATES:
Foreign Affairs Nominees: Goncar Domestic Affairs Nominees: North American Republics, Toonela, Ramelia Immigration Nominees: Koiho, Jyskmark
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that in accordance with the Constitution of the Social Liberal Union, an election for the office of Speaker of the Union, which became vacant on 13 February 2021, will be held for a period of one week within 48 hours after nominations close. Nominations open on Tuesday, 16 February 2021 at 02:30 UTC and close on Tuesday, 23 February 2021 at 02:30 UTC.
I, Anaaxes, in my capacity as Acting Speaker of the Union have appointed myself Election Administrator in accordance with the law, and will faithfully and impartially execute the duties of this role.
ABOUT THE OFFICE:
The powers and duties of the Speaker of the Union are primarily detailed in Articles 3 and 8 of the Constitution, but a summary and outline may be found here.
The term of office is four months, as specified in the certificate of election, which will be issued in due form once voting has concluded and the ballots are canvassed, tabulated, and certified according to law. The term for this office may only be renewed once consecutively.
QUALIFICATIONS AND NOMINATIONS:
Any Member State may, if eligible, nominate themselves for this office, or, subject to their acceptance, another eligible Member State.
1) The nominee must be a current Member State in accordance with the Constitution; and 2) The nominee must have been a Member for at least two months prior to 2 March 2021 (the date on which voting for this office is expected to end); and 3) The nominee must not have served two consecutive terms as Speaker immediately preceding this election.
QUALIFIED NOMINEES AND CANDIDATES:
Nominees: Anaaxes (Declined)
Candidates: Helvurium+, Hirematia+
'+' denotes that the candidate has pledged to conduct their campaign in accordance with the Code of Fair Campaign Practices.
I'm proud to announce my candidacy for World Assembly Delegate of the Social Liberal Union. The Member States of the SLU have twice before placed their trust in me to hold this office and to lead the region, for which I am immensely grateful. Serving as your Delegate, in 2017 as the 12th World Assembly Delegate and again in 2019 as the 15th World Assembly Delegate, was an honor, and has helped me grow, both as a NationStates player (as I familiarized myself with alliances and game mechanics) and as a person (as I forged great friendships with many in our region and beyond).
However, I'll admit, the timing of this announcement may seem strange, as I hosted the Delegate Debate between my now-opponents Brys Questions and Ramelia yesterday. Let me be fully transparent in this matter: I fully support getting new faces into office, and I harbor no ill will towards Ramelia or Brys Questions, but the performance I saw in the debate was horrifying. On one hand, we have a candidate who, while having a long list of credentials and experience, often has severe errors of judgement which leads to unnecessary hostility, alienation, or dysfunction. On the other hand, we have a joke candidate who, when asked "If you could sum up why people should vote for you in one word, what would that one word be?" responded "peepeepoopoo."
This is a disgrace. I can't simply sit back and watch the SLU Delegacy be treated so flippantly, and, after waiting for the nomination period to nearly expire – in the hopes that someone else would step forward – I decided to enter the race. I humbly approach you all, once again, to ask that you put your trust in me to lead the region with a fair and steady hand, and to further the SLU's agenda – both at home and abroad – through peaceful cooperation and with humble dignity.
Now, going forward, I will answer the questions asked of the candidates in yesterday's debate – all of which were submitted by you all, the Member States to which I answer. What do you consider the role of the Delegate to be in the region, and why are you seeking it?
The Delegate is the leader of the region, and this is especially true now that we have no singular Founder. Helvurium's leadership in the aftermath of Ainland's treachery demonstrated the importance of having a Delegate who leads with a calm demeanor and steady hand. I am seeking this office because I believe I can do just that: in my previous terms of service as SLU Delegate, Speaker of the Union, and various other offices, I have shown that I am a dedicated public servant who puts the best interests of the community before my own preferences and leads in a way that reflects the storied history of professionalism and goodwill in our region.
The region's governing structure allows Delegates to give their Ministers plenty of autonomy in the day to day. Do you plan to continue that legacy?
Yes. Over the past several years, I have been honored to work with various Ministers and Deputy Ministers, who have all performed their duties exceptionally. We have developed a culture of consensus government, where, instead of a rigid hierarchy, we have a consensus-based collaborative Cabinet. Simply put, you're not electing me to be King, but rather to facilitate the democratic will of the region through executive collaboration.
What do you plan to focus on the most this term for SLU?
I think that the SLU's most valuable asset is our community. I believe that we've forged more than just a region with laws and roleplay and government -- though those are all certainly great aspects of our region – but an open and accepting community where I and many others feel supported and cared for. As Delegate, I'll take great care to make sure that this sense of community stays intact by taking swift action against those who threaten our community, and to further our community's engagement by organizing special events and initiatives, such as our incredibly popular Discord game nights, larger roleplay projects, and regional sports leagues.
What would change from past administrations compared to your own, should you be elected?
Years ago, in my first bid for Delegate of our region, I criticized the SLU's foreign policy, which I saw as isolationist. I was elected, and I championed further involvement with our allied regions alongside Minister of Foreign Affairs Goncar. We strengthened our ties with the Democratic Socialist Assembly through our interactions with then-President Ivory Rhodes, and, though that embassy no longer exists due to an unfortunate change in circumstances within the DSA, I consider our closeness with DSA under my first Delegacy to be one of my proudest moments. Furthermore, I led the charge for SLU accession into NSLeft, which has opened the door for large-scale collaboration with other left-wing regions on NationStates. If elected Delegate, I will lead a renewed effort to increase the SLU's standing interregionally, to ensure that we aren't merely following a predestined path of "business as usual," but blazing a new trail of growth and engagement.
What do you believe makes you a better option than your fellow candidates?
In addition to being a well-respected public servant within our region, I am a relatively well-known and generally well-liked figure interregionally. Through my involvement in NSLeft and The Red Fleet, I have forged friendships with many important figures from other regions, and through my involvement in NationStates Antifa, I have made connections with leaders of notable regions, such as The North Pacific (via the North Pacific Army) and Mariner Trench (through the MT Army). These connections often provide valuable intelligence that informs the SLU's security decisions, and my personal involvement with these leaders enables me to connect with them and coordinate a response more easily.
If elected, would you support reaching out to certain struggling allied regions and make the case for their merger into the SLU?
If the other region's democratic processes approved this hypothetical merger, sure! But otherwise, this feels sort of underhanded to me. We should be focused on building our allies up, not tearing them down! Furthermore, I think that we have plenty of our own internal things to handle, and as such, this is not very high on my list of priorities.
Do you plan to increase involvement with the NSLeft? If so, how?
Yes, of course. I consider the NSLeft to be ripe with potential, and, through the relationships I have built with our NSLeft allies, we can tap into this potential and revitalize left-wing politics on NationStates. I was instrumental in the January 2020 overhaul of the NSLeft Solidarity Pact, and I plan to propose an amendment to the existing committee structure of NSLeft in the coming months in the hopes of addressing the inadequacies of the current system. I also plan to work with Valeryon of The Communist Bloc, current Secretary of the NSLeft Gameplay Committee, on their World Assembly initiative, in the hopes of increasing NSLeft's presence and advancing our agenda in the World Assembly.
If forced to choose between a long standing, but small ally – or a new, but large potential ally, who would you choose and why?
The bonds we have forged over the past decade are vital, and we can't throw these allies under the bus to appease whatever "superpower" comes along making demands. We have to stand in solidarity with our allies in the face of adversity – just as they have stood with us – and my engagement on the broader world stage, as explained above, makes me the best-equipped to do just that.
If you could sum up why people should vote for you in one word, what would that one word be?
Stability. With that, I conclude my manifesto for this election – if you’re still with me through this wall of text, thank you for reading what I have to say! Feel free to message me on Discord, telegram me on NationStates, or post below with any questions, comments, or concerns.
Again, I am honored to run for World Assembly Delegate of the Social Liberal Union. I hope that my commitment to our shared values, our longstanding democracy, and the openness of our community resonates with you all.
Hello fellow comrades and citizens of The Social Liberal Union that I call home, I have been in this region for about 3 years now and have served in numerous positions such as Mofa, deputy Mofa, and currently Minister of immigration. With also being and ambassador to IDU previously, though currently ambassador to TEP and TNP. I was also a previous Speaker Pro Tempore. Those have been my previous and current held positions in the SLU.
After the coup by Ainland, our current cabinet members have been doing tremendous work with building up the region even better than before, delegate Helvurium has done a lot of great work and I would like to thank him for all of his great work to the region, but it is time for the Brys Questionian Constitution Period.
Some of the things id like to continue to do is work with the cabinet to grow the regional population even more and keep the region stable and greater than before. Continuing our relationships with our allies and comrades in NSLeft will also be important.
Wa:
One of the things I will do is give my opinion on the latest SC and GA resolutions at vote on the RMB, though others may have their opinion as well on resolutions, which is okay.
Foreign Affairs:
With NsLeft, encouraging more people to join the Discord server and participate in the elections with the Central Committee and other Committee. Working with Goncar to encourage ambassadors to do reports, although with my positions in TEP and TNP, strengthen our relationships with the regions and others we have ties with.
Domestic Affairs:
Working on recruiting more people to the region with NAR and trying to do regional events more often like we did with our 10 year anniversary. Things as trying to revive dnd, hosting civ events or vic II monthly may be something to do, and trying to accommodate peoples times that they could do the events. Our Discord server has been growing and very active, and if I to be honest, the best in all of NS with the friendly vibes and people helping each other as-well if they have questions about anything, all of us continuing our community will be great. With NAR and Toonela, they have been creating a website for the SLU that's called "Tribune" for rp and reginal news, I will be promoting their project that they have been working hard on, posting SLU stuff and making rp for Brys Questions on the website and when its ready, I encourage everyone to use it to post there own rp or post stuff that is going on in the region.
I will do the job of delegate to the best of my ability if I am elected, although I would also give my comrades Hirematia and Ramelia a good luck in this election, and the debate on Monday.
I thank Goncar as well from nominating me for this position, If you have any questions for me you can leave them down below, I would be happy to answer when I can
In accordance with Article 5, Section 2 of the Third Constitution of the Social Liberal Union and the Voting Reform and Fair Political Practices Act, an election for World Assembly Delegate is now triggered.
I, Anaaxes, will serve as Election Administrator and shall perform the duties of this role to the best of my ability.
The powers and duties of the World Assembly Delegate are primarily detailed in Articles 5 and 6 of the Constitution, but a more digestible outline may be found here.
The term shall last from 8 February 2021 to 31 May 2021 and may be renewed once consecutively.
Nominations shall last from 20:00 UTC on 26 January 2021 until 20:00 UTC on 2 February 2021, after which voting shall open as soon as possible.
Any Member State may, if eligible, nominate themselves for this office or, subject to their acceptance, another eligible Member State.
Eligibility for the office of World Assembly Delegate is defined as such:
The nominee must be a current Member State in accordance with the Constitution;
The nominee must have been a Member for at least three months prior to 8 February 2021 (that is, since before 16 November 2020);
The nominee must not have served two consecutive terms as Delegate immediately preceding this election.
Candidates: 1) Brys Questions + 2) Courelli +
A + denotes that the candidate has pledged to conduct their campaign in accordance with the Code of Fair Campaign Practices.
SLU Forum
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