Imperial Tribune

Interview with First Consul Fernandez 10/21/2010

GENEVA, OCT 21- In between meetings with ministers and members of parliament, the Imperial Tribune was able to sit down with recently sworn in First Consul Eva Fernandez, who is the first Conservative First Consul under the new constitution and will be presiding over what is considered to be monumental changes in the structure of the Imperial Parliament.

Thank you for allowing the Tribune to interview you, Mme. Fernandez.

Thank you, it is an honor to be here with you today.

What is your opinion of the recent resignation of Mssr. Castillo from the office of First Consul? Were you surprised?

I wasn’t surprised. Many understood it was coming, and well, the Conservative Party made it clear that we weren’t gonna move to remove him because we were working well with him. Once it became evident he was moving to resign, we went ahead and motioned for the vote of no confidence, so the Empire wouldn’t remain leaderless. Unlike his predecessor, Castillo was someone we could work with in Parliament.

What do you make of the defections of Mssr. Petrassi and Mssr. McQueeny from the Liberal Party to your own? Was it something you expected, or were you caught off guard like everyone else?

His Grace and Mssr. Petrassi both approached me personally and we initiated a series of lengthy talks in private regarding the possibility of a defection. They weren’t happy with the leadership of Carmicheal, whom they saw to be too controlling and partisan. We were in detailed and careful negotiations and talks over time, and we realized that we all agreed more often than we disagreed, and any disagreements could be talked out and resolved. So, I extended the invitation for them to join the Conservatives and they accepted.

Now that Mssr. Castillo has resigned and you are poised to become First Consul, what is the Conservative Party’s plans for Parliament?

Our first order of business is to clean the house, so to speak. We want to continue the push to reform government – we want to make the Cabinet smaller, and move power onto Parliament instead of the Cabinet. We want to begin the efforts to codify and organize our laws and regulations, we want to begin to push for a cultural revival and a revival in activity through an active economy and increasing opportunity for political involvement by continuing the push for reform in provincial governance. We need a direct push for activity, recruit more people and grow the Empire at home and abroad.

What are your plans as the future First Consul? Is there anything specific you plan on addressing?

We will be unveiling a detailed agenda in coming weeks. When the next Parliament opens, His Majesty will be delivering the Throne Speech which will outline all the Government’s proposals and how we plan to get there. I urge everyone to stay tuned, and to be involved by contacting me and sharing your thoughts and proposals. The people of Alexandria talk, and we listen.

In your new government, will you be including both Conservatives and Liberals, or will you keep to a more partisan government?

I have been speaking with many people, and originally, I intended to include both sides in the cabinet to provide a unified national front to get things done. However, I have felt recently that some of the politicians on the other side are not interested in being bipartisan – take for example the comments Carmicheal has recently made where he called me a “harpie”. I… That has no room in this Government, and I refuse to include someone who prefers to resort to personal attacks in the Government. I want to run an honest, transparent, committed Government, and I will not allow Carmicheal or anyone else to try and sabotage the Government. He plays for personal gain, and not for the gain of the Empire. There’s no room in the Fernandez Administration for that kind of hogwash.

I believe this will cover it, Mme. Fernandez. Once again, thank you for your time!

Thank you very much, the pleasure is all mine. Thank you.

First Consul Resigns 09/28/2010

Former First Consul Alejandro Castillo

GENEVA- After a long summer of inactivity crippled with a stunning defection of two Liberal Party MPs, First Consul Alejandro Castillo announced last Friday that he was resigning the nation’s highest office, saying that he had “not been able to keep the proper activity level for this position, and haven’t been the leader that I had wanted to be, that this country needed.”

On the same day, Conservative Party Leader Eva Fernandez called for a vote of no confidence in the First Consul, which looked likely to pass unanimously before the vote was thrown out yesterday when His Imperial Majesty Emperor Edgard II accepted Castillo’s resignation. There is now a motion before the Imperial Parliament to have Mme. Fernandez become the next First Consul, which will most likely pass the Conservative-controlled legislature. Fernandez will become the first Conservative First Consul since the approval of the new constitution over a year ago.

Reactionary Plot Foiled 07/12/2010

GENEVA- In a statement made by His Imperial Majesty Edgard II, it was revealed that a group of reactionary soldiers and outside agitators attempted to overthrow the democratically elected Parliament of Alexandria and install their own leader, who currently remains unnamed by Imperial Authorities at this time, as the First Consul. This coup attempt occurred while the Emperor was out of the capital on holiday, but upon hearing of the attack on the Alexandrian democracy, the Emperor activated the military and was able to restore order.

Since then, the people of Geneva and other cities throughout the Empire have rallied in support of the Emperor and the democratic institutions that he has sworn to protect.

Interview: Jean Carmichael on his retirement 06/03/2010

Geneva- As the Empire prepares to elect a new parliament, it is also saying farewell to one of it’s most distinguished statesmen. Jean Carmichael, MP from Ibelin, leader of the Liberal Party, and First Consul for most of the last year, announced on Wednesday that he was not seeking another term in Parliament. After that announcement, Mssr. Carmichael was gracious enough to sit down with the Tribune to talk about his future and that of the Empire

Tribune: Mssr. Carmichael,
Thank you for taking the time to talk with us today.
You announced on Wednesday that you would not be running for reelection to the Third Imperial Parliament, signaling an end to your tenure as both First Consul and as leader of the Alexandrian Liberal Party. What brought about this decision to retire from the “reigns of government”, so to speak?

Carmichael: Its a pleasure to talk the Tribune. Well, I think I’ve had my time to be honest. I’m not getting any younger and I think I’ve lead the Liberals for too long now. We need fresh energy in the party. Also, I simply don’t have the energy I used to in the Consular Office. Getting bogged down continuously in politicking with various others just simply wasn’t conducive to governing and I feel that that situation will only continue if I remained. I’m the figurehead of the Liberal movement and every Conservative’s favourite enemy. Its just simply not nice anymore and the thrill of serving the Empire wears thin in such a situation.

Tribune: What do you think will be your most enduring legacy as First Consul? as Liberal Party Leader?

Carmichael: I honestly don’t know. I know of the famous phrase that history will be kind to me for I intend to write it but I don’t really want to go into legacies and all that in Government. Saying that though, within the Liberal Party I think I’ll be remembered for getting it going! We moved away from the old AAP, a liberal-minded party, to a fully fledged and proper Liberal Party. I think I’ve made the Liberal Party used to governing and I certainly hope that legacy endures.

Tribune: Now that you will no longer be in parliament, what exactly will you be doing in retirement? Certainly you won’t be staying home and out of the public view.

Carmichael: I intend to do some business in the economy and perhaps go back to my old law firm. Being an MP has been a privilege as much as serving in the Government but I do want to rule out returning to the former. Parliament has been like a second home for me and I love the place but its time to move on to pastures new. If invited to, I’ll take up a position in Government but I would have to think long and hard about it. Everything in my retirement will depend on what the Empire does; I wouldn’t mind teaching at the University of Geneva if it starts again or other projects that the Emperor may invite me to do. I do intend to enjoy myself in retirement though.

Tribune: What issue(s) do you think should be the primary focus of the next parliament?

Carmichael: Electoral Reform will dominate certainly. We need a new electoral system and the Conservatives scuppered the last attempt for no reason other than party political manouevring. I didn’t and still don’t buy for a second their expressed reasons for voting down the Democracy and Elections Bill; the concerns they stated were addressed and they had no problems until the vote. Its even more telling if you look at their election manifesto that their proposals for electoral reform are nigh on the same. Apart from that though, further refinement of the economy is needed and the parties should be scrutinised on that. There is a National Defence Act draft I wrote in the Imperial Cabinet now and I expect that that will be placed before Parliament. Its nothing controversial though so I think it should garner cross-party support.

Tribune: Elections for your replacement as Party Leader will occur after the June 7th elections. Although you don’t know yet who your successor will be, do you have any advice for them? And for that matter, do you have any advice for those who will be in the next parliament, and for the next First Consul?

Carmichael: Well for the new Liberal Party leader I’d say listen to your party. Liberals don’t take kindly to the sort of whipping the Conservatives are used to and we’re a far more free party in that sense. I’d also say try and work with the Conservatives. They can be difficult but its better to have cross-party support for things rather than stringent party lines. For any successors at the Consular Palace I’d say that it revolves around 3 issues of trust; always trust the Emperor, trust Guy Ziegler and don’t place too much trust in Ministers! The Emperor’s a giant of a man in his knowledge of Alexandria and he tends to know what’s best for the Empire. The respect he garners from the micronational world will be useful in dealing with foreign nations as will his extensive knowledge of Micran affairs. Guy Ziegler is an administrative wonder and I genuinely do not think that I will have been able to cope as First Consul without his aid. Its a shame we’ve lost him to the Speakership for now, but hopefully an arrangement can be made so any new First Consul can have the Guy in a cabinet role of sorts. I think I should explain the Ministers point as well. My consularship was dogged by inactive Ministers with massive portfolios and I had to chop and change in both my administrations. If the First Consul takes the Minister of State position it will help but you need to pick your Ministers well. Oh and it helps to have a Parliamentary majority too!

Tribune: Well Mssr. Carmichael, thank you again for taking the time to have this interview with us. Is there anything else you’d like to tell the Tribune’s readers?

Carmichael: Just a simple thank you for the past year in the Consular Palace. Its been a pleasure to serve you all.

Conservative Majority Elected in latest Elections 02/22/2010

Geneva- With the latest election now over and the results made public, the Alexandrian Conservative Party now has a clear majority in the Imperial Parliament. Rio Grande, San Martin, Luthoria, and Baudrix all went to the ACP, with Ibelin and Valenciennes going to the Alexandrian Liberal Party, and the OTED going to independent Prince Augusto de Corcovado y Benavides.

There was a small bit of controversy after the San Martin election ended in a tie between Pierre Guigou of the ACP and Carlos Petrassi of the ALP. The State Electoral Commission used the random DemoChoice service to select a winner, giving the seat to Mssr. Guigou and giving the ACP the largest delegation in the new Parliament.  However, it seems as if the election will be accepted and that electoral reform will be one of the issues discussed by the new Parliament when it is seated.

No word yet as to when the Emperor will open the new parliament and when it can get down to business.