Pelasgia
Established Nation
«Χτίζει σπίτια ἡ ὁμόνοια, τὰ γκρεμίζει ἡ διχόνοια.»
"Houses are built by unity, and torn down by disunity." - Pelasgian saying
"Houses are built by unity, and torn down by disunity." - Pelasgian saying
Propontis, Pelasgia
23/08/2018
The Senate House of Propontis had stood for over one and a half thousand years, having been built on the grounds of the Boule of Iopolis, the ancient Pelasgian colony that was previously on the site of Propontis, by Valentian the Great, back when the city of New Tibur was coming to life. The massive marble pillars and walls of the Senate House, coloured mainly red and white, and decorated with innumerable frescoes and geometric patters, supported a roughly orthogonal and parallelogramic structure at the heart of the Quarter of the Angels, near the Forum. The pillars themselves were a mix of Doric, Ionic, and, primarily Corinthian, the favourite rhythm of pillar of the Tiburans, being entirely smooth and topped by a crown decorated with an assortment of floral patterns. The red tile roof of the Senate House had survived sackings and damages, invasions and occupations, and rebellions and massacres, while also seeing the glory of Imperial Appointments, debates on the famed Propontine Legal Codes, and the triumphal restitution of the Senate's power.
The building itself stretched out of blocks and blocks, covering four large blocks by itself, with two more blocks being taken up by the renowned Senatorial Gardens, where many backroom deals and unofficial meetings between Senators took place. The three floors of the Senate and the one basement floor surrounded two main wings, which were split by a large internal garden. The garden was built in the Ancient Pelasgo-Tiburan fashion, being located on the subterranean basement level, with an open sky, with a covered hallway supported by pillars and statues surrounding the green space, through which climbing plants and pathways combined to create a small piece of paradise. The two wings were those of the House of Nobles and the House of Representatives, formerly known as the House of the Plebs.
The House of Nobles was closer to the entrance and formed the sole body original Senate, being made up by all the hereditary and, later, newly created nobles of the Southern Empire, and those who moved there from Tibur when the capital changed. It presently consisted of 698 Nobles, commonly called Senators, who served as the upper chamber of Parliament, amending, passing, or rejecting the lower chamber's bills and acts, on top of serving various important and ceremonial factions, such as holding Senatorial Committees (including the famed Standing Senatorial Committee on Martial Affairs) and ceremonially appointing the Emperor to his civic posts, chiefly among them Princeps and Consul. In this House, the Lower Aristocracy, representing provincial and lesser capital nobles, many of whom had mixed with and done increasingly more bussiness cooperation with the rising Bourgeoisie, held a clear majority, endorsing the Nationalist Party with 369 seats and the the Liberals with 83 seats. Some newer Nobles endorsed the Social Party with 69 seats, and even the infamous National Phalanx with 2 seats (about 0.004% of the body), while none ever had, and ever would, endorse the DKKP, since the party itself would reject such an endorsement, even if it ever came to be. The most prestigious seats were held by the large minority of the High Aristocracy, who save for one sponsor of the National Phalanx, endorsed the People's Party, known for boasting Purple symbols of the Imperial Loyalism and an undying support for the aristocratic, corporatist, monarchic, and traditionalist status quo (though, quite ironically, not the Status Quo of the synonymous Treaty).
The House of Represenatives had seen its emergence in the late 19th century, when the Empire made its overtures with endorsing Western, and primarily Burgundian, Engellexian, and Eiffellandish ideals, to establish itself as a modern country and reclaim its status as a Major European Power. Called the House of Plebs before the 1950s, it occupied the room formerly held by the Library of the Senate, which has since been moved to three large buildings next to the Senate proper, with some more regularly needed or otherwise special documents being kept in the basement of the Senate building. Unlike the House of Nobles which still clings to the Tiburan model of orthogonal columns of rows opposite each other with the Presiding Magistrate and the Officers of the Senate between and to the front of the two, similar to the Engellexian model, the House of Representatives uses a model reflecting the ancient Pelasgian and contemporary Gallo-Germanian semi-circular arrangement, like a traditional Pelasgian oratorium or theatre. Directly elected by all Imperial citizens of 21 years of age who have served two years in the Armed Forces (for men) or have born at least two legitimate children (for women), the House of Nobles is the heart of the Empire's politics since the Constitution of 1972, with the roots of parliamentarianism having been firmly planted in the 19th century and plentifully watered in the 1950s.
On August 23rd, 2018, the Proëdros of the House of Representatives called it to order, reading out the Decision of the Crown by which the Senate had been recalled from its Summer Recess pursuant to articles 40 and 48 of the Constitution. The Proëdros then informed the Representatives of their obligation to vote on an Imperial Decree on that day, as per article 43 of the Constitution, which allowed for the Crown to issue decrees, at the behest of the Government or of its own Accord, which should be voted on within 7 or 14 days, or even sooner, if certain provisions in Article 48 were invoked for special emergencies, like Declarations of War. The Proëdros then begun to read out the Decree titled "Declaration of War on Kadikistan, Xinhai, Serenierre, and Crotobaltislavonia," as was the custom of the body. Then, the clerks called all men to rise, as the Emperor had chosen to use His privilege to attend the vote, sitting in an elevated place, in a balcony behind the Proëdros and podium, and above the seats of all the Representatives. The session then resumed with speeches from His Imperial Majesty's Government and His Imperial Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition, both of whom, ironically aligned on the topic, with the Great Logothete, Mr. Theophrastos Anastasiades speaking first.
"Please it be His Imperial Majesty and all His loyal subjects to know that this motion, though introduced in good faith and in good heart, does not, by the Grace of God, Justice or Good to the Southern Empire of Tibur. For, whilst it does originate from a heartfelt desire to aid our partners across the Long Sea from a horrid menace, a desire which all good Tiburian hearts share, it does so in a manner inconsistent with the fundamental Principle of Justice and the Obligation of the Senate and the People of Tibur to act first and foremost in the interest of that Great Polity. Indeed, this motion does quite dishonour and injure our Empire, in that it not only shatters the lawful pact of this State with the Union of Ivar, but also does so to rectify numerous perilous errors of our partners across the Long Sea. For this State hath saved our allies from the same errors numerous times in the past, and at least thrice since last September, and yet all our protestations and all our warnings did but naught to stop their including Occitania in the Concord, before Trivodnia too, much aided and brought close to the Concord asked to join.
"Here we see events which Amstov, and Trier, and all the others should know would lead to catastrophe, for we ourselves did clearly see so. The Status Quo Treaty was violated and laid bare, and through the inaction and refusal to act of the People's Party and the High Nobles, here and in the Old Senate, we were not able to rectify or stop this. Can we really blame, dear colleagues, Kadikistan for wanting to see its sovereign interests protected and the promises it had been given numerous times kept? Have we forgotten the ancient Pelasgian folk tale of the Lying Shepherd, who after crying "Wolf!" to his neighbours numerous times as a joke, was left alone when true wolves arrived? Can we not see that the numerous provocations of Amstov finally caught up with it? Let me remind you, honourable members of the Senate, that we are here to protect the interests and livelihoods of the People of Tibur, and we would have a hard time convincing these lawful, good, dutiful veterans and mothers that a martial adventure across the Long Sea and the Kalahari, over an insignificant statelet, to save that very statelet from its repeated wrongs, would somehow be advancing their interests. I see not why these people would want to see sons torn from their mothers, and husbands from their wives, only for the imbeciles across the pond to repeat the same error in six months' time!
(at this point the booing of the People's Party delegates had to be stopped and order had to be restored over an interval of several minutes)
"And let us look, then, to the appeals of included in this Decree itself; '[...] to safeguard the Honour and Trustworthiness of the Empire [...]' and to '[...] protect our fellow Christian Monarchies from the Red Menace, which shall soon be at our doorstep [...]'. Good Sirs and Ladies of the Senate, in what way does this act do anything but undermine these very ends? For it brings us to open war with the Communistic states, who would have otherwise been kept afar by the Status Quo Treaty, and it injures our honour, and trustworthiness, and pride irreparably by violating a Treaty signed by a dutiful appointed Minister Plenipotentiary of Noble Blood, and confirmed by both Houses of this most noble Senate, and signed and sealed by the Hand of a Divinely Ordained Sovereign Lord. And all this it does on grounds most frivolous and immaterial, such as 'ties of kinship and brotherhood' from several centuries past, and 'participation in the noble Crusade against Communism'. Alas, most honourable colleagues, I cannot endorse this Act in good faith. And to those who previously shouted 'Judas!' and 'Traitor!' and to the Most Noble Sovereign Personage who honours us at this very moment with His August Presence, and might perhaps be entertaining such thoughts, I say this: it is because I am a noble servant of the Senate and People of Tibur and of the Emperor, and first of all of God, that I cannot let this injustice go ahead, but must, as a faithful servant, restrict the Hand of my Sovereign from committing a wrong that could never be righted. Long live the Empire! And long live God's good Peace!"
The speech of the Grand Logothete was followed by both clapping and protestations, the former silencing the latter. The leader of the Opposition would go on to echo the sentiments, and it was not until the junior Government Partner and second largest party in the House, the People's Party, got its turn, that any true opposition was heard. Much was said of treason, and cowardice, and dishonour, and subversion, but when all was said and done, the Decree was dismissed with 1209 votes against, from the Nationalists, Liberals, Socials, Internationalist Communists and half of the National Phalangites. Only 369 votes were for the Declaration of War, being those of the People's Party and half of the National Phalanx. The Imperial Decree was shuttered and with it was the government's unity. And yet, this humiliation of the Crown and the celebrations of peace, would both prove minuscule, as much greater and graver events were to follow.
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