Pelasgian Press Association

[Montedoro]

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[/div]CENTRAL SECRETARIAT
Office for Consular Relations
Rue de Croix d'Or, Cité de Lions, Duché de Lions

As the economy of the Free Cities' booms, across the Long Sea, the Protectorate of Occitania is faced with a concerning situation. Out of humanitarian concern, we would be most grateful if Pelasgia would donate openly to the plight of the internally displaced and provide sums so that the Central Secretariat may embark on its program to reduce infant mortality.

Catarina Balsierre
Undersecretary for Consular Relations

 

[Pelasgia]

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Pelasgian Empire
Ministry of External Affairs​

ΑΣ 2188/2019 | Δημόσιον | Κανονικόν
Propontis, 18 May 2019

To the attention of Mrs. Catarina Balsierre, Undersecretary for Consular Relations of the Protectorate of Occitania.

Honourable Madam,

His Imperial Majesty's government does not have direct access to the funds that private corporations and local government bodies in the Free Cities are earning through the mercantile activity, other than through taxes. However, whatever money is raised cannot be spent on foreign aid. In the current circumstances, the Pelasgian Empire must focus on its own development and healing the wounds of the National Schism, rather than international humanitarian adventures. Though we sympathise with the plight of the Occitans, we must first look to our kindred, as is the responsibility of any government to its subjects.

Signed and sealed,

Emmanouīl L. Avgīros
Minister of External Affairs
Senator by virtue of office
Government of Pelasgia

 

[Pelasgia]

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Constitutional Reform Plan approved by Legislative Assembly, sent to Senate for approval
Propontis, 21 May 2019 | Vasileios Germanos

Following a week of debate, the Empire's lower house, the Legislative Assembly, has approved the Constitutional Reform Plan put forth by the government. The plan is meant to modernise the Pelasgian constitution alongside the lines recommended by the Standing Senatorial Committee on Legal and Constitutional Matters in its recent report titled "Recommendations for the Modernisation of the Pelasgian Constitutional Order".

First among the major changes envisaged by the Reform Plan is the creation of a standing Constitutional Court. The finalised proposal approved by the Legislative Assembly would see the three Pelasgian High Courts, namely the Court of Cassation, Court of Audit (also known as the Chamber of Accounts) and the Council of State abolished. In their place, a new Supreme Court of Judicature of the Pelasgian Empire would be formed. This court would have the sole power of Constitutional Review in the Pelasgian legal system, including the power to declare a law "powerless" and eject it from the Pelasgian legal system, on top of all the powers previously held by the three High Courts. The Court's procedure would be largely based on that of the Court of Cassation, the oldest and most prestigious of the three High Courts (itself directly descended from the Imperial Praetorium of New Tibur), and separate divisions would exist to handle criminal, civil, administrative and other cases. Major cases are to be decided en banc, particularly those of a strictly and significantly constitutional character. Justices are to be appointed to His Imperial Majesty at the advice of Majesty's ministers. They are to retire at seventy years of age and, if needed, the legislature may recommend the removal of a Justice other than the Chief Justice by the Emperor (with the approval of both houses), though the decision would ultimately rest with His Imperial Majesty.


The second major reform envisaged by the plan concerns the Head of State. The delegation of the Sovereign's powers to the Polemarch and Eponymous Archon under the Pyrgos Accords has been wholly abolished. Though this abolition had de facto already taken place once the Imperial legislature chose to return these powers to the Emperor by appointing His Imperial Majesty to these offices, earlier this year, de jure constitutional law has come to reflect this reality once more. The Emperor now retains all powers traditionally held by the Pelasgian and Southern Tiburan Sovereigns as a matter of Imperial Prerogative, ranging from ceremonial and religious to administrative and martial powers, and may exercise them freely, except where otherwise bound by the Constitution. Unwritten constitutional conventions, which have stood in the Empire for centuries, will still likely bind the the Throne, but only in an unenforceable and informal way. The Emperor's title has been explicitly restated in the new Constitution as:

Πιστὸς ἐν Χριστῷ Βασιλεὺς τῶν Πελασγῶν καὶ Αὐτοκράτωρ τῶν Τιβυρῶν, Μέγας Κύριος τῆς Πελασγίας, τῆς Φιλισταίας, τῆς Λυκαονίας, τῆς τῶν Κυφτῶν Μεμφίδος, τῆς Ἁϋδίδος, τῆς Περάμου, τοῦ Ἀρχιπελάγους, τῆς Νέας Τίβυρος καὶ πάσης τῆς Νοτίου Τίβυρος, Προστάτης τοῦ Παναγίου Τάφου καὶ τῆς Ἱερᾶς Πόλεως τῶν Ἱεροσολύμων, Φροντιστῆς τῶν Περιοχῶν Κυριάρχων Βάσεων τοῦ Ἀκρωτηρίου τοῦ Ἁγίου Νικολάου καὶ τῆς Νήσου Διοσκουρίδου, Μοναδικὸς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς Ἀντιπρόσωπος τοῦ Ἁγίου, Ὁμοουσίου καὶ Ἀδιαιρέτου Τριαδικοῦ Θεοῦ, Σεβαστός, Ὑπερασπιστῆς τῆς Μίας Ἀληθινοῦ Ὀρθοδόξου Χριστιανικῆς Πίστεως
​

The formal translation provided by the Government of Pelasgia for the title is the following:

Faithful-in-Christ Basileus of the Pelasgians and Autokrator of the Tiburans, Great Lord of Pelasgia, Philistaea, Lycaonia, Kyphtic Memphis, Haydis, Peramus, the Archipelago, New Tibur and all of Southern Tibur, Protector of the Holy Tomb and the Holy City of Hierosolyma, Custodian of the Sovereign Base Areas of Cape Saint Nicholas and Dioskouridou Island, Sole Representative of the Holy, Consubstantial and Indivisible Triadic God on earth, Sevastos, Defender of the One True Orthodox Christian Faith​

The words Basileus, Autokrator and Sevastos have not been translated, but are instead imported in Engellsh as loanwords (they have already been used by classicists for centuries). Basileus means "Sovereign" and is often rendered as "Emperor" or "King", Autokrator is a direct translation of the Tiburan Imperator and is sometimes rendered as "Autocrat" or "Emperor" and Sevastos is a translation of the Tiburan Augustus, meaning "Revered One" (to the Ancient Tiburans this signified the Emperor's divine status, though in current times is signifies the Holiness of the Propontine Emperors, who act as God's Viceroys on Europe). The short title used will likely continue to be «Βασιλεὺς τῶν Πελασγῶν καὶ Αὐτοκράτωρ τῶν Τιβυρῶν», rendered as "Emperor of the Pelasgians and Autocrat of the Tiburans".

Along with the re-merger of the Imperial powers, the Imperial executive and legislative branches of government are also being consolidated. The Imperial legislature is reunified into the Imperial Senate, which comes to absorb the Legislative Assembly. The Senate will hence be decided into the Legislative Council and the Provincial Council. The former will represent the Empire as a whole, with seats being assigned to various groups of the population (professional associations, universities, clergy, social classes etc.) based on a variety of factors, while the latter will represent specific Provinces in the Empire, and its membership is to be appointed by the Emperor in consultation with each Province. Both bodies will act as advisory bodies to the Emperor in His legislative pursuits (at least theoretically), and will be formally non-partisan, reflecting the current status of the Imperial legislature, which is dominated by a grand coalition controlling virtually all seats. The Executive branch is also to be reformed by the plan; the Ministerial Council (Cabinet), HIM Own Chancellery and HIM Privy Council are to be joined into the Throne Council, headed by a President (Protokathedros) to be appoint by the Emperor at the recommendation of the Senate.

Though the plan easily made it through the Legislative Assembly, which is dominated almost to the last seat by a broad coalition, it will still have to gain the approval of the Imperial Senate, with its complex factionalism and intricate internal politics. If it does meet that hurdle, the Reform Plan will then go His Imperial Majesty to receive Imperial Assent, and enter the force of law as a formal amendment to the Constitution of the Empire.

In other news
☞ (International) – Gunnish Thing approves bill seeking to establish Germanic Empire in the North under the guise of a new "Holy Tiburan Empire". Imperial Ministry of External Affairs rejects attempted usurpation by the Northern Barbarians, refusing to recognise the new multi-national confederacy as anything but a "Germanic Empire", reaffirming the Propontine Throne's sole legitimate claim to Tiburan Imperialdom, as per the Division of the Tiburan Empire before the Northern half's collapse centuries ago.
☞ (National) – Ministry of Public Order airs plan to unify the Imperial Field Constabulary and the Imperial Police in an effort to streamline law enforcement and facilitate inter-jurisdictional cooperation across the Empire's vast territory. Newly proposed body, currently known under the provisional names "HIM General Directorate for Public Security" and "HIM General Directorate for National Security", would merge all police forces across the Empire, including the police forces of the Free Cities.
☞ (International) – Imperial Ministry of External Affairs refutes claims of an alleged secret loan to the Empire of Sikandara, calling such propositions "far-fetched" and "removed from economic reality". Sikandaran Foreign Ministry holds same stance on the issue, stating it is more than capable of meeting its own obligations, despite any effects of recently concluded conflicts in the Long Sea on oil prices.

 

[Sikandara]

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[/div]THE HIGH COUNCIL OF GOVERNANCE
Ministry for Foreign Affairs
​

The Government of Sikandara notes the constitutional changes taking place in Pelasgia with interest. It is, however, hoped that monarchism shall continue its unquestioned primacy in the political system. Reform merely for the sake of reform is a strange and destructive path.

Under the guiding light of His Most Imperial Majesty Noureddine IX
Under the authority of His Excellency Chancellor Musa Hayreddine

 

[Pelasgia]

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Laskarid Restoration: Absolutism triumphs in Pelasgia as Senate approves Constitutional Amendments
Propontis, 25 May 2019 | Athanasios Artzanites

Earlier today, His Imperial Majesty signed the new document enacting broad amendments to the Constitution of the Pelasgian Empire in red and sealed it in gold. The moment, celebrated with three simultaneous twenty-one gun salutes from the two ports of Propontis and its highest hill signaled the symbolic Restoration of Laskarid power in the Empire. The Imperial Guard in Propontis delivered an impressive demonstration to the assembled crowds, both on horseback and on foot, which had gathered around the Grand Palace of Propontis to celebrate the occasion of Imperial Restoration. Church bells rang across the Realm, and the Emperor is expected to be formally re-confirmed in his new complete title on Sunday, following the Patriarchal Divine Liturgy on Saturday.

His Imperial Majesty has chosen to combine officials from the Privy Council, Cabinet and Chancellery to form a new provisional Throne Council until a general election is held to fill the two new chambers of the Imperil Senate, largely retaining the current members of the Government of Pelasgia in equivalent roles, which mostly bear the titles of Logothete (Secretary) and Magister. The current Sakellarios has been retained as the temporary Protokathedros (President) of the Throne Council, though it is uncertain whether the Emperor will make any changes to His Council following the coming election. Though both the Provincial Council and the Legislative Council, the two houses of the Imperial Senate, are theoretically non-partisan and wholly dedicated to advising the Emperor in the best interest of the Realm, polls show strong showings for the Loyalist-Nationalist Coalition's de facto members.

In the meantime, the State Council has already forwarded a list of recommended candidates to His Imperial Majesty for the new Supreme Court of Judicature, which is to replace all thee High Courts on top of holding new and entirely unprecedented powers of Constitutional Review. Most justices and prosecutors of the High Courts seem to be represented amongst the rosters, to fill spots in the newly created Divisions of the Supreme Court, though the rosters for the I Standing Division, governing Constitutional Review, as well as the Chief Justice, seem to bear new names. Those High Court judges not appointed by the Emperor to the Supreme Court of Judicature are expected to be given an honourable early retirement or, if they so wish, an appointment to a lower court or to a law faculty. The rosters have not been published, though inside sources are claiming a strong representation of traditionalist and conservative jurists who holds views supporting Orthodox Absolutism, such as a top-down, Divine Right-based view of Constitutional law and an opposition to enforcing unwritten Constitutional Conventions to restrict Imperial Prerogative.

The Emperor has regained all the powers previously delegated by the Throne to the Polemarch and Eponymous Archon, being essentially freed from most of the direct constraints of the Pyrgos Accords, save for the sections governing personal rights. This has essentially placed the Laskarids in a position to restore Orthodox Absolutism and Autocracy in Pelasgia; nearly one an a half century after the first modern Pelasgian constitution, the modernised Pelasgian state seems to have dedicated the machinery, institutions, knowledge and tools modernity and progress gave it to recreate its original shape, only more refined and efficient. The Throne has already convened a State Council of the Regions in Propontis to discuss delegating various powers to the Provinces as an exchange for their support of the reform, as a quid pro quo. Still, these powers could be withdrawn at any time, and the degree of autonomy each region of the Empire will be getting will depend on its loyalty and importance to the Throne of Propontis.

In other news
☞ (National) – Unification of consolidation of police forces across the Empire becomes a reality as Imperial Decree 213/2019 unifies Imperial Police, Imperial Field Constabulary and various smaller local police forces into the His Imperial Majesty's General Directorate for Public Security (GDDA). The GDDA will have jurisdiction over all of Pelasgia and will answer directly to the Secretary of Public Order. Certain specialised units of the Field Constabulary and Police will be retained as the Corps of Special Constables under the Special Directorate for Public Security (EDDA), a division of GDDA mainly dealing with anti-terrorism and various state security duties.
☞ (Education) – Imperial Institution for the Advancement of Knowledge to be renamed to Ioannes VII Laskaris Imperial University in honour of the late Emperor of Southern Tibur and Pelasgia, whose initiatives led to the first Engellexian-style institution for higher learning in the Empire. The University has marked a year of successful operation in Propontis and has faced a high volume of application, though its highly selective and unique selection processes, which involve both character evaluations and impartial placement exams have ensured a small but outstanding student body, who are taught in the small-sized classrooms that Engellexian univeristy education is famed for.
☞ (International) – Government of Pelasgia confirms probe will be launched into Sylvanian institutions in Pelasgia following revalations of pedophile cult in the Sylvanian government. The Snyder Foundation and SPAC's assets in the Empire have been frozen following the groups' designation as criminal organisations, and the Ministry of Justice has decided to seize several of these assets in the coming weeks. So far, the organisations in questions appear to be incapable of mounting a legal challenge against the Justice Ministry's decision.

 

[Pelasgia]

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Emperor replaces Ecumenical Patriarch, announces Church centralisation reform plan
Propontis, 28 May 2019 | Ignatios Alexiades

A spokesperson for the Grand Palace of Propontis has announced that the current Ecumenical Patriarch of Propontis, Eusebius I, has been removed from his position by His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor, and has been replaced with another Patriarch of the Emperor's choosing. This marks the first time since 1868 that an Emperor has dismissed a Patriarch empowered by Imperial Prerogative, and entirely without convening or consulting a Holy Synod. The Emperor has reportedly been deeply dissatisfied with Eusebius' attempts a ecclesiastical reform and his attempted (and ultimately failed) rapprochement with the Arch-Heretic across the Long Sea. The Emperor has appointed a replacement entirely without consulting the Grand Holy Synod; the successor in question is Ecumenical Patriarch Neophytos X, formerly Metropolitan Neophytos of Neapolis, a staunch conservative and a supporter of the centralisation of Orthodox Ecclesiastical power across Europe in Propontis (known in Orthodox terminology as "Ecumenicism"). The new Patriarch is also noted for his staunch opposition to Phyletism, or the division of the Church into autocephalous ethnic or national churches, which is deemed heretical by official Church doctrine but has found increasing acceptance since the 19th century.

The sacking of the old Patriarch and the appointment of the new, both without convening or consulting the Grand Holy Synod are reminiscent of the earlier days of Pelasgian absolutism, the most recent example of such decisions being that of Emperor Andronikos VI in 1868. In Orthodox tradition, the Emperor is God's viceroy on Europe, and the Patriarch is merely his top ecclesiastical Minister and top clergyman, who can be appointed and fired at will. For decades, the Orthodox Sovereigns of Propontis have differed to the Holy Synod for the appointment of Patriarchs and have allowed them to continue in their duties until retirement or death. Therefore, this move by Emperor Isaakios I &V indicates a desire to break with the quasi separation of temporal and ecclesiastical powers of the Throne and to return to an active role for the Throne in religious affairs. To this end, the Emperor has called the Grand Holy Synod to meet in Propontis following the appointment of the new Patriarch. However, this seems more like an opportunity to dictate policy to the Synod members than to listen to their counsel, and perhaps to further reshape the Synod's makeup to the Throne's desire.

Indeed, the Grand Palace of Propontis has already unveiled a plan for the Orthodox Church within the Empire, penned by the Secretary for National Education, Research and Religious Affairs, Mr. Athanasios Kassandropoulos. Mr. Kassandropoulos' plan would remove the patronage of any monasteries and other religious or semi-religious institutions from any noble or other source but that of the Throne, and subject the salaries of clergy members to payment by the Throne. At the same time, the Theological Schools and other ecclesiastical bodies would come under the control of the Throne under the Emperor's sole power over religious affairs. The Throne would once more have a more direct role in the appointment of Bishops, and the approval of the Throne as well as the Patriarchate would be needed for any such appointment. The same would apply to any doctrinal or policy decisions by the Grand Holy Synod. Doctrinal adjustments would reaffirm the theory of Divine Right in Orthodox Theology and ban all derivations therefrom, which have occasionally cropped up by reformers, as heretical, on penalty of excommunication or anathema. Moreover, the power of individual Metropoles and even Patriarchates outside the Ecumenical Patriarchate would be weakened, with a more direct oversight system. Moreover, any territory outside the traditional domains of any Patriarchate but that of Propontis would fall under Propontis and administered through its Exarchates.

The plan is certainly ambitious and bound to stir-up resistance. But whether any such resistance would prove effective, or could even publicly manifest itself in an organised and significant fashion is questionable, given the Throne's firm grip on the Church.

In other news
☞ (National) – Elections set for June 14 to fill both houses of the Imperial Senate. Centralist coalition of Loyalists and Nationalists, proclaiming themselves the "Constitutional Faction" leading most polls as largely disorganised and dispersed opposition struggles to mount campaigns against government-backed candidates. DKKP's future in question as official non-partisanship of Senate and increasing Constitutionalist control of unions threaten both the party's visibility and its voter base.
☞ (Justice) – Newly created Supreme Court of Judicature to hear case on constitutionality of Pyrgos Accords. Broad coalition of Provincial Nobles and Notables is trying to challenge government's centralisation and land reform laws, inter alia, based on the document, while the Throne is arguing the inability of an Emperor to abdicate Sovereign powers inherent to the Imperial Prerogative under duress.
☞ (Law and Order) – Trapezon riots continue for the third day following the shooting of a young rioter by a Special Constable in an alleged self-defence situation. The Prosecutor of the Trapezon Court of Appeal has launched an investigation into the death ofthe young man, identified as a 19 year old engineering student at the Free City's Polytechnic, though the General Directorate for Public Security maintains that the officer is innocent. Central government has dispatched reinforcements to the Free City and temporarily blocked access to the city from Iolcus to avoid an inflow of sympathising protestors.
☞ (Athletics) – Propontis Athletic Association (A.O.P.) and Thermi Athletic Union (Th.A.E.) face off in football derby at the capital, exciting fans from both sides. Propontis has the home advantage, and Thermi is still suffering from a ban on the presence on its fans due to violent clashes initiated by them two years ago in a game against Asteras Nestanis FC.

 

[Elben]

From the Secretariat of State of the Holy Tiburan Church
Herzogenrode Abbey

This news from Pelasgia is disquieting. Due to the complex questions involved, a final determination regarding the negotiations between representatives of the Church of Old Tibur and the Church of New Tibur had not yet been reached, but it had not been put aside. However, this news of the Church's rights being once more trammeled by the Imperial authority calls into question the guarantees offered during the previous negotiations. The Holy See now must reconsider its position.

May the Holy Ghost guide us that all may be made one.

 

[Pelasgia]

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Orthodox Catholic Church of Jesus Christ
Ecumenical Patriarchate of Propontis
Logothesion of the Drome​

Propontis, 15 May 2019 (OS) / 28 May 2019 (NS)
Public Statement

To whom it may concern,

In so far as the Great Church of Christ in Propontis is concerned, the attempt by the Vicar of Tibur to appoint a Northern Barbarian Prince as Sovereign of the Tiburans is a move which has completely altered the circumstances surrounding our reconciliation talks, and which has therefore made it impossible for us to attempt a rapprochement with our misled Brethren in Christ to the North. Not only does such a move violate the Supremacy of the Tiburan Emperor as God's Viceroy on Europe over all Christian clergymen, but it is a direct affront to the ecclesiastical and temporal authority of Propontis.

Moreover, we are unable to see what "Church's rights" are "being once more trammeled by the Imperial authority", as the Secretariat of State of the Vicar of Tibur claims. It is well established in Tiburan Church doctrine that the Emperor rules as God's Viceroy on Europe, and therefore has the capacity to dismiss and appoint His ministers, both spiritual and temporal, at leisure. It is no coincidence that the Emperor alone receives communion not from the hand of a priest, but from his own hand.

Signed and sealed,

ὁ τῆς Ἰωλκοῦ Φιλάδελφος ὁ Β'

Philadelphos II of Iolcus
Metropolitan of Iolcus and all of Old Pelasgia
Logothete of the Drome
Knight of the Patriarchal Order of Saint Andrew

 

[Pelasgia]

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Smugglers arrested at Iolcus Port, carrying terrorist equipment and contraband
Imperial Port Corps seizes crates of weapons and counterfeit currency, inter alia

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Plain clothes officers conduct a search of the smugglers' boat, flanked by a Port Corps cutter

Earlier this morning, officers of the Imperial Port Corps arrested a group of three men attempting to enter the port of the Free City of Iolcus from the Throne Lands. During a routine search, the men appeared to have fake documents, prompting the officers to search the fishing boat. The search produced dozens of boxes of illegal contraband, including illegal narcotics, counterfeit currency, illegal weapons, explosives and ammunition. Moreover, the contraband included propaganda and paraphernalia of terrorist groups seeking the partition of Free Cities from the Empire, and overthrow of the Throne of Propontis to institute a "liberal democratic state". The General Directorate for Public Security (GDDA) has turned its attention to the matter, and the Chief Prosecutor of the Iolcus Court of Appeal has launched an investigation into the matter, which has been deemed a national security concern. The three men have been reportedly detained at the Neos Pyrgos Correctional Institution in Iolcus, and have been charged with a number of felonies, including but not limited to terrorism, sedition, smuggling, illegal crossing of an internal boundary, fabrication of public documents, fabrication of currency, possession of restricted firearms, and transport of illegal narcotics. Many of these offences carry heavy prison sentences, and some even carry death sentences.

In a public statement, the Secretary of Justice highlighted the need for a more rapid integration of the Free Cities' police forces into the General Directorate for Public Safety and for greater surveillance of anti-state activities in the Free Cities, to avoid dangerous terrorist activity. The Imperial Prefect of Iolcus has authorised all Imperial Port Corps units in the region, beyond those already sent to the city to reinforce the GDDA, to freely cross the maritime boundary between Iolcus and the Throne Lands, to ensure the protection of the Free City from terrorist activity. Likewise, the Imperial Border Service, which is commanded by the Central State Security Service, and the GDDA have sent units to reinforce the land and air entry points of Iolcus. The official authorities of the Free City have accepted these moves as necessary for public safety and state security. Opposition members and anti-centralisation movement leaders have criticised the local authorities as being loyal to Propontis and not the Free City due to their being appointed or aided by the Imperial authorities, though the Free City's authorities have dismissed such comments as "unpatriotic alarmism which only aids the terrorists and other subversives aiming to undermine Pelasgian national unity".

RELATED NEWS
Trapezon | Intense rioting finally quiets down as Imperial Prefect threatens to declare martial law, with Imperial Pelasgian Army Military Police units stationed near the city. Special Constables patrol city streets in force, as GDDA riot police completely replace local Trapezon Police Service.
Propontis | Grand Council of the Empire produces preliminary agreement on delegation of powers by Throne to the Themes and Provinces, following two weeks of negotiations. Particulars still unknown, though role in local infrastructure, education, services, environment, economy and regulations widely discussed.
Sindos | The Sindos-based Pelasgian Railway Industry A.E. has expressed its interest in submitting a bid for the Natalian Line 500 Project, based on its earlier experience with high speed rail connections in Pelasgia and Himyar.

 

[Pelasgia]

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Throne rescinds Free Cities' autonomy, integrates them as regular Metropolitan Demes
Central government forces enter Free Cities, local institutions abolished and absorbed

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Imperial Pelasgian Army soldiers removed an improvised barrier on an internal border checkpoint near the Free City of Iolcus

With thousands of journalists and spectators gazing on, soldiers of the Imperial Pelasgian Army removed the last improvised barriers blocking access to the Free Cities, as protestors had long retreated into the formerly autonomous areas. The bars of the now defunct checkpoints had been opened since earlier in the morning, when the Throne Council published an Imperial Decree abolishing the Free Cities and rescinding the historical Chrysoboules that had given them their special privileges, and their citizenry its unique rights. After weeks of confrontations between riot police and anti-centralisation protestors, sometimes turning violent, the cities are now relatively calm, being kept peaceful by a combination of a strong Imperial presence via units of the Corps of Special Constables and other General Directorate for Public Security reinforcements. Residents of the Free Cities who had moved there from other parts of Pelasgia, long treated as second class citizens by the established authorities of the Free Cities, cheered the decision, coming out to the streets to celebrate. For its part, the anti-centralisation movement found itself decapitated and largely unable to respond, its senior leaders having been arrested by Imperial authorities after being implicated in a terrorist materials smuggling scandal in Iolcus earlier this month. Whether the situation will remain peaceful and under control is uncertain, but Imperial authorities maintain their confidence in their ability to maintain Throne control over the former Free Cities.

The Cities themselves have been transformed into regular Metropolitan Municipalities, which enjoy a set of powers delegated to them by the Throne based on the 2019 Agreement between the Provinces and the Throne after a Grand Synod of the Provinces was convened by the Central Government earlier this year. However, they do not enjoy autonomy or sovereignty within their own domain of powers, and their decisions can be overridden by the respective State Secretary at any time, if they go against Imperial policy or National objectives. The local courts, administrative and governmental institutions, and security forces of the Free Cities have been fully absorbed by their National counterparts, awaiting the creation of several new Metropolitan Demes and regular Demes to replace the Free Cities by the Imperial Senate. The local judicial institutions have been dealt with in a similar manner. Though anti-centralisation forces have expressed a desire to challenge the Decree in Court, the current Supreme Court has shown itself to generally favour the doctrine of Imperial Sovereignty, and therefore unwilling to bind the Throne to ancient Chrysoboules which the Throne can issue just as easily as it can rescind. Moreover, with elections coming up on Friday, the voting base made up by the formerly disenfranchised residents of the Free Cities is much larger than that of its residents, and opinion polls show a strong sentiment of support for the Constitutionalist Faction among those voters. Right now, it seems the Throne will get its way both in the Courts and in the Senate.

OTHER NEWS
Embasis | Customs officials seize large quantity of narcotics from Sikandaran ship in the Sea of Buto, arresting three Pelasgian, eight Sikandaran and two Natalian nationals. Smuggling attempt reportedly connected to Peramiotic criminal organisations in Pelasgo-Sikandaran border regions.
National | Second week of Pampelasgian Exams, whose results place Pelasgian students in university faculties across the Empire based on merit, starts with relatively hard topics for Ancient Pelasgian and moderately hard topics for Mathematics. History, physics, and economics to be examined tomorrow.
Selymbria | Imperial Fire Corps and General Directorate for Public Security hold major drills in northern Pelasgia in preparation for the summer fire season. Secretariat of Internal Affairs launches campaign to educate Pelasgians and foreigners visiting Pelasgia on fire safety and prevention tactics.

 

[Justosia]

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Government Imperio de Justosia
Foreign Ministry
Government Quarter, Avalon
​

June 12, 2019
By Crown Authority

It would seem, in its archaic apparent desperation to consolidate its authority over lands & peoples who yearn to be free, that the Pelasgian Empire has to this day not learned an integral imperial lesson. That once the desire for freedom embeds itself deep enough in a people(s) previously granted semi autonomy, that those tracks cannot ultimately be reversed.

Your leaders continue to sew more seeds of discord & varied strains of oppression. Seeds that could one day see everything you hold dead topple. Nevertheless we pray for your modernization & better judgment to prevail. God bless you. Viva Justosia.

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Fernando Torres
Foreign Minister


A fly on the wall
HIM/Chancellor Blount

"Typical. Live by the boot heel, they'll die by it too. Older imperial powers just don't understand how to quell discord, conflicts before they start."

 

[Pelasgia]

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Throne Council of

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Secretariat of External Affairs​

ΑΣ 2374/2019 | Δημόσιον | Κανονικόν
Propontis, 13 June 2019

To whom it may concern,

Once more, the government of Justosia finds itself out of touch with the realities of foreign countries, in whose internal matters it seeks to involve itself. The Justosian Foreign Minister speaks of oppression regarding the integration of the Free Cities as regular Metropolitan Demes of the Empire; this comment seems to completely disregard the fact that hundreds of thousands of Pelasgian citizens born outside those cities, in some cases forming a majority therein, where treated as second class citizens by the Free Cities' authorities, a reality which could only be resolved and which was resolved by the lawful intervention of Throne. The citizens of the Free Cities have long lost the uniqueness which once justified a special status; indeed, these cities differ little in terms of culture, development and technology from their counterparts across the former internal frontier. In many cases, the quality of life of cities such as Sindos is superior to that of the average citizen of the Free Cities. The integration and unifomity of local administration across the Empire was recognised as an important objective of administrative reform by both the most recent Constitutional Reform Act and the Grand Synod of the Provinces convened this year.

With regard to modernisation and imperialdom, the Empire of Propontis has no need of lessons or advice from the likes of Avalon. Our Empire has stood for nearly two thousand years, withstanding the weight of pressures and dangers from within and without, whilst yours was declared but a few months ago, more as a titular than as a substantive change of polity. Moreover, Justosia itself was, up until a mere two years ago, completely closed off and isolated from the rest of the world, and continues to be relatively insular compared to well-integrated global economic and diplomatic members of the European community, such as Pelasgia. We have no need of lessons in modernity from a nation which did not know how to construct a warship bigger than a frigate up until two years ago. And we have no need of prayers from a realm whose Monarch regularly invokes the Lord's name in vain, and claims to rule as a Christian Sovereign while legitimising sodomy and depravity.

May God save Justosia from itself while there still is time.

Signed and sealed,

Emmanouīl Avgīros
Secretary of External Affairs
Knight of the Order of Saint Andrew
Senator ex officio

 

[Pelasgia]

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Constitutionalists secure decisive victory in Imperial Senate, securing renewed mandate to govern
Propontis, 15 June 2019 | Isidoros Alexopoulos

The Constitutionalist Faction of Imperial politics has secured a massive victory for itself in the most recent Pelasgian general election, scoring 85% of the 1570 seats in the Legislative Council, the Imperial Senate's lower house. The Constitutionalist Faction (Syntagmatiki Parataxis, SP) represents the successor of the Nationalist-Loyalist Coalition, which united both major factions of the Pelasgian National Schism under the banner of the Association for the Facilitation of Imperial Rule (ODAD), and enjoys broad public support as well as control of unions, labour organisations and civil society groups, on top of business and Church support. Coming second after the Constitutionalists were the members of the United Opposition (Inomeni Antipoliteusis, IA), a coalition of disgruntled centrists, right-wingers and centre-leftists who left ODAD and did not want to ascribe to the principles of the newly approved Constitution; this faction earned 12% of the vote. Finally, the Internationalist Communist Party of Pelasgia (DKKP), which is the only lawful opposition party that refused to join the United Opposition remained stable at 3%, barely qualifying for official party status. Because the Imperial Senate is formally non-partisan, these factions operated more as electoral lists than actual parties, though the dominance of supporters of the new Constitution in the Imperial Senate is clear according to all polls.

The upper house of the Imperial Senate, the Provincial Council, is filled by four delegates from each of the 17 Themes of Pelasgia, plus two more from the Pelasgian subjects residing in the Autonomous Base Areas of Cape Saint Nicholas and Dioskouridou Island, near the Horn of Himyar. Because of the diversity of politics and demographics in the Empire's Themes, the non-partisan character of this house of the Pelasgian legislature in stronger, leading to more loose loyalty of delegates to any one National political faction. However, out of the 68 delegates forming the Provincial Council, 45 belong to a Thematic faction aligned with the Constitutionalists. Moreover, as the Constitutionalists' victory allows them to appoint more Thematic and Provincial officials, their influence in the Provincial Council is expected to rise in coming years. Indeed, the Constitutionalists and their associated local parties secured clear majorities in 14 out of the 17 Thematic Councils of the Empire, as well as most Metropolitan Demotic Councils. The leader of the United Opposition, Iordanes Raoulis, protested that the influence of the Constitutionalists in public and civil society institutions skewed the election in their favour, condemning what he called a "deep state, backed and controlled by the Throne", an accusation which the leader of the Constitutionalists, Lord Athanasios I. Politikos-Rangaves, vehemently denied. "The people know that the new Constitution has restored peace and national unity to Pelasgia, and they are eager to continue the work of healing the National Schism. Those who are stuck in the past, such as Mr. Raoulis and his flock of reactionaries, will simply be left behind by the New Pelasgia which we seek to build," Lord Politikos-Rangaves told reporters.

His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor, congratulated the Constitutionalists on their historic victory. In an official ceremony at the Grand Palace of Propontis, the Emperor formally delivered to Lord Politikos-Rangaves a mandate to produce a proposed makeup of a new Throne Council supported by the majority of Legislative Councilors by the end of the next week. Until that time, the current interim Throne Council, headed by the interim Protokathedros, Mr. Georgios N. Grammatikos, will continue to advise His Imperial Majesty on matters of National and Imperial policy and government. The new Legislative and Provincial Councilors are to be sworn in on Monday, in a formal ceremony attended by the Ecumenical Patriarch and the Emperor, where all Pelasgian Senators are obliged to swear loyalty to the Emperor and obedience to the Constitution in the name of the Holy Trinity. His Imperial Majesty will deliver a Speech from the Throne outlining the key issues of the Imperial policy and governance as they currently stand later on Monday. If Lord Politikos-Rangaves successfully forms a government, he will deliver a speech outlining how the new government plans to meet those objectives the day after the government in question is sworn in.

In other news
☞ (Politics) – Supreme Court of Judicature grants leave to appeal to both the Throne of Saint George and various local notables, alongside numerous interveners, in the case surrounding the Constitutionality of the privileges granted in the Pyrgos Accords. Case to be heard en banc in the coming weeks, as the newly created constitutional court prepares to deliver its first major judgement.
☞ (Justice) – General Directorate for Public Security and Imperial Border Guard arrest group of Peramiotic gang members smuggling drugs across Pelasgo-Sikandaran land frontier in coordinated bilateral sting operation near Larissa, in the Souchoton Theme. Ministry of Public Order and Central State Security Service warn of growing movement in drug smuggling routes in the summer months.
☞ (Tourism) – Pelasgia recording record number of tourists as summer tourism season kicks off. Secretariat of Tourism attributes record figures to success of stimulus programmes for small islands and coastal areas outside of traditional tourist hot-spots in northern Pelasgia. National Broadcasting Foundation (EIR) produces series of advertisements and material educating tourists on dangers of sun exposure and littering, inter alia, in coordination with Secretariats of Tourism, Public Health and Public Order.

 

[Pelasgia]

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Propontis, Ivar join together to defend Status Quo Treaty and stability in the Long Sea-Kalahari corridor
Propontis, 27 June 2019 | Gregorios Papalambros

The two major supporters of the Status Quo Treaty, the Pelasgian Empire and the People's Federative Socialist Republic of Kadikistan have publicly joined together one more time to uphold the Status Quo Treaty and defend stability in the Long Sea-Kalahari corridor. In response the public announcement of deliberations for the formation of the Touzen-dominated "Long Sea Authority", both Pelasgia and Kadikistan refused to recognise the proposed body as having any authority whatsoever to represent the Long Sea region, or to regulate the relations between the local nations. Both parties condemned the intervention of external powers in the Long Sea, with the Pelasgians specifically naming the Post-Delegationists and denouncing their attempt to gain a foothold in the region. The government of Ostmark also refused to recognise the so-called "Long Sea Authority".

In light of recent developments in the Long Sea, particularly the recent crisis involving Auraria and the "Anti-State", the Pelasgian and Kadikistani governments have grown increasingly concerned over the stability of the region. The Imperial Pelasgian Navy and the Revolutionary Naval Forces of Kadikistan have announced joint drills in the Long Sea-Kalahari corridor to train in joint operations, enhance anti-piracy cooperation and to deter any external interfence in the corridor. Moreover, the Pelasgian Imperial Secretary of External Affairs and the Kadikistani People's Commissar for External Affairs have indicated a desire to hold meetings to discuss how to best sustain and apply the Status Quo Treaty in the current diplomatic climate. Both powers have expressed a clear desire that the Treaty and the state of affairs it stands to conserve be maintained, highlighting that the Status Quo Treaty has managed to maintain peace in the internationally crucial Long Sea-Kalahari corridor since the mid 1950s, when Pelasgia and Kadikistan nearly went to war over proposed Pelasgian bases near Kadikistan's southern shores.

Though Eiffelland, an one-time close ally and still close trading partner of Propontis has repeatedly invited the Pelasgians to support the "Long Sea Authority", the Pelasgian side has shown reluctance, and even outright refusal to do so. According to unconfirmed reports, the Pelasgian Ambassador to Eiflland categorically rejected Pelasgia's participation in any body governing the Long Sea that does not seek to preserve the Status Quo, particularly one which seeks to formalise the interference and presence of external powers in the region, such as the Post-Delegationist bloc. Though neither side has confirmed or denied the veracity of these comments, they seem to align very well with the communiques and overall attitude coming out of Propontis in recent weeks. Whatever the case, the Status Quo Treaty was withstood nearly seven decades of conflicts, and has averted or limited many more. It is thus highly unlikely that Propontis, or Ivar for that matter, will be abandoning it anytime soon, especially in favour of a plan based on Post-Delegationist presence in the region, given both powers' less than amicable relations with the Post-Delegationist bloc.

In other news
☞ (Politics) – Ioannis Bogiatzis steps down from the leadership of the Internationalist Communist Party of Pelasgia (DKKP), following crushing defeat that reduced the party to 3% of valid ballots, barely qualifying for official party status. New General Secretary, Konstantinos Iordanidis, vows to earn the party "at least 10%" in the next election, outlining his vision of a renewed leading role in the labour movement and the issues of the working class through a community outreach, charity and activism programme.
☞ (National) – Imperial Coast Guard and Port Corps to be absorbed by the Imperial Border Guard, itself under the direction of the Eleventh General Directorate of the

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(YKAK), as part of programme to streamline Imperial law enforcement and border protection. Imperial Border Guard to also take over the customs, immigration and food inspection functions of the General Directorate for Public Security (GDDA).
☞ (National) – Construction of massive dam on the Phiaros River in Kyphtic Memphis nearing its final stages, as work crews contracted by the State Electricity Company (KEE) and the State Water Supply and Sewage Company (EYDAK) work around the clock to meet objectives on time. If successful, the plan would provide clean and cheap power to millions of Pelasgians in the increasingly industrialised and urbanised flatland of central Kyphtic Memphis. The dam, named "Grand Phiaros Dam" is regarded as an emblematic project of engineering for the New Pelasgia of the post-National Schism Constitutionalist coalition, and a symbol of national pride and unity.

 

[Pelasgia]

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Grand Phiaros Dam formally opened, hailed as a monument for the New Pelasgia
Propontis, 6 July 2019 | Antipas Gravias

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Aerial photograph of the Grand Phiaros Dam in its final stages of construction

Construction of the massive dam on the Phiaros River in Kyphtic Memphis has been officially completed, with the dam's formal opening ceremony taking place earlier today. Work crews contracted by the State Electricity Company (KEE) and the State Water Supply and Sewage Company (EYDAK), who spent thousands of work hours tirelessly labouring to finish work on the massive project within schedule and budgetary restrictions, were personally greeted by His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor, as well as the local Thematic Governor and several other dignitaries, highlighting the importance of the project for the region and the Empire as a whole. The dam was blessed in a formal ceremony by the Patriarch of Cassandris and all of Memphis, before being handed over to KEE and EYDAK to begin power production and water processing for the region of the flatlands of Kyphtic Memphis, which are inhabited by tens of millions of Pelasgians, a growing figure as the Empire's industrialisation and urbanisation progress based on the current Five Year Economic Modernisation Plan.

The Grand Phiaros Dam, one of the largest of its kind in Himyar, is considered an emblematic project of national pride and national unity for the New Pelasgia that the Nationalist-Loyalist Coalition has sought to forge in the wake of the National Schism. According to Dr. Ioannes Leandros, senior Professor of Political Science at Ioannes VII Laskaris Imperial University of Propontis, the Grand Phiaros Dam is at the centre of the new, modern Pelasgian national identity the new governing coalition of modernising centralist bureaucrats has tried to forge, using great works and measurable progress as points of common identity and pride for all Pelasgians, to move past the deep-seated ideological differences that led to the National Schism. "The Grand Phiaros Dam, built using Pelasgian labour, expertise and materials almost entirely serves as an emblem of what the Pelasgians can achieve when they work together, and the Constitutionalists want to market it as such to the biggest possible audience," the Professor told a reporter for the Propontios Logothetis. Moreover, the project serves to reinforce the image of Himyari self-strengthening and independence, which the Pelasgian Constitutionalists, as well as many other powerful factions in Himyar, notably the ruling factions of Natal and Azraq, have long sought to cultivate.

On a more practical note, the project is a keystone of the Nationalist initiative to modernise rural and inland Pelasgia, whose conditions have, up until recent years, stood in stark contrast to the highly urbanised and well-developed urban industrial powerhouses that trail the Pelasgian coastline, particularly in the north. The Grand Phiaros Dam, the new Inter-Himyari High-Speed Rail Connection, and the Buto Sea Cannal Network are but a few of the initiatives the Propontis regimes hopes will facilitate an orderly industrialisation and urbanisation of the inland Pelasgian countryside, particularly at a time when the Empire is no longer the sole major power in inland Himyar, creating an ever deeper need for consolidation over the Empire's continental frontier regions. For the men and women on the ground, these projects provided much-needed jobs and economic stimulus, as well as development, transport, energy and clean water in the newly constructed or expanded planned cities that dot the Pelasgian inland since the last two years. If nothing else, the Grand Phiaros Dam is certainly a miracle of engineering that all Pelasgians and all Himyaris can take pride in. Whether it is the start of something greater, however, only time will tell.

In other news
☞ (Athletics) – Pampelasgian Games kick off in Old Pelasgia with formal ceremony in Pampelasgion, a town in the Drabescus Province in the Pelagision Theme. Millennia-old tradition of games between the cities of Old Pelasgia draws both Pelasgians and foreign tourists as athletes compete to bring honour to their local city, in the Emperor's attendance. For the first time in two decades, the games will be hosted in Leuktron, with pankration, a traditional Pelasgian martial art, being the first of the games. Leuktron, Chandax and Kerasond all have good chances of winning, while the Trapezonites wrestlers are also among this year's favourites.
☞ (Law & Order) – Riot police units dispatched by the General Directorate for Public Security arrest hundreds of youths seemingly gathered in a festival of depravity and indolence in imitation of the "Long, Hot Winter" staged by like-minded students in Natal. Students were charged with public intoxication, public disorder, gross offence to public order and common morality, and attempted political unionisation in public institutional educations, as well as illegal assembly and illegal occupation of a public space, following a gathering of around five hundred people in a park near the Imperial Polytechnic of Propontis. Defence counsel has recommended that the youths be confined to a mental institution, citing psychological problems which must have led them to such "clearly degenerate behaviour".
☞ (Society) – The famed Pelasgian businessman, shipping magnate and philanthropist Theodoros A. Makrolimaniotis has passed away at the age of eighty, following severe cardiac arrest. Mr. Makrolimaniotis is amongst the chief business minds behind the massive business Pelasgian conglomerate Pegasus A.E., having risen to prominence at a young age when his parents, Thrasyvoulos and Ariadni, were both killed in a terrorist attack by far-left sectarians in 1952. Mr. Makrolimaniotis is succeeded by his wife and five children, including his eldest son, Aristotelis, named after the uncle who raised him, who is set to take over the family enterprise. Mr. Makrolimaniotis will be buried with honours for his philanthropic works at the I Imperial Cemetary of Pyrgos, Propontis' port district.

 

[Ebria]

Students for a Democratic Society

The SDS decries the political and social clerical fascism that emanates from the institutions of the Pelasgian Empire. We commend our brothers and comrades from Pelasgia whom have seen the need to start working for a better and more equitable world. To them, we promise only this: Fear not, for we will take a stand and the world of tomorrow will be led by a generation of love, peace and freedom. We will support you in your quest to end obscurantism and blind moralism so freedom can prevail. We propose a joint student strike so we can push our governments to enhance their democratic process and to attract attention to our struggle. We will also be ready to happily welcome any of our Pelasgian brothers as political refugees and will provide aid so that the Natalian government would grant them asylum, should they see their life turned into hell by the uniformed and robed pigs.

For a better world, together!
Signed,
The Collective Presidency of the SDS

 

[Pelasgia]

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Secretariat of External Affairs
Embassy of Pelasgia in Camp Hill​

ΑΣ 3001/2019 | Δημόσιον | Κανονικόν
Camp Hill, 06 July 2019

To whom it may concern,

It is hardly surprising that the degenerates and subversives that constitute the so-called "Students for a Democratic Society", which should perhaps be renamed to "Sociopaths for an Anarcho-Socialist Dystopia", have attempted to stand "in solidarity" with those that share their most base and depraved tendencies, in Pelasgia and elsewhere. For its part, His Imperial Majesty's Government will continue to oppose all such ungodly and antisocial groups and their activities, and shall persist in its noble work of banishing them from Pelasgia.

To that end, the so-called "Students for a Democratic Society" have been designated as a Type I Antisocial Group and a Type III Criminal Organisation under the Law on Resident and Visiting Aliens (N. 111/1957) and the Law on Illicit Organisations (N. 27/2006). As such, all its members and associates are barred from entering Pelasgia or doing business with a Pelasgian real or legal person, as well as any Pelasgian company, and any organisations linked to the said group are to be branded as criminal and antisocial groups in the eyes of Pelasgian law.

We call upon the Government of Natal to do its utmost to protect its own youth and society from this dangerous group, before it is too late.

Signed and sealed,

Leontios P. Valentiades
Ambassador of the Pelasgian Empire to the Federation of the Natal
Head of Mission, Embassy of Pelasgia in Camp Hill
Minister Plenipotentiary, First Class (ΠΥ/A')

 

[Pelasgia]

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The Hermit Kingdom must end: the need for a truly modern New Pelasgia
Propontis, 9 July 2019 | Dr. Theologos Romanos (Opinion)

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The ruins of the Great Walls of Propontis, with the modern sprawling metropolis in the background

For a country long characterised as a maritime power, Pelasgia has managed to remain remarkable insular in the recent centuries. Internationally Pelasgia boasts the world's largest merchant marine, of the strongest navies in the world, and multiple ports of note in key maritime trade routes in more than one sea. Pelasgia takes pride in its ancient and world-class academic institutions, its remarkably stable political structure and strong and grow base of industry. And yet, despite all this, Pelasgian society has, for the most part, remained largely stagnant since the late Propontine times. The Pelasgian language itself has changed very little since the late 1200s, at least its vernacular variety, with the official Pelasgian dialect being completely unchanged. Despite the appearance of modernity, granted to Pelasgia via the modernisation efforts which started in the late 19th century and persist to this day, Pelasgia is still very much a non-modern, if not anti-modern and reactionary society.

In Pelasgia the notions of free entreprise, private initiative and civic society are virtually unheard off. Though Pelasgia boasts many multi-billion dollar businesses of global caliber, these are all in the hands of a select few trade conglomerates, controlled in a quasi-feudal fashion by a handful of old and powerful business clans. For most common Pelasgians, starting a business from scratch is a pipe dream, in what could still very much be called a protectionist, corporatist and downright mercantilisPelasgian civil society is, for the most part, either controlled by or serving the ends of the Pelasgian state, and mostly consists of state-aligned political or church groups. This reflects a general trend of rejecting popular sovereignty and particiption in politics; for the most part, the Pelasgian citizen is an administré, not an autonomous political actor with meaningful input over his own status and social framework. The Pelasgian Empire might very well be the only the country of note in the modern world where the idea of a hereditary monarch, whose role displays autocratic or even absolutist tendencies, playing an open and direct part in politics is accepted.

Pelasgian thinking in general seems rather insular and rejectful of external influences and ideas. Experiments with Nationalism, Crowned Republicanism, Quasi-Federalism and all sorts of other imported formulae have occured, and have all resulted in a direct return to autocratic caesaropapism of one sort or another, sometimes with a different flavour or packaging, but always essentially the same. Likewise, Pelasgian academic thought is strictly linear and resistant to any change. The new Engellsh-style Ioannes VII Laskaris Imperial university of Propontis might prove to be a notable exception to this, in due time, but so far it is too early to tell; it might turn out to be just another continental university with large classes, unquestionably authoritative academics and sclerotic thinking seeking to reinforce the current social structures with no room for critique other than a mild toleration for strictly necessary reform. The Pelasgian state has done a remarkable job of adapting foreign laws, military and other technology, and economic innovations to its use. But with regard to modernising its society to fit these advancements, it has done very poorly. Perhaps it is because the state itself, in its current form, could not survive such a modernisation.

If Pelasgia is to make it into the new century as a meaningful force, if it is to even survive in fact, the Hermit Kingdom must end. The long walls of Propontis and the other major port cities, which once shielded Pelasgia from outside influence and invasion are long obsolete. The walls of Pelasgia's insular society, civic and otherwise, must follow. The Pelasgian National Movement, expressed through the Nationalists in the recent decades, culminating in a Nationalist victory during the National Schism was a noteworthy start. Indeed, before his death, the late statesman Theophrastos Anastasiades did more in a few years than others have done in decades to bring Pelasgia into modernity. But the Nationalist leadership has, so far, once more contended itself with the image of progress, joining forces with the Loyalists to abandon the cause for real progress. Those who still believe in a New Pelasgia must keep pushing forward within the current political paradigm and, if necessary, outside of it.

Dr. Theologos Romanos is Professor Emeritus of Geopolitical Studies at the Imperial University of Propontis, and current head of the Pelasgian modernist and nationalist think-tank 'Council for Socio-Political Reform'.

In other news
☞ (International) – Pelasgian delegation dispatched to @Clarenthia to inquire into potential investments, amidst growing international economic interest in the industrialising regions of Pelasgia. Delegation also to seek cultural exchange, and observe Engell academic and political culture at work in the Westernessean country, hoping to capture examples for Pelasgian reformers to imitate.
☞ (National) – Preparations underway for the July 25th celebrations for the liberation of Propontis from the Catholic crusaders by forces of the Propontine Emperor-in-exile. Military units, marching bands, cultural associations and schools making rehearsals for parades across the Empire, including in Propontis, as Pelasgia prepares for its biggest national holiday, on par with Saint George's Day on April 23.
☞ (Justice) – The Imperial Procurator in charge of the Throne's case against the 300 youths arrested in a park near the Imperial Polytechnic of Propontis this week has recommended that the youths be deprived of their temporary military service exemption, be expelled from university and be forced into mandatory military service early to correct their anti-social tendencies. The Procurator has also aired the idea of requesting a publication ban on the case to counteract rumours of some of the students potentially organising a hunger-strike.

 

[Pelasgia]

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Lower house of Senate passes landmark Social Reform Act with wide margin
Propontis, 15 July 2019 | Diogenes Papanikolis

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The New Senate House in central Propontis, which houses the Pelasgian legislature

The lower house of the Imperial Senate, the Legislative Council, has passed the Social Reform Act proposed by the Constitutionalist government with a comfortable majority of 1355 Senators in favour, totalling above 80%. The Legislative Council has now sent the law to the Provincial Council, the Imperial Senate's upper house, to await proposed amendments or approval; most analysts agree that the Act will likely be approved, though with a reduced margin, as the Constitutionalists will likely trade a slimer approval margin over having to amend to the bill to satisfy Conservative elements in the opposition. The Social Reform Act is a landmark piece of legislation proposed by the current Protokathedros though originally conceived of by the late Pelasgian statesman Theophrastos Anastasiades.

The Act seeks to enact a sweeping range of socio-economic reforms, aimed to furthering the Nationalists' work of transforming Pelasgia into a modern society. The Act would abolish to privileges of the Dynatoi, Pelasgia's once almighty provincial and rural noble class, ending their highly agrarian and strongly anti-centralist and anti-modernist class altogether. It would further limit the power of the Monasteries, ending many of the privileges and confiscating many of their lands and holdings outside their own walls, effectively limiting them to religious spaces, rather than economic and cultural centres which they had become over the long Propontine Middle Ages. This would tie in with the Constitutionalists' effort to centralise the Church around the Ecumenical Patriarchate and make provincial Dioceses answer directly to Propontis, as per the doctrine of Ecumenism.

On another important note, the Social Reform Act would lift many of the limits to private entreprise by individual citizens, eliminating layers of bureaucracy and approvals needed to this date, that practically make it impossible for individual Pelasgians to compete with major business conglomerates that control most of the country's private entreprise. Likewise, traditional noble and monastic controls on the economy of rural regions would be lifted, and freedom of movement would be strengthened, bolstering the already preeminent movements of population surplus to the cities for work and entreprise. Loaning and banking would be facilitated outside of traditional coastal centres of commerce with the establishment of Agricultural, Labour, Savins and Post Banks across the Empire with the help of the Imperial authorities, and low-interest loans would be guaranteed to enable citizens of the Empire to start businesses and stand on their own feet with their own household, free from dependence on local nobles and notables.

Socially, this would resolve the centuries-old struggle between the Dynatoi and the Throne in the latter's favour. The Dynatoi and the Monasteries have long struggled with the Throne and the Central Government in Propontis for real power of the Empire, with the former wishing for more decentralisation and the importation of a feudal system into the Empire, and the latter wishing for centralised power and the maintenance of a system of formal civic equality between the Empire's citizens. The Throne has historically found support in the lower classes of both the cities and provinces, who appeal to Central authorities for protection for the abuses and privileges of the Dynatoi and the powerful Monasteries. The coastal cities have historically also acted as a refuge for citizens from the mightier agrarian nobility, though the Empire's industrialisation and modernisation, as well as urbanisation, have shifted the balance of power decidedly in the cities' favour.

The current Protokathedros, Lord Athanasios I. Politikos-Rangaves, has called the Act a "necessary step to build a new, modern and fair Pelasgia, which would grant equal opportunities to all its citizens". Some members of the opposition have criticised the Act as being too radical, while others, such as the DKKP, have criticised it for not going far enough. On a social level, however, the Act enjoys wide support, and is bound to earn the Constitutionalists, and particularly the Nationalist faction within them, a major share of the popular vote in the coming elections. The Dynatoi and the Monasteries will almost certainly try to use all their institutional clout to counter this effort; but it will quite likely not be enough to stop the winds of change that seem to have overtaken the Pelasgian Archipelago in recent decades.

In other news
☞ (International) – First group of Burgundian refugees reportedly arrive at Propontis International Airport "Attalos I Laskaris-Komnenos", following the military intervention of the Thaumatic nations in the Burgundian Conflict, which caused the collapse of the already fragile Gallian country. Bourgogne has been gripped by war since the end of the Seven Days War, which led to the fall of the Grand Ducal regime and plunged the since-then dissolved realm into a civil war that has spread to neighbouring countries.
☞ (National) – Increased activity of drug-smuggling groups near the Pelasgo-Sikandaran frontier worries Imperial officials, as the Sikandaran economic downturn exacerbates organised criminal activity. Imperial Border Guard announces more frequent patrols and more armed deployments in the region, assisted by the Imperial Air Force. Pelasgian officials reportedly seek to coordinate with Sikandaran couterparts to deal with the worsening border situation.
☞ (Himyari Affairs) – Pelasgian engineering giant Atlas A.E. unveils plan for Inter-Himyari High-Speed Rail to engineers, businessmen and representatives from Pelasgia, @Natal and @Azraq in event at Propontis Chamber of Commerce. Rail to link Western and Eastern Himyar with high-speed civilian and cargo lines, with expansions potentially into Loago and Port Stanley considered, aiming to replace the current conventional Pan-Himyari Rail Network.
☞ (Justice) – Propontis Criminal Court of Appeal refuses appeal of students convicted of plethora of offences for incident demonstrations at park near the Imperial Polytechnic, upholds conviction and sentence by Propontis Criminal Court of First Instance. Several dozen students arrested near the Court of Appeal building due to illegal demonstration attempting to influence the Court's judgment earlier that day by Special Constables. Defence counsel "considering" applying for leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Judicature, though most jurists agree chances of success are slim. Pelasgian Civil Rights League reportedly considering joining the case as an intervener, if its reaches the Supreme Court.

 

[Pelasgia]

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Constitutionalists clash over appointment of new Presiding Magistrate for the Legislative Council
Propontis, 19 July 2019 | Diogenes Papanikolis

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"The Imperial Senate in Session" (1889), a historical painting by Theophilos Roïdes depicting the Imperial legislature at work

The ground has barely had time to grow cold over the grave of Periandros A. Eratosthenous, and the Imperial Senate's lower and most politically active house has already found itself consumed by debate over the appointment of the next Presiding Magistrate. The Presiding Magistrate of the Legislative Council acts the equivalent of a Speaker for the Imperial Senate's lower house, coordinating debate in the chamber, deciding membership in committees, enforcing rules of debate and procedure, and making representations to the Throne in the Council's name. This most pivotal role has played a central role in Pelasgian politics over the centuries, despite various changes in nomenclature, particularly since the a beginning of the modern Constitutional Period with the adoption of the Pelasgian Constitution of 1863.

The sudden death of the late Presiding Magistrate, Mr. Eratosthenous, has left the Magistrate's chait empty, leading various factions in the Senate to vie to get one of their own to occupy the pivotal position. Though Mr. Eratosthenous acted as a compromise candidate, coordinating and mediating between the Constitutionalists and the various opposition parties, as well as between the Constitutionalists' internal factions, the various proposed successors seem much more partisan and less pragmatic. Chief among these is Konstantinos Markopoulos, a hard-line Nationalist and reformer put forth by the dominant Nationalist faction within the Constitutionalists. Mr. Markopoulos clearly aims to advance the Nationalists' legislative and reformative agenda in the lower house, without regard to compromises and with ruthless speed and efficiency; this is in direct contrast with the slower and more consensus-based approach taken by Mr. Eratosthenous, who ultimately passed the Nationalists' landmark Social Reform Act with great delays and with much less bipartisan support than the supporters of his tactics had promised Nationalist circles in Propontis.

For their part, the Loyalist factionalists within the Constitutionalists have expressed stark opposition to a die-hard Bluecoat taken over the supposedly neutral, compromise-oriented and bipartisan Constitutionalist Coalition's legislative initiatives and dominance in the Senate. The Loyalists have already suffered a major defeat with the passage of the Social Reform Act, whose provisions hurt many of their constituencies and established voter base's interests for the sake of reform. The appointment of Mr. Markopoulos to the Presiding Magistracy would be a blow even the largely timid and passive Goldcoats would not seem to be able to tolerate. However, the Nationalists might have begun maneuvers to secure support from other factions, such as the Liberals and centre-left Socials, who seem to greatly support various different elements of the Nationalists' reform agenda.

This move might outflank the Loyalists and negate the need for their support; however, such a move might very well break up the Constitutionalist Coalition, and create the need for the Nationalists to turn to a new alliance, unless they can secure a sufficient majority by themselves in a snap election. For their part, the Loyalists might use the nuclear option, and try to block Nationalist reforms in the Provincial Council, or even attempt to convince the Throne to deny Imperial Assent to the Nationalists' reforms or even the appointment of the Presiding Magistrate. While strictly legal, such extreme measures might very well lead to much more radical responses by the Nationalists and their allies in the grand scheme of things. Whether the Presiding Magistrate's chair is worth igniting the Pelasgian political scene remains to be seen.

In other news
☞ (International) – Pelasgian Secretariat of External Affairs confirms the withdrawal of all non-essential personnel from the Pelasgian Consulate General and Embassy in Nedernesië amid ongoing diplomatic row between the Thaumatic Domain and the small but economically pivotal Far Northern city-state over the arrest of give alleged human traffickers who are subjects of various Thaumatic states. Pelasgian government sources also considering reduced representation in various Gallian and Scanian countries currently embroiled in the Burgundian Civil War, citing safety concerns.
☞ (National) – Provincial Council, the Imperial Senate's upper house, approves Social Reform Act following intensive debate, paving the way for Imperial Assent, which is expected to be granted in the coming days. Social Reform Act passed 45-23, in a much closer result than in the Legislative Council, the Imperial Senate's lower house. Political analysts consider this a major Constitutionalist victory, but wonder whether the results signify the appearance of cracks in the dominant Nationalist-Loyalist Coalition.
☞ (Economy) – Pelasgian automobile industry representatives, government officials meet under the auspices of the Pelasgian Association of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs to discuss the potential merger of various Pelasgian automobile industries under the proposed National Motor Company of Pelasgia, to facilitate international exports, internal cooperation, and competition with foreign companies. Initiative one of many "super-industry" projects designed by the government to separate business conglomerates and re-organise them along industry lines, including the General Electronics Company of Pelasgia, Pelasgian Defence Industries Group, Pelasgian Construction Industries Group and others.