SenatusPopulusqueRomae
18-11-2005, 00:36
OOC: This nation is supposed to represent a particular political faction within my main nation, Rome (RomeW). I split my main nation up into Dominions, and this is the Dominion that pertains to Rome itself, or, properly, the Republic of Rome. This particular nation is supposed to deal specifically with the Republic itself and not the Empire as a whole, as well as the attempt of its Consul to gain the title of Roman Emperor. The nation’s literal name means “The Senate and People of Rome”, and was the official title of the RL Roman Empire. This may also one day become my "main" nation.
This will be done "press-conference" style.
IC:
Consul Gnaeus Valerius Maderia was anxious. In a few minutes, he’d be holding a press conference highlighting his intentions to run for the title of Emperor in the 2006 Roman elections. It would mark the first time the Roman Consul- practically the Empire’s second in command- has ever run for the coveted position. It wouldn’t be without precedent- Paul XII, the Emperor before the incumbent Gaius Romanus Rodinus Hartianus (com. Rodin Hartian), was a Consul in North Italy before being elected to the office of Emperor, but Maderia wasn’t sure he wanted to draw from the legacy of the now much-maligned Paul.
“Now speaking…Consul Valerius Maderia.” That was Maderia’s cue to leave from behind the curtain and walk in front of the glaring eyes of the cameras and reporters gathered in front of him.
“Ladies and gentlemen, you are all gathered here for what is a historic event. I, Consul Primus Gnaeus Valerius Maderia, am hereby announcing that I will run for the position of Roman Emperor in the 2006 election.
“First, I would like to say that my decision has nothing do with a hatred for the current Emperor, nor do I intend on hampering any of the Emperor’s decisions. Our working relationship should not be affected in any way by my decision to run. He knows about my decision and respects it fully.
“Having said that, I do believe that it is time for change in the Roman Empire. Caesar Hartian’s legacy has been overall a good one for the Empire, for it is he who brought the Empire from the economic ruin of the over-taxing Paul XII. He has also strengthened the federation that is the Empire, clearly delineating the jurisdiction of the Emperor over his Dominions. However, I do not believe the current Caesar has gone far enough, and I believe the Romans of today deserve better.”
He paused for a second to collect his thoughts. He didn’t want to give the impression that he was going to be the same candidate as Hartian, for the voters weren’t going to elect him if they didn’t think he was different.
“My vision of the Roman Empire is of a diverse but ultimately united unit. Currently, the Empire’s Constitution only demarcates the jurisdictional authorities of the Emperor and the Dominions, being more of a treaty than that of a true Constitution. While most of our Dominions have real Constitutions where basic rights and freedoms are protected- such as our own- the Empire’s Constitution does not. I do not believe in overstepping the boundaries of the political units, but I believe it is imperative for the Empire to have a single, unifying force, for this is what will ultimately keep it together; and no force is better than civil rights. The idea that guaranteeing rights oversteps sovereignty is preposterous, for no reasonable state would ever think that such rights are not necessary.
"Now, the Imperial Constitution as it stands has made no provisions in the case that a Prefect- such as myself- is elected to the the Imperial throne, and I shall remedy that. Under my proposal, the Prefectship in each Dominion shall be elected to a term of six years, with elections for half of the Prefects being held every three years. The title of Emperor, then, shall be open solely to the Prefects, who are democratically elected (at least will be) in each of the Dominions, with the term for the Emperor being three years. The Prefect shall relinquish no control over their Dominions, with the Praetor operating as he always does as the deputy. This will also make the position of Prefect more attractive, since the people know that not only will he rule the Dominion, but he can also potentially one day rule the Empire.
"I will also introduce the idea of the 'Electoral College' to the Empire that worked so well in the United States. This means that for an Emperor to be elected he needs a majority among the Dominions, not simply of the people. This will allow the smaller Dominions a greater say in current Imperial politics, for they know now that they have a direct influence in electing the overall leader.
"Furthermore, to go along with the unifying measures of guaranteeing civil rights and the Electoral College, the Dominions themselves shall be given greater powers with regards to the Legions and foreign affairs. The Dominions shall be given the right to establish relations all over the world if they wish, and, for the Legions to be pulled together for the Imperial Army, the consensus of the Senate will be needed. Currently, the Legions can be called into Imperial service any time the Emperor wants, meaning that defences could be compromised simply because the Emperor goes off on a 'vanity project' invasion of his own, or because he overestimated a needed peacekeeping force. The Dominions deserve greater rights, for the Empire cannot function as a whole if the Emperor tramples over them whenever he wishes. Referendums shall also be instituted in cases of separatism or in the creation of a new Dominion.
"Finally, also part of my platform will be official governmental recognition of political parties. As we all know, political parties in Rome are not effectively banned- for anyone can create any kind of political organization as they see fit- but when Keylusus II instituted democracy for Imperium, he did so by stating that politicians cannot be part of a 'party'. He argued then that all parties do is create divisions for each party inherently represents its own partisan interests. While I see the logic in that, I also say that everyone, regardless of whether or not they're in an official organization, operates based on their own partisan views. The current Caesar himself ran on a platform of economic reform, the Caesar before him was an avowed socialist, while Keylusus himself was a progressive. Parties can give one a sense of unity to a group as well as support for an idea, for no one can be truly operational 'on their own'. Leaders are strengthened from the ideas of within, and, in Rome, it is about time that we recognized that.
"Thank you. The floor is now open for questions."
This will be done "press-conference" style.
IC:
Consul Gnaeus Valerius Maderia was anxious. In a few minutes, he’d be holding a press conference highlighting his intentions to run for the title of Emperor in the 2006 Roman elections. It would mark the first time the Roman Consul- practically the Empire’s second in command- has ever run for the coveted position. It wouldn’t be without precedent- Paul XII, the Emperor before the incumbent Gaius Romanus Rodinus Hartianus (com. Rodin Hartian), was a Consul in North Italy before being elected to the office of Emperor, but Maderia wasn’t sure he wanted to draw from the legacy of the now much-maligned Paul.
“Now speaking…Consul Valerius Maderia.” That was Maderia’s cue to leave from behind the curtain and walk in front of the glaring eyes of the cameras and reporters gathered in front of him.
“Ladies and gentlemen, you are all gathered here for what is a historic event. I, Consul Primus Gnaeus Valerius Maderia, am hereby announcing that I will run for the position of Roman Emperor in the 2006 election.
“First, I would like to say that my decision has nothing do with a hatred for the current Emperor, nor do I intend on hampering any of the Emperor’s decisions. Our working relationship should not be affected in any way by my decision to run. He knows about my decision and respects it fully.
“Having said that, I do believe that it is time for change in the Roman Empire. Caesar Hartian’s legacy has been overall a good one for the Empire, for it is he who brought the Empire from the economic ruin of the over-taxing Paul XII. He has also strengthened the federation that is the Empire, clearly delineating the jurisdiction of the Emperor over his Dominions. However, I do not believe the current Caesar has gone far enough, and I believe the Romans of today deserve better.”
He paused for a second to collect his thoughts. He didn’t want to give the impression that he was going to be the same candidate as Hartian, for the voters weren’t going to elect him if they didn’t think he was different.
“My vision of the Roman Empire is of a diverse but ultimately united unit. Currently, the Empire’s Constitution only demarcates the jurisdictional authorities of the Emperor and the Dominions, being more of a treaty than that of a true Constitution. While most of our Dominions have real Constitutions where basic rights and freedoms are protected- such as our own- the Empire’s Constitution does not. I do not believe in overstepping the boundaries of the political units, but I believe it is imperative for the Empire to have a single, unifying force, for this is what will ultimately keep it together; and no force is better than civil rights. The idea that guaranteeing rights oversteps sovereignty is preposterous, for no reasonable state would ever think that such rights are not necessary.
"Now, the Imperial Constitution as it stands has made no provisions in the case that a Prefect- such as myself- is elected to the the Imperial throne, and I shall remedy that. Under my proposal, the Prefectship in each Dominion shall be elected to a term of six years, with elections for half of the Prefects being held every three years. The title of Emperor, then, shall be open solely to the Prefects, who are democratically elected (at least will be) in each of the Dominions, with the term for the Emperor being three years. The Prefect shall relinquish no control over their Dominions, with the Praetor operating as he always does as the deputy. This will also make the position of Prefect more attractive, since the people know that not only will he rule the Dominion, but he can also potentially one day rule the Empire.
"I will also introduce the idea of the 'Electoral College' to the Empire that worked so well in the United States. This means that for an Emperor to be elected he needs a majority among the Dominions, not simply of the people. This will allow the smaller Dominions a greater say in current Imperial politics, for they know now that they have a direct influence in electing the overall leader.
"Furthermore, to go along with the unifying measures of guaranteeing civil rights and the Electoral College, the Dominions themselves shall be given greater powers with regards to the Legions and foreign affairs. The Dominions shall be given the right to establish relations all over the world if they wish, and, for the Legions to be pulled together for the Imperial Army, the consensus of the Senate will be needed. Currently, the Legions can be called into Imperial service any time the Emperor wants, meaning that defences could be compromised simply because the Emperor goes off on a 'vanity project' invasion of his own, or because he overestimated a needed peacekeeping force. The Dominions deserve greater rights, for the Empire cannot function as a whole if the Emperor tramples over them whenever he wishes. Referendums shall also be instituted in cases of separatism or in the creation of a new Dominion.
"Finally, also part of my platform will be official governmental recognition of political parties. As we all know, political parties in Rome are not effectively banned- for anyone can create any kind of political organization as they see fit- but when Keylusus II instituted democracy for Imperium, he did so by stating that politicians cannot be part of a 'party'. He argued then that all parties do is create divisions for each party inherently represents its own partisan interests. While I see the logic in that, I also say that everyone, regardless of whether or not they're in an official organization, operates based on their own partisan views. The current Caesar himself ran on a platform of economic reform, the Caesar before him was an avowed socialist, while Keylusus himself was a progressive. Parties can give one a sense of unity to a group as well as support for an idea, for no one can be truly operational 'on their own'. Leaders are strengthened from the ideas of within, and, in Rome, it is about time that we recognized that.
"Thank you. The floor is now open for questions."