Vetalia
14-09-2007, 20:38
OOC: Before I begin, yes, this is technically a constitutional monarchy. However, the Emperor has lot of power that goes above and beyond the token role most monarchs have in constitutional systems. He can propose/veto legislation and has the sole power to appoint Proconsuls and other government ministers.
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"My fellow Vetalians, the time has come for me to announce a permanent change in the structure of our country's government. For too long, our people have been denied the leadership they crave, caught between the decadent weakness of the Republic and the excesses of dictatorship, and we yearn for a day when a true leader rises to the challenges facing this state once and for all, leading us in to the golden era promised since this nation's inception. My people, my dear compatriots, that time is now! Effective immediately, the Republic will be reorganized in to the Second Vetalian Empire, with a sovereign ruler, an Emperor, who will reign until death or resignation...but mind you, this is not the tyranny we justly fought to destroy a century ago, and it shall never be. This is a new order, one where the leader, powerful though he may be, is still subject to the laws and regulations passed by the Vetalian Senate, the institution created to serve the people through the direct election of its representatives. To this end, the Senate will be constitutionally emboldened, restored to its position of power that has been so crudely eroded by my predecessors, and you, the people of this great nation, will again have a real role in the government of this country! The time has come, Vetalians, to rally around a new banner, one led by I, Emperor Valerian Kosyachenko, and to build the new world we deserve, a world which has been denied us by our enemies at home and abroad for too long. My people, sons and daughters of Vetalia, it is time for us to seize our birthright!"
From the dissident work "History of the Vetalian Empire Vol. 1":
For years, decades even, Valerian had worked behind the scenes, weaving plots and building up the mechanisms by which his ascension to power would be secured. Even Praetor Melnikov was under his control, a charismatic and intelligent figure that ultimately proved capable of subverting the democratic process necessary to his rise to power. Like clockwork, these plots clicked in to place with each passing second of his speech, effectively establishing his new order in a single night. The military, loyal to him from top to bottom, was already in place to keep the country secure. The police, long since absorbed in to the military and loyal to Kosyachenko, moved out from their stations across the country equipped with lists of "undesirables", mainly people long since known to be a threat. Removed from their homes under cover of night, some were imprisoned, others threatened but left physically unharmed, others beaten, and the last group, the "subversives" were simply killed. In a single night, over 5 million people were hunted down and 250,000 killed for "crimes against the Empire", and by morning over 100,000 soldiers from the Praetorial Guard were in place in Vetalia City and other major cities around the country to ensure that the transition was peaceful.
"But this new beginning will not be easy. For weeks prior to my announcement, a subtle war has raged in this land, a war against the traitors that seek to destroy this future under the guise of 'freedom', the guise of 'liberty', the guise of 'democracy'! I ask you, dear compatriots, what kind of democracy is it when the people are forced to cower behind corrupt politicians reeking of patronage, reduced to nothing more than huddled masses controlled by an elite that cares nothing for them? My reign will be the long-awaited fire that cleanses this nation of the parasites that have sapped our strength for far too long, and I will lead us, with the guidance and consent of our people, in to the bright future my generation fought to secure during the Revolution. I ask you all, as citizens of Vetalia, to bring about that new era for this country by rallying around me leadership, to join in the momentous struggle against our enemies, and to put your every ounce of strength in to building the nation we deserve!"
"Thank you, citizens, and good night."
Following the televised speech, the Praetor, the Emperor, walked out of his office on to the hallway overlooking the Audience Chamber, a massive hall that was at one time the receiving chamber for visitors to the Emperor. A team of workers, mainly staff from the Palace itself, were working to hoist something heavy. Timed almost perfectly with the playing of the Vetalian national anthem at the end of the broadcast, he watched as the scarlet and gold banner of House Kosyachenko, a banner which had not flown since 1954, was raised once again on the wall of the audience chamber. "It is done, then." he said quietly, and went back to his office to contact the Proconsuls of Defense, Internal Security, and State and the Tribune of the Vetalian Senate to determine the effectiveness of his seizure of power and to plan out the first year of his reign. Much work was yet to be done to ensure the country would be molded according to his vision, and many challenges still faced the establishment of this New Order.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
"My fellow Vetalians, the time has come for me to announce a permanent change in the structure of our country's government. For too long, our people have been denied the leadership they crave, caught between the decadent weakness of the Republic and the excesses of dictatorship, and we yearn for a day when a true leader rises to the challenges facing this state once and for all, leading us in to the golden era promised since this nation's inception. My people, my dear compatriots, that time is now! Effective immediately, the Republic will be reorganized in to the Second Vetalian Empire, with a sovereign ruler, an Emperor, who will reign until death or resignation...but mind you, this is not the tyranny we justly fought to destroy a century ago, and it shall never be. This is a new order, one where the leader, powerful though he may be, is still subject to the laws and regulations passed by the Vetalian Senate, the institution created to serve the people through the direct election of its representatives. To this end, the Senate will be constitutionally emboldened, restored to its position of power that has been so crudely eroded by my predecessors, and you, the people of this great nation, will again have a real role in the government of this country! The time has come, Vetalians, to rally around a new banner, one led by I, Emperor Valerian Kosyachenko, and to build the new world we deserve, a world which has been denied us by our enemies at home and abroad for too long. My people, sons and daughters of Vetalia, it is time for us to seize our birthright!"
From the dissident work "History of the Vetalian Empire Vol. 1":
For years, decades even, Valerian had worked behind the scenes, weaving plots and building up the mechanisms by which his ascension to power would be secured. Even Praetor Melnikov was under his control, a charismatic and intelligent figure that ultimately proved capable of subverting the democratic process necessary to his rise to power. Like clockwork, these plots clicked in to place with each passing second of his speech, effectively establishing his new order in a single night. The military, loyal to him from top to bottom, was already in place to keep the country secure. The police, long since absorbed in to the military and loyal to Kosyachenko, moved out from their stations across the country equipped with lists of "undesirables", mainly people long since known to be a threat. Removed from their homes under cover of night, some were imprisoned, others threatened but left physically unharmed, others beaten, and the last group, the "subversives" were simply killed. In a single night, over 5 million people were hunted down and 250,000 killed for "crimes against the Empire", and by morning over 100,000 soldiers from the Praetorial Guard were in place in Vetalia City and other major cities around the country to ensure that the transition was peaceful.
"But this new beginning will not be easy. For weeks prior to my announcement, a subtle war has raged in this land, a war against the traitors that seek to destroy this future under the guise of 'freedom', the guise of 'liberty', the guise of 'democracy'! I ask you, dear compatriots, what kind of democracy is it when the people are forced to cower behind corrupt politicians reeking of patronage, reduced to nothing more than huddled masses controlled by an elite that cares nothing for them? My reign will be the long-awaited fire that cleanses this nation of the parasites that have sapped our strength for far too long, and I will lead us, with the guidance and consent of our people, in to the bright future my generation fought to secure during the Revolution. I ask you all, as citizens of Vetalia, to bring about that new era for this country by rallying around me leadership, to join in the momentous struggle against our enemies, and to put your every ounce of strength in to building the nation we deserve!"
"Thank you, citizens, and good night."
Following the televised speech, the Praetor, the Emperor, walked out of his office on to the hallway overlooking the Audience Chamber, a massive hall that was at one time the receiving chamber for visitors to the Emperor. A team of workers, mainly staff from the Palace itself, were working to hoist something heavy. Timed almost perfectly with the playing of the Vetalian national anthem at the end of the broadcast, he watched as the scarlet and gold banner of House Kosyachenko, a banner which had not flown since 1954, was raised once again on the wall of the audience chamber. "It is done, then." he said quietly, and went back to his office to contact the Proconsuls of Defense, Internal Security, and State and the Tribune of the Vetalian Senate to determine the effectiveness of his seizure of power and to plan out the first year of his reign. Much work was yet to be done to ensure the country would be molded according to his vision, and many challenges still faced the establishment of this New Order.