NationStates Jolt Archive


Brunate gives Nera confidence and supply — with conditions

Pacitalia
08-01-2009, 01:49
Breaking news from PNN.pc

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/00798/segolene-royal_798063a.jpg
Pacitalian prime minister Archetenia Nera will keep her job, at least for now.
New Green Party leader Gabrielo Brunate met with Ms Nera and Pacitalian
archonate Dr Timothy Ell on Wednesday afternoon at La Palmafiore. Mr Brunate
agreed to have his party repopulate the Constazione and will support the FPD
government until the scheduled parliamentary elections in November, thus avoiding
an early vote. However, his support comes at a cost, as he demanded, and got, six
cabinet positions for his party — meaning Pacitalia now has a coalition government.

Brunate gives Nera confidence and supply — with conditions
Greens to take six cabinet positions, creating coalition government that will last until elections in November


Manti Soratina Murana, Timiocato

It's time to return to work for the speaker and the 1,099 representatives in the Constazione.

Pacitalia's lower legislative house will resume normal parliamentary process on Monday following a key power-sharing and confidence agreement between prime minister Archetenia Nera and new Green Party leader Gabrielo Brunate.

The verbal agreement, witnessed by Pacitalian archonate Dr Timothy Ell at his official residence Wednesday afternoon, guarantees Green Party support of the Federation of Progressive Democrats (FPD) government until the originally scheduled parliamentary elections in November, thus avoiding an early national vote for the Constazione. In exchange, Ms Nera has agreed to relieve six of her current cabinet members of their duties and replace them with MPPs from the Green Party, creating a coalition government.

Ms Nera is expected to announce by Friday which of her six Agustinates and chancellors will be leaving their posts. Then, Ms Nera and Mr Brunate will meet sometime over the weekend to determine which Green representatives will fill those positions. Of the six cabinet positions Mr Brunate required in exchange for Green party support in the lower chamber, it is believed that at least four of them will be Agustinates.

The prime minister, despite having to cave to sharp political maneuvering by the new Green party leader, seemed upbeat as she addressed reporters in Timiocato at 1700 Wednesday.

"I am pleased to report that the leader of the Green Party of Pacitalia, Mr Brunate, and I, have agreed, in mutually good faith, to a commitment to cooperate within the existing parliament," Ms Nera said. "I am looking forward to working with Mr Brunate to continue to run this government and the affairs of the country."

The prime minister asserted she felt Mr Brunate's demands were "reasonable" and that he was "gracious" throughout their 40-minute meeting with the archonate.

"He simply wanted something in exchange for the guarantee that he would endorse my government, and that is not at all out of order," Ms Nera added. "I am comfortable with that to which we have agreed."

Although the FPD continues to occupy a majority of the 1,099 seats in the Constazione, the move creates a coalition government because the Greens are technically no longer in opposition. And, arguably, despite now having to share power with the Greens, Ms Nera's position in parliament is strengthened as a fractured Pacitalian Social Coalition is the only significant opposition to a coalition government that holds a combined 674 seats in the lower chamber.

There are 570 MPPs from the FPD and 104 Greens in the Constazione. The PSC holds 259 seats in the chamber but there are increasing signs that the party is splitting into camps backing the current leader and former prime minister, Fernando Chiovitti, and the current deputy leader and former senior deputy prime minister, Diego Zuna.

Analysts and academic observers now look more like pundits as they attempt to decode just who in the government is on the chopping block, and who from the Greens will be their most likely successor.

Liz Cunningham, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Mandragora, says it is "inevitable" that Mr Brunate will become senior deputy prime minister. However, the position is not a cabinet post and it is likely Mr Brunate will also become an Agustinate.

Andrew Linklater, a senior lecturer on political science at the University of Manhattan, in Fidelia — and an expert on parliamentary politics in Foringana — says the current Agustinate of the environment, Ramón Ambardoza, will not be targeted, even though that is clearly the most likely cabinet position a Green MPP would fill in a new coalition government.

Cunningham concurred, saying Ambardoza is safe because he is well-liked by the public and his efforts both prior to and during his agustinacy have received the official endorsement of former Green leader Neros Constantakis.

"It is more likely that the FPD will keep the environment portfolio and give other social portfolios to the Greens while keeping the economic portfolios for themselves, similar to the split of duties during the PSC-FPD coalition in 2006 and 2007," Cunningham said. "And instead of giving the Greens the environment portfolio, Ms Nera and Mr Brunate might agree to create a new directorate" specifically for creating green-collar jobs and managing "green capitalist" initiatives, which Mr Brunate himself could head.

The Green party leader refused to comment on the proceedings today except to say he would release a statement or speak publicly once the prime minister and he had "worked out the details of the coalition arrangement".

Meanwhile, Mr Chiovitti's failure to convince the archonate he could form an alternate government has led rather swiftly to the proliferation of rumours about his continued leadership of the PSC. Anonymous insiders from the party say it is already "certain" Mr Chiovitti will not be leading the party into the next election in November. One source told PNN that "whether he leaves voluntarily or is forced out is up to him". The PSC executive council reportedly wants Mr Chiovitti to resign of his own accord by 30th April.

In April 2008 — following the PSC's heavy defeat in national elections on 30th November 2007 — Mr Chiovitti was rumoured to be transferring the leadership to his deputy, Mr Zuna. However, he suddenly changed course and remained as leader of the PSC. The move appears to have amplified the increasingly bitter conflict between the supporters of both men.