Prince Dionisiy proposes constitutional changes

The new Prime Minister has proposed changes to the current system of executive and legislative power in a Prime Minister’s Broadcast released earlier today.

New Prime Minister Dionisiy I

Prince Dionisiy, who was elected earlier this month, announced plans to put forward various constitutional changes.

The amendments would, in brief, change the nature of Austenasia-wide democracy from having an executive to a legislative function.

Prince Dionisiy has proposed “to establish regular direct and binding referenda which will solve the important legislative questions… so that not only the House of Representatives is able to decide upon legislative questions, but that the people themselves are in charge.”

This would be coupled with a change to the set-up of government, with the Consuls being appointed by the Monarch and replacing the Prime Minister as head of government.

The details of how these changes would be implemented and the proposed timescale of their implementation are yet to be known, as they have not yet been officially proposed by legislation. Any changes to the Constitution require approval by the Monarch and a supermajority of Representatives, as well as confirmation by a referendum.

Lord John Gordon, the Leader of the Opposition, has come out in opposition to the proposal to make the head of government an appointed position.

“Austenasia is a democratic nation, a fact I am proud of. I will fight as Leader of the Opposition against any attempts to undermine the democratic process,” Lord John said today in an exclusive statement to the Austenasian Times.

Given the requirement that any change to the Constitution requires the support of over 80% of Representatives, it would take just one Representative other than Lord Gordon to also vote against in order to derail the proposed amendments.

Prime Minister’s Broadcasts were a semi-regular feature of the premiership of the then Crown Prince Jonathan, when the now Emperor was Prime Minister (2008-13). They were not used by Lord Marshal William (2013) or Countess Eritoshi (2013-15), but Lord Admiral Kennedy (2015-20) did publish one shortly after his initial election win.

Prince Dionisiy elected Prime Minister

HSH Dionisiy I, Prince of Montescano and Duke of Lycaonia, has been elected the fourth Prime Minister of Austenasia with 52.27% of the vote in a closely-fought election.

His rival candidate, Lord John Gordon, received 40.91% of the vote, whereas an option to Abstain – which, if it gained a majority, would have forced fresh elections – received 6.82% of the vote.

This translates to twenty-three, eighteen, and three votes respectively from the forty-four Austenasian subjects who voted yesterday. With fifty-nine of Austenasia’s population eligible to vote, this was a 74.58% turnout.

Lord Gordon campaigned on a platform of social democracy and progressivism, but also pledged to nationalise private businesses.

Dionisiy’s campaign promises focused on promoting the Romano-Christian culture of the Empire, as well as implementing internet-based referenda on important legislative issues.

Despite criticism from some quarters for referring to “climate change hysterica”, the Prince has also pledged to minimise Austenasia’s carbon footprint, and is currently overseeing the construction of a solar farm in Seleucia ad Cilicia.

Prince Dionisiy is expected to release a Prime Minister’s Broadcast tonight detailing his plans for the rest of the year.

As well as the general election, local elections for Representative took place in the towns of Palasia, Gebirgspark, Chalcedon and Nahona. Palasia saw its incumbent, Dionisiy’s rival Lord Gordon, re-elected, whereas the other three towns had the Acting Representatives appointed upon their annexations (Lord Kristof Fondrk, Lord Ismetcan Sarac, and King William I, respectively) elected to the position proper.

General election takes place after New Virginia given independence

Yesterday saw New Virginia set up an independent state under outgoing Prime Minister, Lord Admiral Joseph Kennedy. Tomorrow will see the Lord Admiral’s successor take office as Prime Minister.

Austenasia’s sixth general election is currently underway, as Prince Dionisiy I and Lord John Gordon battle for the public’s votes to become the fourth Prime Minister of Austenasia.

As announced at Christmas, the towns of New Richmond, Terentia and Augusta were yesterday granted independence from Austenasia as the newly independent Commonwealth of New Virginia.

An uninhabited part of Augusta has been retained by Austenasia as the territory of Fraternitas, which now borders both New Virginia and the United States of America.

Yesterday also saw the Crown Dependency of Oregonia leave Austenasia. Although it did not likewise join New Virginia, the decision to dissolve the crown dependency by its governing commissioner, Adam I of Uberstadt, was based partially on the departure of Lord Admiral Kennedy from government.

Although these losses only saw Austenasia lose 3.28% of its land claims, the population has dropped from 102 to 80.

Outgoing Prime Minister, Lord Admiral Joseph Kennedy, has published a speech for the occasion:

My fellow Austenasians – as you all know, yesterday, the Commonwealth of New Virginia seceded from the Empire. Today marks a general election, and my last day as Prime Minister of the Empire of Austenasia. Together, we’ve built this nation up as a testament to the success a small country can achieve. Our nation has gone from a small home south of London with four residents to a vast empire on which the sun never sets, from North America to Australia. We are one of, if not the, largest functioning democracies in the community of small nations, and it has been my absolute pleasure to oversee this growth for almost five years now.

We’ve accomplished a lot since I assumed the office of Prime Minister back in 2015. We’ve expanded our territories exponentially and more than doubled our population. We’ve established ourselves as a military superpower in our community. We secured peace in New South Scotland, and returned full administration of that crown dependency to the central government. We’ve reformed the executive branch to ensure ministerial accountability to the Prime Minister’s Office and to Parliament through ministerial reports. We’ve made Parliament more accountable to the people through the reformation of our elections and the introduction of the Parliamentary Gazette. We’ve completely reformed our judiciary and introduced the Ministry of Justice. We’ve introduced the Ministry of Culture, which has undertaken various efforts such as a registry of historic locations. We’ve reformed the way Parliament operates through the Parliament Act 2019. We’ve amended our Constitution twice through national referenda. 

The Empire as it stands today, the last day of my term, is vastly different from the one I knew when I came to office, and I am very proud – not of myself, but of the Austenasian people, because my team and I couldn’t have accomplished any of this without your mandate and support. I cannot possibly articulate my appreciation for you, my fellow Austenasians, and for the opportunity you have given me to be your highest elected official. As I leave this noble office, I can say wholeheartedly that this Empire is better than ever.

As I’ve said, I’m eternally grateful for my time as Prime Minister of the Empire of Austenasia. Personally, I’ve grown as an individual during my time in office. I was sixteen years old when I took office, and I am twenty-one years old as I leave. I’ve spent the most important formative years of my life as the head of government of a micronational superpower, and it has been a surreal and incredible experience. We have, as stated, accomplished a vast number of reforms and growth.

Speaking now as Chairman of the Provisional Council of New Virginia, I affirm that the Commonwealth will take great measures to ensure the fraternal bonds shared by our peoples, for which the Territory of Fraternitas is so aptly named, continue to thrive. I am very, very excited to see where our national friendship will take us in the future.

I am furthermore announcing the dissolution of the Imperial Party. The party has achieved a great deal of success in the Empire, however the bulk of its membership has amicably departed for the Commonwealth. I thank the party’s many supporters for the confidence they placed in me as Leader of the Imperial Party.

After discussion with the Emperor, it has been decided that I will stay on as the Emperor’s deputy in North America as Caesar, the Chief Advisor of the Privy Council, and will assume a seat in the Illustrious Senate. While I leave my high offices and retract from political life within the Empire, I will remain a trusted friend and advisor to the Monarch, government and people of Austenasia.

I wish the best of luck to whoever is elected to assume the premiership. I thank you, my fellow subjects, for your continued confidence in myself and my team over the past five years. Serving as Prime Minister has been one of the most challenging – yet rewarding – experiences of my life, and I’m proud to leave the Empire in a better place than I found it. God bless you all, and God save the Emperor.

The results of today’s election will be announced on the morning of Thursday 13th.