Politics of New Breshyu

## Second Darsee Ministry

*This article includes a mix of descriptions of political life in New Breshyu at different times in the late 7th and early 8th centuries, and has therefore not been able to be converted to past tense in line with other articles on the Owlian world.*

## Government

### The Archbishop of Breshyu

The Archbishop of Breshyu is the head of state in New Breshyu and is responsible for the spiritual well being of the nation as well as representing it on the global stage. Succession is determined by precedence in the Ngoi Church and the previous diocesan role is ceremonially retained with a suffragan bishop performing the role defacto. However since succession precedes reappointment to the diocesan position the incoming Archbishop normally alternates between the diocesan bishops of Kalampho and Yanjioor.

The full form of address to be used for the Archbishop is *The Most Revd and Rt Hon The Lord Archbishop of Breshyu.* When speaking to the Archbishop it is *Your Grace* and *Sir* or *Ma'am* thereafter*.* The letters HG for *Her/his Grace* are often used as an acronym for government objects (For example *HG Treasury* and *HG Foreign Ministry).*

### The Prime Minister

A government is formed when one member of parliament can demonstrate to the archbishop that they have sufficient support to be able to pass budgets and continue the stable running of the country. This individual is called the Prime Minister and is the head of government in New Breshyu. Though they have no *de jure* executive power they and the cabinet are in practice delegated with executive powers from the Archbishop.

### The Cabinet

The cabinet is a subset of the Privy Council of the Archbishop comprised of members of the government who have been given delegated executive powers as secretaries of state to enact the will of HG Government. Members of the cabinet are chosen from members of parliament sitting on the government or clergy benches and each member of the cabinet has a portfolio of powers and duties they are to perform. Members of the cabinet and the Prime Minister are to be addressed with the honorific *The Right Honourable.*

## The Parliament

The Parliament is the representative legislative body for New Breshyu and holds a significant amount of power. The Parliament is formed and dissolved by the Archbishop in their capacity as head of state and 23 of its members are decided by election in 9 different constituencies each with between 2 and 4 seats. The other 5 seats in parliament are held by senior members of the Ngoi Clergy and traditionally these five either abstain or vote with the government though the often vigorously take part in chamber debates.

### The Constituencies

The Parliament is elected from voters in 9 constituencies the seats are divided proportionally to the votes counted in a given constituency.

#### Yanjioor Central

The area around Yanjioor's market and church is represented by 3 MPs and is often dominated by the Liberals. It has a relatively affluent population and a lot of the merchant class along with those working in and around the church are found there. As well as the Church and Market the constituency is home to some industries including logging and livestock. Yanjioor central also contains a large park, Priest's Hill, and the End Flame Memorial.

#### Yanjioor West

Yanjioor West is the largest constituency in terms of population and it elects 4 representatives to parliament. This is also a safe seat for the liberals and they normally see at least 3 of the 4 seats going their way. This area has a large diversity of residents from all sorts of backgrounds and in recent years the Calavarian party has managed to gain some electoral successes here. This constituency is also home to the Parliament Building and a lot of the nations politicians and civil servants live here.

#### Yanjioor Docklands

The Docklands area is home to much of Yanjioor's industry as well as the nation's southern port. It is another seat with a strong tradition of voting liberal and has a large young population as well as containing a lot of the poorer residents of the city. It elects 3 representatives to parliament. In a shocking result last election a seat was won by the Young Capybaras who were able to capitalise on the frustrations of the urban poor.

#### Kalampho Temple

Temple is the northernmost of the constituencies representing the city of Kalampho as well as being the most populous. It is represented by 3 seats in parliament and is traditionally a battleground between the liberals and conservatives. It contains much of the industry of Kalampho as well as one of the city's churches. There are a number of farmers and fishermen also living in this area giving it a significant rural population as well as urban.

#### Kalampho Towers

Towers sits south of temple and extends to the city wall in the south. This area is mostly residential but does include some old ruins as well as previously being home to a number of livestock breeders prior to an unexpected explosion. It elects representatives to 2 seats and is considered the safest conservative constituency.

#### Kalampho Pyramid

Pyramid takes in many of the large monuments as well as the old well and town square. It is the richest part of Kalampho and is also hope to the city's gardens and recreational areas. Its 2 seats have in the past been safe conservative seats however in the past the Young Capybaras have seen some success here..

#### Fort Elouise

Fort Elouise is an oasis community populated primarily by people of the Calavarian diaspora. It is the home of the Calavarian party until the last election both seats have always been held by members of the party. The Young Cpaybaras managed to make a breakthrough here in the last election as their leader Scarlet Carmine managed to take a seat here.

#### Rural West

The western rural constituency is the largest in therms of land area but is very sparsely populated. It is represented by two seats in parliament. The population consists mostly of small farming communities and desert traders bringing supplies from the main cities to other settlements such as Fort Elouise. In recent years it has seen large amounts of growth with the establishment of the Temezi Mines and a number of vineyards along the south coast.

#### Rural East

Two seats are elected in the eastern rural constituency. Though there is some interest in farming here the majority of constituents are miners or loggers and rely on the market for their goods in the booming city of Yanjioor. Despite this the conservatives have managed to win seats here in the past often on the backs of the farming communities.

## Political Factions

Though there are formal political parties in New Breshyu the two main political factions are more loose alliances without a true party infrastructure and politicians have been known to transfer between the two depending on the changing political climate. The two formally organised parties both normally find less support though recently their party infrastructure has allowed them to mobilise local support into electoral results.

### The Liberals

Currently in government the Liberals are a popular party in the capital of Yanjioor but normally see less support elsewhere. They main concerns are the development of the new capital along with the commerce that is brought in through the trade therein.

For the past five years the Liberals have ruled with a minority government and under the leadership of Rory Macau. During this period the nation has seen a growth in infrastructure as well as a boom in agriculture and mining in the Rural West. If they remain in control they intend to continue good stewardship of the nation by improving the rural economy while growing the cities even further. A notable inclusion in the manifesto is a promise to examine export taxes as they attempted to do five years ago. Another aim for the party will be to make the Sha Eiero river fully navigable allowing for greater trade links with Eastern Village.

### The Conservatives

If the Liberals are the party of Yanjioor then the Conservatives are the party of Kalampho. They are strongly against too much investment in the capital and their main base of voters are in rural communities and the farming industry.

Conservative leader Juliet Darsee is looking to establish a conservative government for the first time in decades. One of her key manifesto promises is to establish guaranteed parliamentary representation for minority ethnic groups. On the economy she wants to see greater protections for the farming communities of the north  and an increase in subsidies for the agricultural sector. She would also look to establish more strict regulation over the mining industry. Her overall promise is to make rural communities more sustainable and less reliant on the capital city.

### The Calavarian Party

Though Calavarain is the predominant language in New Breshyu the number of people who culturally identify as native Calavarains as opposed to those of New Iotanian diaspora is quite small. They are spread out throughout the entire country but form the majority of the population in the town of Fort Elouise where the Calavarain party has its roots. The party's main goals are ensuring that Calavarian traditions are not totally subsumed by the New Iotanian ones. They often side with the Liberals in policy and have recently sat on the government benches as part of an alliance with the Liberals.

The Calavarian Party's main aim continues to be representing the traditional interests of ethnic Calavarians in government. Party leader Elijah Tawney has spent a lot of time condemning the militaristic rhetoric of the Young Capybaras and strongly believes that the heritage of Calavaria should not be reduced to just its military past.

The party continues to advocate for improved healthcare nationwide and also wishes to have better protections for overland trade.

### The Young Capybaras

The Young Capybaras were formed as a political movement in the aftermath of the Calavarian civil war when the soldiers who served under Arbam Caine and later Antonia Blech returned from the war to find that the politics of Capybara Island were very much opposed to their views. Capybara island had been aligned against Blech's faction through almost the entire civil war and so the island was suspicious of its children who returned home having fought in Blech's wars. This political movement started by returning soldiers soon found a home in the hearts of many in Capybara Island and for veterans throughout all of Calavaria.

In Owlia it remained a small political movement initially populated just by Calavarian veterans but it soon found a place being a voice for many who were dissatisfied with life in New Breshyu.

Under the leadership of Scarlet Carmine the Young Capybaras continue to advocate for a return to the militaristic roots that allowed for the formation of the Confederacy. They want to see increased military spending and an annexation of all territory west of Sha Eiero including Eastern Village.

They also promise that if in power they would bring an end to the Archbishopric and establish a President-Generalship as in Calavaria. With regards to the economy they would want to see the government take control of the mines and the establishment of various state owned industries to serve the interests of the military.

## Other Ministries

### Lord High Chancellor

 The Rt Revd and Rt Hon The Lord Bishop Marcy Palmers (Clergy)

### Secretary of Sate for Culture

Lib

Following a general election triggered by a significant government defeat the Liberals managed to form a minority government working with the Clergy. During this period the national capital of Yanjioor saw large expansion and new industries in the rural areas of west New Breshyu were established. There was a mining boom as well as large increases in the housing capacity of the nation.

## Other Ministries

### Lord High Chancellor

 The Rt Revd and Rt Hon The Lord Bishop Marcy Palmers (Clergy)

### Secretary of Sate for Culture

Con

Following the election of 695 a Conservative-Calavarian government has been in power under the premiership of Juliet Darsee the youngest Prime Minister in the history of the nation. She was elected on a platform of increased rural development and representation for minority cultural and linguistic groups and the Calavarian party sat with the government on the promise of increased healthcare spending.

The initial years of the administration were fruitful with continued growth in both the urban and rural areas. plans were also laid down for the construction of a new Hospital north of Yanjioor to serve both of the nation's major cities. Rural development was aided by expansion of the road network and construction of various stations along the network where horses can be rested and stabled. The charcoal town of Blentton saw significant investment and a new town hall was commissioned and constructed. Yanjioor also saw growth thanks to the new transport links and there was a small boom in the housing industry there.

The later years were also for the most part successful but one incident took over much of the political discourse at the time - the battle of Kūwaha in which a group of New Breshyu soldiers fought off an attack on the independent town of Kūwaha to the east. The battle was hard fought and many of the soldiers died but as a result Kūwaha ended up petitioning to join the nation. This was thought by many in the establishment to be a result of the leader of the soldiers (an old guard Young Capybara) telling the leaders of Kūwaha of the legacy of Caine and his confederacy.

Political debate raged on this issue and eventually the government (supported by breakaway liberals and the Young Capybaras) pushed through a bill granting the citizens of Kūwaha citizenship. The Archbishop however did not immediately grant assent to the bill and instead went on a state visit to Kūwaha to make negotiations with the leadership there in person. She returned announcing that she would not raise the bill to law but would personally grant citizenship to the Kūwaha people. This is the first time in living memory an Archbishop has withheld assent on a bill ratified by parliament though it was widely reported that in the weeks after the dispute the PM and Archbishop managed to patch up relations.

Which was just in time as well - due to the expansions of the borders of New Breshyu parliament would need to be reformed. A cross party committee was set up to begin the process and a new electoral map was drawn up. The number of elected seats was increased and in order to maintain balance there was also provision made for one extra clerical seat. Darsee had hoped to be able to push for additional seats specific to minority groups however this did not end up going in her favour.

The administration also took some criticism from the Calavarians. Following the Kūwaha vote in which the Calavarian party revolted against the government relations between the two factions on the government benches began to deteriorate. This increased further as it became clear the development of the hospital was off schedule and was taking much more resources than had been at first planned for.