Balder Bugle Issue IV
A publication of the Ministry of Communications of the Realm of Balder.
Storting Elections Held
April saw the election of a new Storting (parliament) in Balder. The election marked the end of the first full term on Balder’s new forum, and Vulturret’s first term as Statsminster. The many changes Balder faced over those two months continued to shape issues in the election, with Statsminster Vulturret looking back on the challenges met and the ones still to face as Balder continues to grow and prosper. The region went into the election with confidence, looking forward to another productive term. A number of candidates stood, and five were ultimately elected:
Vulturret
Theoden Sebastian
ZanderCerebella
Griffindor13
Akillian Talleyrand
Election of Lawspeaker
With the elections concluded, the Storting’s first act of business was the election of a Lawspeaker (The Storting’s presiding officer). Theoden Sebastian declared his intention to run for the office when he stood for the Storting, and upon election was nominated for the position by fellow member Akillian Talleyrand, recieving the unanimous support of his colleages. Seconding the nomination, Vulturret praised Theoden’s previous service in the role, commenting “Based on his record of prior service that can be found on our old board, I have no doubt he will render the region an excellent service in returning to the role.” Theoden thanked his fellow members for the support and accepted his nomination.
Statsminister Election
The Storting then moved on to the election of a Statsminster. Outgoing Statsminster Vulturret had announced his intention to seek a second term at the outset of the Storting election, and upon completion of the elections was nominated for Statsminster by Akillian Talleyrand. Accepting the nomination, Vulturret thanked Akillian, stating that he was “pleased to accept this humbling honor to be re-nominated as Statsminister.” Vulturret recieved the unanimous support of the Storting, with fellow member Griffindor13 commenting “You did an excellent job last term as Statsminister, and I’m certain you’ll do better this term.”
State Opening of Parliament and the Awarding of Honours
With the elections complete and the Lawspeaker and Statsminster elected, parliament was opened by King North East Somerset. Formally appointing Vulturret as Statsminster, the King voiced his support, saying that Vulturret’s “service over the past two months has been one of dedication and perseverance, and those are qualities that I think will serve us well going forwards.”
Praising the solidarity of Balder’s citizenry and government through a tough time in the Region’s history, the King stated “The transition to a new forum and from a Delegate who had served the Region for over half its history, simultaneously, would normally be one of significant upheaval, but any pitfalls have been overcome with a steady hand and determined grit to move forwards…I believe strongly that the correct application of our independent philosophy will equip us effectively for whatever is thrown at us”
Thanking those who had played a significant part in these transitions, the King went on to say "I would like to pay tribute to all members of last term’s Government, many of whom I hope will be serving again - and also to my fellow Royals; Onderkelkia, Zander and Fuzzy - who have provided valuable and wise counsel, to the Government and Monarchy. Together we make a strong team, and one which I have the utmost confidence in. "
Honouring those who had served Balder with persistance and dedication, the King conferred the following titles:
Baron of Hovgården - Akillian Talleyrand
Baron of Malmö - Cinder
Jarl of Nordland - Linkin Maximus
Duke of Aalborg - Theoden Sebastian
The titles are all well deserved, reflecting a long history of service to Balder. Upon awarding these titles, the king said “I hope you will join me in congratulating these much deserved Peers for their service. Their cumulative service is too detailed to go into here, but they know what they have done for the Region and over such a length of time.”
Appointment of Statsraadet and Announcement of Term Goals
Following on from the state opening of parliament, newly re-elected Statsminster Vulturret appointed his new Statsraadet (Cabinet) making the following appointments:
Minister of Culture: Zander Cerebella
Minister of Foreign Affairs: Fuzzy
Minister of War: Akillian Talleyrand
Minister of World Assembly Affairs: Griffindor13
Minister for the Cabinet Office: Theoden Sebastian
Minister of Integration: Jake
The cabinet includes a mix of experienced ministers and new faces, all of whom are looking forward to the term ahead.
Vulturret also took this opportunity to set out his plans for the term, stating that “Our continued success is owing to the long record of service by the Monarchy to ensure our region is secure and our high World Assembly statistics are maintained; the Government, meanwhile, has been engaging in the creation of many programs last term that will be ready for implementation this term.”
The first of these is a plan spearheaded by the Ministry of Integration which aims, among other things, to improve community engagement on Balder’s RMB and increase participation in the Royal Diplomatic Service. This will be supported by the recent completion of a new set of automated telegrams, which aim to increase the King’s endorsement count and promote regional integration through increased participation in regional life.
Finally, the “Information for World Assembly Voters” programme was unveiled, which aims to increase co-operation on WA affairs between the various parts of Balder’s government and increase the amount of WA vote information made available to Balder residents. This aims to strenghten Balder’s influence in the WA, by better co-ordinating our position on resolutions, educating our residents and ensuring that WA nations vote in accordance with Balder’s official stance.
Vulturret’s plan to oversee the implementation of these programmes recieved the support of Balder citizens and royalty, with Crown Prince OnderKelkia commenting “A very fine speech. We can look forward to another strong term with Vulturret as Statsminister.” and Lawspeaker Theoden Sebastian stating “A solid plan of action by the government that focuses on community engagement and participation. I look forward to serving with my esteemed colleagues.”
Other News
The Jomsvikings had been assisting Balder’s partners in The Black Hawks with their operation in Westphalia. That operation is now concluded, and the Jomsvikings are now training for further reinforcement missions.
Contact Vulturret, of the Ministry of Communications, with comments regarding the Bugle.