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MicroWorld Newsbites – July 2016

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FLANDRENSIS

  • On 5 July, Flandrensis updated its Constitution for the eighth time since the Grand Duchy’s foundation in 2008. The revision has served mainly to insert the Grand Duchy’s environmental mission into its constitution, including a ban on tourists visiting its Antarctic claims and the statement that Flandrensis is the “only country in the world that doesn’t want its land inhabited by people”.

KUMANO JIRITSU

  • On 21 July, O-Hatsu Kenji-sama resigned as Kumano’s head of state. Senate leader Dr. Yamamoto Seiji has been appointed acting Sendatsu Daimyo (head of state) until elections take place in September or October.

LADONIA

  • The Ladonian cabinet has appointed Indonesian resident Cornelius Marpaung as its Minister for Anime and Hetalian Affairs. Other unusual cabinet posts in Ladonia include a Minister of Thermonuclear Eye Protection and a Minister of Raccoons and 42.

ONGAL

  • On 2 July, Ongal issued a claim to West Antarctica, i.e. those areas of Antarctica not already claimed by the seven UN member states of the United Nations which are signatories to the Antarctic Treaty. The Empire is unlikely to recognise this new claim, as the territory in question is already claimed by Westarctica, Flandrensis, Campinia and Arkel, all of which are states Austenasia has treaties with recognising their claims.
  • On 6 July, Prince Milomir I met with former monarch of Bulgaria, Simeon I, at the National Museum of Military History in Sofia. The meeting was of an informal nature, with Simeon of Bulgaria not representing his country in any official capacity.

SANDUS

  • On 3 July, a membership application to the Grand Unified Micronational by the State of Sandus was rejected. On 27 July, the Empire suspended diplomatic relations with Sandus after its head of state Will Soergel published unfounded and untrue accusations that Emperor Jonathan I had masterminded a “conspiracy” to persuade GUM delegations to vote against Sandus.

WYVERN

  • On 27 July, the Statenraad of Wyvern decided against talks with Sandus which had been proposed in an attempt to resolve long-lasting diplomatic hostilities between the two states, considering it extremely unlikely that such talks would result in any meaningfully positive outcome.

About this article

Additional context relevant to this article.

What is the Monarchy? The Austenasian Monarchy is the constitutional institution headed by the Emperor of Austenasia, who serves as Head of State. The Crown represents the continuity and constitutional authority of Austenasia and has formed part of the Empire’s constitutional structure since its foundation in 2008. The office of Monarch is distinct from that of the Prime Minister, who serves as Head of Government and leads the day-to-day administration of Austenasia. The powers and constitutional arrangements of the Crown have changed during Austenasia’s history.
What was the Senate? Under the Constitution of 2011, the Senate was a constitutional body primarily responsible for holding the Monarch accountable and was separate from Austenasia’s legislature. Established in 2018, it exercised powers relating to matters including regency, treaties, constitutional amendments and the line of succession. Legislative authority was separately exercised through Parliament and the House of Representatives. This institution should not be confused with the present Senate established under the Constitution of 2026, which serves as Austenasia’s legislative body and succeeded to functions formerly vested in the House of Representatives.
Historical constitutional framework The Constitution of 2011 is no longer the Constitution of Austenasia. It was repealed and replaced by the Constitution of 2026, which entered into force on 25 July 2026. References in this article to provisions of the Constitution of 2011 describe the constitutional arrangements in force at the time of publication and may not reflect current Austenasian law.
Who is Jonathan Austen? Jonathan Austen, formerly Emperor Jonathan I Augustus, is the founder and fourth Emperor of Austenasia. He co-founded Austenasia with his family in 2008 and served for many years as Prime Minister before ascending to the throne in 2013. During his reign, Jonathan oversaw a substantial period of Austenasian expansion and development and played a major role in establishing its institutions and foreign relations. He abdicated on 29 September 2024 after more than eleven years as Emperor. Following a period of continued public service after his abdication, Jonathan resigned from his remaining government duties in 2025.
Austenasia and the GUM Austenasia withdrew from the Grand Unified Micronational (GUM) on 18 September 2024, following concerns regarding bullying and harassment within the organisation and dissatisfaction with how such allegations were handled. Austenasia had been involved with the GUM for approximately fifteen years. This notice is displayed on articles concerning the GUM, including articles published before Austenasia’s withdrawal.