Latest from the Empire
Cabinet Appointments Earlier this morning, Monday 17 March 2025, His Imperial Majesty, Aggelos I, made the following Cabinet appointments, based upon the nominations from Prime Minister Creed. New Diplomatic Organization HSH Lord Jonathan has reported that all is going very well with the creation of the New Diplomatic Organization. Several friendly states are onboard for the project. A charter for the organization is currently in the early stages of drafting. Lord Jonathan has since stepped down from the role. Crown Prince Shiro has now taken over the position of Ambassador at Large. Premiership Act On 14 March 2025, Parliament passed the Premiership Act. The act creates a Line of Succession in case the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister are incapacitated. The Line of Succession, which is comprised of Cabinet members, is as follows: Senate Reconfirmation On 9 March 2025, Prime Minister Creed announced that the following people have been reconfirmed to the Senate for a five-year term. Empire Expansion The Empire is expected to expand within the coming weeks, with a large influx of land claims. Public details are limited at this time. Chief Herald Cabinet has been in discussion of appointing a new Chief Herald, which is a person responsible for the upkeep of the Coat of Arms and Heraldry. Prime Minister Creed has nominated Austenasian Ambassador to Norway, Chris Ramsay. Cabinet is currently waiting for approval from the Emperor. Active Recruitment The Empire of Austenasia is currently recruiting for new citizens! If there is anyone interested in getting more involved with the Empire, they are more than welcome to visit the Government Website and fill out the following form:
Prater Ineligible? Problem Solved
On August 11, one day before the dissolution of Austenasian Parliament in preparation for the upcoming General Election on September 9, it was discovered by the Acting Prime Minister, Lord Andrew Creed, that his election opponent, Lord Hunter Prater, was ineligible to run for the office of Prime Minister, according to Act 1 of the Austenasian Constitution. Act 1, Section 6 states the following: “Candidates for Prime Minister must be Members of Cabinet” Lord Prater, was a member of Cabinet and sat as Chief Ambassador, but resigned from the position in July of this year. Considering the fact that he resigned, he became no longer eligible to run for Prime Minister. Lord Creed consulted other members of government, including Acting Deputy Prime Minister, Shiro Mephistopheles, on what to do about the situation, as the Constitution also states that there must be at least two candidates running for Prime Minister. As a solution, it was decided to appoint Lord Prater to a ceremonial position in Cabinet. He was appointed Home Secretary, the previous post of Lord Creed. Acting Deputy Prime Minister, Shiro Mephistopheles, made the following statement, explaining the situation: “Note that this is a stop-gap measure because the Constitution states in one place that only a Cabinet official may run, and in others only a Representative may run. Additionally, the Prince Regent must approve at least two candidates, and it happens there are exactly two. This invites a paradox that the Government has summarily addressed. To refuse to do otherwise invites a constitutional crisis. Additionally, it represents a fatal flaw in Austenasia’s democratic process, and we cannot countenance even the appearance of undermining this process. So, in a spirit of good faith and a desire to avoid manufacturing a distasteful situation by lack of action, the Acting Prime Minister took this unorthodox move upon consultation with myself. The government will be expected to address the issue itself at the very first possible opportunity. Until then, we proceed as if Lord Hunter Prater is fully qualified.” Lord Prater has yet to comment on the situation, but we are sure he will be relieved to know that he is still in the race. Parliament will be dissolved today, August 12, from there the campaigning and road to the election begins. The Times will be following any and all developments and will report as necessary.
Wrythe given special status as Imperial Capital
An Act of Parliament passed by the new Regent has given Wrythe a special autonomous status. The Imperial Capital Act 2024, proposed and passed during this year’s ongoing Summer Session of Parliament, was given Imperial Consent by Prince Regent Aggelos on Tuesday 28th May. Under the provisions of the Act, Wrythe gains a level of autonomy similar to that of a crown dependency, henceforth no longer falling under the automatic jurisdiction of the central government. Rather, the capital will be governed by the Pater Patriae, a previously honorary title that was given to Emperor Father Terry in 2021. The title has been made hereditary, meaning it will one day be inherited by Jonathan I. Being given a special status as the Imperial Capital, Wrythe is no longer a Town with City status, and will therefore no longer elect a Representative, although Jonathan I – who has served as the capital’s Representative for most of its history – retains an observer status in Parliament. Wrythe is considered by many to be the historical and cultural heart of the Empire, being Austenasia’s first land claim and the site of the Imperial Residence. With the Emperor seeking to withdraw from political life following last month’s implementation of the Regency, this new law has made long-term provision for Wrythe to remain under Austenasian sovereignty regardless of the level of interaction between Jonathan I and the imperial government.
Valens and Dinkeaw dissolved
Sunday 21st saw an Act of Parliament passed dissolving two Austenasian land claims, namely the Town of Valens and the Crown Dependency of Dinkeaw. Valens, which was annexed from Canada in December 2022, was home to six people. The Acting Representative of Valens dropped out of contact with the imperial government in mid-2023, and no response was gained from several attempts to re-establish contact with the town, including by posted mail. The trigger to move ahead with the dissolution of Valens is a proposed constitutional amendment, which will require near unanimity in Parliament to enact. Removing the empty seat held by Valens decreases the number of votes needed to meet the required threshold. Also dissolved is Dinkeaw, a small uninhabited area of land claimed from Thailand in April 2020. The owner of the land, who originally claimed it for the Empire, requested the dissolution of the claim for reasons of security and privacy.
Parliament to meet in scheduled sessions
An Act of Parliament passed this morning has legislated for Parliament to henceforth meet in four formally scheduled sessions throughout the year, interspersed with recesses. Prior to this, Parliament was in effect constantly “in session”. Representatives live around the world, and so meet online in a private channel on the messaging software Discord, having previously used Skype. When an issue of legislative business arises, they are sent an alert by the Speaker. This means that those who are able to more frequently check their social media are more likely to respond to legislation first. The Act passed today means that in the future, Representatives will be made aware weeks in advance of a time and date to meet online. It is hoped that this will improve the ability of as many Representatives as possible to attend parliamentary discussions and votes. The introduction of formal parliamentary recesses in between sessions is also hoped to allay fears that Parliament could be accused of being “inactive”. Recent years have seen Acts being passed less frequently. Although it has been argued that this is natural now that a solid foundation of civil, criminal, and administrative law has been set for the Empire, there has remained a certain pressure for the legislature to be seen to be “doing something”, pressure that official recesses will relieve. There will be four annual parliamentary sessions interspersed with four recesses: the New Year Session followed by the Easter Recess, the Summer Session followed by the Summer Recess, the Autumn Session followed by the Autumn Recess, and the Advent Session followed by the Christmas Recess. The exact start date of each session and recess is at the discretion of the Speaker, albeit bound by parameters laid down by today’s Act of Parliament. The Monarch, Prime Minister, or Speaker will still be able to call Representatives to meet during a recess for an emergency or extraordinary meeting if necessary.
Fifteen years of independence celebrated
The Empire of Austenasia yesterday celebrated Independence Day, marking fifteen years since the Declaration of Independence was sent in September 2008. Independence Day is celebrated annually on the third Saturday in September. An special commemorative Act of Parliament passed yesterday – the two hundredth of the current reign – extended the public holiday to Wednesday 20th, the actual anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. To mark the occasion, a broadcast has been published by Lord William Wilson, the Prime Minister, reflecting on ideas of identity and legacy, praising the Empire’s governmental system, and encouraging Austenasians to play a role in the civic and cultural life of the nation. Lord Wilson used the broadcast to reveal that he will not be running in next year’s general election. In the capital city, Wrythe, Emperor Jonathan I hosted the Reylan emperor Taeglan I and King Calum I of the Grove for a semi-formal diplomatic reception. Both monarchs hold the rank of Caesar. Wrythe Public Park also saw a time capsule buried to commemorate the occasion. This replaced an earlier capsule buried in 2012, which was unearthed and opened, with its contents to be studied by the Imperial Geographical Society. Celebrations will continue until Wednesday 20th, when an honours list will be released by the Throne.
Amerdansk returned to the United Kingdom
An Act of Parliament was yesterday passed dissolving the Crown Dependency of Amerdansk. Amerdansk, which was originally founded just over seven and a half years ago as a territory claimed from Scotland, was disestablished after its governing commissioner, Sir Anthony Clark, resigned in June. The only three residents of the crown dependency were Sir Anthony and his parents, and with nobody else willing to administer the property – which consisted of their family home – the decision was made to return it to the United Kingdom. Amerdansk is the only Austenasian land claim to have held the status of a territory (2016), a town (2016-19), and a crown dependency (2019-23).
Parliamentary representation for non-residential subjects
Non-residential subjects of Austenasia will henceforth be able to vote for Representatives in Parliament, following a new law passed this evening. This sees the culmination of efforts led by Prime Minister Lord William Wilson, whose campaign for the premiership included a pledge to see parliamentary representation for non-residential subjects (an idea originally proposed by his predecessor Lord John Gordon) finally arranged. No parliamentary representation for non-residential subjects was provided for by the Austenasian Constitution of 2011 or its subsequent amendments, due to their historically having made up such a small proportion of Austenasia’s population. However, in recent years the proportion of Austenasians who do not live within Austenasia itself has increased, with a notable jump in numbers happening in May earlier this year as a result of Honorary Subjects being able to apply for naturalisation. While still technically a minority, just under half of Austenasians – 47.3% – now hold non-residential subjectship as opposed to being residential subjects living in traditionally organised territorial Towns. The growing proportion of non-residential subjects has made it a pressing concern of the government to enable parliamentary representation for them, with the Constitution only allotting Representatives to Towns. Today’s Act of Parliament has changed the definition of Town to include a new entity known as a Division, into which Austenasia’s seventy non-residential subjects are henceforth grouped. Four Divisions have been established, grouping together non-residential subjects living in the British Isles, in the rest of Europe and Africa, in Asia, and in the Americas and Oceania. Parliament has appointed a prominent non-residential from each of these regions as Acting Representative of their Division on a provisional basis until elections are organised: Non-residential subjects will be contacted over the coming few days to inform them of these reforms, and to begin organising elections for the new Divisions. With the addition of the four above-mentioned Acting Representatives to Parliament, the House of Representatives now stands at 15 strong, the largest it has ever been.
Treasury establishes precious metal investment account
An Act of Parliament was passed yesterday formally establishing the Precious Metals Account, an online investment account from which profit can be drawn from investing in precious metals such as gold, silver, and platinum. The Precious Metals Account (PMA) was initially set up by Lord Michael Simpson with a starting investment of $200 in precious metals. Lord Simpson, an experienced investor, has donated the account to the Austenasian Treasury. Profit generated by the account will now be available to fund “state expenditure and the public good”, in the words of yesterday’s legislation. For almost ten years now, Austenasia’s state income has come almost entirely from voluntary donations. Another source of income will now enable the Treasury to better budget for the funding of state projects.
Naturalisation process introduced for Honorary Subjects
Honorary Subjects of Austenasia who have held this status for a certain amount of time will from now on be able to apply to the Home Office for naturalisation, thereby becoming non-residential subjects with full Austenasian national status. For most of Austenasian history, the only way for a non-resident to become an Austenasian was for an Act of Parliament to be passed specifically authorising it, although in 2020 new rules were brought in allowing the Monarch to grant subjectship to an applicant with the sponsorship of an Austenasian noble. Honorary Subjectship was created in November 2008, when Austenasia was only two months old, after several people interested in Austenasia requested some means of affiliation with the country short of becoming a subject (which, at the time, would have required moving in to the Imperial Residence). Honorary Subjectship is granted by the Secretary-General after an application is made online. The new process sets out three categories under which Honorary Subjects can apply for naturalisation, namely those who have: All 658 of the Empire’s existing Honorary Subjects have been sent an e-mail explaining this new opportunity, and invited to apply if interested and qualified via an online form. This marks the first time that Honorary Subjectship has ever been anything other than completely honorary. Although the position will continue to carry no rights or obligations by itself, it now serves as a potential pathway to naturalisation. This new naturalisation process was set up by the Office of the Secretary-General and the Home Office’s Department for the Census, after being authorised by the Procedures and Offices Act 2023 passed on 2 March earlier this month.
