New Year sees Line of Succession shortened
New Year’s Day has seen the Senate of Austenasia pass a resolution shortening the Line of Succession, in addition to Lord Wilson appointing his last annual consuls as Prime Minister. The Senate is a body of experienced “elder statesmen” responsible for keeping the Monarch to account, and was given the power by Parliament in 2020 to approve changes to the Line of Succession. The senatorial resolution, passed earlier today, has significantly shortened the number of people in the Line of Succession from twenty down to twelve. It was considered that those removed – mostly paternal cousins of Emperor Jonathan I – were not only extremely unlikely to accept the Throne should they be offered it, but also would be difficult to contact at short notice. In a situation whereby the Throne falls vacant and the Heir (for whatever reason) refuses it, each member of the Line of Succession is to be given the chance to accept the Throne in turn. This resolution thereby removes the legal obligation for a future government to waste time tracking down relatives of the Imperial Family who would almost certainly refuse the Throne anyway, at a time when a swift and orderly transfer of power would be of paramount importance. The resolution has also issued clarification on some confusing language in the Constitution, with the effect that the maternal relatives of the Emperor have now been placed before the Empress and her family in the Line of Succession. However, due to the Line having been so shortened, all remaining in it now hold higher positions than they did previously. In other news, the outgoing Prime Minister, Lord William Wilson – who has confirmed he will not be running in next month’s general election, and also reigns as King in Gradonia – has appointed himself as one of this year’s two consuls, and kept in place one of 2023’s, Shiro Mephistopheles, as the second. 2024 will therefore be known as the year of the consulship of Villelmus Rex and Shiro Mephistopheles. A Prime Minister appointing themselves as a consul is not unusual or irregular. Of the four previous Prime Ministers to have appointed consuls, three appointed themselves as one of the consuls for a year.
Consuls appointed for 2023
Lord William Wilson, Duke of Taysha, yesterday as Prime Minister appointed the two Consuls for 2023. Annually appointed to a yearly term, the Consuls are Austenasia’s highest judicial authorities, responsible for sentencing convicted criminals. In following ancient Roman practice, they also give their names to the year. This year’s Consuls have been announced as Shiro Mephistopheles and Sir Anthony Clark. Mephistopheles previously served as Minister of Defence from 2018-19, and was recently elected Chairman of the Grand Unified Micronational. Sir Anthony has served as Attorney-General since 2020, and also holds office as Governing Commissioner of Amerdansk. Both became Austenasian nationals on the same day, 6 August 2018. Consular years are named in Latin; 2023 is therefore the year of the consulship of Lucinus Mephistopheles and Antonius Clericii Eques.
Campo Del Sol dissolved as Albina convicted of treason
The Territory of Campo Del Sol was dissolved on Sunday 27th June in the aftermath of its founder, Sophia Albina, being convicted of treason for advocating its seizure by another country. In recent days, Albina has played a major role in a significant downturn in relations between Austenasia and its ally New Virginia, in which she is also a politician. This began after she made inflammatory statements in the New Virginian legislature which included false accusations against Austenasia as a whole and Emperor Jonathan I specifically, and introduced legislation to declare the Empire an “enemy” and “threat” and to claim the Austenasian territories of Campo Del Sol and Fraternitas. New Virginia is a former Austenasian duchy which amicably seceded from the Empire in February last year. The two nations established a formal state of alliance upon New Virginian independence, and have maintained a strong friendship ever since. Fraternitas had been part of one of the claims which joined the newly independent country, but was retained by the Empire at the suggestion of now President Kennedy in a gesture of goodwill and fraternity. Campo Del Sol was claimed for Austenasia by Albina herself in June 2019. Neither area of land is inhabited. It is unlikely that Albina’s proposed law will pass, but the inflammatory rhetoric used by Albina and the false accusations levelled against Austenasia have led to an increase in support within New Virginia for the idea of ending the alliance. Senior New Virginian politicians downplayed Albina’s actions and rhetoric as that of a radical unrepresentative of the New Virginian government. However, Albina then spammed a Discord server hosted by the Austenasian government with images comparing herself to the rebels who fought against the Austenasian government in the 2010 civil war. This resulted in a bill being introduced in Parliament to strip Albina of her nationality and titles and to dissolve Campo Del Sol, preventing it from being used as “leverage” against the Empire. However, objections were raised given that action was being taken despite Albina not having been tried for her actions. Due to encouraging another country to seize Austenasian land and actively working against Austenasia’s national security and international standing, treason charges were formally brought against Albina on Saturday 26th at the request of the Chief Inspector. The evidence against her was presented, but despite being invited several times to make a legal defence she chose rather to use profane language and insult the jurors while making further unfounded accusations against the Austenasian government. In her final statement, she called for Campo Del Sol to be “freed” (despite the land being uninhabited and her claiming it for Austenasia in the first place) and for an unspecified “new Emperor” for Austenasia. The jury presented a verdict of guilty the following morning. The Consuls – Duke Bradley of Dullahan and Princess Hannah Augusta – agreed on a sentence of indefinite exile, with Albina now forbidden to enter Austenasia until the Throne sees fit to allow it. With Albina having been given a chance to defend her actions, the bill previously proposed in Parliament was passed, dissolving Campo Del Sol and stripping her of her Austenasian national status and titles. An online meeting between diplomatic representatives of Austenasia and New Virginia has been proposed for the near future to discuss the downturn in relations and search for a resolution.
Emperor Father named Pater Patriae on 60th birthday
In celebration of his sixtieth birthday, HIH Emperor Father Terry has been granted the unprecedented title of Pater Patriae by His Imperial Majesty the Emperor. Jonathan I announced the bestowing of the title with the publication of an Imperial Edict this morning. Pater Patriae, which literally translates to “Father of the Fatherland”, was a title originally conferred by the Roman Senate to individuals considered successors of Romulus. In recent centuries, the title has been used more widely to refer to the founding fathers of a country. For Emperor Father Terry, the title will be translated “Father of the Nation.” The unique honour was presented as a birthday present from the Emperor and People of Austenasia as a whole. As such, supporting the Emperor’s decision to grant the title were the Prime Minister, the Consuls, and a vote of the House of Representatives. The Imperial Edict conferred the title “in grateful recognition of his role as Father of the Nation as de facto co-Founder, first Emperor of Austenasia, and Head of the Ancient and Imperial House of Austen in addition to his other contributions towards the country.”
Princess Hannah and Bradley of Dullahan named Consuls of 2021
Lord John Gordon has named the first Consuls of his premiership, announcing that Princess Hannah and Bradley, Duke of Dullahan will hold the office for 2021. The Consuls are the highest judicial authorities in the Empire, passing sentence when guilty verdicts are reached. However, due to Austenasia’s practically non-existent crime rate, their function is mostly ceremonial, primarily being used to name the year. 2021 will therefore be known as the year of the consulship of Hannah Augusta and Bradley Archidux Saxoniae. Princess Hannah also served as Consul last year, becoming one of only three people to have held the Austenasian Consulate consecutively since its creation at the start of 2011. A Consul may serve two consecutive terms, but the same two Consuls cannot serve consecutive terms at the same time. Princess Hannah, in addition to being sovereign monarch of the Principality of Wildflower Meadows, is the fiancée and official consort of Emperor Jonathan I. Bradley, who was recently appointed Archduke of Saxony in the Holy Roman Empire, in addition to his role as Prime Minister of Wyvern also serves in Austenasia as Princeps Senatus (leader of the Senate) and has held office as both Home Secretary and Minister of Defence. Happy New Year from the Austenasian Times!
Referendum on constitutional amendments called for 30 June
An Imperial Edict was passed on Friday 15th May in which Emperor Jonathan I formally proposed various amendments to the Constitution, to be voted on at the end of June. This follows on from a broadcast by Prince Dionisiy in February, shortly after his election as Prime Minister, in which he proposed various changes to Austenasian government. Work is currently underway on a system of “e-Government”, which will once completed provide an online system for the Austenasian electorate to easily vote on various legislative matters directly. The constitutional amendments to be voted on at the end of June, however, primarily concern the other major change proposed by Prince Dionisiy, which is to replace the Prime Minister as head of government with the Consuls. Currently, two consuls are annually appointed by the Prime Minister for a year-long term, and are in charge of judicial sentencing. Under the proposed constitutional amendment, the consuls would instead be elected by the House of Representatives at the nomination of the Monarch, or by the public themselves should a third or more of the Representatives present alternative candidates. Prince Dionisiy was elected on a platform part of which was to strengthen the Roman culture of Austenasia. Establishing the consulate as the head of executive government would be a further step towards consolidating the Empire’s Roman heritage. Other more minor changes in the proposed amendments include removing the requirement for the Empire’s Archdukes (that of the Archduchesses was not required; a typo with discriminatory consequences) to give consent for the Monarch to bestow the titles of Augusta and Caesar outside of the Imperial Family, and to allow an abdicated Monarch or a clergyman to officiate in a coronation if the head of government is unavailable. The amendments would also make the rules governing the institution of the Senate more flexible, giving Parliament more say over its composition and permitting the Princeps Senatus (its chair) to resign that post without leaving the Senate itself. Should the proposed amendments be approved in referendum on 30 June, they will still require the support of over 80% of the House of Representatives, as well as Imperial Consent. They would comprise the Third Amendment, with the Constitution also having been amended in 2015 and 2018. Should the Third Amendment pass, the changes – including the dissolution of the office of Prime Minister – would come into effect at midnight on the morning of 1 January 2021, although the process for electing the new system’s Consuls for that year would begin in December.
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. 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.
2018 begins with the appointment of Consuls
New Year’s Day has been heralded with the appointment by the Prime Minister of the two Consuls for the year. Lord Admiral Joseph Kennedy, Prime Minister, has appointed himself one of the two Consuls, and re-appointed King Adam I of Überstadt – one of last year’s – as a Consul for 2018 as well. Consuls may serve a consecutive term, but King Adam is the first to have done so since Emperor Declan I, who held the consulate in both 2011 and 2012. The Consuls are the highest judicial authorities in the Empire, passing sentence when guilty verdicts are reached. However, due to Austenasia’s practically non-existent crime rate, their function is mostly ceremonial, primarily being used to name the year after. 2018 will therefore be known as the year of the consulship of Adam Rex and Joseph Nobilissimus Caesar.
Consuls appointed for 2017
His Imperial Highness Lord Admiral Joseph Kennedy as Prime Minister of Austenasia has declared 2017 to be the year of the consulship of Adam Rex and Victoria Hathawia Comitessa Sidneae. The two Consuls of Austenasia are the Empire’s highest judicial authorities, with the duty of passing sentence on convicted criminals. However, with Austenasia’s incredibly low crime rate, the office serves mostly as a ceremonial honour, with the two Consuls giving their names to the year in legislation and other various formal situations. Lord Admiral Kennedy has appointed as 2017’s consuls King Adam I of Überstadt, Governing Commissioner of Oregonia and long-standing friend of the Empire, and Victoria Hathaway, Countess of Sidney and the Lord Admiral’s romantic partner. Happy New Year from the Austenasian Times!
Consuls appointed for 2016
New Year’s Day 2016 has seen the appointment of the Emperor’s mother and grandmother as the year’s consuls. The two Consuls of Austenasia are the Empire’s highest judicial authorities, with the duty of passing sentence on convicted criminals. However, due to Austenasia’s practically non-existent crime rate, their function is mostly ceremonial, primarily being used to name the year after. Prime Minister Lord Admiral Joseph Kennedy has appointed as 2016’s consuls Emperor Mother Margaret and Emperor Grandmother Joyce, the only two members of the immediate Imperial Family to have not yet served as consul. Emperor Grandmother Joyce, at 93, is the oldest person to have been appointed consul to date, as well as the first consul who is not technically an Austenasian national.