BREAKING: Emperor Calls for General Election
Following recent internal struggles between the Prime Minister, Lord Andrew Musgrave, and His Imperial Majesty, Aggelos I, the Emperor, just moments ago, called for a General Election to take place on 20 July 2025. The Emperor made the announcement with the following statement in Parliament: “Distinguished Members of Parliament!In recent times, there has been a significant divergence of views between the Crown and the Prime Minister. This has resulted in a stagnation in the development and progress of the Empire. Because the assumption of extraordinary powers by the Crown is not in line with my views as Monarch, I propose that the solution be given by the citizens of the Empire and therefore I am temporarily suspending the operation of Parliament and calling an election for the election of a Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister for Sunday 20 July 2025.Until then, Lord Andrew will act as temporary Prime Minister. In accordance with Article VI, Section B of the Constitution , We hereby give you seven weeks’ notice of the General Election to be held on 20th of July 2025. By 15th of June 2025 any Representative who wishes may apply for our approval to become a Candidate for the General Election, from which we are required by the Constitution to select at least two. From 15th of June the Candidates may campaign to persuade the subjects of the Empire to vote for them. On Sunday 20th of July 2025 all the citizens who wish shall proceed to polling stations organized by the respective Municipal Council to vote for the candidate they wish to be Prime Minister. Non-residents shall contact non-resident subjects to cast their votes directly. The votes will be delivered and counted by Our Imperial Majesty, with the results verified by Our Secretary General. We will announce the results of the General Election on 21 July 2025, when the Candidate with the highest number of votes will become Prime Minister and a Deputy Prime Minister will be selected and appointed in accordance with Article VI, Section B, Paragraph E of the Constitution.” Those who are interested in running in the election are encouraged to speak to the Emperor directly for approval. A reminder that candidates are not allowed to campaign until after 15 June 2025. The Times will be closely following the developments. As of the latest, Deputy Prime Minister, Lord John Gordon, Viscount of Thetford, has publicly announced his intention to run for Prime Minister.
Musgrave Victorious in General Election
The results for the September 2024 General Election are in; Lord Andrew Musgrave is the new Prime Minister of Austenasia. The voting results are as follows: Musgrave:1 – Wrythe4 – Nahona5 – North Nahona2 – Caldari1 – Blue Ridge2 – Procyon10 – Nonresidentials25 – Total O’Halloran:1 – Wrythe1 – Nahona3 – Blue Ridge3 – Nonresidentials8 – Total Lord Musgrave is victorious with 75.75% of the total vote, beating out Lady O’Halloran in every region, except O’Halloran’s home town, Blue Ridge and the Capital, Wrythe, where they tied. The Times would like to congratulate Lord Musgrave on his victory and we look forward to a bright and productive future from his government.
General Election Prologue
With the General Election just two weeks away, scheduled for September 24, the candidates have been set and the first polling results are in. The two candidates for Prime Minister in the General Election are: The Times conducted a poll on Saturday to gauge the public’s opinion on the two candidates. The polling question was as follows: “Who are you currently supporting in the upcoming General Election?” The results of the poll are as follows: There were 13 total participants, Lord Andrew Musgrave received 85% of the vote with 11 votes, Lady Addison O’Halloran received 15% of the vote with 2 votes. The Times acknowledges that some participants of the poll were not Austenasian citizens, but the poll is only a gauge of public opinion. Interview with the Election Candidates The Times reached out to both election candidates to get an idea of their election platform and ask questions which have been on many Austenasian’s minds. Lord Andrew Musgrave was happy to conduct an interview, but Lady Addison O’Halloran declined to respond. The following questions were asked to Lord Andrew Musgrave: “I believe Austenasia has seen better days, that’s beyond denial. But I do believe the best of our days are ahead of us. I think Austenasia needs drastic constitutional reform, with nothing off limits. I believe with a streamlined and common sense alteration to the Consitution, we can bring our nation back into greatness. I also think allowing the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister to be elected together, on a joint mandate, and establishing a clear line of succession for the office of Prime Minister, would avoid a situation like the one that occurred recently from happening again.” “Hopefully the planned reforms will inspire others back into the fold, as it inspired John Gordon to return to politics. If that doesn’t work, the reforms should allow other, more energised candidates to partake in mainstream politics.” “I think it’s more complicated than that. I recalled the GUM delegates because of the upcoming election, unaware of the 14 day limit. Once I was made aware of the limit, I actively negotiated with the two GUM chairs to resolve my concerns. My whistleblowing was met with discourse and me being removed from the lobby, which doesn’t give me much confidence in the future of the GUM, nor a working relationship if Newton and Clemems were to win the upcoming election. That’s why I’ve opted to support the Pio Lowe-Stefan campaign. Our relationship with the GUM may be salvaged if Pio and Stefan are elected.” “I can’t go into too much detail regarding this, but there’s been some discussions about the sustainability of the monarchy. That’s all I can say.” “All in good time. A full and detailed plan will be revealed in the coming days.” “Like I said, nothing is off limits in the reforms. It may be a case where we amend the current peerage system. But there’s no immediate plans.” “A complete redesign of the website, for starters. More incentives for people to become citizens and potentially (although this isn’t for definite), selling titles akin to Sealand to spike up interest. Theres been some pushback, but I think it would help Austenasia in the long term. I’d want to donate some of the proceeds to domestic abuse charities.” “Honestly? Get the hell out of dodge. The further we can get away from the MicroWiki community, the better. This problem only occurs within that sector.” “Not in all regards. But I’d rather we focused our energy on actual, in person engagements; rather then Internet chatrooms. It’s infantile. We’d try to focus our energy on more local micronations. I think Austenasia also has a bit of an identity crisis, too.” “Austenasia is a Christian micronation. The Emperor must be Christian, and marriage equality isnt recognised. But I’m a gay atheist, and I’m the (Acting) Prime Minister. My opposition is a trans woman of an unknown religious identity. I think removing the requirement for the monarch to be Christian, which really limits the pool, would be good. And marriage equality recognition.” “Absolutely. It’s fantastic that people are enquiring about becoming citizens. I do intend to make it easier for those with an interest in Austenasia to become apart of our great nation. I also intend to provide citizens with unique citizen IDs and streamlining the voting process too, as that’s equally confusing.” That was the entire interview with Lord Andrew Musgrave, General Election Candidate. The Times will conduct more opinion polls on Saturday September 14 and 21. Stay tuned to the Times for the latest developments on the upcoming General Election.
Major Election Developments, Parliament Dissolved
On the morning of August 12, following the fallout of Lord Hunter Prater’s supposed ineligibility for Prime Minister and subsequent appointment to Cabinet from the day before, Lord Hunter Prater, Duke of Dixie, renounced his candidacy in the following statement: “A renounce my candidacy and will be removing myself from public life within the empire. I will focus my efforts within the Duchy and any Counties or Baronies or Towns within Dixie may contact me with ideas for great social events such as Minecraft, voice chat, Call of Duty, book club, or whatever. I will also be continuing on The Grand Duchy of the Great Lochs and the Church of Christian Druids within the empire. However as far as anything political, I much say I rather not tie myself to what I believe is a piece of drift wood left over from the decay of time and inactivity. I encourage everyone to give their support to Lord Andrew Musgrave, though I disagree with some of his beliefs, he is active and that’s what the empire needs most of all is someone active and who cares. I also call all citizens of the continued Roman Empire all Romans to rise up and support your Regent and Prime Minister in positive change. The Church of Christian Druids will be open within the empire however will not openly advocate for conversion of citizens.” As a result, it was discussed by government wether or not the election could continue. It was announced by Acting Deputy Prime Minister, Shiro Mephistopheles, that it indeed could continue because the Prince Regent had already approved two candidates. Lady Addison O’Halloran, Representative of Blue Ridge, announced her intention to run for Prime Minister as a token opposition, and encouraged everyone to still vote for Lord Musgrave. It was also discovered that there was an error in the date set for the election. According to the Constitution, a period of 7 weeks must be given from the announcement to the election date, with four weeks from the dissolution of Parliament. With that being said, Prince Regent, Aggelos I, announced that Parliament had in fact been dissolved as scheduled. Due to the changes, the Acting Deputy Prime Minister announced that Representatives have been given a few more days to have the opportunity to stand for election. The Emperor, His Imperial Majesty, Jonathan I, reached out to the Times to let’s us know that the mix up regarding Lord Prater’s eligibility for Prime Minister under Act 1, Section 6 of the Constitution was a mistake on his part and that “Cabinet” should read “Representatives”. His Imperial Majesty apologized for the confusion. As it stands now, there are two candidates for election, Lord Andrew Musgrave, and Lady Addison O’Halloran. The Times will continue to monitor the situation and update as necessary.
CLASH at the Wrythe Public House!
Following the August 8 announcement of the upcoming General Election date and Lord Hunter Prater’s announcement to run for Prime Minister, a heated altercation took place in the Wrythe Public House between the two election candidates. Prater’s opponent, Lord Andrew Musgrave, responded to his statement expressing his excitement for the election and disagreeing with Prater’s statement on the Empire collapsing and the prospect of it lasting a hundred years. Prater made a grand response, which could have been taken for campaigning, essentially saying that Musgrave was wrong. Musgrave made a response, attempting to take the moral high ground by trying to de-escalate the situation by telling Prater to “leave the campaigning until the 4 weeks allocated to it”. Prater came back, guns-a-blazing, accusing Musgrave of attempting to limit his freedom of speech in the Public House. Musgrave, again responded and belittled Prater’s knowledge of Austenasian laws. Prater then accused Musgrave of speaking with condescendence and back-handed comments, going so far as to call him a “bully”. “You’ve got a lot to learn” was Musgrave response, who also brought up his superior micronational experience to Prater’s and then brought Prater’s maturity into question. Former Austenasian Prime Minister and current New Richmond Republic national, Vera Hewitt, was also in the Public House at the time and she weighed in on the situation. Hewitt suggested that Prater not pick fights and re-worded Musgrave’s early comment stating that Prater’s campaigning up that point was unconstitutional. She cited her extensive knowledge of the Constitution and previous experience as Prime Minister. From here an argument occurred between Prater and the team of Hewitt and Musgrave. Prater’s basis was that the pair were limiting his freedom of speech as an ordinary citizen, whereas Hewitt and Musgrave’s was that Prater’s campaigning was unconstitutional, saying he needed to wait for the allocated 4 weeks. Prater argued that he was in fact not campaigning and was simply expressing his displeasure for the current government. He even challenged them to charge him for his actions. Hewitt and Musgrave kept citing the Constitution without actually providing the evidence for their argument. They instead told Prater that he himself should read the constitution, to which Prater insisted they show him. Hewitt made a sharp comment saying the following to Prater: “You aren’t very bright and I hope for the Empire’s sake you lose by landslide.” It wasn’t until a few hours later where Lady Addison O’Halloran dug up the section of the Constitution that was being referred to in the argument. It reads as follows: “During the first of the three weeks between the order for a General Election and the actual election, any Representatives willing may apply to stand for election to run for the office of Prime Minister. The Monarch must choose at least two applicant Representatives, who from the point of being chosen until the General Election concludes shall hold the status of Candidates. The remaining four weeks may be spent by the Candidates campaigning to attempt to persuade the subjects of the Empire to vote for them.” It can be argued wether or not Prater’s statements could be considered campaigning or not, but that is a decision that would be best decided by a Judge. Either way you look at it, here at the Times, we believe that we are in for an exciting Campaign Trail leading up to this General Election and wish both candidates all the best.
Date set for General Election
For the second time this year, the Empire of Austenasia will hold a General Election to decide who will be the Empire’s new Prime Minister. Last month, Prime Minister Lord John Gordon resigned from his position, leaving Austenasia in a scramble to get things back in order and elect a new Prime Minister. Lord Andrew, Baron of Corinium Terentium, was immediately appointed Acting Prime Minister upon the resignation. Lord Andrew pieced Parliament back together and began work to call for an election. Today Parliament has announced that the General Election will take place on 9 September 2024. Potential candidates have until 12 August 2024 to declare their intentions to run for office of the Prime Minister. It is expected that the Prince Regent, Aggelos I, will dissolve Parliament on that same day, with the election being held four weeks later. Lord Andrew has already announced that he will be running for Prime Minister. He previously ran against Lord John Gordon in the February 2024 election, which saw Lord Andrew receive 36.1% of the popular vote. Lord Hunter Prater, Duke of Dixie has announced that he will also be running for Prime Minister in the upcoming election. Lord Hunter Made the following statement: “I declare my candidacy for Prime Minister. I wish to bring forth constitutional change that would shave off the majority of the useless or unfilled offices along with creating/combining offices in order to lessen the need for as many constantly active positions while also revitalizing the peerage system to give it true meaning. I see to pull the empire from the brink of collapse much as the statesmen of old Rome, however, I seek to instill a change that will set a foundation that will last 100 years. Let’s all come together for the betterment of the Empire!” At this time there are just two candidates for Prime Minister. Both candidates have previously held offices in Parliament and have been with Austenasia for a considerable time. Austenasia Notes On 24 July 2024, Austenasia’s very own, Lord Michael Simpson, Count of Occibrazos, who currently sits as Chancellor, was granted a new title by the Manorial Society of England and Wales. The titles shall read as follows: Michael Simpson KtC, Lord of the Manor of Goodson’s in the Parish of Hundred of Giltcross in the County of Norfolk The Times and Austenasia as a whole would like to congratulate Lord Simpson on this fantastic achievement.
Lord John Gordon elected Prime Minister
Lord John Gordon, Viscount of Thetford, has been elected the seventh Prime Minister of the Empire of Austenasia, with 60.6% of the vote. His rival candidate, Lord Andrew Musgrave, received 36.1% of the vote, whereas an option to Abstain – which, if it gained a majority, would have forced fresh elections – received 3.3% of the vote. This translates to thirty seven and twenty two votes respectively from the sixty one Austenasian subjects who voted yesterday. With one hundred and eight of Austenasia’s population eligible to vote, this was a 56.5% turnout. Lord Andrew Musgrave has been appointed Deputy Prime Minister by Lord Gordon. Both Lord Gordon and Lord Musgrave have a long history in Austenasia. Lord Gordon is the longest continually serving Representative, having represented Palasia in Parliament since July 2013, whereas Lord Musgrave is the longest serving Governor, having administered Corinium Terentium since December 2013. Lord John Gordon is the first former Prime Minister to resume the office, having also served from June 2020 to September 2021. This was a term feted for its political and cultural prosperity, the memory of which no doubt helped in his election. Lord Gordon – who held office as Speaker during the previous government – is also known for his sense of humour, leading the effort to have baked beans declared Austenasia’s national dish in reference to an in-joke on the national Discord server, and adopting as his campaign portrait a photo with a highly edited hairstyle. Lord Gordon’s campaign promised organising projects for Austenasians to work on to promote engagement with national life, an active approach to foreign affairs, promotion of Austenasia’s Roman heritage, and exploring initiatives to involve Austenasia with UN-related international bodies as some other small nations have done.
Lord Wilson gives final speech as PM
Lord William Wilson, Duke of Taysha earlier today gave a farewell speech as outgoing Prime Minister. Lord Wilson, who is not standing for re-election in today’s ongoing general election, gave the speech in an online group call on Discord attended by other Representatives and dignitaries. At the conclusion of his speech, His Imperial Majesty the Emperor thanked him for his time in office as Prime Minister and for his contributions to the nation. Fellow Austenasians, More than two years ago, I embarked on a journey with you – a journey to strive together with the objective of making our nation more robust and vibrant than before. As I stand before you today, my time as your Prime Minister draws to a close. It is with some sorrow and regret that I depart, but moreso than these, I depart with a profound sense of gratitude for the opportunity to serve this remarkable nation. Upon recollection, I find that the causes for my withdrawal, my unwillingness to seek re-election, have not been evident nor explicit. Now is the best time to let these causes be known clearly. For the past half-year, I have begun my tenure at University, with my studies withholding, the time I have spent in the dealings of government and with the representation of my native Nahona decreased to the point of rendering my duties unexecutable. Concurrently, my time has been taken up by what I consider to be my new priority. It is with some shame that I recognize that my time here should have ended before beginning this new chapter. One of my guiding principles is that of responsibility, the very principle leading me to bid you farewell now rather than later. I feel a responsibility to our Empire that compelled me to leadership in the summer of 2021 and a calling to guide our government for the next two years. It is with the same sense of responsibility that I chose to seek to earn a commission to become an officer in the United States Army. My values have not changed, my loyalties have not changed, but to whom I should dedicate more and more of my time to in the commencement of those values and loyalties have. The time spent as your Prime Minister makes Austenasia a part of me, and a part which I love deeply. Any regret I feel is not that I wish I had not done this at all, but that I wish I had done better for our nation. To my successor, I offer these words of wisdom: lead with courage, govern with compassion, and always remember that the true measure of a leader lies not in the power they wield, but in the lives they touch and the hearts they inspire. And to the citizens of Austenasia, I say this: continue to cherish the principles that bind us together as one nation, one people. For in the end, it is not the titles we hold or the offices we occupy that define us, but the legacy we leave behind and the values we uphold. Thank you, my fellow Austenasians, for the privilege of serving as your Prime Minister. May God bless you, and may God bless the Empire of Austenasia.
Election becomes two-horse race as O’Halloran drops out
The next Prime Minister of Austenasia will be either Lord John Gordon or Lord Andrew Musgrave, with Lady Addison O’Halloran having dropped out of the election earlier today. General election candidates have dropped out in previous elections – Lord Marshal William in 2013, and Lord Anthony Clark in 2019 – but technically remained on the ballot. Now, however, an Imperial Decree has been passed by Emperor Jonathan I permitting candidates who wish to withdraw to do so completely. With O’Halloran no longer running, the choice has narrowed to either Lord Musgrave or Lord Gordon. Both have released statements outlining their positions and policies. From Lord John Gordon: “As a familiar face in Austenasia I will ensure a prosperous future and new reforms to several government departments to make government more open and streamlined. A more proactive approach will be taken to macronational affairs to make our presence known to all on the world stage. Your voice will be safe in my hands. I promise to work for all Austenasians for the advancement of our nation. I will work on projects that everyone can work on together, and to increase our influence within the community. I will also discuss and possibly pursue UN non-consultative status as some prominent micronations have to increase awareness of our great state and her peoples.“ And from Lord Andrew Musgrave: “I’m the longest serving Austenasian Governor, so my loyalty and commitment to Austenasia cannot be held in any doubt, and I led the charge in overhauling MicroWiki from a toxic cesspool to just a regular cesspool. I believe I can do the same for Austenasia, reforming our nation to be great once again. I’d like to take a more isolated stance with the international micronational world, to allow us to focus our energy on our own internal development. If elected, I would leave all intermicronational organisations that offer Austenasia no benefits. And the most pressing matter, which is not acknowledged. The Moon, what the hell is it? Each night, it comes out and glares at us, watching children and women as they sleep. I would order an immediate investigation into the Moon’s activities and intentions. On Day 1.“ It remains to be seen whether Lord Musgrave’s anti-Moon rhetoric will affect the outcome of the vote in any meaningful way.
Constitutional amendment proposed
His Imperial Majesty the Emperor yesterday issued an Imperial Decree formally proposing an amendment to the Austenasian Constitution of 2011. The decree formally proposing the amendment, including the full text of the proposed changes, can be read here. The amendment is comprised of two parts. The first would revise the system currently in place for the parliamentary representation of non-residential subjects, changing the geographically-based first-past-the-post Divisions system to a proportional, list-based system. This means that more non-residential subjects would be able to stand for Parliament and be elected Representatives, and would not be prevented from doing so due to geographical considerations. This would drastically improve democratic equality for non-residential subjects, who only gained parliamentary representation last year. They are currently represented in Parliament by four Representatives, whereas residential subjects (of which there are roughly the same amount) are represented by ten. The second part of the amendment would implement various other, relatively minor reforms, mostly relating to the monarchy and Senate. An explanation of what the ten changes proposed by this part of the amendment would bring about can be read here. Under new rules established in 2021 for constitutional amendments, approval by the Monarch and the House of Representatives – which previously came last – now comes first. The Emperor has approved the amendments, and the proposals are now before the House of Representatives. A near-unanimous supermajority in support – under the House’s current set-up, 12 out of 14 votes – is required. The amendments will then pass on to the Senate, where a simple majority vote is required to organise a referendum and arrange for the implementation of the amendments if approved by the people. The referendum – provisionally planned, if approved, to take place on 12 February alongside the upcoming general election – needs a majority of Austenasia’s subjects to give their support, or a simple majority of those voting if a turnout of least 66% is achieved. Two constitutional amendments have been enacted in the past, the First in September 2015 and the Second in January 2018. If passed, the changes proposed on Monday would be jointly known as the Third Amendment, a name originally given to a different set of revisions which were unsuccessfully proposed in 2020.