Candidates announced for non-residential elections

Nominations have closed and candidates have been announced for the elections taking place on July 31st. The upcoming elections are a historic first, being for the Divisions established at the start of the month to represent non-residential subjects in Parliament. Any non-residential subject – that is, an Austenasian not living within an Austenasian land claim – will be entitled to vote for a Representative, depending on the region of the world in which they live. Of the four Divisions into which the Empire’s non-residential subjects were placed, three returned only a single candidate for Representative. Professor Sir Sanjib Bhattacharya is standing for Asia, Lord Andrew Musgrave is standing for Britain and Ireland, and Sir Isaiah Burdette is standing for the New World. The non-residentials of these Divisions will therefore have the option to either vote for the sole candidate or to abstain. Should the majority of votes be abstentions, the election will be re-run for that Division, with those eligible to do so invited again to stand. Professor Bhattacharya has served in various diplomatic capacities for the Empire since 2015, and has had an award-winning career in translation and education. Lord Musgrave is the incumbent Home Secretary, and took part in the Cabinet discussions for the naturalisation and representation initiative that has culminated in these elections. Sir Isaiah is one of the newly-naturalised Austenasians whose entry into the Empire made these elections so necessary, and has held various roles within the Grand Unified Micronational. The Europe and Africa Division, on the other hand, has had three different candidates stand. Perhaps the most well-known of these three candidates is H.E. Nitan Kumar, Austenasia’s ceremonial Ambassador to Ukraine, whose safety has been of concern due to living in the beleaguered city of Kharkiv, in which he has organised humanitarian relief. The other two candidates for the non-residential subjects of Europe and Africa are Mr Clemens Schumann and Dr Kalin Yanev, both of whom joined Austenasia in May. Mr Schumann is running on a liberal left-wing platform, and Dr Yanev has expressed interest in developing Austenasian culture, having been conducting research on the organisation of societies and cultures for over 15 years. Votes will be counted and the duly elected Representatives announced and take office on Tuesday 1st August, replacing four Acting Representatives appointed by Parliament upon the creation of the Divisions.

PM hosts online charity fundraiser Christmas event

Yesterday saw the Prime Minister, Lord William Wilson, hold an online Christmas celebration to raise money for charity. The event – the second of its kind – was held on the instant messaging platform Discord, taking the form of a video and voice conference. Lasting an impressive length of eleven hours, and with a total of thirteen Austenasian and foreign dignitaries taking part, the event was held to raise awareness and encourage donations for the Red Cross relief efforts in Ukraine. A total of £78 in declared donations was reported. The conference call saw a Christmas-themed quiz (won by Andrew I of Pontunia), as well as other online games, and friendly discussion among those taking part. The fundraiser was held as part of 2022’s annual December charity drive by the Order of Saint Constantine – Austenasia’s Christian philanthropic order of chivalry – which this year is focusing its efforts on Ukraine.

Taras Oliynyk dies in Ukraine

For the first time in the Empire’s history, an Austenasian national has died. Taras Oliynyk was a Ukrainian citizen who served as governing commissioner of the Austenasian crown dependency of Chersoneses, which was claimed from Ukraine in June 2020. He was drafted into the Ukrainian armed forces on February 22nd after the escalation of the ongoing conflict. Taras lived in Chersoneses with his father, who was also drafted. On March 9th, the government was informed that Taras was receiving treatment after having suffered a serious gunshot wound in battle. He died from his injuries yesterday evening. Emperor Jonathan I has released a broadcast in response to this tragedy, in which he announced a nation-wide period of mourning for eleven days, to end with a minute’s silence at 6pm local time on March 24th.

Crown Princess Caroline meets the Prince of Wales

A meeting of two heirs to the throne took place on Wednesday 9th March as HIH Crown Princess Caroline met HRH The Prince of Wales in London. Prince Charles visited St Luke’s Church in London, part of Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB), to hear about the Refugee Response programme. Refugee Response, run by HTB is working to support refugees from Ukraine and Afghanistan. Her Imperial Highness, who works at HTB and has helped with the programme, met Prince Charles during his visit to the church.

The Emperor and Emperor Mother recover from coronavirus

Emperor Jonathan I and Emperor Mother Margaret have recovered from Covid-19, having both tested positive last weekend. After testing positive on Sunday 27th February, His Imperial Majesty tested negative on the evening of Saturday 5th March. Although he contracted cold-like symptoms during the first few days of infection, these symptoms soon abated. Emperor Mother Margaret, who also tested positive on Sunday 27th and displayed cold-like symptoms, has likewise recovered. Emperor Father Terry was unwell with Covid-19 the previous week, but his recovery began about the same time that his wife and son developed symptoms. The Emperor Father remains well and has tested negative. Upon falling ill, the Emperor appointed Counsellors of State to exercise some powers should he be absent in an emergency. Although he has recovered, the appointments will stay in place until their planned expiry at the end of the month, as a precautionary measure in view of possible escalation of the conflict in Ukraine.

Fears grow for Austenasians in Ukraine

Two Austenasian residents have been drafted by the Ukrainian military to defend the country against the ongoing Russian invasion. Chersoneses, a large Austenasian crown dependency comprised mostly of farmland, was annexed from Ukraine in June 2020. Chersoneses is home to its governing commissioner Taras Oliynyk and his father. Concerns were raised for the Oliynyks after Russian forces crossed the border into Ukraine and fighting broke out. They were drafted into the Ukrainian military on 22 February, and as such are in great danger. The Ukrainian land bordering Chersoneses itself is not thought to yet be occupied by Russian forces, but missiles have hit the nearby city of Mykolaiv. Another figure who has been put in danger is Austenasia’s unaccredited Ambassador to Ukraine, H.E. Nitan Kumar. In communications with the Foreign Office, Mr Kumar confirmed his safety. However, he lives near to the city of Kharkiv, which is currently under attack from the Russian military. Mr Kumar has pledged to provide the government with any updates regarding his situation. Soon after Russian forces initially crossed the border into the separatist republics in the east of the country, His Imperial Majesty the Emperor publicly asked for prayers to be said for peace in Ukraine. In the past few hours, the Austenasian government has released a statement on the unfolding situation, authored by the Prime Minister, Lord William Wilson, and given the backing of the House of Representatives in a unanimous vote of support earlier today: “In light of the disgraceful events which have transpired in the past 48 hours, the Austenasian government makes its position clear and condemns the actions of the Russian Federation and its military. The unlawful invasion of the Ukrainian Republic, as well as the dangerous and inflammatory rhetoric used against former Soviet republics is not conducive to amicable relations. Our territories enclaved within the Ukraine and the Baltic state of Estonia and the residents thereof have become endangered by these actions. Peace, particularly in the continent of Europe, is paramount and any action which infringes it cannot be tolerated. We hope, that in the following days a ceasefire may be negotiated and hostilities completely terminated thereafter. We urge the greater international theater to impose whatever peaceable restrictions available to best incentivize a return to peace.”