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Danubian Capital Bill: Yes
Metternich City Proposal: Yes

[RU/Bohemia]

- Leos Valenta
 
William_Burnham_Woods.jpg

Jiří Zemánek as a judge of Danubian Supreme Court in 1886​

Justice Zemánek, who was always kind of sympathetic to the cause of socialism, stands up:

The case of late Evzan Kanelos is a complicated one, indeed. To fully understand the nature of the charges, we have to analyze the case itself from two important criteria:

First, actions of the defendant do indeed fit the description of the crime of treason as in the Criminal Code of Danubia, Section 12. The defendant has actively acted against the authorities of the Cretan Republic and therefore against Federation as a whole. Yet, simply dismissing a case like this would be an injustice. During the defendant's attempt to "illegally seize power", the office of President of the Federation was occupied by an usurper, thus rendering his action against Cretan administration in a different light. It is a universally acknowledged right of every individual to stand up against illegitimate dictatorship that has usurped the power through a coup, otherwise, all those whom we know call the Saviors of democracy could be facing the same trial as the Defendant. Based on the facts stated before, I do not think the defendant can be found guilty of treason.

Second, the actions of the PRF after the coup. The organization has, as proven by the prosecution, committed crimes at least comparable or worse that Lilic's dictatorship. Multiple cases of using violence, including several cases of murder, arson and more crimes as per the Criminal Code of Danubia. The defendant was at the time the leader of the organization and was effectively controlling and thus responsible for the actions of his commanders and men. The claims by the prosecution that those massacres were directly ordered were not proven beyond reasonable doubt, and therefore are inadmissible. Yet, the defendant can't get rid of his responsibility for his men and their actions, and should he be tried for his individual crimes, I am sure he'd be found guilty and punished accordingly.

To conclude this, with a heavy heart I must vote Innocent. Evzan Kanelos should be tried for the atrocities committed during his rule, but today, he is tried for treason. And acting against illegitimate dictator cannot be considered one, even though it is done through force.
 
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1885 Presidential Elections

The month before the Presidential elections sped by. The biggest domestic change came after Congress approved a new site for the capital, voting in favour of the establishment of Metternich City on the banks of the Danube by an impressive 36-6 margin in the Council and an even larger 324-15 margin in the Assembly, representing an approval of 95.7%. The Metternich Federal Territory Act, which transferred control of all Slovak territories on the river's south bank to the federal government for use as a capital district passed unianimously in the state's legislature. In a frenzy of excitement, architects and engineers emptied what remained of the Federal treasury, to the tune of roughly One Million DF£ (meaning the £4 Million stonghold Lilic had inherited was all but gone). What they gave was something resembling sheer power. At the heart of the new city would be Ostrovné Lake, which would sit in the grounds of the new Presidential Palace. A single straight road separated the seat of the Executive from the seat of the Legislature. Chirstened the Federal Mile, along which great plans for public works and ministry buidlings leaving the center of the city cordoned off from the vast private developments taking place in its suburbs, the Parliament Building was being constructed in the Dunajské Riserside Park. In the Dunajské Building's north Wing would sit the Assembly, while the Council would take the south; a set of beautiful stairs ran up through the central lobby into the domed roof, where a beautiful meeting room was constructed to literally be the jewel in the crown of the new city, where it was planned that the Federal Cabinet would meet. Construction on the Dunajské Building was due to finish within two years, ready for the new Congress to meet after the mid-term elections while the Ostrovné Palace would take another two years on top of that meaning that neither of the two candidates who successfully recieved enough signitures to make it onto the ballot would set into the new Presidential Palace before their term was out. Until then, an unhappy comprimise was reached whereby the President could remain at Schönbrunn in Vienna, the Assembly would take one half of the Hungarian State Legislature in Budapest and the Council would take one chamber from the Slovak state legislature in Bratislava; Federal departments, on the whole managed to retain their lodgings in Vienna, though there was some friendly competition to see who could move into thier new offices first.

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1. Ostrovné Palace (top) and the Dunajské Building (bottom)​

Meanwhile, just as Federal troops were starting to score decisive victories against the Romanians, having cleared any opposition within Federal territory a good month before the election and starting to lay siege to the Romanian capital, a proclaimation was received at the Federal Embassy in Bucharest. It stated that the Kingdom of Wallachia was going to broker a peace treaty between the Danubian Federation and the state of Romania, whereby Romania would be partitioned between the two nations. Alongside the signiture of King Carol, the document was countersigned by the Ambassadors to Russia, both German Federations, the Turkish Republic, Serbia, Greece and the United Kingdom. The settlement promised a range of plebicites and voluntary population transfers (bankrolled, seemingly, by the Russians) and was widely applauded by the press as ensuring peace in Romania and beyond for a nation which had spent too long at war with itself. The details, however, would have to wait until a newly elected President had ascended to his office.

---

The Candidates

Constitutional Alliance
Presidential Nominee: Francesco de Palma
Vice Presidential Nominee: Alexandros Petrakis
Free-Trade, Laissez-Faire, Secularism, Full Citizenship, Pro-Military

I have served this Federation for many decades, from the revolution that brought it into existence and in the first Congress, through Committees and rebellions, from one war to the next, and now through the Lilican regime and the aftermath; throughout it all, I have worked to improve the Federation, and defend it from the excesses of presidents and from foreign abuse. Now, as I myself donned the mantle of the presidency only recently, I have been working alongside my government to ensure the reconstruction of our cities, the restoration of order, and the reconstitution of our government is made as quickly and painlessly as possible.

However, this work has been waylaid by the other forces, demanding immediate elections and supporting wasting time and resources that could best spent elsewhere; I have not campaigned vigorously these past few weeks, as I find that running from one city to the next, delivering speeches and proffering up idealistic solutions, as some of my competition seems set to do, is nothing more than the most extravagant waste there is; instead, I have visited the front, reviewed the army, and established a provisional capital to help re-establish some semblance of government, structure, and order to this great Federation.

At this moment however, I have been drawn away from governance, and pulled from my responsibilities, to draft a platform, a meaningless document built on ideals and high-minded policies with no regard for the future or any unforeseen conflicts or crises; I would just as soon not craft one, and allow my policies to be determined by the state of the Federation, rather than force my own ideals, or the views of my allies, onto a nation that neither desires nor functions well under them: I am not so bound to one line of thought to believe that the views of the left or the right alone can bring stability back. Despite my dislike for these idealistic manifestos of nothings and propaganda, I have no other choice but to present with my list of hopes and desires for your perusal, criticism, praise, and frankly, ignoring.

First and foremost is the matter of the Romanian crisis; already, I have dispatched former Presidet Aetios Spiros to St Petersburg to meet with the Tsar and the Government of the great Russian Empire, and am now preparing such an envoy to the United Kingdom, with both parties focussed on ensuring their neutrality in the uprising against the Federation; secondly, upon my review of the army, which I found in surprisingly good condition, I believe we can restore order to the Romanian State swiftly, if our soldiers are true and good, as I believe them to be. Lastly, we must not allow our own opinions to blot out peace; to that end, I wish to maintain communications with the Dunaren government, and find a quick resolution to this crisis, and at last end the fighting of the Lilican past.

Second in my mind is the matter of reconstruction, which has already begun across the Federation at large; many a city has been left a husk, burnt and broken, and thousands of men, women, and children have been left without homes and jobs; in the rubble and the wreckage lie the dead and the forgotten, and the streets are left foul and abandoned; under my administration thus far work has been made to rebuild Vienna, and every other city tainted by the brutishness of civil war, and if given a term as president, I will do everything within my power to complete the rebuilding programmes in a timely and safe manner, respecting costs and the interests of the Federation abroad.

Third are my views of society, I have long supported many a liberal agenda; I still support a secular society, and believe that all views and religions be permitted; I have never opposed aiding the poor and down-trodden, nor have I shied away from supporting necessary regulation of enterprise despite my love of a free market; however, I have never supported the rapid and gross expansion of Federal power, or the organisation of a centralised state based around the President, as we have only just seen what the end result of that will be; I have championed the rights of the states and defended crowns and kingdoms within the Federation out of respect for their traditions and customs, and I will continue to oppose the Federal dictation of matters not paramount to security and liberty.

Radical Union of the Federation
Presidential Candidate: Lukáš Banik
Vice-Presidential Candidate: Edvard Krejčí
Free-Trade, Interventionism, Secularism, Full Citizenship, Pro-Military

Our nation stand at an important point in its history. We have stepped away from the verge of a dictatorship that would have harkened back to the days of Hapsburg rule and into an era of uncertainty and instability. What our nation needs is a strong leader who will restore order to Romania, deal with the lingering issue of Lilic's corruption of our government, and ensure the safe transition back to democratic rule. I am the man to do this. I have stood with the people through Lilic reign of terror upon this nation. I stood in opposition to the fraudulent results of the 1884 election, I rallied the democratic parties to boycott Congress, and I created a government to provide the people with a beacon of hope in the sea of tyranny that was slowly engulfing the nation. And now I seek to continue my duty to the people of this nation to see it into a post-Lilic era of peace, stability, and prosperity.

We must investigate the extent of involvement in Lilic's conspiracy to end our democracy and install himself as a dictator. As president, I will coordinate with my colleagues in Congress to ensure that hearings are held on the subject, that all members of Lilic's government, DPU members of Congress, and former members of the FEC are brought in to see how far Lilic corrupted our government. If any of them are found to have known of Lilic's activites and took explicit part in them, then they are to be arrested and tried for their treasonous actions against our nation. It is essential that we find out the truth behind Lilic's actions and punish those deserving of punishment if we are to ensure that this never happens to our nation again.

Our nation must be rebuilt and the rifts between our people mended. As president, I will see to it that all help is given to ensure that Vienna is brought back to its former glory and serves as a shining beacon of our nation's resilience against all threats to it. I will see to it that all damaged infrastructure is repaired and that our nation can once again function as it did prior to the upheaval of the last year and a half. Following this I will see to it that essential reforms for our people are passed, that our education system is expanded and brought up to modern standards, that our healthcare system can more adequately protect our people from the ills that may inflict them, and that the maximum hours a man may work are further reduced to ten. It is time not only to see our nation rebuild itself but also to see it progress further in its development into a modern industrial nation.

I hope to have the confidence of the people as I seek to continue what I set out to do when I first ran for the presidency and as I seek to lead this nation from its darkest days to a bright future of prosperity, democracy, and freedom. Now is the time to vote for a man who truly cares for the people of this nation, who has been there with them every step of the way, and who will bring the stability that our nation needs at this time.

Vote for Peace! Vote for Progress! Vote for Banik!

---

Actions Needed:

Vote! Remember to include what culture your character is. (possible cultures listed below) The deadline will be Thursday at 6pm BST.

[Possible cultures: South German, North Italian, Polish, Czech, Ukrainian, Hungarian, Croatian, North German, Slovak, Albanian, Serbian, Other, Slovene, Romanian {NB: Romanians in Romania not included}, Bosniak]
 
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((Ostrovné my foot! I know Brideshead when I see it! :p))

Supreme Justice Grzeskiewicz communicates to the court that life imprisonment would be sufficient, based on mitigating factors offered by Supreme Justice Zemánek.
 
((Ostrovné my foot! I know Brideshead when I see it! :p))

((You are aware that Brideshead is fictional right? :p It's called Castle Howard and it's in Yorkshire, apparently...))

For the sake of simplicity, all three of my judges will vote innocent.
 
Constitutional Alliance
Presidential Nominee: Francesco de Palma
Vice Presidential Nominee: Alexandros Petrakis
Free-Trade, Laissez-Faire, Secularism, Full Citizenship, Pro-Military

[...]

Radical Union of the Federation
Presidential Candidate: Lukáš Banik
Vice-Presidential Candidate: Edvard Krejčí
Free-Trade, Interventionism, Secularism, Full Citizenship, Pro-Military

[...]

"What great variety Danubian politics displays nowadays!" quips a cynical commentator.



((You are aware that Brideshead is fictional right? :p It's called Castle Howard and it's in Yorkshire, apparently...))

((Don't worry, Mr. Waugh hasn't deluded me that greatly. I know Castle Howard when I see it. :p))
 
StoneMazziniBowBellssm.jpg

Name: Agostino di Gaggiano Franzzini
Born: December 14th, 1855 (30)
Place of Birth: Gaggiano, Cisalpinia
Culture: Northern Italian
Position: Deputy of Cisalpinia
Bio: Born to an industrious family of Textile Merchants, Agostino is a man of wealth. He lived the life of a playboy, lounging in his mansion in Milan with not a care in the world besides his friends, his women, his books and his choice of wine in the evening. However he found himself quickly drawn into politics following years of instability and corruption, which greatly threatened the wealth of Milan and of Agostino, who has seen French troops outside his door more times then he cared to think about. When Lilic was overthrown, he knew he had to join politics. If not to protect himself and his family, but to protect Cisalpinia and perhaps one day all of Italy.

A socially inclined Conservative or a National Liberal would be the easiest way to describe Agostino's political beliefs.

Titles:
Deputy of Cisalpinia ~ 1885 - present
Senator of Italy ~ 1886 - present
Prime Minister of Cisalpania ~ 1887 - present
 
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Candidate: Francesco De Palma

[Greek]

-Oighrig Kanelos.

((I would also like to point out that the Heir to Albania has been kidnapped))
 
[Greek] ((which should be added to the list of possible cultures))

((If it's not on the list, it's not large enough to qualify as a distict culture and is hence lumped in with 'other'.))
 
Candidate: Francesco de Palma

[North Italian]

~ Francesco de Palma, President of the Federation
 
A reporter writes an open letter to the largest papers in the nation, with a question to the Presidential candidates

Dear sir,

These war have gone long enough. Tell us, what is your opinion on the offer by the Romanian King Carol? Will you take the offer?

Thank you,

Concerned Citizen
 
My judge votes Innocent.

"He is a scoundrel and a murderer, yes, but he did a damn sight more against Lilic than the rest of you layabouts!"
 
A reporter writes an open letter to the largest papers in the nation, with a question to the Presidential candidates

This is an excellent question. As has been reported in the news the military is currently advancing at a rapid pace into the rebelling provinces in Romania and should have them under control shortly. However, I wish to see a solution that is best for the Federation and the people of Romania as well. If we try to take all of Romania back it may very well only continue the animosity its people have toward the Federation and lead to another rebellion in the future. In addition it could very well involve us in a war with Russia which we currently cannot handle while having just come out of a war with France. I believe that it is in the best interests of this nation that we seek a diplomatic solution to this situation and thus I would support this deal to allow us to focus on the internal issues that currently need to be addressed.

~ Lukáš Banik, Councillor for Slovakia
 
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