Edge of Europe - A Belgian Interactive AAR

[Terraferma]

And so ends the election, I would like to congratulate all candidates on their efforts and would like to congratulate our newly elected President on a job well done. Our prayers go out to Pierre Savarin and the family as we express our condolences in this trying time after the death of a woman that has with no doubt left her mark on Belgium's history. Say what you will, the woman played her part in helping to defeat the fascists and that is something worth remembering. Assuming the reports are true, if not then I suppose I am early on the obituary. As previously mentioned while the LDP favors a strong presidential office we would like to present an amendment with regards to parliamentary powers. It will be brief but concise to present if only a moderately better system of checking the branches of power:

Parliamentary Powers Amendment

The President shall continue to exercise his veto powers as previously stated in the constitution, however, parliament can overcome a presidential veto with a 2/3rd majority in both chambers. If the presidential veto is overridden it is not subject to another Presidential veto and the law is considered passed.

 

[Belgiumruler]

Even more slogans are being chanted by some extreme radical communists, even more radical then van't Boske

"One Capitalist dead, A million to go!"

 

[Andre Massena]

Even more slogans are being chanted by some extreme radical communists, even more radical then van't Boske

"One Capitalist dead, A million to go!"

LaCarcassone shouts at the angry protestors

Don't you have something better to do than besmirch one of Belgium's greatest leaders in your free time? Get a job, you deviants!

He whispers to himself

One Savarin down, one more to go...

 

[Belgiumruler]

LaCarcassone shouts at the angry protestors

Don't you have something better to do than besmirch one of Belgium's greatest leaders in your free time? Get a job, you deviants!

He whispers to himself

One Savarin down, one more to go...

The same group of radical communists

"Oh, we have a job, we spread the revolution!"

 

[Maxwell500]

Returning Home

The elder man, his face riddled with wrinkles and his hair as grey as a stormy day, sat quietly in his corner booth looking out the window as the countryside rolled by. In his hands lay a scruffy looking piece of paper, its edges bent and parts torn. The man, snapping out of his trance, looked down and read the words on the page,

Often rebuked, yet always back returning
To those first feelings that were born with me,
And leaving busy chase of wealth and learning
For idle dreams of things which cannot be:

To-day, I will seek not the shadowy region;
Its unsustaining vastness waxes drear;
And visions rising, legion after legion,
Bring the unreal world too strangely near.

I’ll walk, but not in old heroic traces,
And not in paths of high morality,
And not among the half-distinguished faces,
The clouded forms of long-past history.

I’ll walk where my own nature would be leading:
It vexes me to choose another guide:
Where the gray flocks in ferny glens are feeding;
Where the wild wind blows on the mountain side.

What have those lonely mountains worth revealing?
More glory and more grief than I can tell:
The earth that wakes one human heart to feeling
Can centre both the worlds of Heaven and Hell.

A smile appeared on his thin lips and he looked himself over, brushing off some dust from his long coat. A few moments later the train was to grind to a halt and he stood slowly, stretching his aged limbs, and retrieved his small suitcase of luggage. Walking out the nearest train door he shielded his eyes from the overbearing sun whilst also peering his head around, looking for someone. Finally he caught view of a younger man in a military uniform and approached. The younger man, once he noticed who approached him, snapped to attention and saluted, a slight shock upon his face.

"Sir, I had heard the rumors and was instructed to be here, but I never thought they would be true!"

The old man chuckled. "That is understandable, after what happened I do believe many thought I would come back here. But, it has been more than a decade...and now I must return, with my brothers following, to save Belgium from the horrors that befall it!"

"As you say Supreme-General!"

"Captain, I appreciate the use of that rank, but I would prefer you address me as 'Your Highness', I am after all a Duke, and a Count."

"Yes Supre...I mean Your Highness."

"Good lad, shall we go forth? We have many things to do."

The Captain nodded and lead the older man to a waiting vehicle, entering it they sped off.

 

[Ab Ovo]

[video=youtube;CqA5IJPEONY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqA5IJPEONY[/video]​

...in regards to your latest missive, we reiterate our obje-

He folded the letter back up and slipped it into his breast pocket. He knew that it was for the best, but he had rejected it for some time. He just wanted to live his life. Before he was lost in reverie, he felt a tugging at his sleeve.

"Papa, estamos casi allí?"

"Pronto mi hijo, ver la orilla? Eso es casa."

His son nodded, and soon they were disembarking. It was good to be home.

 

[oxfordroyale]

I too, would like give my sincerest condolences to Pierre Savarin, the leader of my party - a man who has lost his wife and beloved companion, just as we have lost one of the great leaders of our glorious Belgium. He led us through the darkness of the civil war to the light at the other side, built this very republic we know and love today. I grieve with you, sir - as I'm sure does every true patriot of this country.

However, it is imperative that while we not forget the past, we begin to look to the future. We have a new president in Quinten Fontaine, and though he is not of my party of preference (and he has made some blunders), he has so far given every appearance of making good on his promises to decrease the powers of his office: making the Presidency "less dictatorial", as he puts it. While surely it is much too early to fully judge his character and competence, I beseech all members of the republic, no matter their party, to forget our petty political disputes and support Mr. Fontaine. Our nation has seen terribly turbulent years in the recent past, the effects of which we have only just begun to recover from. I, for one, would not wish for the political instability and bickering that seems so often to define us doom this presidency before it has even begun. A newly unified government under a newly elected President allows us the potential for a full recovery - not just economically, but politically as well.

In short, gentlemen, it is time for us to get our affairs in order, and I believe, or rather hope, that Quentin Fontaine will be the man to do it - so long as he is supported by his fellow republicans. Let's hope that this confidence I have in you, Mr. Fontaine, is not utterly misplaced.

- Tristan van Halle

 

[jeeshadow]

Name: Maximilian Aerts, Deputy from Brussels
Born: 1890
Background: A member of the increasingly large Aerts Political Dynasty, Maximilian is the current leading politician in the family. Well educated, and intelligent, with degrees in several fields, Maximilian has spent most of his career as a Deputy. He has recently come into the higher levels of leadership in the LDP and is a close ally of Dieric.

 

[DensleyBlair]

For Madame Savarin

If ere I found some fault in thee,
Then let it lie at rest.
I shan't name with ferocity
That now named by death.​

Ditto​

 

[ThunderHawk3]

The 1926 General Election: End of a Dynasty​

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1. The Election Results​

The 1926 General Election marked a major realignment election for Belgium. After ten years of minimal political presence, the Belgian conservative movement, embodied by the CCU, returned in massive force. The Christian Conservative Union, led by the returned Léon-Philippe van de Werve, took 69 seats in the General Election, propelling it to first-party status for the first time in the party's history. The BSU established itself as a close second party, falling dramatically from over 90 seats to 61. The NDP and the LDP also sustained substantial losses, the NDP taking 52 seats and the LDP falling from 62 seats to 42. Though commentators blamed Belgian disillusionment with conventional party politics for the rapid return of the Belgian conservative movement, the most radical parties had few gains to show for their efforts. Despite its powerful pre-election showing, the Revolutionary Front took only 17 seats at its first election and the PPB only 8, barely half of its 1921 total.

2. Seat breakdown, 1926​

More compelling than the Parliamentary races were the presidential election. With the seat totals highly divided, the only viable two-party coalition was an unlikely CCU-BSU coalition, making a three-party coalition a near certainty. Many were aware that the President would likely be the deciding factor. The matter seemed settled when Van de Werve and the conservative party announced an LDP-NDP-CCU coalition just before election day. The surprise announcement caught the political world and most voters by surprise. Though nothing was said publicly, many speculated that a deal had been struck between Van de Werve and President Savarin as Robert Marie Léon D'Ursel - the conservative-backed candidate - withdrew just before the race, though it was much too late to remove his name from the ballot. Jean di Picardie followed him into obscurity, leaving only the fascist Lucius Viktor Salvatore and Quinten Fontaine, who had long established himself as a bitter enemy of Savarin.

3. Changes in Parliament. Note that the Parliament returned to its full 200-deputy seating.​

Despite the narrowing political field, Savarin remained a divisive leader for the Republic and a controversial choice for the Presidency. Having long relied on piecemeal support from many different campaigns, Savarin found herself rapidly losing BSU support the target of the far-left "Anyone But Savarin" poster campaign. Van Prinsterer alleged[1] that Savarin had suggested the use of martial law and mass executions to quell a looming communist rebellion in her last term. Fontaine, though himself a questionable figure, quickly absorbed a groundswell of support from other candidates disillusioned with the Savarin presidency.

In the first round of the election, both Savarin and Fontaine took about 37% of the vote. The remaining of the vote was largely taken by the withdrawn Ursel, with many conservatives ignoring their leaders' calls to back Savarin and preferring their withdrawn ally, while Salvatore and the absent Di Picardie both taking about 3% of the vote. The lack of a clear winner prompted a second round. After a grueling campaign, Fontaine took 59% of the vote in the second round, dealing a decisive defeat to Savarin. Savarin conceded. A week later, she was dead, leaving Fontaine as President of Belgium and an uncertain legacy and future for the country.

[1]These accusations are no longer believed to be true. ((Maxwell has lodged a complaint that TJDS used OOC comments for IC purposes here - I'm not pleased about the use of OOC statements IC))


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Player Actions Needed:

1921 graphs stick around for a minute. The President ((naxhi24)) has the sole power to appoint the Prime Minister and should do so. The PM can then announce his/her government, which needs obviously needs a majority (now 125 seats) participating to govern.

 

[Andre Massena]

[1]These accusations are no longer believed to be true. ((Maxwell has lodged a complaint that TJDS used OOC comments for IC purposes here - I'm not pleased about the use of OOC statements IC))

((Obviously that is bad but isn't it also kind of problematic that all the PMs I have seen related to elections and subsequent wheeling and-dealings have all been OOC?))

 

[99KingHigh]

((Obviously that is bad but isn't it also kind of problematic that all the PMs I have seen related to elections and subsequent wheeling and-dealings have all been OOC?))

((I don't see anything like that as terribly problematic as long as it isn't advertising.))

 

[Scrapknight]

PRESS RELEASE

BRUSSELS - Pierre Savarin has stated that he thanks the nation for their outpouring of condolences for the death of his wife, the late Josephine Henriette Savarin. He noted that "while the magnitude of my loss is great, it is a loss for the Republic and all the nation as well. Perhaps we all share in this pain together. Nevertheless, we must do what we can to carry on. It is what she would have wanted." A memorial service will be held in Constitution Square, 2100 Rue de la Republique, on March 1st, which will be open to the public..."

---

"I still can't believe it, I can't..." Pierre Savarin said to himself after finishing the press release. "I barely even got to say goodbye..."

"Are you still going to go to Parliament, Papa?" asked his daughter, Amelie. "I know the election already happened, but surely these are extraordinary circumstances..."

"I don't know, my dear. I'm old by any stretch, a great-grandfather. I'm tired. I've barely gotten to spend time with my family in years. Brussels is as contentious and strenuous as ever.Now the one part of my life that held it all together, that made it all worthwhile, is gone...What should I do? I love this country, I love the Republic, but I don't know if I can keep doing it..."

"You've always been there for us, Papa. Just like how you always said that no matter how busy Grandpa Georges was, he was always there for you. Maybe now it's time to let Georges Valentin and I help take care of you."

"You mean that?"

"Sure I do! We'll come to Brussels with you. I'll even invite my children. You don't have to be away from us all the time. We all miss Mama, you know. Maybe we can get through this together. As a family."

Pierre thought for a minute, looking out over the balcony where he and his wife had spent countless hours, talking and planning and watching the beautiful machinery of the city in its endless cycles. Maybe he could go back after all.

"...All right. I'll go. They did elect me, after all. And it's not as if Josephine would want me to give up now."

 

[Nax24]

A Pronouncement of the President of the Republic
Quinten Fontaine​

With the conclusion of the elections for the parliament, it seems the government has become one national government with the involvement of the Belgian Social Union, Christian Conservative Union, National Democratic Party, and Liberal Democratic Party. As such, the repressentatives of the party have approached me with candidates for the position of Prime Minister of Belgium.

I hereby select Robert Marie Leon D'Ursel of the Christian Conservative Union as Prime Minister of Belgium.

Assisting him shall be Hans Muller, also a member of the Christian Conservative Union, who will serve as Deputy Prime Minister.

May both these gentlemen lead Belgium to a better future.

-President Quinten Fontaine

 

[99KingHigh]

Budapest Herald: BETRAYED!​

Christian Conservative Union Leader, Leon-Phillipe van de Werve, was evidently betrayed this afternoon by backroom dealings after President Quinten Fontaine appointed former CCU-leader and Presidential candidate Robert Marie Leon D'Ursel as Prime Minister. Van de Werve, who orchestrated the CCU's electoral success (along with frontbencher Hans Muller), was the main architect behind the NDP-CCU-LDP coalition. As CCU party leader, questions are now arising if van de Werve shall even permit the coalition, since his directive as Party Leader has been so thoroughly betrayed. A number of Conservative deputies are considering defection if the present appointment stands. To add insult to injury, the Presidential appointment even refused van de Werve the Deputy ministry, which has been handed away to long time colleague, Hans Muller.

 

[oxfordroyale]

As CCU party leader, questions are now arising if van de Werve shall even permit the coalition, since his directive as Party Leader has been so thoroughly betrayed. A number of Conservative deputies are considering defection if the present appointment stands.

Oh, dear. Must this breed of fractious politics return so quickly to our nation (if indeed they ever left)? No sooner has the coalition formed than it looks to burst into flames.

- Tristan van Halle

 

[Dyranum]

What did I say? That Fontaine chap isn't all there (even less than the Savarin ... thing), but that can't have been a surprise, can it? Really, I don't understand why no one has called for his immediate resignation.

—Deputy Lanterfanter den Tweede Slak

 

[Terraferma]

What did I say? That Fontaine chap isn't all there (even less than the Savarin ... thing), but that can't have been a surprise, can it? Really, I don't understand why no one has called for his immediate resignation.

—Deputy Lanterfanter den Tweede Slak

You speak of what you don't know Sir. This has less to do with Fontaine and more to do with Leon-Phillipe van de Werve and Robert Marie Leon D'Ursel. As leader of the LDP I will nonetheless despite the potential impeding impasse within the CCU Confirm the intention of a national government and call the other party leaders to do the same.

~ John Dieric, Minister of Defense

 

[Belgiumruler]

You speak of what you don't know Sir. This has less to do with Fontaine and more to do with Leon-Phillipe van de Werve and Robert Marie Leon D'Ursel.

~ John Dieric, Minister of Defense

It has to do with Capitalism, always.

- A sleepy van't Boske

 

[Scrapknight]

I, too, can confirm that the NDP will join the national unity government. At this trying time for Belgium, as the Republic mourns the loss of her first President, a national government is clearly the way forward.

- Pierre Savarin