Kuitentsyol News

[Krehamn]

OOC: This will be a list of all the news from Kuitentsyol that will be under a number of different publications. Hope you enjoy reading!

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Plans to expand KUTZS released​

Zhunbäzar, Nissel-Uul, Kuitentsyol l The Government of the Khanate has formally released their plans to expand the Kuitentsyol National Railway Network through a press release on Thursday, after many months of planning. This upgrade is much needed, as complaints about the size of the network itself have lasted for years, with many analysts comparing it to a 'human body without flesh'. The network itself only has around five lines, with just one going north of Zhunbäzar, and runs on diesel trains from the 1980s. Therefore, it pales in comparison to the much more developed, and expanded, national highway and road system, which has been the main node of transport for the nation in ages present and past.

The plan, which was released online through their main website, outlines a major expansion plan of three new lines, which would connect the cities of Kerlusaq, Gorgaan, Irosehvgii and Paahmuuk to the national rail system, as well as many other towns and smaller communities scattered throughout the forests, steppes, and mountains of the nation. It also proposes electrifying the entire network, which would bring it up to the standards of today's world, as well as connecting it to the rail systems of Eiyyglia, Scalvia, and Hexastalia, a move that would greatly improve regional connectivity with the Khanate's neighbours.

The only real downside of this project, which is officially named 'Khooy', would be the extravagant costs needed to cover such a immense undertaking. For this, multiple economists have already pulled up suggestions to take out loans from other nations or international loans, a move that would see the Government's debt increase. However, they say that the long term benefits of such would be able to cover the costs itself, and would be a step towards diversifying our economy through connecting domestic industries and moving trade goods even faster.

A transportation plan this major hasn't been seen since the likes of the National Mass Highway Plan in the 1960s, which was carried out by Altankhuyag Naranbaatar after the Khutogbai's approval, and became the first plan to connect the entirety of the nation fully. Co-funded by the Scalvian CFDO and the Khaanate National Development Fund, it greatly expanded road links to Scalvia and pulled the two nations closer; will we see the same such thing happen with this project? However, the verdict on this is unclear as the Nilamaat Aputikvik International Airport renovations in 2016 was completely funded domestically. Will the KNDF still have funding to see this through?

The Khooy Project will be set to go through the Khutogbai this Wednesday under the Khoy Bill. We hold out hope that the congressmen of the Khutogbai will see reason and let this bill go through, to improve the lives of all.

 

[Krehamn]

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Social Media Trend spikes amidst unnatural record heatwave​

Nilamaat, Izajulleq, Kuitentsyol l Following the unnatural heatwave that started late October, the 'Ice Bucket' challenge has made a resurgence in the media platform Viedéo, popularized by Kuitens around the nation looking for a way to deal with the sweltering heat.

The heatwave, which started in late August, currently affects all but the mountain ranges in Kuitentsyol, with Nilamaat averaging new record temperatures of 29.1 degrees celsius on October 23rd, breaking the previous record of 28.9 degrees celsius set on the June 1987 heatwave. Zhunbazär has also come remarkably close to breaking it's own temperature record, setting a temperature of 36.7 degrees celsius on October 16th, just three degrees celsius away from it's current record of 40.7 degrees celsius set in July 1943. The current averages for these two are 19.6 and 30.1 degrees celsius respectively, with the current nationwide average being 25.7 degrees celsius, about six degrees higher than this same time last year.

With this heatwave looking for a way onto the record books, the populace, especially those around the age group of 18 to 25, have repopularised the 'Ice Bucket' challenge, which involves a person getting a bucket of ice and water dumped onto them, often for a shock reaction. It was popularized in 2014 to raise awareness about amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS; aka motor neuron disease) but has since spiralled into becoming one of the internet's most well-known and famous trends.

Now, it has made it's way back onto the national stage, not for ALS, but rather for it's effectiveness in combating against the heatwave. Many Kuiten citizens were seen participating in the Ice Bucket Challenge on Viedéo over the past few weeks, and some have even made it onto international popularity. Celebrities and politicians were also seen taking part in the challenge.

However, there has been growing concern over the challenge, being it's use of water. With the heatwave, Kuitentsyol will no doubt be suffering under a drought, and critics of the challenge say that the Ice Bucket Challenge is 'a waste of water that could've gone towards irrigating crops'. However, this hasn't stopped the growing popularity of the trend, with the hashtag #IceBucketChallenge being used more and more with every passing day.

Will this trend have a butterfly effect on the nation? Only time will tell.

 

[Krehamn]

Frustrations with UDN-TKE Coalition grow as tax bill passes the Khutogbai
By Avaas Khajan - Mercanti Language Translator for the KUG
For reference - UDN refers to the National Progressive Party, K refers to the Conservatives, NEK refers to the United Rights Union, TKE refers to the Farmer-Labor Coalition, LAN refers to the Liberal Democratic Party, and ZN refers to United Left.

Zhunbazär, Nissel-Uul, Kuitentsyol I "Outrage!" screamed a member of the Conservatives as 14 members of the Khutogbai left after the titled 'Anti-Smoking Health Bill' increased taxation on products with tobacco from 3% to 10%, as well as setting public restrictions on smoking areas and forcing tobacco corporations to donate an undisclosed amount of money to lung cancer research every year. The bill, which passed 272-23-205 in the most recent session of the Khanyikh Khutogbai, caused fourteen members of parliament to storm out of the Hall, including Nitamaq Hyeinsflugur (K), Gyhalm Kan-Pastelflad (NEK) and Vaadmur Abaalna (NEK).

Sponsored by the Anti-Smoking Committee - primarily made up of members of the UDN, TKE, LAN, and ZN - the bill was hypothetically supported by a large majority of the Khutogbai, with news predictions even going as high as a 100-vote majority. Which makes it worse for Aallad and the UDN that the bill only passed by 22 votes - shockingly narrow for such a bipartisan bill. 17 members of the National Progressive Party voted against the bill out of the 152 seats that the UDN held, with a further 3 abstaining. And it must've raised major concerns over the discipline of the UDN members, as High Minister of Government Keersan Aallad could be seen talking with his advisors and members of the Anti-Smoking Committee after the passing of the bill.

Even worse was the Farmer-Labor Coalition, or rather the TKE. The junior partner of the minority coalition had 12 of it's 71 members vote against the bill, and 8 abstaining, almost certainly splintering any notion of party unity after the session - Party President Haeld Aaklegblait could be seen furiously arguing with TKE Whip Matenseg Bulbayar after the votes were announced, red faced and all, as the larger commotion occurred at the doors of the Hall.

After the passing of the bill, Conservative Minority Leader Aaltan Khuunlei was sought out for a comment by the press corps. After asking him on how he felt on the passing of the bill, he responded:

It's a major, major disappointment for all the workers and the people out there who look towards smoking as a way out of stress. Instead of the Government doing it's job and making people happy, it seeks to take a major source of comfort away from the majority of the population under the disguise of health and environmental issues. I announce a strong denouncement of the current minority coalition for this blatant act of oppression against the people. However, I was overjoyed to see it pass by such a small majority - even members of the coalition saw things for what they were! I still believe this country, and this Parliament, still has reason in them, and so I will continue to fight against the interventionist policies of the UDN and the TKE until the next elections.

Public response to the passing of the bill have mostly been general discontent, although there were some who sought to express their frustration and anger in a more public way. In a rather careless act of display, protests occurred in the industrial districts of Nilamaat by the working class - many of whom saw the coalition's actions as 'betrayal'. Although not a particularly major bill in the grand scheme of things, all parties involved in the bill will no doubt take a popularity hit, with the brunt of it on the National Progressives and the Farmer-Laborers.

The Official Office of the High Minister of the Government released an official statement the morning after the protests, urging for 'calm' and 'restraint' from the people. But, no doubt, this bill has to be one of the most controversial of the term.

 

[Krehamn]

POLLING: Coalition set for disasterous collapse​

By Naahkreb Maadenhaute - Mercanti Language Translator for the KUG

Zhunbazär, Nissel-Uul, Kuitentsyol I It looks like the elections nine months from now would not be a good one for the NPP-FLC coalition, polling says, as monthly polls from 250toGo, the nation's premier website for tracking public opinion on the government, has released. And it would certainly almost guarantee a Conservative Government this time next year, as the NPP is set for a seat count below 150 for it's third election after the Social Democrats collapsed.

According to the website, the current minority coalition is set to lose 85 seats, to an inoperable minority of 138 out of the 250 seats needed to guarantee a majority in the Khutogbai. Meanwhile, the biggest gains are set to be the Conservatives, with fifty-two seats set to cross party lines, and following them is the most rightward party in the Parliament, the United Rights Union, who are set to gain 29 seats. The Liberal Democrats are set to trade 12 seats to the United Left as well.

The new Parliament if these results came to light would be as follows: The Conservatives would win 154 seats to become the biggest party, followed by 111 Progressives, 76 Leftists, 62 Liberals, 58 Rightists, 27 Farmer-Laborers and 8 Islanders, with 4 Independents predicted. The most obvious solution in this case would be a Big Two Coalition between the Conservatives and Progressives, but it is unlikely to come to fruition as of current (see post above). The second most likely would be a Blue-Purple-Yellow Coalition, that being a Conservative-Right-Liberals that would total to 274 seats, a safe 24 seat majority for the Government. If these were not to form, it is also possible that the Progressives would form a minority coalition consisting of Progressive-Left-Liberals coalition that would total to 249 seats, one short of a majority - in this case, they might look towards the Islanders or Independents, or possibly even bring the Farmer-Laborers into the fold - forming a United Front against the Right - with the color scheme being Green-Red-Yellow-Orange. Of course, the more natural solution would be a traffic-light coalition that would bring an independent or a islander into the fold.

No matter current speculation, other polls conducted have also hinted at disapproval of the current Government, with a 42% approval rate for the past three years overall and a shocking 19% approval for the past six months for Keersan Aallad's coalition. No matter what, Keersan and his cabinet have to get their approval ratings back up, lest they risk a complete vote of no-confidence soon.

However, rumours spread that the main man may bring another party into the coalition to form a sustainable and passable majority, a luxury that the coalition could not afford for the past three years - but which party would risk such a daring maneuver just nine months before election day? Not when you could wait it out and gain more seats come December, we heavily doubt that anything is in the works for getting a new party in.

The question is: Will polling remain stable until election day? Only time will tell.

 

[Krehamn]

Above: Kristiansen talking at the Nilamaat National Conference Center, 12 June 2024

United Left joins Coalition, forms majority​

By Markus Hullfuss - Mercanti Language Translator for the TNN

Nilamaat, Izajulleq, Kuitentsyol l We'd thought we'd never see the day, but the Sapevsel has found a majority - but it's not one that was unexpected. For years, the United Left have been looking for a way into government - they achieved it locally back in 2007 in our very own Izajulleq, but they could never really have the success needed nationwide to become the deciding factor. But, with the collapse of the Social Democrats in 2017, that has all but changed.

With an influx of members hailing from the left wing of the Social Democrats - such as former Minister of Labor Hilmar Østergaard (Halleroppa, 1989) - the former electoral minnows have risen to their pre-1960s levels of support, with recent results reminiscient of the former left-wing giant under HMG Sidsel Holst, who is most notable for being the third female High Minister of Government and for her endorsement of 'state capitalism', which resulted in the buy-outs of Majulleq Steel in 1950 and Nahebro in 1952.

The current leader of the Left, Ivik Kristiansen, is himself a former member of the Social Democrats, and represents the so-called 'Pragmatist' wing of the Left - one in which pragmatism and realism is prioritized against the classical idealism of the socialist ideology. In recent years, he's garnered comparison to Social-Democrat leaders in the 1990s and his faction is often regarded as the 'Third Way' of the Socialists, a pivot to center that leaves some of the more fringe members reeling or abdicating. He is also known for developing his constituency, Husavik North, into a model for welfare implementation since his election in 2001 against Eline Johansen (Maalsand, 2005-2011), who's now more notably known for serving as Conservative Transport Deputy from 2009 to 2011. Kristiansen's welfare model was a local expansion of the 2002 Welfare Expansion Act passed under the Bagarida Administration, which expanded education subsidization to Grade 10 (14 y/o) and healthcare subsidization to people over 60 (previously children <16 and seniors >65). With the cooperation of the Social-Democrat dominated Husavik City Council, Kristiansen focused on expanding healthcare subsidization to working-class adults working in factories over forty years old, and managed to pass it through the council in September 2002, mere months after the national Expansion Act had been passed.

The United Left is currently polling at 76 seats this December, an increase of 12, but early polling conducted after the official forming of the new coalition is expected to diminish Socialist gains, or even predict them to lose seats compared to 2021. Regardless, the former Sap coalition has now formed into a traffic-light coalition with a governable majority of 287 out of 500 seats. The Left are expected to take the Labor, Education, Healthcare, and Business ministries from the current coalition, and speculation is high over which particular ministers would be appointed in these, although Kristiansen himself is widely expected to take the Ministry of Healthcare.

With a new, governable majority, the coalition is now expected to take broader steps in achieving promises such as welfare expansion, social housing, and international cooperation using funds garnered from targeted tax increases, such as the highly unpopular tobacco taxation bill that passed three months ago, and others like the National Pharmaceutical Regulation Act that passed in February of last year. The money gathered from these resolutions is expected to be enough to fulfill campaign promises and, hopefully, save the coalition's polling from disasterous lows.

Comments​

Jens M.
This is crazy - the United Left has zero governing experience! They're just shooting themselves in the foot at this point.

B. Matensaar
This malarkey is why I voted for the Conservatives in 21. Exactly what I expected - high almighty...

Lukas M. S.
To be honest, I'm excited. A fresh, new change like what Kristiansen represents should be enough to remind the Progressives of exactly what they promised back in 2021 - I'm still waiting for my school fees to lower!

 

[Krehamn]

Saintes Convention Ratification Bill to be voted on​

By Karl Hermansen - Mercanti Language Translator for the KUG

Zhunbazaar, Nissel-Uul, Kuitentsyol l The ratification of the terms of the Saintes Convention is set to be voted on in the next Khutogbai session. The Saintes Convention, which is officially titled as a 'Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War', is a treaty that, as stated, protects civilians from any bodily harm conducted by militaries during periods of war. The treaty is regarded as one of the leading human rights treaties in the world, and Kuitentsyol remains one of the few nations to have signed, not ratified, the Convention's conventions and protocols, having signed three years ago.

The 'Saintes Convention Ratification Bill' is set for a vote next session, and was sponsored by MP Idughadaiin Charakha (ZN, Ugtarakhain) and co-sponsored by fellow MPs Laverenti Medvedev (EMNK, Tyami) and Andrew Wray (EMNK, Tyrose and Haverford), as well as Maude Thorsen (UDN, Fjelleslev). It is one of the first bills to be voted on since the United Left joined the incumbent government on the 18th, and will be the third attempt at ratifying the convention after two previous failures on May 7th, 2021 (117-42-341) and January 20th, 2022 (226-19-255). It is also the second time the bill has been introduced to the floor under the Aallad administration.

The most left-wing cabinet in recent memory will be expected to pass the bill through the Khutogbai with little difficulty, due to their newfound majority of 287 seats as well as the LAN being expected to vote for the bill. In hindsight, most of the parties in both the cabinet and toleration should be voting for the bill, which hypothetically gives this bill a large majority, but we know what happened the last time we expected that. Therefore, we're being a bit more cautious this time, and we're expecting the bill to get just over 300 votes, enough for it's ratification.

The international pressure to ratify this bill is expected to be immense. The hoster of the convention, Saintonge, remains a big player on the international stage, and a majority of the nations on the planet have ratified the bill, including neighbors Scalvia, as well as other nations on Auroria such as Aubervijr and Suadivici. We could feasibly expect that Kuitentsyol would have a harder time doing anything on the world stage if the Convention fails to be ratified for the third time in a row.

Public opinion is expected to be mixed. The nation at large is still fairly isolationist, but calls for the treaty to be ratified have grown amongst the younger, more liberal generations of Kuitentsyol, with those under 30 expected to be the biggest callers for ratification. Middle-aged adults are expected to be mixed in opinion, while seniors of the nation are likely to be against the treaty, continuing on their isolationist streak from the 70s and 80s.

The biggest concerns with ratifying the treaty are expected to be the threat of international influence and free trade. Critics of the convention worry that ratifying it will kickstart a chain of events that turns Kuitentsyol into a battle for power between foreign influences, and working-class adults are worried about the ratification being the beginning of opening up Kuitentsyol to foreign immigrants. These two groups of citizens have widely coalesced behind the Conservatives, Rightists, and Farmer-Laborers, which may cause tension in the coalition if the bill still passes anyway.

Comments​

T. Yasavur
We should pass it! Kuitentsyol has been behind the world for far too long now.

Laila M.
It's a convention to protect us, the citizens, against the horrors of war. I don't know why anyone would be against this.

Y. Dalantai
They pass this bill first, and the next thing you know, we're gonna open the borders and lose our jobs to immigrants. Don't pass this!

 

[Krehamn]

LIVE: Vote on the Saintes Convention Ratification Bill​

By Karl Hermansen - Mercanti Language Translator for the KUG

Bill Name: A Bill to ratify the most recent terms and agreements of the Saintes Convention, hosted on the first of April, 2021.
Shortened Name: Saintes Convention Ratification Bill
Summary: To grant permission to the incumbent Government by the Khanyikh Khutogbai to ratify the Saintes Agreement and to set a deadline for it's ratification.
Sponsor(s): Idughadaiin Charakha (ZN, Ugtarakhain)
Co-Sponsor(s): Laverenti Medvedev (EMNK, Tyami), Andrew Wray (EMNK, Tyrose and Haverford), Maude Thorsen (UDN, Fjelleslev)
Threshold: 250 'aye' votes

March 24, 2025: 10:00AM	The session of the Khutogbai starts. The bill is introduced onto the floor.
10:03AM	The reading of the bill has finished. A speech by the sponsor of the bill begins.
10:10AM	The speech ends. The Minister of the Khutogbai signals for voting to begin.
10:11AM	The first votes come in from the United Left and Erkkya-Mirchander Regional Union.
10:20AM	50 minutes remain. The first votes from the National Progressive Party have begun.
10:30AM	40 minutes remain. The first votes from the Farmer-Labor Coalition and United Rights Union have begun.
10:40AM	30 minutes remain. The Conservatives are the last party to start placing their votes after internal debate.
10:50AM	20 minutes remain. About fifty MPs are yet to place their votes.
11:00AM	The clock strikes 11. The number has whittled down to about 14.
11:09AM	Amasaryn Nomolun (FLC, Maagoder) is the last MP to vote, seconds before the voting period ends.

11:10AM	Voting concludes. The Minister of the Khutogbai takes his stand on the podium.
11:10:32AM	"The voting for the bill at hand has finished. The Saintes Convention Ratification Bill has... passed, 276 ayes to 213 nays with 11 abstentions. The bill will now be sent to the Khan for signing."
11:12AM	A heated argument is sparked between the United Left and the United Rights Union. Members of the Khutogbai attempt to defuse the argument.
11:14AM	37 members of the Khutogbai walk out. 26 are Right Unionist while 10 are Conservative, with 1 Farmer-Laborer.
11:20AM	The Minister of the Khutogbai moves on to the next bill. The 37 members are marked as 'voluntary abstentions' and the threshold for the following bills are moved down to 232 'aye' votes.