Vulturret
Registered
Balder Bugle Issue III
A publication of the Ministry of Communications of the Realm of Balder.
Storting Elections Conclude
Last month, elections for five seats in the Storting (parliament) of the Realm of Balder were held. Incumbent Lawspeaker Linkin Maximus and MPs Akillian Talleyrand and Aexnidaral stood for re-election and all three of them were voted back into office by the entire citizenry of Balder. In addition, four other candidates battled it out for the other two positions: Minister of Regional Development Zander Cerebella, MP and Minister of World Assembly Affairs Griffindor13, Minister of Internal Affairs Theoden Sebastian, and Minister of Communications Vulturret. The latter candidate was the only parliamentary candidate to also announce their intention to seek election to the Office of Statsminister as well as to the Storting. Winning these two seats were Theoden Sebastian, a long-time Balderan, and Vulturret, a newcomer to the region whose work as Minister of Communications was well-received by the citizenry.
What is interesting to note from the full results below is that the top four candidates were all tied for first place. This is excellent for the region because it represents how satisfied citizens are with the plethora of candidates available. There was no clear-cut front-runner, which allowed all members of the Storting to enjoy a large base of support among the citizenry, thus allowing them to have strong support among the citizenry and govern with the people of the Realm fully behind them.
The full results of the Storting elections are as follows, with the members being elected (the top five) being shown in bold, ordered based upon votes received:
1. Vulturret
1. Linkin Maximus
1. Theoden Sebastian
1. Akillian Talleyrand
5. Aexnidaral
6. ZanderCerebella
7. Griffindor13
Storting Convenes to Elect Lawspeaker
Following the conclusion of the elections to the Storting, the new members of the Storting gathered in the chamber to deliberate on the Lawspeaker (presiding officer) for the term. Outgoing Lawspeaker Linkin Maximus announced his election to stand for the position once more, which was well-received by the other elected members. Speaking about his colleague Linkin, newly-elected MP Vulturret said, "based on his long record of service to the Storting and his excellent ministerial work, there is no question that [Linkin] is highly suited to continue in the role." Lawspeaker Linkin was confirmed by unanimous support of the Storting.
Crown Prince Selected and Confirmed
Additionally, in the State Opening of Parliament, the King, North East Somerset, revealed that after careful deliberation he had selected OnderKelkia, the Prince of Jomsborg and longtime Balderan governmental figure to be nominated to the role of Vice Delegate, styled as Crown Prince. In the confirmation process that followed, all members voiced their unanimous support for OnderKelkia. Speaking to the Storting, OnderKelkia said of his nomination, “I would like to record my immense gratitude to the King and the region for the trust His Majesty has demonstrated in nominating me to serve as Vice Delegate and Crown Prince. I have enjoyed my many terms as Statsminister of Balder and I now look forward to meeting a new challenge. If my nomination as Vice Delegate is approved by the Storting, I hope to serve the King and region well in this capacity.” The Government is pleased to have Onder's senior leadership abilities in this capacity to assist the Crown and Government and ensure regional activities run smoothly. We look forward to what he will bring to the new position.
Nomination of a new Statsminister (Prime Minister)
Also on the legislative agenda for the newly-elected members of the Storting was to nominate a new Head of Government. Under the Instrument of State and Government Act, the Storting is responsible for making a recommendation of a Statsminister (Prime Minister) for appointment by the King. As almost all executive authority is held by the Statsminister, making the selection of a nominee a highly important function of the Storting.
Lawspeaker Linkin Maximus nominated MP Vulturret (who had previously released a platform for activities as Statsminister as part of his campaign for the Storting) for the position. He accepted that, thanking the Lawspeaker for the nomination, and proceeded to receive unanimous support of the Storting to form a government following an appointment by the King.
King Delivers First State Opening of Parliament of Reign
Additionally, the King bestowed four knighthoods (peerages) upon four deserving members of the region. These were made in accordance with the Ttitles and Honours Act. The following individuals were recognized for the applicable contributions:
Knight of Odin - HRH Prince Zander of Aarhus - for his idea to create the Three Viking Cities, and the associated Roleplay themes, as well as the great leadership and vision he has shown over the past two months.
Knight of Mimir - Sir Griffindor - for his excellent service in Cabinet as the Minister of World Assembly Affairs.
Knight of Thor - Sir Vulturret - for his role in creating and drafting the Balder Bugle, as well as his input into the TEP festival and setting up a new Discord bot.
Knight of Bragi - Sir Bran Triune - for organising and holding a successful cultural festival; the TEP-Balder gala.
Statsminister Delivers Opening Address and Appoints Cabinet
Upon the gracious appointment of His Nordic Majesty, Statsminister Vulturret delivered an opening address praising the success of Balder in the past and looking forward to how we can improve in the future. The new Statsminister touched on the importance of Balder sticking to its self-driven priorities as an Independent region and highlighted the critical nature of the term in shaping foreign policy. The Statsminister also highlighted his various goals for the term - including boosting the endorsement count of Delegate North East Somerset, the size of the piling force of the military, and various other cultural, civic, and diplomatic endeavors that will continue to boost the strength of Balder.
Additionally, the Statsminister appointed a team of dedicated statesmen, many of whom have been in Balder for years, to the Statsraadet, known in English as the Cabinet. The Statsraadet is as follows:
Minister of Culture: ZanderCerebella
Minister of Integration: Fuzzy
Minister of Foreign Affairs: Linkin Maximus
Minister of War: Cinder
Minister of World Assembly Affairs: Griffindor13
Minister for the Cabinet Office: Theoden Sebastian
The Realm of Balder is highly excited to see what we can accomplish this term.
Other News
Fuzzy, our Minister of Integration and the Prince of Ribe, won multiple prizes at the highly imaginative multi-regional festival organized by The West Pacific to celebrate their newly announced theme. Fuzzy was named the winner of the prizes for The Best Haiku, The Best Short Story and Best in Class for Writing. Balderans had an excellent time attending the festival and we appreciated the numerous contests that all attendees had the unique opportunity to engage with. The Realm of Balder could not have thought of a better way to celebrate with TWP than this magnificent event, which we thank them for organizing.
The regional military of Balder, the Jomsvikings, are currently deployed in Westphalia supporting the operation led by The Black Hawks.
Contact Vulturret II, of the Ministry of Communications, with comments regarding the Bugle.