Millania saw comprehensive reforms in the past week, with changes in the majority of its government institutions and the unexpected reactivation of politics in Yochtia, as well as the return of much respected politician Eddie Howell. After the inauguration of the Liu Government today, the Herald looks back at the past week and will answer for the reader an important question – just what happened?
On the afternoon of the seventeenth, an Imperial Order was promulgated restructuring the Ministry of Communications, comprehensively reforming it into the Ministry of the Interior. The Interior Ministry was bound to the position of Lord Chamberlain, and the same was done with the positions of Foreign Minister and Chancellor. The unforeseen move was allegedly in an effort to decrease the size of the Cabinet, and increase efficiency in the operation of the state. Controversially, it also indirectly stripped Minister of Communications Jayden Lycon's position, relegating him to become a Minister Without a Portfolio.
Just a day later, another Order was passed, effectively destroying the largely inactive Chamber of Burgesses, the lower chamber of the Terataga, and splitting its powers among two new bodies called the Senate and the Chamber of Censors. "The two chambers are a modified blend of the Posafian Parliamentary Model and the Bolivarian Model," said the Lord Chamberlain Nicolás Millán today. "They were created to put a true check on the Government. The Senate has the additional power to solve small administrative problems which would streamline the legislative system to allow the Tribunes to solve large administrative problems rather than nitpick the local governments." This has also made Millania one of very few micronations with a tetracameral Parliament (note that the Imperial Magistrate, the Millanian equivalent of a Supreme Court, is also included in the Terataga).
The Senate was created on the premise of the Posafian Model, wherein the Government and the Opposition each select a delegate to the Chamber along with a third Imperial Representative. "It was apparent that this function worked with great success in Posaf," said Millán. "We took it upon ourselves to adopt this model over the inefficiency of the Burgesses."
The Chamber of Censors notably has a requirement of five members of the noble class, after it was leaked earlier in the year that noble titles would be offered beyond the Imperial Family for the first time since 2018. Additionally, it serves as a way to amend grammar or clarity issues in a fast manner, as well as alleviating the court of (most) constitutionality decisions when it comes to acts.
Meanwhile in Kayutsastan, a new Parliament is being created to replace the Administrative Council that currently advises the Captain Regent. This worryingly has placed the Kayut Independence Front in a minor position of power in its coalition with the local branch of the Liberal Party, against the ruling Topek. The Regional Government assured the Herald that the KIF would not see much increase in support in the foreseeable future.
With the arrival of many Essexians in Yochtia, its own legislature also saw major reform. the Legislative Council of Yochtia was reformed into the Riksalthingán (alternatively named in english as the Althing or the Parliament of Yochtia). Its unicameral parliament was split into two chambers: the Neðikánern, or Lower Chamber, and the Øpåekánern, or Upper Chamber. The Neðikánern essentially has similar powers to the British House of Commons, and the Øpåekánern is similar to the House of Lords. The Cabinet was also reformed into the Rikskavinåt, which now has dedicated ministries instead of one large portfolio.
Hours earlier, Eddie Howell, who was the former monarch of Yochtia, returned to take up the post of the Yochtese Minister of the State, effectively an intermediary between the First Minister and H.S.H. the Princess. This arrangement has allowed him to maintain a higher level of activity and "actually do it."
Then, yesterday night, the Liu Government was inaugurated by the Lord Chamberlain after months of delays. Liu, after being elected Chancellor, was given temporary powers instead of the legislature early on in the coronavirus pandemic (then an epidemic) in a nationwide effort to maintain social distancing. Now, months later, the pandemic has subsided in the Capital, as the Public Health Office reports to the Herald.
The meeting saw a short debate over the proposed Scone Act, which failed in a unanimous vote. The severe defeat for the Marketists also saw the first cross-bench support for the Liu Government.
The general improvements, jokingly dubbed the 'quality of life update' in reference to the much anticipated Animal Crossing updates, has taken near instant effects on the National Government, and sent ripples across to the furthest reaches of the Union. Activity has sparked in almost every branch of government, and now the Government's biggest issue is how to keep this going.