I wanted to enshrine the regional flag, logo, and the regional holiday of Democracy Day into law.

I also thought it was a good opportunity to establish a proper flag and logo for IDUSA.

Quote:

The Cultural Declaration Act
A by-law to establish, recognise, and regulate cultural aspects of the IDU

The International Democratic Union States Assembly,

ASPIRING to curate unique cultural identities for our region,

BELIEVING that specific cultural icons and milestones can allow people to rally more easily around an ideal,

Hereby Resolves the Following

§1 Regional Symbols

1. The following shall be the flag of the International Democratic Union;



2. The following shall be the coat of arms of the International Democratic Union;



3. Variations of §§1.1 and 1.2 may be used for official regional resources.

§2 IDUSA Symbols

1. The following shall be the flag of the International Democratic Union States Assembly (IDUSA);



2. The following shall be the logo of the IDUSA;



3. Variations of §§2.1 and 2.2 may be used for official IDUSA related agencies and resources.

§3 Holidays

1. The 24th day of June, hereafter referred to as Democracy Day, shall be celebrated as a regional holiday, in celebration of the founding of the region.

For the sake of some RP stuff, what do the timezones of your nation(s) look like? We would I guess have to collaborate since many nations would use the same.

In the generally peaceful, democratically looming presence of the International Democratic Union, shadowy criminal organizations exist in underlying communities. Masterful in their crafts and artists of highly centralized enterprises, the mega-rich and poverty-stricken alike find alternate ways to make their living aside from the corporate industries of the rest of the world. They are run by criminals who intend to commit illegal activity, most commonly for money and profit. Some criminal organizations, such as terrorist groups, are politically motivated. Sometimes criminal organizations force people to do business with them for "protection". Gangs may become disciplined enough to be considered organized. A criminal organization or gang can also be referred to as a mafia, mob, or crime syndicate; the network, subculture and community of criminals may be referred to as the underworld.

Other organizations—including states, militaries, police forces, and corporations—may sometimes use organized-crime methods to conduct their activities, but their powers derive from their status as formal social institutions. There is a tendency to distinguish organized crime from other forms of crime, such as white-collar crime, financial crimes, political crimes, war crime, state crimes, and treason. This distinction is not always apparent and academics continue to debate the matter. For example, in failed states that can no longer perform basic functions such as education, security, or governance (usually due to fractious violence or to extreme poverty), organized crime, governance and war sometimes complement each other.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organized_crime

At some point I'm going to make wiki pages for all these, but then I'd have to format them all correctly, and write it all in-character, so for the moment, here is a list of political parties in Lauchenoiria with elected representatives at a regional or national level, or who are polling above 10% currently.

I'm posting in bits because the full document is nearly 4000 words and that can be overwhelming.

Background on issues

Social Issues

Before the war, Lauchenoiria prided itself on its accessibility policies for disabled people, which were very thorough. The current Lauchenoirian health system is fully state run, with private healthcare being illegal. Lauchenoirian schools are also all state-funded, but the curriculum is decided on a provincial level. Smoking is forbidden throughout Lauchenoiria, but was briefly ‘legalised’ on Aeluria during the war (it is disputed whether or not this legalisation was legitimate’).

Economic Issues

Lauchenoiria is currently in the middle of a transition period from the old communist system (although Lauchenoiria hasn’t been fully communist since 1993) to a fully capitalist system. This is the result of the 2017 capitalism referendum, which officially legalised private enterprise. The results of this referendum are disputed, and it is seen as a catalyst for the 2018 civil war. Lauchenoiria currently owes a lot of debt, mostly to Sanctaria.

Security Issues

Gun control: before the war, Lauchenoirian citizens were forbidden from owning guns except if they could prove it was necessary for a specific reason (i.e. farmers). However, it was very, very rare that a license request would be approved, so for all intents and purposes, guns were almost completely banned.

Government surveillance and military spending are both contentious issues in Lauchenoiria, especially following the war. The current level of surveillance is higher in areas that were held by the Chaher regime in the war.

International Issues

Most of Lauchenoiria is in favour of international cooperation. The main point of contention is migration. There are two sides to this question: the standard immigration debate, but also a debate around emigration as many Lauchenoirians are still leaving the country in the aftermath of the war, which some see as damaging to the Lauchenoirian economy and reputation.

Constitutional Issues

As per the Haven Accords, the next parliament will have to approve a brand-new constitution, and hence this is a vitally important area. There is also a referendum on Aelurian independence on the 1st March.

WIP
Heres a short introduction to the first part.

The Sandmen Experiment
When is capitalism too much?
By Sand Point

As I marched into the Parliament, looking to the left, right and centre, all around are factions, all with more money than the other. I moved to my seat, I sat with 3 other men, we were isolated from all sides, rebuked for being independent, then she walked in, commanded a level of respect unknown to the average person. She walked up to the podium, and with a commanding voice started roll call; When she called my name I choked, I couldn’t speak its like all the wind came out of my lungs, I sat there unable to make any words, she yells my name again right before she began she called the next name I wimped out “I-I’m here- Present and uh voting, madam” After that it’s like all the spikes of hell turned all, the congregation looked at my direction with an evil look, as if the vultures had raised and found a new pray had come out to kill.
As the lady with the commanding voice at the podium finished the roll call she announced herself to be Gwendolyn Garbert-Smithe. At that moment I grabbed my collar and loosened it, I exhaled so hard it felt like my breath had been held for 20 years, then at that moment it hit me, that's her, the Prime Minister, “why is she here!” I thought. My thoughts began to rush out, then as if night had come I lost all feeling, and bell back into my chair, as it turned to black-

The Republic of Sand Point, the capitalist paradise, everyone has their slaves, every one a millionaire, everyone has a story to tell. Nothing has a reason except money, money is everything here, as long as you have money in Sand Point nothing else matters, criminal history, what you’ve done, where you’ve been, it doesn’t matter here, as long as you have more money than the one next to you. Some may call it hell, to others its paradise, to me, it's both at the same time.

Welcome aboard the Trive-IDU Baseball Classic Friendlies presented by Roasters, quality Trivian coffee at your doorstep.
This annual competition will determine the best baseball team in the IDU, while hopefully furthering the popularity of the sport in the region.

RP Notes:
The Trivian Premier League of Baseball, along with the Trivian Ministry for Sports, will reimburse transit and housing costs for all athletes. Ticket sales are allocated through a free-for-all system, with 10% of seats reserved for Trivians.

We'll start with a series of friendly games between the first 4 teams to enroll:
All games shall be held in the Pine Tree Stadium @ Petropavlovskiy-Kamchatsky.

10:00 AM - Libertas Omnium Maximus (The Spear) v. Gardavasque (The Hopefuls)
6:00 PM - Trive (White Army) v. Zamastan (Whitecaps)

LOM's baseball team, "The Spear", is known for its superb batting and quick runners. Matches against this team will prove to be balanced.
In some opposition, the surprisingly solid team of Gardavasque, fittingly nicknamed "The Hopefuls", are a more defensive team, according to our scouts, who had some words in from the newly formed team. Gardavasque has no professional baseball league, but the team seems to be quite solid - its amateurishness has won some sympathy among the Trivians.
The Zamastan Whitecaps, judging by our scouting evaluation, seems to have a more balanced style of baseball, similarly to Trive's.
Nonetheless, these will be interesting series.