The North Star Issue XVIII
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[Image: sG8YGQy.png]May 2020 General Election Report


In May 2020, The North Pacific underwent its general elections for the Delegate, Vice Delegate, and Speaker positions. It marks the first General Election since the AGORA Act was passed, abolishing the position of Attorney General. This election was one of the most competitive in recent memory, with six candidates vying for Delegate and four running for Vice Delegate. Voter turnout was markedly higher than the January General Election, as well. The Delegate election entered into an instant runoff and consisted of two rounds, with the candidates with the least number of votes in the first round being eliminated before the second. No nominations were re-opened.

May 2020 Election Results: https://forum.thenorthpacific.org/topic/9192226/

The Candidates
For Delegate: Prydania, Praetor, Gorundu, Yuno, Rocketdog, and Mall.
For Vice Delegate: Artemis, Lady Raven Wing, Filiposgov, and Tinfect.
For Speaker: St George and Highton.

The Results
Delegate: Prydania
Vice Delegate: Artemis
Speaker: St George

The Election for Delegate
Due to previous Delegate McMasterdonia hitting term limits, the position of Delegate was open to new candidates, each of whom brought their own ideas to the table.

Our first candidate, Prydania, served in a number of appointed positions within TNP, such as Minister of Culture (under Delegates Ghost, Fiji, and McMasterdonia), Lead RP Mod (since late 2019), and Deputy Speaker (under Wonderess). Though he never held an elected position, Prydania expressed his belief that he had "the experience in government necessary to make an honest go of it." Prydania built his campaign around community and integrity. Referring to the ongoing pandemic, he expressed his intent "to use the vast resources our region has to foster a sense of TNP community to make this hard time for us all just a bit more manageable." Prydania outlined his belief in "a measured approach" and bringing transparency and integrity to the office of Delegate, promising to "always be upfront and honest about what [he believes], and what [his] intentions are on any given matter." His proposed agenda focused on strengthening the region both at home and abroad, with special emphasis on increasing the activity and visibility of the Ministries of Home Affairs, Culture, Communications, and Radio, as well as the Cards Guild. Prydania also emphasized his desire to strengthen the region's ties with its allies through the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and World Assembly Affairs.

Prydania received 48.92% of the vote in the first round and 50.36% of the vote in the second round, becoming our new Delegate.

The details of Prydania's platform can be found here: https://forum.thenorthpacific.org/topic/9192152/

Our second candidate, Praetor, built his platform around revitalizing the region through bold new initiatives. Speaking on the matter of transparency, he asserted that he would "openly accept applications" to the executive staff and "continue the tradition of meritocracy in our democracy." He also promised to "provide an update every week to the region on the progress of the government: what have we accomplished, what are we planning to do, and what did we fail to do." Praetor articulated several new ideas he wished to implement in the various Ministries, such as "a format for players to bring ideas that they have for the region to the Home Affairs" and having the Ministry of World Assembly Affairs "maintain a list of potential resolutions for new authors to work with."

Praetor received 30.94% of the vote in both the first and second rounds, and was not elected.

The details of Praetor's platform can be found here: https://forum.thenorthpacific.org/topic/9192154/

Gorundu, our third candidate, pitched his potential Delegacy as a natural extension of his time in TNP's government, which included serving as Minister of World Assembly Affairs and Speaker. Rather than making grand promises, Gorundu vocalized a desire "to be a representative for all TNPers." In short, his campaign focused on "presenting solid, realistic and insightful plans that can take the region above and beyond." Gorundu elaborated on policy objectives such as expanding hiring for the executive staff through "specific advertisements for each ministry," and being "more active on the Regional Message Board." His proposed agenda for specific ministries included continuing to expand upon the mission of the Ministry of World Assembly Affairs, and improving the frequency of content creation by Culture, Communication, and Radio through increasing available staff pools.

Gorundu received 9.35% of the vote in both the first and second rounds, and was not elected.

The details of Gorundu's platform can be found here: https://forum.thenorthpacific.org/topic/9192153/

Our fourth candidate, Yuno, ran a simple and straightforward campaign, promising to "send daily telegrams advertising ministries, games (especially free games)," distribute "lesson resources... and tell more people to vote." As the former Delegate of The East Pacific, Yuno possessed a level of experience above that of other candidates. She expressed her wish to make government recruitment less traditional, with "regional TGs [being used] more often for accessories stuff that 'regular RMBers' might be interested in" and more personal telegrams and citizen applications.

Yuno received 6.47% of the vote in the first round and 9.35% of the vote in the second round, and was not elected.

The details of Yuno's platform can be found here: https://forum.thenorthpacific.org/topic/9192151/

Rocketdog, our fifth candidate, pledged to focus "on consolidation and collaboration" within the region's government. "Having served as Minister of Home Affairs, Communications and Foreign Affairs, some multiple times, over the past few years, [he articulated his desire] to use that experience to foster more cooperation between ministries, other entities and resources." Rocketdog's proposed agenda was built around fostering collaboration between individual Ministries. Specific policy proposals included modernizing the region's handbook dispatches, promoting recruitment, releasing more tutorials, and increasing the frequency of The Northern Light's publications.

Rocketdog received 2.16% of the vote in the first round (tied lowest with Mall), and was therefore eliminated as a candidate.

The details of Rocketdog's platform can be found here: https://forum.thenorthpacific.org/topic/9192155/

Mall, our sixth candidate, ran on a platform of "Let's Make Things Worse". Mall promised to "burn this region to the ground" by calling "upon every major raider org to endorse" him and purging TNP. Mall stated that, towards the conclusion of his term, he would ban as many nations as he could before conquering The Rejected Realms. Additionally, he expressed a desire "to continue the fine tradition of the NPA raiding Nazis."

Mall received 2.16% of the vote in the first round (tied lowest with Rocketdog), and was therefore eliminated as a candidate.

The details of Mall's platform can be found here: https://forum.thenorthpacific.org/topic/9192159/

The Election for Vice Delegate
Our first and incumbent candidate, Artemis, pitched his potential additional term as a continuation of his existing agenda. Artemis' platform was very straightforward, with a focus on active endotarting, "working with the Ministry of Home Affairs to work on retention of the recent surge of nations," continuing the tradition of Weekly Vice Delegate Updates, and attempting to make TNP the number one region in average World Assembly endorsements.

Artemis received 87.69% of the vote, and was elected Vice Delegate in a landslide victory.

The details of Artemis' platform can be found here: https://forum.thenorthpacific.org/topic/9192160/

Our second candidate, Lady Raven Wing, built her campaign on a promise of "Security for None". Pledging to work alongside Mall should he become Delegate, Lady Raven Wing's platform included denying citizenship applications, extending all Security Council votes indefinitely, and granting any citizens deemed worthy access to the SC forums.

Lady Raven Wing received 7.69% of the vote, and was not elected Vice Delegate.

The details of Lady Raven Wing's platform can be found here: https://forum.thenorthpacific.org/topic/9192161/

Our third candidate, Filiposgov, ran as a relative newcomer to the region. His campaign focused on improving the retention of new nations and assisting the Delegate in strengthening the region overall. On 11 May 2020, Filiposgov conceded the election for Vice Delegate.

Filiposgov received 3.08% of the vote, and was not elected Vice Delegate.

The details of Filiposgov's campaign can be found here: https://forum.thenorthpacific.org/topic/9192175/

Our final candidate, Tinfect, accepted a nomination for Vice Delegate, but did not outline a campaign platform.

Tinfect received 1.54% of the vote, and was not elected Vice Delegate.

The Election for Speaker
St George
, who previously served as Acting Speaker, applied a frank tone to his candidacy and announced his intention to not engage in "overly ambitious campaign promises." St George pledged to make "sure the work gets done, [increase] the speed of the checks and [ensure] the team around the Speaker is at its best at all times." The particulars of St George's platform included increasing the speed of Speaker's checks for citizenship, using the Speaker's Staff to rotate into the role of Deputy Speaker, and working to continuously hold the region's government accountable.

St George received 82.31% of the vote, and was elected Speaker in a landslide victory.

The particulars of St George's platform can be found here: https://forum.thenorthpacific.org/topic/9192150/

Our second candidate for Speaker, Highton, addressed his lack of experience in the position of Speaker, but expressed his belief that "it ain't an election if there's only one candidate" (that being St George). Highton cited what experience he did possess, including serving in the positions of Deputy Minister of Culture and Gameside Advocate.

Highton received 17.69% of the vote, and was not elected as Speaker.

The particulars of Highton's platform can be found here: https://forum.thenorthpacific.org/topic/9192172/

[Image: sG8YGQy.png]The Spotlight - Interview with Rom


[color=rgb(243, 121, 52)]Pierce[/color]: Good evening! Tonight we sit with Rom, current Minister of Defence and General for the North Pacific Army. How are you this evening, General?

[color=rgb(44, 130, 201)]Rom[/color]: I'm doing good. Little tired but glad to be doing this.

[color=rgb(243, 121, 52)]Pierce[/color]: I’m happy to have you here. Down to business. It’s been a few weeks since you were appointed as Defense Minister by Delegate Prydania. What has the Army achieved thus far, and what are some of your goals in the near future as Minister?

[color=rgb(44, 130, 201)]Rom[/color]: I've liked what we have been able to do in terms of our joint OP's that we have done so far, and another thing is that we have worked with a wide variety of orgs so far, some of which it had been a while since we had previously done stuff with. Take that fash bash we did not that long ago ~ we worked with Legio, a org that we really hadn't worked with for a long time, and hopefully the next time a fash bash comes up we can continue to work with them. I've also really liked our soldier participation so far as well, as we have been averaging over 8 NPA soldiers participating in an OP this term, and I only expect that number to increase as the term goes on as hopefully sometime in the next couple weeks the delegacy transition is complete and we can start doing more holds and other types of operations that are more than just tagging and detagging.

[color=rgb(243, 121, 52)]Pierce[/color]: What other military organizations might we see NPA work with on future operations in its endeavor to beat the fascists across NationStates?

[color=rgb(44, 130, 201)]Rom[/color]: Off the top of my head, obviously Legio, and I do know that TGW has done a great job and is more than willing to do fash bashes. Really there is a lot of orgs out there that do fash bashes, and it is great to see that because obviously they have no place on NS.

[color=rgb(243, 121, 52)]Pierce[/color]: Thank you. Now, I’m sure some people like myself who aren’t aware of your history are curious to know more about how you became involved into military gameplay. Tell us about that history”

[color=rgb(44, 130, 201)]Rom[/color]: I made my first nation in 2011 as me and some of my RL friends had made a RP region, so I made a nation to join that region. I did some things in that RP region, like we did some fash bashes with MT Army and Vippertooth33. However that was the extent of what our region did in terms of Gameplay, but by 2014 we were wanting to get more involved in Gameplay, specifically defending. So, considering that the FRA was the biggest defending org of the time, our region decided to reach out to the FRA to apply to become a member region of the FRA, and I got sent to represent our region on our behalf. Now, our region never became a FRA region member, but I found defending and the FRA to be quite interesting, so I ended up joining a couple regions that were FRA members at the time - The Rejected Realms and Global Right Alliance.

So I ended up joining the RRA and and also the GRADF, and I've been involved in GP ever since.

[color=rgb(147, 101, 184)]Bormiar[/color]: What has been your general impact and history with any of those groups (FRA, TRR, GRA)?

[color=rgb(44, 130, 201)]Rom[/color]: I never really did a whole lot with the FRA. GRA and TRR is where I did more things during this time ~ like in GRA I as I mentioned earlier was in their regional military, and also I believe did some ambassador things with them. RRA one of the first things I remember doing was doing a TBR infil. Not a whole lot came out of my infil, but I would remain involved in TRR to this day. As for RRA, I left them in 2015 I believe to join the first version of TGW. That was also um interesting. Wouldn't be until 2018 I believe until I rejoined RRA again, and I'd stick around in there until I went and joined NPA. Actually had just received a promotion from Fratt a couple weeks before I left lol.

[color=rgb(147, 101, 184)]Bormiar[/color]: Why did you decide to leave defending for the NPA?

[color=rgb(44, 130, 201)]Rom[/color]: I had kinda gotten bored of GP around the time I left the RRA, so I considered the following ~ either retiring from GP and focus on getting endorsements or whatever, join a new defending org (I really thought about going to SPSF), or trying something new and join a org that does raiding. From there I decided to give NPA a try mostly because I was friends with Bob, and I figured it could be fun to do some more GP stuff with him. I'd say I've had some fun in the NPA.

[color=rgb(147, 101, 184)]Bormiar[/color]: What has been your favorite part?

[color=rgb(44, 130, 201)]Rom[/color]: My favorite part? I'd say some of the raids that we have done since I joined have been very enjoyable. Iran in particular. It was a lot of fun holding that region, and successfully defending that region from all the liberation attempts that libcord had made towards the region. I think there was over 50 defenders that jumped one time? And they came really close to liberating it, but we did a good job in having people on ready to banject defenders before the region updated. I'd love to do more holds like that in the future as well too.

[color=rgb(147, 101, 184)]Bormiar[/color]: How did you rank up so fast in the NPA?

[color=rgb(44, 130, 201)]Rom[/color]: I participated in a lot of OP's from when I joined the NPA, and now I've participated in over 100. Also I really haven't ranked up that much, since I'm still technically a Lieutenant Tongue

[color=rgb(147, 101, 184)]Bormiar[/color]: What would you say to a prospective NPA soldier on how to get involved?

[color=rgb(44, 130, 201)]Rom[/color]: I would say that there is several ways to get involved within the NPA ~ whether you are simply piling or you are active during updates. Also there is plenty of things to do when we are not doing operations, like graphics for example. And the NPA is also very much a rewarding and enjoyable thing to do, because GP is honestly a lot of fun, and there is so much to do.

[color=rgb(147, 101, 184)]Bormiar[/color]: Going off of the point on "plenty of things to do when we are not doing operations", is it possible to assist the NPA casually and without updating?

[color=rgb(44, 130, 201)]Rom[/color]: Absolutely! We love our pilers, and they are a crucial part of the NPA's success. Pilers are essential to a mission's success after we initially get our target after the jump, and the NPA has one of the best piling forces on NS. We can usually provide 20+ pilers into a region after the jump when needed, and very few orgs can say the same.

[color=rgb(147, 101, 184)]Bormiar[/color]: Thanks for the interview! Is there anything else you want to say for your plans for the NPA?

[color=rgb(44, 130, 201)]Rom[/color]: I want us to continue to diversify our OP's. We just did a joint detag run with RRA, SPSF, and EPSA, and I plan on continuing to do more detags and do more defenses and liberations as well. I think we have been doing a solid job at doing a wide variety of OP's, and it is something I hope to continue throughout my term.

[color=rgb(147, 101, 184)]Bormiar[/color]: Thanks for participating!

[Image: sG8YGQy.png]North Pacific Army Bulletin - April to May 2020


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Lieutenant Nimarya successfully refounds a region

The North Pacific Army has had one of its most eventful months yet from April to May, trying out a bunch of new tricks and finding new partners to work with.

In April, the North Pacific Army conducted 23 operations, with many successful blockade runs, a plethora of tag raids, and several refounds of fascist regions. This continued the use of exceptions to refound fascist and fascist-sympathizing regions with the authorization of the Regional Assembly under Chapter 7.6 sections 32 and 33 in our Legal Code.

Over several days in April, the NPA, in coordination with The West Pacific Armed Forces, the Legio Pacifica, the East Pacific Sovereign Army and the Balder Jomsvikings, conducted blockade runs against a Security Council proposal by the fascist Confederation of Corrupt Dictators, which ultimately failed to reach quorum due to our efforts. Afterwards, we took a pit stop to refound Republican Army, which was one of the aforementioned exemptions, after a 6 update hold in which 25 soldiers participated.

Going into May, the North Pacific Army participated in Pacific-Con and joined in wargames alongside the 4 other Pacifics. These wargames were a fun way to bring the armies of the 5 regions together, and an opportunity to recruit newer players curious about R/D. This was an all-around fun event, and we look forward to participating in similar events in the future.

The dictatorship delegacy of McMasterdonia ended in mid-may with the election of Prydania as our new delegate, marking the start of the new term. With this new term, we said goodbye to Trondstorm as our Minister of Defense and Rom was appointed as our new MoD. General Rom selected BMWSurfer and Robespierre as his Deputy Ministers of Defense. This new term has so far brought us much success, with many joint operations conducted and several important refounds.

Lieutenant Nimarya successfully refounded The Spartan Empire, another region on our exempt list. We also conducted a joint raid alongside the Legio Pacifica and The Grey Wardens against The Third Coalition. The NPA also conducted a joint hold of SECFanatics alongside The Black Hawks and several other militaries, to close the over 2000 embassies that have been spammed over the years, and successfully defended Warzones Airspace and Australia against raiders associated with Opstan. So far, we have conducted operations with soldiers from with The Black Hawks, the Europeian Republican Navy, the East Pacific Sovereign Army, Lone Wolves United, the Land of Kings and Emperors, Balder, the Grey Wardens, Lily, and the Legio Pacifica.

The North Pacific Army continues to have tremendous involvement from our soldiers, with an average of 8 soldiers present in each of our non-joint operations. We hope to continue this into the next month, and look forward to another month of successful operations.

[Image: sG8YGQy.png]Regional Assembly Highlights - April to May 2020

by Robespierre, Deputy Speaker

Speaker: St George (MadJack)

Deputy Speakers: Robespierre, Owenstacey, Bobberino, and Crushing Our Enemies

Current Business
The current business for the Regional Assembly for the months of April and May is the Security Council Application of Wonderess.

Wonderess' Security Council Application

Summary: After applying to the Security Council on the first of May, Wonderess failed to be recommended for admission. The Regional Assembly then began a discussion to examine the proposition of upholding or overturning the Security Council's decision.

Status: Motioned for Vote

Passed

The proposals that have passed through the Regional Assembly in the months of April and May include the Incorporated Rum Pact treaty with Lazarus, the Delegate's Report Act, exceptions to the NPA doctrine under Sections 32 & 33 of Chapter 7.6 of the Legal Code, and confirmations of Holdac, Siwale and Artemis to the Election Commission.

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Exceptions under Sections 32 & 33 of Chapter 7.6 of the Legal Code

Summary: These batch of exemptions were presented to the Regional Assembly by McMasterdonia in an effort to permit the North Pacific Army to target fascist regions in addition to regions that maintain embassies with region's previously exempted for their nazi ideologies. With little opposition, all five exemptions were passed by the Regional Assembly.

Results:

The Union of Dictators -
34 Ayes | 6 Nays | 10 Abstentions

Jon - 33 Ayes | 7 Nays | 10 Abstentions

People are Worthless - 34 Ayes | 6 Nays | 10 Abstentions

Pax Britannia - 38 Ayes | 5 Nays | 7 Abstentions

Fifth Empire - 39 Ayes | 4 Nays | 7 Abstentions

Status: All Exemptions Passed as of 3 May 2020

Confirmation of Holdac as Election Commissioner

Summary: Holdac was nominated to the Election Commission by then-Delegate McMasterdonia in mid-April of 2020. Due to their almost exclusive activity in the North Pacific's roleplay community, Holdac received many questions from their fellow citizens. After answering the questions proposed to them, Holdac's knowledge and understanding of the electoral procedure was sufficiently tested and they were later confirmed, by a majority, to take their seat and be admitted to the Election Commission.

Results: 29 Ayes | 5 Nays | 19 Abstentions

Status: Confirmed as of 4 May 2020

Delegate's Report Bill by RocketDog

Summary: The Delegate's Report Act was originally introduced to the Regional Assembly a year ago during El Fiji Grande's term as Delegate as a way to clarify when the executive administration was to give reports on its activities. After a period of dormancy for many months, discussion surfaced again in late March of 2020 and after a few revisions the bill later passed.

Results: 24 Ayes | 20 Nays | 10 Abstentions

Status: Passed as of 11 May 2020

Confirmation of Siwale as Election Commissioner

Summary: As a constantly active and notably consistent member for two terms prior, Siwale was nominated by then-Delegate McMasterdonia in early May of 2020 to continue their service on the Election Commission. In light of their invaluable experience in the role, Siwale was successfully confirmed as an Election Commissioner once again after little debate.

Results: 50 Ayes | 1 Nay | 1 Abstention

Status: Confirmed as of 15 May 2020*

*Bill was subsequently vetoed by the Delegate after passage

Confirmation of Artemis as Election Commissioner

Summary: After answering a few standard questions that North Pacifican citizens typically ask nominees to the Election Commission, Artemis was successfully confirmed as an Election Commissioner following their nomination by then-Delegate McMasterdonia in late April of 2020.

Results: 53 Ayes | 1 Nay | 3 Abstentions

Status: Confirmed as of 20 May 2020

The Incorporated Rum Pact

Summary: The Incorporated Rum Pact is a non-aggression and communications agreement between the North Pacific and Lazarus. Although a last-minute situation emerged in which the Director of Public Relations of Lazarus publicly posted questionable comments regarding the Confederation of Corrupt Dictators, the treaty nevertheless passed, with said Director later resigning.

Results: 38 Ayes | 5 Nays | 8 Abstentions

Status: Passed as of 29 May 2020

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[Image: sG8YGQy.png] World Assembly Digest


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General Assembly

Improving the world one resolution at a time.

Prevention Of Forced Sterilisation

Spoiler:


On Marijuana

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Repeal Reproductive Freedoms

Spoiler:


Ban On The Administration Of Unwanted Substances

Spoiler:


Standards For International Road Freight

Spoiler:


Repeal Data Protection Accord

Spoiler:


Requiring Promulgation Of National Laws

Spoiler:


Repeal Ensuring Safe Syringe Use

Spoiler:


Ethical Treatment Of Animals In Research

Spoiler:


Military Identification Tag Act

Spoiler:


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Security Council

Spreading interregional peace and goodwill, via force if necessary.

Condemn This Game

Spoiler:


Commend Kuriko

Spoiler:


Condemn Nations Creating Regions For SC Props

Spoiler:


Repeal Condemn This Game

Spoiler:


Commend The Holy Principality Of Saint Mark

Spoiler:


Condemn Deruuu

Spoiler:


Commend Destructive Government Economic System

Spoiler:


Commend Almonaster Nuevo

Spoiler:


Condemn Psychotic Dictatorships

Spoiler:


Commend Audioslavia

Spoiler:


Condemn Auphelia

Spoiler:


Commend Candensia

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Commend Vilita And Turori

Spoiler:


The North Star: Lighting The Way To The Truth

Publisher:
Prydania :: Executive Editor: Gorundu :: Managing Editor: BMWSurfer, Bormiar

The North Star is produced by the Ministry of Communications on behalf of the Government of The North Pacific and is distributed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs externally and the Ministry of Home Affairs internally. Except where otherwise indicated, all content represents the views of the Government of The North Pacific.

Index of Issues

<r><COLOR color="#5a70b3"><s></s><B><s></s>Ambassador from <URL url="http://forum.thenorthpacific.org/"><s></s>The North Pacific<e></e></URL><e></e></B><e></e></COLOR></r>
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